Hunter (Campus Kings): A Football Secret Baby Novel (16 page)

Chapter 41

Britt

"I'm sorry to drag you into this," I tell my dad as
he returns to sit next to me on the couch.

"You're not," he tells me simply.

"And I'm not expecting you to change your relationship
with Hunter. You two have—"

"No. For him to suggest that you would lie about
something like that for money, that's beyond the pale. It goes to his
character."

"He seemed so immediately attached to Max, though. I
can't believe that he would question that, that he would question me." I
feel a pang of guilt run through me. "Though maybe I have given him reason
to question. I left him so suddenly, maybe he's having trouble trusting
me."

"Mm," my dad murmurs. "Sorry. I'm not so good
at this stuff," he sighs. "Your mother would have been much
better."

I look at him in surprise. "You don't talk about her
much."

There's a long pause. "No," he finally says.
"Too painful."

"It was nice to talk to Paula about her. Paula said
they were really different growing up."

"Your mom was quiet, studious, like you. Paula was the
wild one, always going out, partying. Your mom was always worried about
her."

"But she turned out fine."

"And your mom...I suppose it's impossible to insulate
yourself entirely from pain. The world will find a way to bring it to your
doorstep."

"Do you think I should take the test?" I ask him.
"It's not like I haven't caused him pain. Maybe he just needs to be
sure."

"You do what you think is best," my dad says.
"You were always smarter than me anyway. I'm heading to bed. I'm still
getting tired a little earlier than I used to, and it's way past my bedtime
anyway.

"'Night, Dad," I say, pulling the throw blanket
over my legs up a little higher. I sit in silence for a few minutes, thinking,
as I hear my dad walking in the master bedroom overhead.

I've already missed four years with Hunter. Do I really want
to miss any more time? Maybe fame has changed him, but there's still no way I
could ever walk away. If he needs proof, fine. I'll give him proof.

I head upstairs to Max's room, the small guest room at the
back of the house. I tiptoe in. He's splayed on in his crib with his arms over
his head. He's getting too big for this thing. Soon he'll need a regular bed
like the one in his room at Hunter's house. I gently brush his bangs off of his
forehead, then leave and head into the hall bathroom.

His toothbrush is sitting on the sink next to mine. I pick
it up and wrap the head with a wad of toilet paper, then choose a new one for
him from the superhero themed pack I bought him at Costco. I walk with it back
into my bedroom, where my phone is currently lighting up with a text message.

It's from Danielle.
My second date with Adam went much
better than
our double date
, she writes, followed by a winky face.
Reading between the lines, my guess is that they had sex.

Glad to hear it!
I write back. I don't want to burden
her with what I'm going through. I want at least one of our love lives to be
smooth sailing.

Chapter 42

Hunter

I wrack my brain, trying to figure out what went wrong. I
barely slept last night, and now I feel like shit. I'm punishing myself by
watching all the recaps on the game, hearing all the different announcers say
in different ways how badly I played, and how I might really fuck it up in the
next playoff game, not to mention the Super Bowl. If we even get there.

My phone rings. I jump up to answer
it, hoping it's Britt, but my heart sinks as I see it's just my agent, probably
calling to find out why I played so fucking badly last night.

"Hey Rich," I answer flatly.

"Hey, man. How you feeling?"

"Is that a trick question? You saw the game,
right?"

"Yeah, yeah, the game. That was a bit of a rough one.
But, hey, you pulled it out. Listen—"

I hear the front gate buzz and put Rich on speaker so I can
check the security camera hookup on my phone. Holy shit, it's Britt.

"I gotta go. Call you later," I tell him shortly,
and buzz Britt in. I walk quickly to the front door and hurry out to Britt's
car. She steps out, looking serious. "Britt, what—"

"Here," she says, pressing a Ziploc bag toward me.
I take it and look at the little Superman toothbrush inside.

"I don't get it," I reply, staring at it, then
back up at her.

"I'll be honest. I'm so fucking mad at you right now,
but I can't just run away. Not just because I can't imagine having to live
without you again, but also because you're Max's father, and he wants you in
his life, too. So if this is what it takes to make that happen, then
fine."

"Britt," I say carefully. "I'm glad to hear
that you don't want to live without me, but I sincerely have no idea what
you're talking about."

"The toothbrush has Max's DNA on it!" she replies,
looking completely exasperated.

"Why would I want Max's DNA?" I reply, now equally
frustrated.

"You said that you did!"

"I never said that!"

"You're right, you sent Rich to say it instead!"
she yells back, her blue eyes flashing.

"Hang on. Rich told you that I wanted Max's DNA?"

"Yes, for the test!"

A realization slowly dawns on me. "You're angry because
Rich came to you and told you that I want to test Max's DNA to make sure he's
my son."

"Yes, of course I'm angry! The idea that I would show
up in your life again just looking for money, it's, it's—" she trails off,
unable to find the words she's looking for in the middle of her rage.

I hand her back the toothbrush. "Give this back to Max,
and just hang on one second." I take my phone back out of my pocket and
call Rich back. "Hey Rich, sorry about that," I say, putting him on
speaker. Britt is still glaring at me, but at least she's listening.

"No worries, I just—"

"Did you ask Britt to agree to DNA test Max?"

"Well, you know, I was just looking out for your best
interests."

"I never asked you to do that. I
would
never ask
you to do that."

"I know, but this woman just shows up after four years
and says you're the father of his son? Sometimes emotions can blind you
to—"

"You're fired," I say, and hang up.

"You didn't ask him to do that?" Britt whispers,
her eyes wide.

"I can't believe you'd think that I would," I tell
her.

"I'm sorry," she gasps, pressing her forehead into
my chest. "It's just that everything happened so fast, you know? It almost
seemed too good to be true. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I
thought this was it."

"I've had that feeling too," I tell her.
"Sometimes it's just hard to believe you're really back. I was terrified
when you weren't returning my calls. I thought maybe you left again. You can't
pull stuff like that. You have to tell me what's going on."

"You're right," she murmurs, looking up at me.
"Okay, so what happens if you get traded? Max can't move around—"

"I have a while left on my contract yet, and in case
you haven't noticed, I'm pretty fucking good at my job. I don't think the
Titans want to get rid of me."

"But what if—"

"Then we'll move. Together, with Max. We'll figure it
out. I thought you said you weren't a planner anymore," I say with a
smile.

She laughs. "I guess old habits die hard."

"Any other concerns?"

"Yeah, this house is too big! You've got entire rooms
just sitting empty."

"Well, I never had anything to fill them with. Does this
mean you're thinking about moving in?"

"Is that crazy?" she asks "Are we moving too
fast?"

"We met four years ago," I remind her.

She grins. "You're right. I don't want to waste any
more time. We've already missed so much." My phone starts ringing again. I
look down, knowing it'll be Rich, and it is.

"Think I can throw it over the house?" I ask,
turning to judge the height and width of the walls and roof.

"Considering you've got the best arm in the NFL,
yes," Britt laughs. "But I still want to see you do it."

I back up a few steps, and then throw my phone up and over
the house as it continues to ring. Britt and I both pause to see if we can hear
it after it clears the roof, but we can't.

"That's better," I smile, and pull her against me.
I lean down, and cover her mouth with a kiss.

Chapter 43

Britt

I sit in the second floor study and refresh my email again
and again. My breath catches as a new email pops up and I click on it. I
shriek, and run downstairs as fast as I can, and then out through the back door
and onto the patio.

"I got in!" I yell. Hunter pauses in mid-throw. He
and Max are playing catch on the grass just past the covered pool.

"I knew it!" Hunter yells, tossing the ball to the
side and running over to me. He scoops me up into a hug as I giggle and Max
comes running over.

I really don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been
accepted into Vanover's PhD program, since there really isn't another program
of its caliber in the area. Now I'll be able to get my psychology degree there
starting in the fall.

"Good job, Mama!" Max says, tugging on the leg of
my jeans as Hunter puts me back down on the ground.

"Thanks, honey," I reply, even though I know Max
doesn't really understand what's happening, he just knows I'm happy.

"I have a present for you," Hunter tells me.

"What would you have done if I hadn't gotten in?"
I ask, resting my chin on his chest so I can look up to his smiling brown eyes.

"You're the smartest person I know. I didn't have a
doubt in my mind that you'd get in," he tells me, kissing my forehead.
"Hey, Max," he says, "I want you to go into your playroom and
find the blue box that's hidden in your toy house." Max's eyes light up
and he runs to the house. "But don't open it!" Hunter adds. "I
thought it was a good hiding place because he never plays with that thing
anymore."

I smile. "It's nice having you around more," I
tell him. His season ended a month ago with Hunter leading the Titans to
victory in the Super Bowl, and now in the off-season, he can help with Max more
day-to-day. Now he and Max have their own relationship, and Hunter knows all of
Max's small habits and the ways to help him get through the day without a
tantrum.

"I love being around more," Hunter says, wrapping
his arms more tightly around me as I shiver. It's March, but there's a chill in
the air and I ran outside without putting on a coat.

Max comes running out waving a small box in his hands. My
eyes widen at the familiar-looking shade of robin's egg blue. I look up to see
Hunter watching my expression.

"Is that…?" I ask.

Max triumphantly hands Hunter the box. "I found!"
he declares. I step back and cover my mouth as my eyes well up with tears.
"Mama?" Max asks questioningly, worried about my reaction.

"I'm fine, honey. Sometimes tears are for happiness,
not sadness."

Hunter kneels in front of me and I almost lose it. Max leans
affectionately against his giant dad as Hunter opens the box, revealing a
crystal clear, square cut solitaire diamond.

"Britt," Hunter begins, his voice cracking a bit.
He clears his throat. "The last few months since you and Max moved in have
been the happiest of my life. I feel complete in a way that I never knew was
possible. While I know already that nothing could ever break us apart, I'd
still be honored to call you my wife. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I gasp, overcome with emotion. I kneel
down, and wrap my arms around Hunter and Max both. They're already my family,
but now just a little more officially.

Chapter 44

Hunter

I've had to play football on a holiday before, but never
have I wanted to get home so much. After our plane lands, I toss my bag in the
backseat of my car and push the speed limit on my way. Thankfully most people
are already with their families, stuffing their faces with Thanksgiving turkey.

As I pull through the gate, I smile as I see our driveway
full of cars and the windows all lit up and welcoming. Britt insisted on
holding dinner late so that I could be here for it. I can't believe I used to
come home to an empty house. I'd never want to go back to that time again.

I park on the grass so that I don't block anyone in, and
grab my bag and walk quickly the rest of the way. "I'm home!" I call
out as I shut the front door behind me.

"Daddy!" Max yells, sprinting from the kitchen and
launching himself at me. He hits me like a tiny pack of bricks, and I scoop him
up as I dump my bag.

"Great game," Britt says, walking into the foyer.
I want to pull her against my body, but instead I lean over her very pregnant
belly and kiss her on the lips.

"Ew," Max protests, having become recently grossed
out by his parents' displays of affection.

"I know, honey, but you're just going to have to put up
with us," Britt says, laughing.

"How's your back?" I ask her, setting Max on the
ground. She's at eight months, and her back gets sore if she stands for too
long.

"Not too bad, actually. Paula and Danielle have been
really helpful. Come on, everyone wants to see you," she tells me, taking
my hand. I walk into the kitchen and see Coach McKay talking to my parents by
the breakfast bar, Paula and Danielle scurrying around the kitchen, and Adam
and Paula's boyfriend Dave sharing beers as they sit at the dining room table.
A chorus of hellos rise as I step inside, and I'm swarmed with hugs.

"You go sit," I tell Britt, ushering her toward
the table.

"Don't be silly, you just got home from a game!"
Britt laughs.

"Come on, Britt. Join us lazy folks over here,"
Adam says, pulling out a chair next to the head of the table for her.

"Oh, alright," Britt grumbles, accustomed to being
of more use.

I smile and head over to the kitchen. "You want to
check on the turkey?" Paula asks, pointing to the oven.

"On it," I tell her. Paula is just as warm and
kind as Britt described her, and I was glad to be able to help her pay off her
house. She was there for Britt when I couldn't be, and I would have happily
done much more for her. She and Coach have mended fences, and I think the idea
of her having a boyfriend has even put the thought of dating again into Coach's
mind.

I set the turkey right on the granite countertop since all
the burners are taken. "Looks good to me," I announce, cutting into
it.

"We're a go, everyone!" Danielle announces.

"Good job, babe!" Adam calls from the table, and I
shake my head at him with a smile.

I lug the huge turkey toward the
table and set it down, then make sure everyone has something to drink in their
glasses, though only water for my wife. We all settle down into our seats, me
at the head of the table, Britt on my right, and Max in a booster seat on my
left.

I raise the glass of beer in front of me. "Thank you
all for making the trip to be here, and thanks for waiting on dinner. I've got
a lot to be thankful for right now."

"Mama!" Max yells out.

Everyone laughs. "Yes, that's right, Max. I've got your
mom, I've got you, Max, and another little one on the way. I don't think my
heart could get any fuller."

"Cheers!" everyone says as I raise my glass a
little higher.

"Love you," Britt whispers, leaning over and
brushing a kiss on my cheek, the tip of her nose rubbing into my stubble.

"Love you, too."

* * *

THE END