First Down (First and Ten #1) (17 page)

Ana patted his arm and grabbed another donut out of the box. After blowing a little powdered sugar on him, she responded. “I think you are the best sort of person, Jordan, and you deserve someone as amazing as you are.”

“Thanks, Ana Banana. Now that we’re done analyzing my dating life, should we take a look at yours and see what this woman is really saying?”

“It’s your basic nightmare. Big busty blond claiming that Jack fathered her child and abandoned them. Isn’t this what every girl deals with?” She got up, refilled their coffee cups, and contemplated a third donut. No! This woman was not going to make her stress-eat her way into the next size. She shoved her iPad at Jordan and closed her eyes. “You look and tell me how bad it is.”

“I already read everything. Why do you think I showed up at your door with a dozen donuts?”

“My God. Is this a twelve-donut problem?”

“I’m not sure. But I wanted to be safe. We have to talk to Ronnie and get some facts before we go off the deep end and start thinking the worst.”

“We can’t call her yet, because she went on that date last night with the head coach from Jacksonville.”

“She went on an actual date? One with a man?”

“Yes and yes. She has released the nonsense with Brian, and she’s ready to move on. Apparently, this man has been pursuing her, and she decided to give in and go out to dinner. Gerald is very happy, and that was part of the motivation for her going out. Anyway, we can’t call her yet.”

“Do you think that Jack has seen any of this?”

“I have no idea. His game is at ten in Massachusetts. I’m guessing that he hasn’t, and it’s better that way. He doesn’t need to be dealing with this when he is about to go out and play.”

“Said like a real football girlfriend. I never thought I would live to see the day when you fell for a football player.”

“I know. I hardly believe it myself. But if any of this nonsense is true, then I’m going to un-fall very quickly. I’m not the sort of woman who can get over something like this. I know my limitations, and this is one of them.” She considered another donut and then stopped. “I’m not worried about a child, but I am concerned if Jack is the type of man not live up to his responsibilities. I don’t think he is, but what if I’m wrong?”

“I don’t think you’re wrong about him. But I don’t see you becoming a stepmother to that woman’s child. From what I’ve read, she’s as crazy as a mad-hatter. No one needs that in their life.”

“I asked him about this sort of thing, and he denied that he had any children out there.”  She stared at Jordan and waited for him to give his opinion about the whole thing. He always had one, and she hoped that it would be helpful. “Let me have it, Jordan. I know you have something to share with the class.”

“I want you to be happy, and if this man can do that, then I’m all for it. He has a big life, and he’s a public figure, so that will always present certain challenges. If you think that he’s a good guy, then you’re going to have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just hope that there are not more incidents like this.”

Getting up, she went to the fridge and started pulling out ingredients for their omelets. She was pretty sure that Jack was as good as he seemed.  But what if she was wrong…again? What if he was a player? Her mind went around and around, and she knew she needed to let it go. Better to wait to speak in person with Jack. Nothing could be done before that. “Do you want bacon and hash browns as well?”

“Why do you always ask me that when you know the answer? Those are two of my favorite foods.”

“I like to pretend that I’m giving you a choice.” She started putting the ingredients together and smiled over at her friend. “Thanks, Jordan.”

He looked at Ana and returned her smile. “No thanks necessary. You would do the same thing for me. By the way, I need some new clothes for the conference next month. Let me know when you can go.”

“Let’s figure out a day next week. I’ve wanted to go to the Village at Merrick Park. I think they have the stores we like. Plus, there are a couple of restaurants that we should try.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll buy you a steak and martini after we’re done.”

“Sounds perfect.”

*******

Jack stood in the locker room after one of his best games and felt his happiness leak away. He had managed a touchdown during the game, and he knew how rare it was to be able to accomplish it

The reporters were not talking about that. Instead, they were asking about the woman who claimed that he’d fathered her child.

He thought they might’ve gone out on a couple of dates last year, but he sure as hell never slept with her. The only person that he had relations without protection with--was Ana, but that was different. They were going to be married, so it made sense that they didn’t need it. He barely got in the locker room before he was surrounded by the media. At first, he’d thought they wanted to talk about the touchdown, but that wasn’t the case.

What pissed him off more than anything was that he hadn’t spoken to Ana yet. He was worried that she was going to believe the woman, and he wouldn’t be able to change her mind. She wasn’t that excited about dating a professional athlete, and this sort of bullshit cemented her worst fears. He knew he had to deal with the media, but speaking to Ana was more important. He looked down at his phone and saw a text from her. Someone had taken a picture of her jumping up and down in front of a TV. She was wearing his jersey and appeared to be really happy. He read the text. “Ronnie got a picture of me losing my mind when you made the touchdown. Ella explained how rare it was, and I couldn’t be prouder. Stay strong, and I’ll see you when you get home. Xoxo”

Letting out a breath, he felt the emotion well up in his chest. This was the best news in the world. It seemed like she trusted him for now and wasn’t going to drop him before the day ended. He finally tuned into what one of the reporters was asking.

“Jack, is any of this true?”

“Ron, I’m surprised that you asked me that after all these years. The woman’s claims are completely false, and it will be proven at the earliest possible date.”

“So we’ve seen pictures of you with a woman around town in the last couple of weeks. Do you want to tell us anything about her?”

“No! But I will tell you this…I’m one lucky son a bitch, because I’ve met the woman who I’m going to marry and spend the rest of my life with. I just have to clean up this mess and make sure she knows that I’m worth the hassle. I have some work to do, but I’m confident that I’m going to be a married man by this time next year.”

“That’s a bold statement,” Ron replied.

“You guys know me. I go after what I want, and I don’t give up until I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. And this is no different.”

“How does she feel about all of this?”

“Like I said, I have some work to do. So if you guys can make me seem like a good guy, then I’d sure appreciate it.” He stared into the camera and smiled. “See you soon, sweetie.” He hoped that his audacious statements during the interview would let Ana know how serious he was, and he hoped that his declaration wasn’t going to blow up in his face.

********

Alex stood next to Ana, as they watched their friends in the pool.

“Sorry you missed your chance this year for a run at the Series.” Ana took off her sunglasses, studied him, and wondered how much it bothered him. It seemed like he didn’t have a care in the world, but she knew that wasn’t true. Maybe the trip to Mexico hadn’t turned out quite like he expected. “What are you going to do in the off season?”

Alex stared out over his massive backyard and the pool that his friends were enjoying and questioned if there was more. More of what he didn’t know, because every dream he had as a kid had come true. So there wasn’t any reason to feel so hollow. “I haven’t decided if I’m going to go home next month or not. Your cousin still needs some help with his pitching, and I told him I would hang out for a while and make sure that he was on the right track. I may stay in town until after the holidays.”

“Do you feel as bad as you sound? What’s going on, Alex? And don’t tell me it’s about how your season ended. There is something more, and I expect you to tell me sooner rather than later. You can brood for a little longer, and then I’m calling you on it.”

“That’s the problem. I can’t quite figure out what it is yet. It seems like it’s more than just the usual post-season let-down.”

“If you want someone to talk to, then I expect you to call me. I’m more than happy to listen. Sometimes, getting everything you ever dreamed of is hard. It’s just about that time that you have to start figuring out what you really want and what’s going to make you happy. That’s not easy stuff.”

Alex continued to stare out at the pool and put his hand out, and Ana placed hers in his. They squeezed for a minute and then smiled at one another. “I’m sure glad you ended up being my best friend. You are my sister from another mother.”

“I don’t know, Alex; we might still be related. We never really figured that out. Our mothers are carbon copies of one another, and it took them twenty seconds to become best friends when they met when we were freshman.”

He laughed in agreement. “I’ll let you know when I get closer to figuring it out. Maybe we need a marathon movie night.”

“Let me know when you’re ready. We’ve only made it halfway through the Bond movies, so it may be time to get back to them.”

“James Bond and take-out. Sounds pretty damn perfect. Is your new boyfriend going to give you a night off?” He felt her hand come out and punch him. It was a good thing that she was so lousy at it, because she just hit his pitching arm.

“I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. Jack is not the boss of me.”

“Does he know that? Because he just declared that he’s marrying you on national television. I’m thinking he may be on a different track than you.”

Ana put her glasses back on and stared straight ahead. “Why the heck did he do that, Alex? Do you think he’s crazy? Perhaps he’s taken too many hits to the head? We’ve been dating for a couple of weeks and only went on one real date, and that ended up with me in the ER. I think I’m going to order a CAT scan, because clearly things have gotten jumbled up in his head.”

“You got to him, Ana. I think a lot of times that’s it how it happens for guys. We go through life unaware and oblivious, and then one day we meet someone, and that’s it. It’s like getting hit in the head, and there’s no recovery in sight.” He felt her eyes on him and knew she was studying him. He’d be lucky to get out of this alive.

“So who is it, Alex? Who hit you in the head?”

He crossed his arms across his chest and clamped his mouth shut. “No one.”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

“Very mature.” He was going to keep his mouth shut if it killed him. There was no way he was going to confess anything. He chanced a glance in her direction and noticed the expression she had on her face. “I don’t care what look you give me. I have nothing to share with the class. And you can’t make me.”

“Oh my God! You’ve fallen for my cousin Lourdes.”

He practically shouted his response. “How in the hell do you do that? Every freaking time you figure it out by just staring at me. I hate your brain.”

She laughed and sat in the chair. “You realize that she’s never going to give you a chance. You represent everything she is trying to get away from. Her dream man has blond hair, and he works for a bank and can trace his roots back to the Mayflower.”

“Trust me. I get that, because she’s told me enough times. You’d think that I would’ve gotten the message by now, but no.” He sat next to her and pushed his glasses on his head and shrugged. “We are destined to be together, and it’s going to be a struggle to get there, but maybe that’s okay. I’ve never really had to work hard at anything I’ve achieved. I guess this is my chance. I hope we both come out of it in one piece. Because it’s going to happen between us.”

“How can you know?”

“I kissed her, and she got inside of me.”

“That’s it.”

“Yeah, pretty much. Men are simple creatures, and when it happens, that’s it. We don’t really question it like women do. We accept the truth a lot faster than you do. We don’t have to analyze it to death and discuss it with our friends for six months to be sure.”

She watched everyone get out of the pool and dry off. “Well, I wish you good luck, because you’re going to need it. You know she’s not going to marry you until she’s done with her residency. She wants to have her practice up and running before she even thinks about it.”

“I know. I think marrying a pediatrician is going to prove to be one of my best decisions, because a lot of people tell me that I’m still a kid.” He laughed at his own joke and watched their friends walk toward them. “I’m going to get the steaks and start the bar-b-que.” He kissed her head before he walked back into the house.

It was interesting to think of their group dating and having relationships. It was certainly something new, for everyone except Alex. But now that they were all done with their educations for the most part, it made sense that they would all move on to the next step of adult life. But were they ready for the next phase of adulthood? That was the million-dollar question.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Monday

“What time did you get in last night?” Ana draped her arm across Jack’s chest as she felt his hand run up and down her back.

“It was late. I think it was around two before I crawled into bed. You sleep like the dead, sweetie. I think it would’ve taken a bomb to get a reaction out of you.”

“I know. It’s a miracle that I’m able to wake up in time for work.” Rolling out of his arms, she sat up and glanced around. She was trying to decide if she should go make coffee before her shower or just jump in. She felt Jack sit up, and he pulled her hand so that she would turn to him. Looking into his eyes, she noticed how serious he appeared and wondered what was bothering him.  “What’s wrong?”

“We haven’t seen each other since Friday, and you’re about to get out of bed. Do you believe the stories that woman is spreading around?”