Home > Fair Catch(43)

Fair Catch(43)
Author: Heidi McLaughlin

He pats me on the back. “It gets better.”

“When?”

Noah shakes his head slightly. “I don’t know, man. But it does. Peyton says if Kelsey’s the one for you, you guys will find your way back to each other.”

“Your wife’s a hopeless romantic.” I’m not even mad he told her. He’s very clear about how he shares everything with his wife.

He chuckles. “I love that about her.” He pauses and looks around the room. “Come on, let’s go outside. It’s too nice to be in here.” Except outside is an indoor football field because it’s not nice outside right now. It’s in the thirties and raining. But it’s better than being in the stuffy gym, staring at myself.

I grab the bin of balls and drag it out to the field and wait for Noah to give me some instructions.

“I want to throw,” he says.

“Um . . . okay? What about Julius?”

“Nah, just us for right now.”

“And me.” Peyton’s voice echoes through the facility. She comes over with her clipboard and sits down near the bin of balls.

“You messed up, didn’t you?” I ask Noah. I look from him to his wife and shake my head.

Peyton smiles. “He didn’t. I just like watching him.”

“You’re not going to get all lovey-dovey on me, are you?” I ask the boss lady.

She shrugs and keeps her eyes on her husband. That right there, is the kind of love I want, and the kind I know I’d have with Kelsey if given the chance.

I run off and grab an empty bin and then head down field, ready to catch whatever Noah throws my way. Only that’s a lie because I can’t catch shit which is probably why I’m a center and not some hot shot QB or receiver. I can tackle, block, and make sure my quarterback has the ball in his hands on time.

I jump up and down and roll my shoulders to get ready. My eyes bug out when Noah hands Peyton the ball. All right, I get it. I take a couple steps in, and by a couple I mean I start to walk toward her.

“I’d stop if I were you,” Noah says.

“Really?”

“Or not.”

Peyton goes through the motions of receiving the ball, drops back and fires a cannon downfield. The ball whizzes by my ear and I’m too stunned to even try and catch it.

“Alrighty then,” I mumble to myself and head back to the bin.

She does it again and again, until she’s thrown every ball my way. I’ve caught maybe half, if that, and it’s not because she’s missed her target, it’s because I can’t catch worth a shit.

After picking up my dropped balls, I take the bin back to her and Noah. “Okay, what in the hell was that?”

Peyton shrugs.

When you want to give her a compliment, she’s shy and modest. When she wants to point out where you failed during a game, she’s a firecracker. I glance at Noah, who’s beaming from ear to ear.

“When we were kids, she came to all my practices. Her father and my stepdad let her play. They treated her like one of the boys, and most of the time she was better than kids four to five years older than her.”

I high-five Peyton and tell her I’ll be her center every time.

“Hey, you’re mine!” Noah says.

“Yeah, but she can throw better.”

Peyton giggles, rises on her toes, and kisses Noah. “I love you. See you later.”

“Bye, sweetheart.” I call out when she starts to leave. She turns and gives me a little wave before turning back around. Noah watches her like a hawk until she’s out of sight.

“You guys are relationship goals.”

“I think it’s different when you find the one you’re meant to be with at an early age.”

“You could’ve gone to jail.”

“Nope, I waited until she was eighteen. What I could’ve done was destroy our families, but they all knew we were meant to be together.”

“How did you know?”

“She’s all I thought about. Hell, she’s all I think about, even when she’s next to me. Peyton’s my obsession and I’d give up everything for her.”

“When you say shit like that, it makes me feel like I don’t love hard enough or I’m still searching for the right person for me.”

Noah spins the football in his hands. “First off, don’t compare your relationships with what Peyton and I have. I’ve known her since the day she was born. We grew up together and have always had this bond. I’ve loved her my entire life. Secondly, everyone feels different. My dad loved my mom, but he left. He pursued a career. Sometimes people need a break to realize what they’re missing or what they want.”

“What if she doesn’t want me?”

“Peyton only wants me,” he says as he tosses the ball at me.

I frown and toss it into the bin. We’re not allowed to throw anything at Noah. “I’d never make a play for your wife. Ever. And you know I’m talking about Kelsey. What if I blew my chance with her?”

“Then wait. If she’s meant to be with you, it’ll happen. If not, you move on. You can’t stress yourself out over something you can’t change.”

“And Maggie?”

“DNA test. She told you herself that she was with someone else. You have every right to keep her at arm’s length until you know.”

“Let me ask you this—had Dessie’s baby been yours would you have married her?”

Noah thinks for a minute and nods. “Unfortunately, but I also think I would’ve cheated on her. Peyton’s accident changed my life. It opened my eyes to what was right in front of me and once I stopped caring about what people thought, I went for what I wanted. Our families be damned.”

We stop for the day and head into the locker room. I shower, dress and head out to my truck. My phone rings and Maggie’s name shows up on the screen. I’ve avoided her as much as I can.

“Hey,” I say as I answer and climb into my truck, instantly missing Kelsey. The cab still smells like her perfume, although it’s starting to fade.

“I’m organizing a fundraiser for the hospital and I’m thinking of doing the auction again. I am going to put you down on the list.”

“No,” I say before I realize it’s out of my mouth.

“What?”

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I can’t be that person . . . your person anymore, Maggie.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I want the DNA test done, now. I don’t want to wait any longer. It’s not fair and this situation you’ve put me in is hurting Kelsey.”

“I thought you weren’t speaking to her anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter. Me and this other guy, we deserve to know now, not after the baby comes. If he’s the father, he has a right to bond with his newborn and all that shit.”

“Well, I need your support right now,” she says.

“And I need you to schedule this today. As far as your fundraiser, go through the proper channels. You can use the team or call my agent.”

“I can’t believe you’re being like this, Alex. After everything.”

“Yep, I know.” I hang up and bang my head against my steering wheel. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that what I said to her was terrible, but it’s the only way I can get through to her. If I continue to let her control my life, it’s never going to end.

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