Fair Catch (22 page)

“Yes.” Apparently that wasn’t scandalous.

He gave her a wry grin. “And you’re staying in your parents’ house while they’re living abroad, right?”

“Yes.” Her head jerked back. “Ow,” she said when the woman pulled on her hair.

“Sorry, honey,” Shari said, patting her shoulder. “The brush got caught.”

Ellie saw Nick watching her with a worried expression. This whole thing had really upset him. He had been giving another guy the details on how they met, but stopped talking and walked over to her. He took a hold of her hand. “You okay?” His voice was filled with concern.

She squeezed his fingers. “I’m fine.”

Shari moved in front of her. “Excuse me, Mr. Coulter, I just need access to this gorgeous face of your girlfriend’s. Making her up is going to be a piece of cake—I’m already starting with a natural beauty.”

Ellie felt warm inside when Shari said she was Nick’s girlfriend. He grinned and moved out of the way. “She is beautiful.”

Ellie felt beautiful when Nick looked at her that way.

After that, a photographer took a lot of pictures of Nick and her together. It was all very surreal to Ellie, and by the time everyone left, she was exhausted. She stood in the kitchen, watching Nick tell the director goodbye. The cameras and the crew were gone, leaving her house back in order.

Nick stepped next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

She put one arm around his waist. “I can’t believe this is how you have to live your life.” It made her feel sorry for him. This is something he dealt with frequently.

His shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry,” he said again, sounding depressed.

Ellie turned toward him and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his solid chest. His heart beat steady and strong as his arms encircled her. “It’s not your fault everyone loves you.” He didn’t ask for this. He just happened to be a very good quarterback with extremely good looks.

She could feel him shaking and could hear soft laughter rumbling in his chest. “You are so amazing. I love your take on the media’s intrusion of my privacy.” He pulled back slightly to look down at her. “It’s good to know you’re a glass-is-half-full kind of girl.”

She tilted her face up and smiled. “That’s because I’m in love.” She batted her eyelashes playfully. It seemed like ever since she’d admitted being in love, she looked at life through rose colored glasses.

He laughed again and gave her a toe curling kiss, leaving her breathless. They drew apart just as Betsy descended the stairs.

“Okay, you two. If I catch you kissing anymore, I’m going to have Owen marry you ASAP.”

Nick raised both of his eyebrows and then started kissing her again.

Ellie giggled and pushed him away. “Stop.” She stepped out of his arms. “I think we need to take things slow.” It was one thing to disclose their love for each other publicly and quite another to get married. It was too soon and if Nick changed his mind…she didn’t want to think about any of that just now. She was thinking positive thoughts.

Nick folded his arms across his chest and looked at her in disbelief. “Ellie, we just released a story about us and some pretty tight pictures.” He laughed. “I think we’re
way
past slow.”

Okay, so he had a point. Still, marriage was a scary thought. She felt excitement mingled with utter terror. What if it didn’t work out?

“He’s right, Ellie,” Betsy said, placing her hands on her hips. “Besides, what’s stopping the two of you from getting married right away?”

“Betsy!” Ellie gasped. “We can’t get…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence. Why did they have to talk about this right now? Her rose colored glasses were getting a little hazy.

Betsy shook her head. “I’m going home to start dinner. Nick, talk some sense into her.”

Nick was too good to be true, and Ellie knew it was time to start being honest with herself. Marrying this man would be the best thing that happened to her since the day Cade was born.

Nick still kept his eyes on Ellie, his mouth tilted up at one corner. “I will, but don’t make dinner. I’m ordering take out.” He glanced over at Betsy. “Do you and the pastor like Italian?”

“We sure do.” Betsy laughed and told them to call when dinner arrived, then left without another word.

* * *

A couple of days after the photo shoot, Ellie hung up the phone after talking to her parents. They both took the news about her romance with America’s most eligible bachelor reasonably well—considering Ellie hadn’t mentioned Nick in any of her emails or Skype sessions.

They both were happy for her, but her father still had his concerns about Nick’s reputation as a player. The pictures of them kissing didn’t help. Fathers don’t like to see the word “score” next to their daughter’s name. Ellie encouraged him to call Pastor Stewart for a report on Nick, knowing the review would be positive. This seemed to mollify her father.

Now for her brothers. When they had discovered Nick Coulter had moved in next door, they’d been envious and couldn’t wait to meet him in person. When they’d asked if Ellie had met the quarterback a few weeks ago, her answer had been a little sketchy.

She called Nathan first since he was the least likely to come across the picture. “Hey, how’s my baby sister?” he asked without a trace of sarcasm.

“Good. I’m good.” Her hands were shaking slightly. It was stupid to be nervous. She was a grown woman and a mother. “I, uh, needed to talk to you about something.”

“Is everything okay?” He immediately sounded like an overprotective brother.

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, but I’m gonna put you on hold for a sec and get Wes on the other line.”

“El, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay. Just hang on and I’ll explain everything.”

Pressing a few buttons, she called Weston. He answered right away, his deep voice filled with warmth. “Hi, Ellie.”

Twisting her finger around her hair, she took a fortifying breath. “I have Nathan on the other line. I need to talk to both of you.”

There was a pause. “Uh, okay.” Now he sounded tense.

“You both there?” she asked after connecting the lines.

“Yeah,” they said at the same time. The two of them sounded so alike.

“Well, you guys know Nick Coulter bought the big house across from Mom and Dad’s, right?”

Weston laughed. “Yeah, have you finally met him?”

You could say that
. “Well, yes, and…” She cleared her throat. How would her brothers take this after they saw the pictures?

“Ellie, what is going on?” Nathan questioned.

Might as well just tell them. “Nick and I…we’ve gotten to know each other and there was this photographer who got a picture of us, um…kissing.” She cringed and closed her eyes.

Both of her brothers started to laugh. “Are you serious?”

She wasn’t entirely sure which one asked her the question—or if it was rhetorical. “I just thought I should be the one to tell you in case you come across the picture on the Internet or on the cover of
Celebrity Weekly
.” She knew they wouldn’t ever buy
People
magazine, so maybe she would wait to mention that one later.

“You’re serious? You and Coulter are dating?” Nathan asked in disbelief.

“Or just making out,” Weston said dryly.

“I’m too old to be making out.” Ellie let out a big breath. “We shared a couple of kisses, okay?”
A couple of really great kisses
.

“Holy cow, El,” Weston said, “I just Googled his name with yours and I gotta tell you, Sis, that ain’t just any kiss.”

Ellie felt her cheeks burn. “Okay, well, I also wanted to let you know about the article and photographs featured in yesterday’s
People
magazine.”

“What? Wait,” Nathan said, preventing her from saying goodbye. “
People
magazine? This sounds serious.”

“Wow,” Weston said. “So are you guys getting married or what?”

She bit her lip and decided to be straight with them. “I’m not sure—Nick wants to marry me, but I’m a little gun-shy about marriage.”

“Ellie, Thomas was a selfish jerk. Don’t let what he did stand in the way of your happiness,” Nathan advised her sincerely.

“Yeah, and besides that, Nick Coulter would be a really cool brother-in-law,” Weston added playfully.

Ellie laughed. “You are impossible.”

“We love you and just want you to be happy,” Nathan said, speaking for both brothers.

“I love you guys too. I gotta go, but I’ll try to keep you posted.”

“Tell Coulter we said hi,” Weston said before she ended the call.

Standing up, Ellie moved to the kitchen and pulled the pancake mix out of the pantry. Cade would be up any minute, and he would be hungry. She smiled about the conversation she just had with her brothers. If she didn’t marry Nick, they would probably never speak to her again.

* * *

A few hours later, Ellie had her head in the closet, searching for a shirt her sister-in-law had given her for her birthday last year. At the time it had seemed a little too classy for a single mom who only dressed up for church. Now she desperately needed something for her date with Nick tonight, especially since they were actually going out. In public.

She wasn’t sure she was ready for that, but being in love made you do crazy things. She pushed the last of the hangers to the side and finally spotted the silky taupe colored shirt. As she reached to pull it out, she heard her phone ringing. She debated about rushing to answer it, but figured it would be safer to let it roll over to voicemail.

Especially if it was Thomas calling again. He was the one person she’d avoided for the past couple of days. He had tried calling yesterday evening and had left multiple messages. She had yet to listen to any of them. Whatever he had to say, it wouldn’t be good.

Laying the shirt across her bed, she turned to find the expensive jeans her other sister-in-law had given her when she couldn’t fit into them anymore. Ellie had only worn them once and had decided to save them for special occasions.

Going out with Nick was just such an event.

She pulled them out of the closet and laid them next to the shirt. She heard the phone ringing again and decided she had better see who was calling. She started to go downstairs to find the phone when Cade came bounding up, holding her cell in his little hands. “Mommy, Daddy’s on the phone, and he wants to talk to you.”

Chapter Seventeen

Left
without a choice, Ellie reached out and took the phone. “Thanks, sweetie.” She cleared her throat and braced herself. “Hello.”

Thomas did not sound happy. “Why have you been avoiding my calls?” He laughed derisively. “Oh wait. It’s because you’ve been busy with your neighbor.”

Ellie watched Cade return to his toys before she went back into her room. “Did you need something, Thomas?”

He swore at her. “I can’t believe you! Were you seeing him when I was out there?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie. Because I can’t believe my prude of a wife would kiss a total stranger like that.”

“Excuse me, but I’m not your wife, and Nick isn’t a stranger.” There was no reason to even talk to him. He had given up that right when he had walked out on her. “If you’re calling to harass me, then this conversation is over.”

“I’m not harassing you. I have the right to know if my son is being exposed to immoral behavior.”

Was he serious? Ellie couldn’t hold back a sarcastic laugh. “You’re kidding? I can’t believe you can even verbalize that question.”

“He doesn’t live with me.”

“Oh, that’s right, since you left us for another woman,” she hissed into the phone.

“I have the right to be concerned, you’re dating a celebrity. Plus, a story was just released about you, and it mentions that you have a son. That puts Cade in danger.”

“He’s not in danger. Besides, Nick beefed up his security people to keep the paparazzi out.” Even as she said it, her stomach turned over with dread. Thomas could cause a lot of problems if he wanted to. “I won’t let anything hurt Cade.”

He snorted. “Paparazzi. Is that your new buzz word?”

“Goodbye, Thomas.”

Before she could hang up, he said, “This isn’t over, Ellie. I’m talking to my attorney. I’ll let you know what I’ve decided.”

The phone went deathly silent. Ellie clutched her stomach, feeling like she would throw up. Why was he talking to his attorney? To take Cade away? She couldn’t lose Cade, especially to someone like him.

She sat down on the bed, tempted to cry. Thomas had left her with a newborn baby and hadn't looked back. So why couldn’t he just leave her alone? She knew he wasn’t that concerned about Cade. The man had put him on a plane by himself.

She placed her fingers to the side of her head and massaged the throbbing area as an idea entered her mind. Could Thomas actually be jealous? Not because he had any feelings for her, but merely because he couldn’t stand the thought of her finding happiness? How sad to think that his infidelity and desertion weren’t enough.

Well, she had had enough.

Ellie remembered what Betsy and her family had said countless times. Thomas wanted her to be just as miserable as he was. Reaching out a hand, she fingered the silky shirt she planned wearing this evening. A tiny glimmer of hope rose inside her. Nick loved her. She loved him. And she was determined not to let Thomas ruin what they had.

* * *

Nick crossed the street, anxious to see Ellie again. Although he was excited to take her out on an actual date, part of him wished they could just hang out at her house and watch another movie. Still, he knew this was an important step in their relationship. The sooner they were seen together, the faster rumors would die down. It was the unknown or secret relationships that intrigued people.

At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

He lifted a hand and waved at one of the off-duty police officers he’d hired to keep the paparazzi and unwanted fans out. He figured it was working since nothing had been reported.