Fourth Down Baby: A May-December Romance (39 page)

"
A
nd so
, it looks like the Hawks have a potential new star on their hands,"
the analyst on the television says as I watch the post-game wrap up.
"After appearing in two pre-season games where he delivered dominant performances against mostly second string squads, there were still questions remaining about the real ability of Troy Wood, the second year linebacker for Seattle out of Clement. Those who know Troy . . ."

"Oh, I know him," I laugh softly to myself as I reach over and stroke Laurie's hair. She tried so hard to stay awake to watch her daddy play, but she nodded off during the third quarter. With all of the ads and play stoppages, even a late afternoon start is too late for a child her age. "I know him very well."

I turn my attention back to the television as the analysts continue to sing Troy's praises.
"Yeah, Tom, it was right about this point that he just took over,"
the one guy, a former player himself, said.
"I mean, right here when . . . BOOM! He just rocks the running back here, driving him down for a loss and setting the tone that he'd keep up for the rest of the game. I tell you, guys, he put the fear of God in that man's heart with that hit."

"It's too bad that the Hawks couldn't have cloned Troy Wood,"
the lead talking head says, segueing into the bad.
"Because with the loss of their best receiver and right tackle in the third pre-season game, their own offense was nearly as inept as the Cardinals were when Wood was in the game. The Arizona defense picked off the Hawks three times, returning one of those for a touchdown, which proved to be the difference in the game, as the Cardinals go on to win the first game of the season fourteen to ten."

The analysts go on to review the other games of the weekend, and I turn off the TV, picking up Laurie and carrying her to the bedroom. "You're getting heavy, little girl," I grunt as I carry her. "You take after your father. You're going to be six feet tall at this rate."

"Want some help?" Mom asks as she comes out of her room, and I stop, only slightly startled. "Sorry, I heard the TV switch off and thought you could use it."

"Thanks, Mom, but I've got her," I say, carrying her the rest of the way to the bedroom and putting her on the bed. I tuck Laurie in and give her a kiss goodnight, then Mom follows. "I thought you'd have gone to sleep. Don't you start work early in the morning?"

"I do, but I'm not sleepy yet," Mom says. "Share a bowl of ice cream with me, maybe?"

I consider it, then smile. "Sure. Just remind me to go for a jog in the morning or something."

Mom snorts and we go into the kitchen, where she pulls out the carton of vanilla ice cream, scoops out two scoops and puts them in the same clear glass bowl that we shared when I was a little girl. "You still use chocolate sauce?"

"Sorry, kinda outgrew the Hershey's," I say.

Mom smiles and brings the bowl over before going and getting two spoons and setting them in the bowl. "Dig in. It's been a long time since we did this."

"Five years," I agree. "I'll be honest—these past six weeks have been pretty awesome. It's good to be home."

"It's good to have you home, sweetie. Actually, it's those five years I'd like to talk to you about."

"What about? I thought you and I cleared the air about that long ago. I don't hold any ill will toward you, and I thought you didn't toward me about going to Europe."

Mom shakes her head and takes a bite of ice cream. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines that I need to clear the air with Troy. If it wasn't clear enough already, your little public announcement at Dani Barkovich's wedding reception made it clear you two are back together."

"It wasn't an announcement. It was a dance. And yes, a kiss. I'm twenty-three now. I think I can kiss my man in public, can't I?"

"Of course," Mom says, defensive until she takes a breath. "It's just . . . well, I would have liked to have been let in that you were going to tell Laurie about her father. It caught me by surprise when she came in going on about meeting her daddy after you two went to the zoo."

"I'm sorry about that. Troy and I discussed it, but the exact time was a bit sudden, and when I got back from the reception, you were already asleep with her, and you had early work the next day."

"It's okay, just it was surprising. But what I've been thinking about is that you and Troy . . . is it serious? Like permanent, maybe?"

"Maybe. We're taking our time on making that formal, but I know what my heart says."

Mom nods and takes another bite of ice cream. "Okay then. Maybe we should have him over one night for dinner. After you left, I was pretty cold to him. And I don’t want a bad relationship with him if he's going to be your . . . man, and Laurie's father. Do you think you can set that up?"

"I'm sure we can find a time.”

* * *

A
s it was
, because of travel schedules, work schedules, and just general life, it was six days before Mom, Troy and I were able to sit down for a family, clear-the-air dinner. Laurie, who had gotten the vibe that tonight's dinner is going to be very important, got showered and dressed without me having to remind her too many times that she needed to dry off fully or to put her socks on and not just wear her shoes barefooted. Instead, it's now exactly six fifty-eight in the evening, and Laurie is sitting on the bed in her best pair of jeans and new, most favorite Hawks t-shirt, waiting for Troy.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Laurie?" I ask as I carefully apply the last bit of my lip gloss. I'm not going overboard. After all, this is a family dinner and not a romantic date, but I do want to look good for Troy, putting on an emerald brocade blouse and a black skirt that I sometimes have used for business, but is loose enough that I can relax and move around in if I’m in the mood, sexy but not too sexy with my casual flats. I have news for him as well, after all.

"When Troy gave me the football, did he know that he is my Daddy?" Laurie asks. "I asked Grandma to read me what he wrote again, and I'm not sure."

"No, sweetie, I didn't tell him that you were his baby girl until a couple of days later. You guys actually played together first before I told him, but as soon as I did, he was so happy that he nearly broke my ribs, he hugged me so hard."

The doorbell rings, and Laurie's on her feet in a flash, running for the door. I hear the door open, and the delighted squeal as Laurie throws herself into her father's arms. "Daddy!"

I leave the bedroom and see that Mom, who has been busy in the kitchen for the past hour, has also come out to greet Troy. He's wearing charcoal dress slacks and an open-throated, checked dress shirt, his muscles still bulging against the cotton of his shirt. Maybe it's because the door is open, but I swear it just jumped five degrees inside the house.

Laurie, who’s hanging from Troy's neck and refusing to let go, gives Troy a big, smacking kiss on the cheek. "Kissy-kissy!"

"And a kissy-kissy for you too," Troy replies, kissing Laurie on the cheek and neck loudly, giving her a hug. "How was school today?"

"Great! I got to tell everyone about what my daddy's going to be doing this weekend, and I drew a picture, too.”

"Oh really? And what did you tell them?"

"That my Daddy's going to beat Pittsburgh.”

"Well, the entire city of Pittsburgh is a little difficult, but I'll try to start with the Warriors." Troy laughs. "Just remember, I need all my teammates to get the job done."

Laurie allows herself to be set down, and Troy does the right thing by instead of coming over to hug me, he turns to Mom and offers his hand. "Ms. Nelson. Thank you for having me."

Mom stops moving and then sighs, shaking her head. "Come here, you big oaf. And for God's sake, call me Patricia or Patty."

Mom gives Troy a quick hug, then steps back. "So I hope you're hungry, and the team didn't fill you up already."

"Nope, that's tomorrow." Troy laughs. "Saturday night, we get to eat and live on our own, as long as I'm at the stadium by nine tomorrow morning."

"Why so early?" Mom asks, leading Troy over to the table. "Don't you have a four o'clock kickoff?"

"No, that's four Eastern time," Troy says. "The network bumped us back because of some stuff that happened around the league in the pre-season, so we've got a one o'clock kickoff. If it was still at four, I'd have to be there by eleven. But nine is a good time. It gives everyone a chance to eat, relax, get warmed up and get ready to go come game time."

Mom nods and goes back to the kitchen, and I hear the sound of pots and pans moving around. "Can I help you, Mom?"

"No, honey," she calls, "but if I could get a little help from a certain granddaughter of mine, I think we can get these plates out on the table in under three minutes. What do you say, Laurie?"

“Coming!” Laurie calls, going into the kitchen area. It's not totally cut off. I can see over the kitchen island as Mom scoops up plates of spaghetti, but only from her shoulders up.

"Whatever it is, it smells great, Ms.—sorry, Patricia," Troy says, sitting down next to me. "What am I in line for anyway?"

"Whitney's favorite when she was in high school, linguini with a tomato and Italian sausage sauce. Laurie here has helped me tweak it to make it more authentic, but still American enough for our taste buds. You don't mind having a lot of carbs before a game, right?"

Troy shakes his head and gives me a look, and the warmth inside me is definitely not due to the ambient air. We both want each other, but we know we need to get the air cleared with Mom first. "No, Patricia, that sounds great. Do me a favor, though. If you have any plans for dessert, hold off, please? I can handle the pasta, but if I load up on ice cream or cake or something like that, I tend to crash down from the sugar high and then I'm sluggish in the morning."

"What do you eat on game days?" Laurie asks as she emerges with the first plate, which she carefully sets in her place next to me before going back into the kitchen area. "You know, to play so well."

"No secret formula," Troy says, and he reaches over to take my hand, the touch of just our fingers thrilling me. "I like to eat a lot of vegetables, some beans for the slow energy, and a few eggs with breakfast. Nothing too heavy or fatty for an early game. Do you like eggs, Laurie?"

"I do, Daddy,” Laurie says, and I see Mom look up before snorting and shaking her head, smiling as she hears Troy being called
Daddy
again. "But beans? Ewww."

"I just need to introduce you to the team catering staff," Troy says, giving Laurie a kiss on the forehead when she comes out with his plate. "They make a black bean salad that is so delicious I bet even you'd like it."

"I don't know," Laurie says, and Mom comes out with the other two plates, setting one in front of me before sitting down. As soon as she sits down, Laurie folds her hands, and Troy follows suit, while Laurie says grace in her sweet little voice. "Okay, let's eat!"

* * *

W
e had a great dinner
, Mom and Troy seeming to bond after apologizing to one another. Now, Mom and Laurie are in the living room having dessert and watching a Disney movie.

We sneak our way to my bedroom, and as soon as we’re inside, our passion and desire give way. “You were kind, insightful . . . there's a reason I love you," I say in between kisses. "And a reason you’re the perfect man for me."

Troy smiles and brings his hand up to cup my breast, stroking my nipple through my bra with his thumb. Sparks cascade through my body with every rotation of his thumb, and I'm soon breathless, desperate with need. "Troy."

"I want you so badly, but we don't have time," Troy says, still not moving as his hand keeps up its amazing ministrations. "And I'm sorry, I didn't plan for this. I don't have a condom on me."

"Then I get to engage in a fantasy," I say with a smile, getting down on my knees. "Think you can reciprocate if I go first?"

Troy smiles and strokes my hair while I undo his zipper and ease his cock out of his pants. He's already mostly hard, and the feeling as I suck him in and feel him expand is sexy and powerful. I pull him all the way into my mouth and swallow his cock, licking and sucking along the shaft until I reach the flared mushroom tip, so soft and velvety on my lips. Flicking my tongue over the tip, I’m once again treated to the tangy sweetness of his precum, which I let savor in my mouth while I pump him with my fist. “How many times did you dream about this?”