Touchdown Baby (3 page)

I wonder what he will think if he knows he is still the only guy I’ve ever made love to
.

As a single mother, Ava struggled in the dating scene. Between trying to spend time with Ashlyn, her commitment to finish school, and working what amounted to a full-time job, Ava just didn’t have time to devote to dating. Hell, when she did finally go out with a guy, once he found out she had a child, he would assume it was his signal to try to get into her pants.

Jace continued to stand with his hand on her arm. The possessive hold seemed to be some sort of assurance she wouldn’t run out on him. “I take it you didn’t come in here to welcome me home, so what has you up in the middle of the night?”

“Actually, I was just goin’ to bed, and I needed a drink. I figured you would be sleeping and I wasn’t goin’ to wake you.” Ava pulled her hair away from her neck with her free hand in an attempt to cool her body temperature. “I’m sorry for startling you. I hope your toe is okay.” Why, oh, why did he always make her nervous when he stared into her eyes like that? Didn’t he realize she babbled when she was nervous?

The sexy-as-sin smile he had developed when he was only a teenager still made her nipples hard. She was aware his gaze had dropped from her eyes to the front of her shirt, and she shivered. Then, as quickly as his gaze lowered, it was back to her eyes again. Had he even noticed her reaction to him?

As he continued to stare into her eyes, he tried to joke. “It’s okay. I have a little feeling back in my foot now.”

The laugh that escaped his lips sounded strained, and as she tried to read the signals that crossed his face, she was shocked when, with only the slightest tug, he pulled her into his strong chest for a hug.

This simple show of affection should have been friendly, but having been connected to him in the most elemental way, Ava fought to separate friendship from love.
How can I still love him?
The fact she’d given birth to a daughter he didn’t know about should have made this embrace uncomfortable, but being in his arms felt perfect.

Thoughts of Ashlyn made her pull away, but Jace seemed to have other plans. He kept her close for a few more seconds. The image of Ashlyn and Jace being in the same room together had panic vibrating throughout her body; she was afraid the similarities would be so painfully obvious to everyone. Then her world would fall apart.

Ava wasn’t sure what had him pushing her away, but she was grateful just the same. When Jace made another crack about being caught drinking from the milk jug, she noted the happy-go-lucky guy who had been with her only moments earlier disappeared.

The man who stood before her looked broken. The only other time Ava witnessed this lost look was when he’d shown up at her house three years earlier, looking for the quickest exit from his troubles. Ava watched him gather his emotions.

It was rare to see him break from his playboy smile when on camera or out in public, but seeing him in her house, his posture slouched, his smile hidden away—this was the real Jase. The Jase who chased her around the house with a bug or looked the other way when she sunbathed with his sister. The Jase who let her in for one night and held her tight until he snuck away

In an attempt to joke away the awkwardness, Jace slipped his hand down between them to make a show of covering himself. His body’s reaction to Ava left her oddly vindicated; she wasn’t the only one with memories.

Jace moved toward the door, stopped and smiled at her. “You know, I was nervous about seeing you again. The thought of how you would be with me after the last time we saw each other had me second-guessing my being here. It’s reassuring to know you’re not holding any grudges. You always were the sweetest girl I’ve ever known.” The smooth, cocky guy who had changed her world was back. “I didn’t want you to think I forgot. I can’t wait to meet your daughter. If she’s even half as pretty as you, she has to be the most beautiful little girl around.”

When Jace walked out of the room, Ava realized it was probably the hardest thing she had witnessed in the last three years. Ashlyn’s pink booster seat at the table was a visible sign of her deception. Why did that day of reckoning have to come today? Her emotions began to get the better of her.

The birth of her little girl was her greatest blessing, and the thought of watching her father walk past Ashlyn’s life, after being this close and never knowing the truth, would probably destroy a small part of her heart.

Ava could barely catch her breath as her body began to shake with the suppression of tears. She no longer felt the burn of want for a man but the fear of losing everything. Worse was the reality that she would watch Jace walk away again. In a quiet voice, she said to the empty doorway, “Actually she has her daddy’s eyes.”

With a wipe to brush away the tears that had silently begun to trickle down her cheeks, Ava left the kitchen, the drink that caused her midnight encounter forgotten.

****

In the family room, Jace lay down on the couch. The same couch on which he’d made love to Ava during the best night of his life. When she surprised him tonight in the kitchen, it was as if she were an illusion. He just about swallowed his tongue.

Damn. She was an awesome sight standing in the kitchen in an old football jersey. Actually, it was
his
old football jersey. He could still remember the day he gave it to her.

She and Roxi had been at his house washing Roxi’s new car, and he had been home from his freshman year of college with his friend Alex. Now his number one wide receiver and still his best friend, Alex had refused to stop making comments about the girls and their barely there bikinis. It was one thing for the girls to wear their bathing suits around when they were alone, but in front his horndog buddy made him crazy. Alex merely laughed at his annoyance. Finally, when Jace couldn’t take it anymore, he went up to the girls and demanded they go in the house and put on more clothing. Ava, being a smart-ass, agreed, but only if he gave her the shirt off his back.

Jace would have been willing to do anything to get her covered up and to get his friend to stop ogling her. He took off his shirt and gave it to her. Roxi just flat-out refused and had flirted with Alex for the rest of the weekend, just to spite him. It had been hard to watch his baby sister throw herself at his friend, while he secretly fantasized about Ava.

The idea Ava kept his ratty old jersey amazed him; the fact she filled it out so well was no surprise. She had put on a little weight since the last time he’d seen her, and her body was even better now. He’d heard she had a baby, a little girl, but they never seemed to be around when he came home on his rare visits. Her black hair was still long. His hands had itched to see if it still felt like silk.

Ironically, the breasts that had driven him crazy while a horny teenage boy still appeared luscious, but they couldn’t hold a candle to her legs. She had the type of legs a guy just wanted to have wrapped around him. With only a football jersey accentuating their length, it was as if God had sent him his own fantasy.

Chapter Two

Ava figured the days of sneaking out of her house were over. When she found herself awake at six forty-five on a Sunday morning, she decided to execute a quick and quiet getaway from her guest.

The drive to her parents was about thirty minutes; normally, Ava enjoyed the downtime. However, today was an exception. The last time she’d felt this much apprehension about talking to her parents, she’d told them she was pregnant.

At some point during the night spent tossing and turning, Ava concluded she had to tell someone about her secret, or it was going to eat her up. Under normal circumstances, she would tell Roxi. With her being Jace’s sister, Ava knew that was impossible. Roxi and Jace were too close for her to keep a secret like that from her brother.

After she made the decision to tell her parents the truth of Ashlyn’s paternity, acceptance washed over her, and she slept deeply. The news that Jace had fathered her daughter would be shocking. She’d steadfastly maintained all along she’d had a one-night stand at a college party and refused to say more. Ava had to have faith they would support her and the choices she’d made once she told them everything.

The drive down her parents’ street at seven-thirty on a bright and sunny spring morning was like going back in time. Old Man Walters was out picking up his paper. Seeing him in his tattered robe made her reminisce about being outside on hot summer days and getting popsicles from his garage. The summer his wife died, she had taken over casseroles her mom made. From then on, he’d made sure there was always a supply of ice cream treats in the garage deep freezer for both her and Roxi.

Once she reached her parents’ two-story colonial, Ava took a moment to absorb the overwhelming feeling to run: inside or away, she couldn’t decide. When they moved to this town, she had been ready to start elementary school. Her first impression of her new home had been she was going to live in a mansion. The house turned out not to be a mansion, but it was more than enough for the three of them. She knew her parents had tried unsuccessfully to have other children, but they never complained about only having one. The thought of the revelations ahead left a heavy feeling deep in the center of her chest.

Please God, let me find a way to explain to them why I made this decision three years ago.

With a shake of her head in an effort to dislodge all negative thoughts, she looked at the house with the eyes of an adult, taking in the changes to her family home since their arrival almost sixteen years earlier.

The house still had the yellow siding her dad had put on when she was in the fifth grade. The memory of his trip to the emergency room after falling off the ladder remained etched in her brain. Of course, the bushes that had broken his fall had never grown back properly.

That would be one of those stories she could tell Ashlyn about silly Pappy and his crazy ideas. The flowers her mom and Lexi, Roxi and Jace’s mother and her own mom’s best friend, had planted around the front porch thrived. The walk to the front porch was reminiscent of a trek through a botanical gardens.

The large red door that welcomed her into the family home opened on silent hinges with the turn of the knob, and peace settled over Ava. This was the feeling she wanted for Ashlyn when she grew up: peace, acceptance and love just by coming home.

Shoes cluttered the foyer, and Ashlyn’s tricycle instantly put a smile on her face. Making her way into the recently renovated kitchen, Ava took in her mom’s youthful appearance. Lia Banks stood in front of the Keurig in her blue pajamas, holding a silent vigil for the first cup to finish brewing. She always wore her hair short with golden highlights, and in her only concession to age, the highlights had gotten a little heavier to cover the gray. One look at her and no one would ever guess she was a grandmother.

“Hey, Mom.” Ava giggled when her mother jumped.

“Sweetheart, you scared five years off me. I wasn’t expecting you this early. Ashlyn is still sleeping. We had dinner last night with John and Lexi and kept her out late.” Lia made her way around the table and stopped briefly to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “Honey, you still look tired, what time did you get in?”

“Around midnight, I didn’t sleep very well last night.” Ava could not tell her mom Jace had her tossing and turning. “No worries. My early arrival just lets me spend more time with you before Ash gets up.”

At the worn table, Ava peered around her parents’ kitchen. The old oak cabinets were gone, and in their place were beautifully handcrafted cherry cabinets, plus marble countertops and stainless steel appliances.

This is the type of kitchen I want in my house. One day
.

“I know. We never seem to spend time together like we used to.” The wistful look on Lia’s face made Ava want to tell her mom all her secrets. But how could she tell her about graduation, when she wasn’t positive she could secure her final, crucial two-week student teaching assignment? How would her mom react when she learned of Ashlyn’s paternity?

The worry must have shown on her face because Lia studied her, and Ava took the examination as it was meant, a show of love. “Honey, you’re running yourself down. I’m worried about you. You work too many hours. How many times do your father and I have to tell you? We will help.”

Her mother’s offer of money was nothing new, so when she continued, Ava was prepared to decline. “Your dad and I have been talking, and we’d like to buy you a new car. Before you say no, listen to me.”

Ava couldn’t argue if she wanted to; she was stunned into silence.

“We know you won’t take any money for your household expenses and, for some unknown reason, you only let us pay for half your tuition. We have discussed this, and your car is too unreliable. You and Ashlyn are our world. We want to get you something safer.”

Ava opened her mouth to say no, but what came out surprised her. “If I agree, will you let me pay for half?”

“You keep such late hours… Did you just agree?” Lia stared at Ava with her mouth gaped open. Her obvious shock at her acceptance made Ava laugh out loud.

“I guess I am.” Ava smiled broadly. “But I have to pay for half.” Ava knew the purchase of a car would cut into her plans for the summer, but the security of a new vehicle would be worth it.

“You made that too easy. I’d convinced myself you would argue until you were blue in the face and I had a migraine. Do you have plans for this afternoon? We could go to a couple of dealerships today.”

“I figured I would take Ashlyn to the park for a little while this morning and McDonald’s for lunch. While she is taking her nap, I have some laundry to do and homework to finish.” Ava pulled at the napkin that sat under her mother’s coffee cup.

Lia took another sip of her coffee. “Why don’t you keep your plans, and your father and I will go out looking for a car? We’ll get some ideas, and then you can come over for dinner sometime this week and we’ll discuss the specifics.”

Ava halted the conversation while she prepared her own cup of coffee. Settled down again at her regular spot at the table, she continued. “Mom, you know I would love to come to dinner, but it will have to be next Sunday. I have work and class every day, and my evenings are spent between homework and Ashlyn.” Ava hated to watch the look of disappointment cross her mother’s face, but she didn’t have a choice. With any luck, she would have some free time in the next couple of months.

“I’m worried about all you’ve taken on. You work too hard, you stay up late every night to do homework and have no social life. I understand you want to spend all your time being a good mother to Ashlyn and give her everything, but you really need to take time for yourself.”

“We have this conversation all the time. I promise I am fine and when things get to be too much, I’ll make some changes. Really, life is pretty good. I’m getting a new car.” Ava tried to give her mom a carefree smile.

Absently, Ava ran her hand along the edge of the scuffed table her parents had been given at the beginning of their marriage. She could feel the dents from years of use. Trying to change the subject, she asked, “Mom, why do you still have this table? When the kitchen was redone, you should have gotten a new one.”

“I love this table. I told your father I was pregnant while we were eating breakfast at this very table. Our family has shared every holiday and weeknight meal sitting across from each other at this table. Memories of you and now my granddaughter having your first meals at this table are things I will cherish forever.” Ava watched as her mom lovingly ran her hand across the rough top. “This table represents more than just a table, it represents our family.”

Not sure what to say to her mother, Ava just looked down at the battered wood. The sentiment of the table was lovely, but it didn’t suit the contemporary kitchen. She wasn’t about to mention that and risk another lecture. Ava sipped her coffee.

The sound of footsteps upstairs was Lia’s sign to start making breakfast for Howard. Ava’s dad was a wonderful, kind, caring man, but when he woke up, he was a hungry bear. His family just knew to stay out of his way until he had food in his belly.

Ava got the plates from the cabinet and began to set the table. Just as she was about to put the dishes out, her dad walked in with Ashlyn. The moment Ashlyn saw her mommy she started squealing.

As Pappy put down his little angel, Ashlyn rushed into her mother’s embrace and wrapped her chubby arms around her neck tightly. This was home; these were the moments she lived for.

Ava covered Ashlyn’s plump cheeks with kisses. “I have missed you so much, my little ladybug. Did you have fun with Pappy and Gram?”

Ashlyn giggled as her mommy rubbed her nose in her neck. “Mama, I miss you.”

Her baby had grown into a little girl, with her princess pajamas and sleepy eyes. Ava was the luckiest woman in the world. Staring into the face of her own heaven-sent angel, Ava knew nothing would ever make her regret her night with Jace or the wonderful person they had made together. The decision to tell her parents about Jace and Ashlyn’s connection was inevitable, and Ava placed another kiss on the cheek of her daughter and settled her into the booster seat, knowing everything would be fine.

After twenty minutes of babbling and mindless chatter and bacon frying, Ava finally sat down for a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. Noticing her dad kept one eye on her all the time made Ava anxious. It was as if he knew she was about to change their world.

Howard said, “Damn shame what that girl in Henderson County is doing to Jace.”

Lia just sat shaking her head while Ava tried to figure out what was going on. She had not seen Roxi when she got home, so she didn’t know what had actually brought Jace to town, and their midnight run-in was nothing to tell her parents about now. So she simply asked, “What’s going on?”

“I know his mama is so mad at that boy, she could kick his butt. I mean, we really don’t believe the allegations, but he hasn’t made a statement yet, so we just don’t know what to think.” Lia talked as if Ava hadn’t asked a question.

Still confused, Ava helped Ashlyn cut up more pancake and then asked, “What are you talking about? I haven’t been in town for a few days. What am I missing?”

Her parents looked at each other before either of them commented. Curiosity peaked, Ava waited patiently for a response. Finally, her dad said, “There’s a girl in Henderson County claiming Jace is the father of her son. A boy younger than Ashlyn.”

The unexpected news had the room spinning as Ava looked at her father in shock as he continued, “She’s says he was in town early in his second season with the Renegades. Nobody can verify that, except Jace, and he won’t answer his phone. As far as we know, Jace was in Nashville at the time this supposedly happened.”

While her dad continued to explain the situation, Ava could only listen with half an ear. She vaguely heard comments about DNA testing and public image. When it became apparent her parents were expecting her to say something, Ava couldn’t form any words.

Stunned silence filled the air as Ava tried to absorb the enormity of what she just heard. If this were true, Ashlyn would have a half brother out there. It would solidify Ava’s fear that what they had shared that one night was really just sex to him, and her daughter was only made with love by one parent.
Oh, my God. What am I going to do?
She couldn’t tell her parents or anyone the truth now.

Ava lost her appetite after hearing the news, and her parents didn’t question her as she abruptly stood and began clearing the table. In the meantime, Ashlyn was oblivious to her mother’s discomfort and continued to ramble about getting a puppy.

Ava didn’t know what had transpired between her parents, but when she turned back to the table, she noticed her mother was dabbing at her eyes. When she passed her dad’s chair, he reached out and grabbed Ava close for a hug that made her heart ache. She needed to escape the confines of her parents’ house before she broke down.

****

Roxi entered the kitchen with one thing on her mind…coffee. Having never been a morning person, she took her first sip of coffee as eagerly as a thirsty man drank water, and as usual, she was completely oblivious to everything around her. Jace smiled at his sister’s predictability.

The woman leaning against the counter inhaling coffee looked completely different from the little pain-in-the-ass he remembered. Tall for a girl, probably five ten and maybe one hundred twenty pounds soaking wet, she could no longer be called his
little
sister.