“Reed, I hate to even bring this up, but have you thought about measures to protect yourself?”
Shock hits me. “What are you saying?”
“There’s no doubt that little boy belongs to you. But is Ari going to use your love for him against you? Is there any way she is going to come after you for money or extort the story in the public?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” My blood starts to boil.
“Don’t look so shocked! You are a rich, famous, respected football player. Certainly, you’ve thought about it.”
“No, Mom, I haven’t. Ari doesn’t have a vindictive bone in her body. She would never come after me for money.”
“Maybe not now, but—”
“What the fuck does that mean? Stop pussyfooting around and just tell me what you’re trying to say.”
“Right now, things are new and fresh. You’ve reconnected with an old girlfriend and found out about your son. But the newness is going to wear off and your lives are so different. How is she going to handle it when football season starts and you don’t have every day and night to dedicate to them? What about when you don’t have a posh beach house to offer for the summer? You need to be careful how you handle this. If you start dating someone serious, she may try to hold Davis against you. I think it would be smart to take measures to protect yourself. Call your lawyer.”
“Unfuckingbelievable.” I hiss.
“I hardly think I’m being unreasonable. I’m trying to protect you.”
“Respect, mom, but you’re out of line. Let me tell you about yesterday. Ari’s best friend Luke came over to tell me he tried to intervene on my behalf a few weeks before the draft. You know what he did? He took a chance and went straight to Jack, telling him about the baby. He gave him the choice to tell me. Jack chose not too because he wanted to ‘protect’ me from a scam. So I’m a little hesitant about the people who supposedly love me trying to protect me.”
“You can’t be serious. Jack chose to keep that from you?”
“Motherfucker had the balls to ask me if Davis was even mine.”
She sucks in a breath and stares at me.
“Let me tell you now, Ari isn’t after my money. The beach house is a rental but if I thought she wanted one, I would buy it for her. I don’t think you understand. Ari’s the one who should call a lawyer. I’m going after her with everything I’ve got. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Apparently, I didn’t make it clear in college but I was in love with her. She wasn’t a fly by night girlfriend that was a filler until I went pro. I had planned on proposing to her as soon as I knew where I was going to end up. She was going to uproot her whole life to follow me. I guess I did a shitty job of letting everyone know how much she meant to me.”
“I had no idea.”
“Piece of advice, Mom, and this is going to be harsh. Don’t ever disrespect Ari like that again. Not only did it hurt me, but also if she knew you felt that way about her, it would severely damage your relationship. She holds all the cards here and I stand by her. If you want to know your grandson, you’d better have a better opinion of his mother.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears spill down my mom’s cheeks making me feel like shit.
“We’ve had a rough day. I’m gonna hit the sack. If I think Cara’s okay when we get her home tomorrow, I’m heading back.”
“Can’t you stay another night? I hate the feeling that I’ve upset you and you’re leaving.”
“You still plan on coming up in two weeks?”
“Yes, if you’ll have me.”
“Anytime, Mom, but I need to get back and convince Ari how much she missed me.”
“Reed Matthews charm, how can she resist?” Mom jokes.
“That’s what I’m saying!” I laugh.
I get up and head towards the guest room, ready for a shower and a bed.
“Hey, Reed?”
I turn to look at my mom who is grinning at me.
“Do you cuss this much around my grandson?”
“Nah, I’ve learned to tone it down. Ari would kill me if he picked up on it.”
“I really think I’m going to love Ari.”
“No doubt, Mom, no doubt.”
Chapter 12
Ari
Wine, wine, wine is all I can think about as I shut Davis’s door. It’s been a day from hell; I need a drink and my book. My boss decided today that he is putting the position on hold for thirty days until budgets are reviewed. I worked my ass off and waiting sucks. He wouldn’t even tell me if I was being considered for the promotion. And Sarah’s completely ignoring me. She said she was busy, but I could tell something was off