Reed's Reckoning

She melts into me and I hold her close feeling the warmth of her body against mine. We stay like this for a few minutes and I tighten my grip on her waist.

“Angel, the car will be here in fifteen minutes to pick us up. Let’s finish our wine.”

She leans back and grabs her glass. She doesn’t bring up the party again and we talk instead about some of the players she will meet tonight. When the car arrives, she is relaxed, and actually looks excited.

The party is being held at a country club that also sits on the Intercoastal Waterway. I spot Coach Sams when we first arrive and he waves and winks as soon as he sees Ari. I can’t help but smile; she is the most beautiful woman in the room. I hold her hand tight and introduce her to a few of my teammates and their wives. Everyone is generally surprised to see me with a date, and they try to hide their shock but it fails. After about four introductions, I lead Ari to the bar and get us a drink.

“You weren’t kidding were you? These people have never seen you with a date.”

“Nope. And being that every single man in this room is eyeing you has me re-thinking my decision to introduce you to these guys.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“As a fucking heart attack.” I’m about to say more when Bobbie Asher approaches us with a shit-eating grin on his face. He is probably my best friend on the team since we were drafted the same year. We’ve spent a lot of time together on and off the field. I have no doubt this is about to get very interesting.

“Well, well, well, who and what do we have here?” he asks with his signature smile.

“Bobbie, this is Arianna Williams, my girlfriend.” I introduce them. She shakes his hands but before she can pull back, he kisses her knuckles. I see her face flush and my instincts kick in. “Hands off, Asher.”

They both laugh at me but I don’t see anything funny.

“So you’re the infamous Ari? I didn’t believe you existed.” He ignores my death stare and speaks directly to her.

“You’ve heard about me?”

“When this loser gets drunk, he’s been known to talk about a beautiful woman named Ari that broke his heart. There’s a few of us who were convinced you weren’t real.”

“Asher, shut it. Not cool.” I warn him.

“Oh, I disagree, tell me more. What exactly has he said about this imaginary Ari?” she encourages him.

I lean down and whisper in her ear, “Watch it, Angel. Don’t play with me tonight. I have you all to myself and can think of several ways to punish you if you encourage him.”

She ignores me completely and listens to him tell my ugly secrets. Her laugh is addicting and I smile at her happiness. A little humility on my behalf is worth hearing her. We move our little threesome to a table, and we are joined by several more of my teammates and their dates or spouses. As expected, the conversation is all about Ari and me. When one of the wives asks about how we reconnected, she looks at me with concern in her eyes.

“I’m not really sure how to answer that. I guess honesty is best. We ran into each other at the beach one day and things progressed from there. Reed and I have a son together. He’ll be four this year.” She answers and grips my hand tightly.

The silence is uncomfortable until Bobbie slaps his hand down hard on the table and lets out a cheer. “That’s fucking awesome. Apparently, there’s more to the story, but who gives a shit. Matthews is a dad.”

Others join in with their congratulations and the women talk loudly over one another to Ari asking about Davis. The excitement at the table grows and a crowd forms around us. Everyone hears the news and starts firing questions.

When dinner is announced, the player’s wives who have taken her in as one of their own, have swarmed Ari. The whole conversation around our table is about our reconnecting. Little do they know the fucking hell we went through. The guys and I talk about the upcoming season. So far so good. No encounters from any of the ‘player pussy’ hanging around tonight. I saw two women giving us dirty looks earlier, but I shielded Ari from them.

“I need to go to the ladies room, I’ll be right back.” She whispers in my ear, grabbing her purse. I get up to pull her chair back and before she can turn away, kiss her softly on the lips. She looks at me surprised, but gives me the dimples.

Everyone at the table stares at me when I sit back down. I raise my hands in surrender at them. “I know guys; this is the craziest shit in my life. But you can’t imagine how it feels. I did my first fatherly function yesterday at the daycare with Davis. The kids were rambunctious, the cookies were stale, but it was the best time of my life. He made me a mug with his handprint, and to me, it’s a treasure of art. Now Ari, she’s another story. Having her back makes my life complete.” I don’t say anymore because I am in pussy territory.