The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game 1)

“Hey, Kitten. ” The flat tone of his voice caused unease to spread in my empty stomach.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, unprepared for what came next.

“I fucked up, Cassie. ” He swallowed hard.

“What are you talking about? Are you okay?” My stomach twisted as the ominous sound of his words settled in.

“I have to tell you something. ” His voice was so unnatural, it hardly sounded like Jack.

My body slid down onto the cold kitchen floor as I fought against the bile threatening to rise up into my throat. “I’m listening,” was all I managed to get out.

“Oh God. Okay. ” He took a quick breath. “Remember the night a few weeks ago…” he paused, “the night I pitched my perfect game?”

“Yeah,” I responded, my lips barely moving.

“Remember when I called really early and woke you up?”

“Uh-huh. ” My chest tightened and my stomach heaved.

“I kept saying no, Cassie. I swear. I told her no at least a hundred times,” he rambled, not really making any sense. “I was mean as hell to her, but she didn’t care. ”

“What happened, Jack?” I couldn’t stop the shaking in my voice.

“She was just so fucking god damned persistent. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and I was really fucked up. ”

“What did you do?” My tone was harsh, the tears already welling in my eyes.

“I called you that morning because I made a mistake and I wanted to tell you. I wanted to be honest with you, but then I heard your voice and I couldn’t do it. I knew I’d lose you and I wouldn’t lose you for some girl who meant nothing. ” His voice trailed off into a whisper.

“What are you saying?” I demanded.

“I told you I’d fuck screw up, Kitten. I ruin things,” he whispered.

“No. You don’t get to do that. Tell me what you did!”

“I slept with someone. I’m so sorry. It didn’t mean anything. I made a mistake. I just wanted it all to go away. I wanted her to go away. ”

My world spun around me at breakneck speed as my heart literally felt like it was shattering inside my chest.

“Cassie? Say something,” he begged.

“How could you? Why?” I shrieked through my sobs.

“There’s more. ”

“More?” I froze. My head whirled, unsure of his meaning.

“Fuck. ” He breathed hard and I remained silent for a full minute before he finally continued. “She’s pregnant. ”

He said it so low, my ears barely registered the sounds. But my shattered heart not only heard the words, it digested them, processed them, and promptly left the spot in my chest where it used to reside and fell to the ground at my feet and turned to dust.

“Are you there, Kitten?”

“Don’t ever call me that again,” I whispered through my pain.

He breathed loudly into the phone. “I don’t know what to do. ”

“Well, I’m not going to tell you what to do. ” Bitterness and resentment swept over me and carried over into my voice. As much as Jack hadn’t sounded like himself earlier, I knew I didn’t sound like myself now either.