Reed's Reckoning

“Motherfucking hell! I’m such a jackass! You have to know she didn’t mean anything to me, I wanted to make you hurt. As soon as you walked in, all I could think about was you and Luke.”

There’s nothing I can say, because the image of them disappearing into his room with her wrapped around his waist will always be in my brain.

“I have to tell you, I was surprised it wasn’t Bailey considering she was your girlfriend.”

“I don’t even know a fucking Bailey. Never have. I have no idea who this girl was. And I never got your note.”

This trip down memory lane has left me raw and confused. Where do we go from here? Why is he here, and what does he want?

“Reed, how’d you find me?”

“I hired a private investigator the day I saw you on the beach.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because I saw Davis’s smile and it jolted me. It is so much like yours that I had to do a double take. Then when I saw you on the beach with him and realized he looked nothing like Luke, I had to know everything.” He points to the stuffed envelope on the table.

“Did you find out what you wanted to know?”

“I didn’t read it. As soon as I saw Davis Luke Williams, I knew what I needed to.”

“I’m sorry if it upsets you, but I had to.”

“I’m not upset, confused but not upset.”

“I didn’t find out the sex of the baby until he was delivered. I had names picked out for a girl and a boy. But when I saw him, I knew he was a Davis. He looked so much like you and I remembered the story you told me. It was a legacy in your family and I couldn’t be the one to break it. I tried to name him Michael or Matthew, but couldn’t. He was all I had left of you.” My voice cracks with emotion, and I don’t stop the tears that stream down my face.

“Holy shit.” His voice cracks a little too. “Jesus Christ, who would do this to us?”

“I don’t know about you, but some girl named Bailey and her cohorts did this to me.”

“I don’t even know what to say. All this time…all this time you thought I didn’t want you? Didn’t want Davis? I would have been thrilled. Did you have that little faith in me? Even if that bullshit were true, you didn’t think I deserved to know about my own kid?”

“Reed, you don’t understand. We never talked about kids. Everything was so confusing. I was twenty-one, pregnant, hormonal, scared, and devastated. The only man I ever loved was the campus hotshot who dumped me. I didn’t want to be more of a laughing stock than I already was. You knew what path you were taking, I didn’t. It wasn’t about faith in you anymore; it was about protecting my baby.”

“Our baby!”

His outburst shocks me and I scoot back on the sofa. He notices and stands up. Pacing and running his hands through his hair, nervously breathing in and out loudly.

“I want to know everything. I want to meet him. What’s his birthday? Favorite toy? Does he like football? Has he ever seen me play? Jesus Christ, I can’t believe I have a son that I don’t even know.”

The moment stands still and I’m transported back in time to when Reed heard he might be heading to four different teams. He paced around his room and threw out question after question trying to get a grasp on the news.

“Ari, do you know what this means? Where could I end up? What sort of team will I be a part of? Will I be second string? I could be in any corner of the country. Each team has a strong need for receivers and quarterbacks. But this is tricky, with trades and top picks, you never know.” Reed stops pacing to look at me with concern.

“Sweetheart, I don’t know what any of that means. Can you explain it?” I ask.

He grins slightly and chuckles. “Are you ever going to learn about football, Ari? It’s going to be a huge part of your life, especially when we find out where I end up.”

I smile and love the fact that he is making plans for my life with his. “I think I have done a pretty good job, considering I knew nothing at the beginning of the season. I’m pretty proud of myself.”

His eyes soften and he stalks to me. I try to scoot back on his bed, but he grabs my ankles and pulls me to him forcing me to lie back on my elbows. His face is inches from mine and I can smell the mixture of his cologne and body wash. Instantly, my body reacts, and I wrap my legs around his waist.