Of course, if Gabby really thinks you’re fucking someone else behind her back, maybe you are the dumbass your father claims you are for falling for her when you should have your eyes on the prize and your heart on the game. Not on your neighbor who may want to rip your balls from your body.
As stern, unsympathetic faces stare at me from across the table, I shake my head. Now is obviously not the time to be obsessing over Gabby.
I cradle Poppy in my arms, and she sniffles. Grabbing the wad of tissue from my coat pocket, I wipe her little face and hand her a bottle from the diaper bag. She takes it eagerly. Thank God she has her appetite back.
When Mrs. Hildebrand stands next to Coach, I do a double-take.
Oh, fuck.
Why the hell is she here? Is she going to detail all of the ways I’m a sub-par parent? Maybe start making the case about why she should get custody?
I wipe my sweaty palms on my slacks and try to look stoic instead of scared shitless.
“Adele, dear. What are you doing here?” Dr. Isaacson asks.
If I thought I was fucked before, it’s nothing like the out-of-body experience I have when I realize Poppy’s great-grandmother and Dr. Isaacson know each other. My mouth goes so dry, I cough.
“Hello, James. It’s lovely to see you. I apologize for showing up unannounced, but I think I can put this little situation behind us quickly.”
When he offers her a seat, torment twists my gut as I realize my whole damn career lies in Adele’s hands.
Everyone looks at me, and I shrug. What the hell am I supposed to say? I scramble to think back to last weekend when we met for the first time. Was I a total asshole to her? Gabby was the only one who could calm her down.
I look around for a trash can in case I puke.
Because this goes down in one of two ways—she either saves my ass or puts the final nail in my coffin.
It’s a toss-up.
I half-thought she was behind the blog article so she could get custody of Poppy. The coffee I had this morning threatens to come up, and I swallow hard.
Mrs. Hildebrand eyes me for the longest minute of my life before she turns to the provost. “James, do you remember my granddaughter Margot? God love her, but she tends to land herself in trouble. As you can see.” She holds her hand out toward me where I rock Poppy in my lap.
Dr. Isaacson suddenly looks very uncomfortable. “Are you… are you saying that Margot is this child’s… mother?”
“Yes. Now, I realize the optics of what happened are somewhat unsavory. However, I have personally investigated what occurred. When Margot could not care for her child, she dropped off the baby at Mr. Kingston’s house. Unfortunately, her note… seems to have gotten smudged or became illegible, so the boys were not certain to whom it was written, which is how the paternity question arose.”
That’s one way to describe it, but I keep my mouth shut. She gives me another long look where my balls shrivel a little because I have no fucking clue what she’s about to say.
And then, to my surprise, her lips tilt up.
“I have found Mr. Kingston to be a wonderful parent. You know how much these boys have to juggle with football and classes, but he is also caring for my darling great-granddaughter.”
A swift wind could knock me over right now.
She pulls out a leather briefcase and hands him several spreadsheets. “You’ll find that he had babysitting covered with people who signed nondisclosure agreements. You can even see how he tried to squeeze in time with his daughter during his lunch breaks. And I have it on good authority that he’s an attentive father, caring and loving.”
It hits me so fucking hard. I feel it in my gut—Gabby did this. She made sure Adele came armed with evidence to support me. How else did she get all of those spreadsheets?
Adele chuckles. “When I first heard a football player was the father, I was prepared to rake this young man over the coals and get custody of Poppy if needed. But as you can see, I fully support Rider.” After a long pause, she taps the desk. “Of course, I’ll provide additional funding to the library renovations. For your time and trouble.”
The man sitting next to Dr. Isaacson, who has been taking notes the entire time, leans forward and asks, “Could your granddaughter possibly attest to these events?”
Dr. Isaacson glares at him, but Adele pipes up before he can say anything.
“Carl, I’m going to pretend that you’re not questioning my word. Margot would be perfectly happy to meet with you, but she’s in an Austin rehabilitation facility at the moment. However, she can provide an affidavit if needed.”
I’m relieved to hear Cricket is back from California and safe.
