“Strangely, I’m okay. Yes, I was hurt initially when I found out he was saying one thing to me while playing the field behind my back. But I wasn’t in love. Honestly, I don’t think I have it in me to fall in love.”
His brows furrow. “Why’s that? I thought all girls lived for romantic crap.”
I sigh and sink deeper into my chair. “We moved so much when I was growing up. When I was little, I cried when we left whatever town we were living in, and I would promise to stay in touch with the girls who had been my friends. But when you’re a kid, that’s not as easy as it sounds. After several moves, I stopped crying, and I stopped making those kinds of promises. And now it’s harder for me to be vulnerable with people. It’s good because I don’t get hurt that easily, but I wonder if it’s harder to love.”
“Makes sense.”
I blow out a breath. “So what are we going to do about this baby business?”
His phone buzzes on the table. And buzzes. And buzzes.
“Are you going to get that?”
“Nah. It’s all bullshit anyway. Teammates wanting gossip from the horse’s mouth. Or so-called friends wanting to be in the know.” He looks at me over the rim of his coffee. “What about you? Have you heard from your parents yet?”
“I’m almost embarrassed to admit this because I’m not usually the type of person to avoid confrontation, but my parents seem to be the exception to the rule.” I fold my lips. “Uh, my phone died last night and I never bothered to charge it.”
“That’s one way to avoid the inevitable.” He leans down until our eyes meet. Then he reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. “Your parents love you, Roxy. They’ll be upset for a while, but your dad will get over it.”
“He’s just so traditional. He has a thing about getting married before you have kids, something about the baby getting the husband’s last name, which I know sounds archaic. It probably has to do with his father taking off when he was little. Apparently, my grandfather was a truck driver and an alcoholic, and his womanizing ways did not sit well with my grandmother,who got an annulment shortly after they were married. Only she didn’t know she was pregnant. Santos is actually her maiden name.”
Billy watches me for a long minute. Sips his coffee. “So give the baby my last name. On the birth certificate. If you want to.”
“Billy, come on.” I snort. “I can’t just name you as the father. There are ramifications for that.” I mean, aren’t there?
“I’m not joking. If it’ll help you save face with your dad, I don’t mind.”
I squeeze his giant paw. “You’re doing all this stuff for me—standing up to my dad, pretending to be my baby daddy, letting me put your name on the birth certificate. Surely there’s something I can help you with. Do you like home-cooked meals? I can cook for you. Or bake. Do your laundry?”
“You don’t have to do my laundry, biscuit. Thanks for offering.”
“What about the home-cooked meals? My grandmother taught me a thing or two in the kitchen.”
“I remember that killer Thanksgiving spread you made for us last fall.” He rubs his hands together. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t reject anything you made me.”
I smile, loving the idea of cooking for him. “Great. What else?”
He jams the rest of his muffin in his mouth. “Cheer for me at my games next fall?”
“I already do that, silly. Even without the uniform, I’ll always be your biggest fan.” I motion with my hand to give me more. “This has to be fair, Billy. I won’t accept what you’re offering if it’s not.”
He runs his hand over his face. “Um… Okay. I got something. My agent says I need to date a nice girl and be seen going out on dates. He’s been on my ass about taming my image.”
After I glance around, I whisper, “You’re not supposed to have an agent yet. It’ll mess up your eligibility.”
“It’s nothing official. I promise. But he said I have to stop looking like a dumbass. And apparently that means settling down with someone.” He holds out his hand. “You’re a nice girl with a great personality… and a hot-as-fuck bod. We can totally make this work.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, so, what? We pretend to date?”
“You already know I want to date you. We don’t have to pretend.”
My shoulders slump. “I thought long and hard about your offer this week, and I don’t think I’m ready for that. I need to get through this pregnancy and see if I can deal with my life when it includes a baby. As much as I’m attracted to you and as much as I like you as a friend, I shouldn’t add a new relationship to my situation.”
“That’s fair.” He sits back and looks away.
Damn. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. “Maybe we revisit the topic in a few months.”
“Sure.” He might be agreeing, but he doesn’t look excited.
