Page 77 of Fumble

“Yes. She’s doing great. We’re great. There’s no act or hidden agenda. I love your daughter very much, Mrs. Fairchild. I tried not to. I tried to stay away from her, but as I’m sure you’re aware, she’s a force of nature. How could I not fall in love with her?” I let that sink in before I continue. “She misses you, too. She’s trying not to show it, but she misses you guys so much. She just wants her family back, and that’s why I’m here. Would it be possible for me to talk to your husband? If only for a few minutes, and then I’ll go. If he doesn’t want to talk to me after that, then I won’t darken your doorstep again.”

“You better come in.” As I move to step inside, Coach appears in the hall.

“Don’t even think about coming in here unless you want another beating. Whatever you’ve got to say to me, you can say it on the front porch.” His wife turns to him in dismay.

“Dennis, let the boy come inside.”

“He’s not a boy, Judy. He’s a grown-ass man who’s old enough to be her father.”

“She’s made her choice. You can’t leave him on the porch forever unless you plan on leaving Faith out there, too. She wouldn’t even come here with him today. What does that tell you?”

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” I interject.

“Stay inside, Judy. I’ll handle this.” He turns his pointed stare on me and gestures to the bench outside the window to their dining room. “You’ve got two minutes.”

“Coach. I didn’t intend for any of this to happen. You have to know that if I could have stopped this, I would have.”

“It’s called self-control. All you had to do was say no.” His demeanor is so foreign to me, the mentor I knew and loved, nowhere to be found.

“I tried, but goddammit, Dennis, I fell in love with her. I wasn’t trying to corrupt her or create problems in your family. You can hate me all you want, but I need you to know that as much as I’m saddened by your hatred of me, I’d take your wrath any day of the week to be with her. She’s everything to me.”

“Until the next one comes along.”

“No!” I want to keep my cool, but I can’t tolerate my love for her being called into question. “That’s why I came here tonight, sir. Tomorrow I get the biggest accolade of my career, a career you helped me build. And I know you won’t come and stand with me now, but Faith will be by my side. None of this means anything without her. And so, I’m not here to ask for your blessing because I know it’s futile, but I wanted you to be the first to know, so you didn’t hear it secondhand. I’m going to ask Faith to marry me.”

“Like hell you are!” Squaring my shoulders, I stand, towering over him.

“As I said, I’m not asking for permission. Faith wouldn’t want me to. She’s her own woman, but I wouldn’t feel like much of a man if I didn’t come and tell you in person. For her sake, and for yours, I hope you can make peace with our relationship in time because I’m not going anywhere. Not without Faith.”

“You’re ruining her life.” His words bite, but then I remember every moment I’ve spent with her over the past few months, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s wrong.

“No. You’re ruining your life if you let her slip away. I plan to have a beautiful, amazing life with your daughter, and I’d love for you and your wife to be a part of that, but if you don’t, I assure you, it will be your loss.”

With nothing left to say, I descend the steps, leaving my mentor and friend to contemplate my words. My pulse is racing, but I remain steadfast as I get to my car. Before I close the door, I look to where he stands, frozen to the spot, a statue but for a single tear rolling down his cheek.

“What happens now is on you, Coach. You always told me you create your own destiny. Are you willing to live with the choices you’re making right now?” And with that, I close the door, rev the engine, and leave him standing on his high horse. Alone.

* * *

The paparazzi areout in force tonight. I arrive a few minutes before Faith and the others, just long enough to make sure I’m there to greet her car when she pulls up. I can’t hear over camera shutters, but I don’t need to hear her to appreciate how stunning she is. A vision in black, her long, lithe legs appear in a sultry show, just for me. Fuck, she’s hot in heels. I extend my hand to steady her as she extricates herself from the back seat with as much poise as Faith Fairchild is capable of.

“Wow! You look phenomenal. That dress is going on my bedroom floor in a few hours.” I’m rewarded with her gorgeous smile.

“Along with that suit, I hope?”

“Of course. Your wish is my command, love. You know that.” When she’s ready, I give her my arm. The cameras go wild as we navigate the red carpet, Coop and Zee following close behind. Reporters are shouting from every direction, not for me but for Faith. I’m distracted. She slips her arm from mine, reaching her fingertips out to touch mine as she moves closer to the barricades, trying to hear a question above the raucous. I see it too late to react—a loose wire from one of the reporter’s microphones jutting out onto the carpet, right in the path of my breathtaking klutz. The heel of her shoe catches, and in slow motion, her body twists. She’s going down and doing it in style. I grasp her hand, but it’s not enough to keep her upright.

Then, I remember what she told me before I left. She’s commando under that dress. If she ends up legs akimbo on the ground, the press will be getting an eyeful of her snatch. So, I do the only thing I can think of, I let her pull me down with her, able to hold enough of my body weight so as not to crush her. There’s a collective gasp as everyone waits to see if she’s injured. No one gives a shit about me.

“Are you okay, love?” My elbows straddled at her side, I make sure I’m covering the holy grail.

“Yeah.”

“You might want to adjust your dress if you’re wearing nothing under it.” Her cheeks flush, her hands shuffling between us, keeping secret what’s mine. For my eyes only.

Where most women would slink away, eager to shake the embarrassment, my girl does what she does best these days—embraces it. Snaking her arms around my neck, she pulls me down for a passionate kiss, my cock twitching despite the viewing gallery on either side of us. Then, she turns to the cameras, gives them a sly wink and says, “What’s the point in taking a spill if you can’t get a little fumble?” She’s good, I’ll give her that. They are lapping it up. I, meanwhile, am left with a hard-on and nowhere to hide it.

“Love, you’re going to have to wait a minute before I help you up. The general is standing at attention after that kiss.” She buries her head in the crook of my neck, laughing her hot little ass off.

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