Page 25 of Your Pucking Mom

I swallowed, unsure of what to say. “What precinct are you at?” I asked.

Loud noises came from the other end of the line. “Coach just arrived.”

Yelling echoed in the background. “Mrs. Hart?”

I didn’t have the heart to correct his assumption. It was not the time to explain that I wasn’t a missus. My head spun as Ledger approached the entrance of the hallway where I had fallen.

“Yes?” I responded to the man on the phone, turning my face away from him.

“I’ll bring Austin home. I need to go talk to someone, then I will be down there to talk to you. We need to have a discussion.” There was another long pause on the phone. “All of us.”

“Of course,” I said before Coach hung up.

I imagined Austin with his head down, full of shame. That same feeling washed over me too, fueled by the words I’d heard as a teenage mother. Her voice kept repeating in my mind.

“You’re never going to be enough for him. Give him to me.”

My eyes were already swollen as Ledger walked toward me down the hallway.

I stood, brushing off my legs and swallowing hard. The whole situation brought me right back to the place where my mom used to punish me when I was young. It felt as though it was my turn to be scolded for doing something wrong with Ledger. I had to confront the embarrassment of indulging myself while my son was out getting into trouble.

Ledger’s brows furrowed. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice laced with genuine worry.

I hesitated for a moment, grappling with my conflicting emotions, before forcing a smile.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I stated, though the words were hollow.

“Actually, can I go get dressed? I need to get going.” The words came out as a weak attempt to cover the storm brewing inside me.

As Ledger nodded, he said, “Of course, I promised you that the door was open for you to leave whenever you wanted, but?—”

He grasped my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine. A shiver ran down my spine as his thumb rubbed the back of my hand, a subtle yet intimate gesture.

Time seemed to slow as our gazes locked in a wordless conversation filled with emotions too complex to articulate. Despite the heaviness in the air, there lingered an undeniable tension, a pull between us that refused to dissipate.

Yet, as much as I longed to lose myself in the depth of his gaze, I couldn’t afford to indulge in such distractions. My thoughts were consumed by Austin, and the urgency of the situation demanded my attention. With a heavy heart, I reluctantly broke the silence, tearing myself away from Ledger’s captivating stare.

“You got a phone call too?” I asked, my voice slightly strained as I tried to regain my composure. Ledger’s grip on my hand tightened ever so slightly, as if reluctant to let me go.

“Something is wrong with the team. Someone fucked up.”

I knew who that someone was and was not about to tell Ledger who Austin was to me and dig myself a bigger hole of embarrassment.

“What happened?” I asked, bracing the wall behind me for support, wondering if he knew more than me.

He explained that something had gone awry with one of the players, prompting an unexpected staff meeting. His words sparked a flicker of curiosity within me, stirring up questions lingering at the back of my mind for far too long. What was Ledger’s role within the team, and what responsibilities did he hold that he was aware of what Austin had done?

“And you’ve been called to the meeting? You must be pretty important.”

He shrugged. “It’s a whole team thing.”

As I mulled over these thoughts, I realized I needed to ask these questions, but first, I needed to get to Austin, and going down to his apartment in an oversized shirt with my curls a mess was not something I wanted to do.

“This was…nice?” How the hell was I supposed to tell him it was the most sexually liberated I’d ever felt?

Thank you so much for letting me blow you, sorry you couldn’t return the favor?

When Ledger’s face fell, I knew I’d said the wrong thing. “It’s not that… I mean, it was nice…I just…”

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