Page 18 of Fumbled Love

“Come inside.” She squeezed my arm gently and closed the door behind her. “Let me take your coat.”

After handing her my coat and taking my shoes off, I followed her into the family room. It felt like I was traveling back in time. Everywhere I looked, there were memories from my youth.

“It looks like you’ve done some updates,” I said, noticing that they had extended the family room and updated the kitchen.

“Yes.” Beth chuckled as she settled into the seat across from me. “Maverick tried to buy us a house, but there were too many memories, and we couldn’t bring ourselves to sell it.”

Vinny leaned forward in his chair. “What brings you by, Kinley? Rylee didn’t mention anything about you being in town.”

I eyed the giant tree with twinkling lights in the corner. “Yeah.” My voice cracked with nerves. “I’m actually looking for Maverick. I was hoping you could give me his address.”

I tried looking online, but surprise, surprise. My search came up empty, and while I could have just called my friend, I figured this was easier.

Vinny’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Oh.”

I rubbed my twitchy hands down my thighs. “I’m in town visiting my mom.” That was partly true. “And my stepfather is a huge Atlanta fan. I was hoping to get him a couple tickets for the next home game for Christmas.”

Lying to them and keeping this secret was killing me, but what else was I supposed to say?Oh, by the way, I’m pregnant with your grandchild, and your son has no idea.The sooner I got this news off my chest, the better I would feel.

“I’m sure he would be happy to get you those tickets. Would you like me to call him and save you the trip?”

I ran my sweaty hands together and placed them on my lap. “That’s very kind of you, but I’d rather approach him in person if that’s okay?”

“Of course.” Vinny stood and paused for a beat. At first, I worried he didn’t believe me, until he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. “Do you want me to write his address down or do you want to add it to the contacts in your phone?”

I pulled my phone out and unlocked the screen. “I’m ready when you are.”

Once I was done programming his information, we sat and caught each other up to speed on each other’s life over a shared plate of chocolate chip cookies. I was getting ready to leave when Vinny handed me a keycard.

“You’re going to need this to access the building and the elevator. It will save you time from dealing with the people at the front desk. They aren’t always the most pleasant people to deal with, but they keep the building safe, so I guess that’s all that matters. This should save you some time and trouble. You can either leave it with Maverick when you’re done, or swing by after. Whatever is easiest.”

There wouldn’t be anything easy about this visit, but I was thankful for one less barrier to go through.

* * *

I stared up at the large building in front of me and closed my eyes briefly. Of course, the show-off had to live in an exclusive high-rise in Buckhead.

The reality of what I was about to do hit me when I passed the doorman and walked through the massive front lobby. My fingers shook as I pressed the button for the elevator. Unfortunately, the two blocks I walked after parking my car did nothing to calm my nerves. Every possible scenario played through my mind on the ride up. The most likely, he would be pissed. The best case, he would just be in shock. Either way, things were going to be awkward. The closer I got to his floor, the more my stomach churned.

As soon as I stepped off the elevator, I spotted Maverick in the doorway. Whatever courage I had disappeared. He was dressed casually in a pair of gray sweatpants and a black hoodie. He was talking on the phone, and the sound of his voice alone sent shivers down my spine.

He was about to lock his door but looked up. His eyes met mine in surprise.

“JP, I’ll call you back.” He hung up and slid his phone into the front pocket of his sweatpants.

He crossed his arms and hiked an eyebrow up. “Ivy?” He stepped forward in shock. A small smile played on his lips as he got closer. “What are you doing here?”

I shuffled on my feet as his eyes raked me over. My blond hair was in a messy ponytail, and my red sweater had a small stain on the front from the smoothie I had grabbed at the drive-thru this morning. I looked nothing like I did the night we spent together. There wasn’t a stitch of makeup on my face, and I regretted not putting any extra effort into my appearance this morning. “Can I come in?”

A crease formed between his eyebrows. “How did you know where I lived?”

“Your parents told me?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? How the fuck did you find my parents?” His eyes flashed down the hall as if he were expecting a camera crew to pop out of the woodwork. He looked seconds away from tossing me back in the elevator.

“I promise, I can explain.”

My heart beat like a drum in my chest as he stalked forward and towered over me. He looked every bit the tall and intimidating football player he was.

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