Page 21 of Fumbled Love

MAVERICK

“Mav,I’m in the middle of something. Can I call you back?”

“It’s important.” I inhaled sharply, dreading this conversation.

“How important? I don’t have time for chitchat. I have a meeting with a Nike executive in ten minutes, and I still have to run a few numbers before the call.”

“I need to talk, and it’s urgent.” My stomach tightened because he was going to be pissed and give me shit.

Julian Steinberg recruited me right out of college. There was a reason why he was one of the highest-paid and most sought-after sports agents in the industry. He not only negotiated the best contracts, but he made sure his athletes toed the line. He wasn’t a fan of scandals because they cost him time and money to clean up. And money is what he lived for.

“This doesn’t sound good. Please don’t tell me you went and knocked some random girl up.”

I choked on my damn Gatorade. “Um…” I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked around, expecting him to be standing there.

“Who is it?” His tone was all business mode now, and I could hear the keys clicking on his laptop and the chair scraping across the floor.

“Someone I hooked up with last month.” He didn’t need to know Kinley’s name or our history. Or my lack of fucking memory.

He sighed. “How do you want to spin this? I can make it go away, just tell me how much you want to spend?”

“Whoa, slow down there, Julian.” His offer wasn’t uncommon, considering what he did for a living. His job was to fix my mistakes and look out for my best interests. But Kinley didn’t feel like a mistake, just unexpected. “I’m not looking to pay her off,” I stated firmly. “I’m just giving you a heads-up.”

“Fine. Give me a name. We need to run a background check on her.”

“Not necessary,” I said, stalking across the room. I wasn’t sure why I was so upset about this conversation. All I knew was it felt wrong.

“Do you still have a concussion along with your injury? Of course, it’s necessary. The last thing you need is some gold digger looking to link herself to a baller.”

My jaw clenched, and my hand balled into fists. “She’s not a fucking jock juggler. She is the mother of my child, so show her some respect.”

The line went silent. “Am I missing something here? Was it not a random hookup?”

“Yes, and no.” I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. “We kind of grew up together. She was best friends with my sister when we were younger.”

“Why didn’t you lead with that?”

My eyes slid shut. “Because I didn’t know it was her until she showed up at my door and told me she was pregnant.”

“Wait.” He laughed. “You fucked your sister’s best friend and didn’t know it was her? Man, I need to get you re-enrolled in concussion protocols.”

“Watch it. Not fucking funny,” I warned. This intense feeling of protectiveness for her surprised even me. I didn’t understand it myself, but the feeling was there.

“So, what now? How do you want me to proceed? Do you want me to have legal documents drawn up? Which reminds me, you’re going to need to get a paternity test.”

I could hear him typing away on his computer. I understood where he was coming from. It was standard procedure in this business. But Kinley wasn’t a part of our world. She was different, and I was going to treat her differently. My family would kick my ass if I didn’t give her the respect she deserved.

“That’s not necessary.”

“Mav, this will eventually get out in the media. You’re a big fucking deal in the eyes of a lot of people. You have a reputation to uphold. You’ve done a good job steering clear of scandals. Don’t go getting sloppy now. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is piss off our sponsors.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I needed a damn drink. “Right now, the only person pissing someone off is you.”

“Look, I’m doing my fucking job,” he barked into the phone like he was losing patience with me.

I raked a hand through my hair. It felt like my entire world was unraveling right before my eyes. “I appreciate you looking out for my best interest, and if you feel the need to run a background check, I’m not going to stop you.” The feeling of guilt edged its way through my stomach. “As for a paternity test, I’ll decide if I need to get one.”

“Fine. It’s a start.” I let out a sigh of relief as he pressed on. “You need to think about how you want to address this with the media. I can have Sylvia draft up a statement.”

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