Page 57 of Learn the Play
“We’ll be here,” Rowan says, reaching out to squeeze Bellamy’s arm gently.
“Thank you,” she murmurs.
With her hand in mine, I lead her into the locker room. It’s pretty much cleared out, just as Rowan said, except for the staff. When we reach Coach’s door, I knock, and he calls out to enter.
“Hey, Coach,” I say, pulling Bellamy inside the room behind me. She’s suddenly stiff, and I wrap my arm around her, keeping her close, letting her know I’m here, and I’m not him. I’ll always put her and our baby first.
“Montgomery,” he greets coldly. “Bellamy,” he says, his tone softer. “What can I do for you?” He glares at where my arm is around her waist, and that glare only intensifies when Bellamy places her hand on my chest, connecting us even further.
“We wanted to let you know that Bellamy’s moved in with me.” And there it is, the vein on his forehead has officially popped. “And,” I add, because we might as well rip off the Band-Aid of truth, “you’re going to be a grandpa,” I tell him.
“What?” he explodes. He stands from his desk, his chair sliding back and hitting the wall as he slaps his hands down on the wood of the desk so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t buckle. “Get your hands off of my daughter, Montgomery,” he says through gritted teeth.
Bellamy curls into me at his demand. “No can do, Coach. You see, she’s my dream girl, and we’re having a baby. I choose her,” I tell him, my voice clear. “Nothing you say will have me walking away from her.”
He’s fuming mad, and if it were possible, I think we’d be able to see smoke coming out of his ears. “Bellamy, you don’t want this,” he says, his tone softer, but the edge of his anger is still there, simmering at the surface.
“You don’t know what I want.”
“You don’t have to live with him. You can come and live with me, or with your mother.”
“I don’t need Reid to take care of me, William,” she says, using his first name instead of Dad. I wince at the same timehe does. My girl is out for vengeance. “I’m living with him because we care about each other. We’re going to raise this baby together. I know that’s a concept you aren’t able to comprehend, but trust me when I tell you, I’m where I want to be.”
Fuck me, my heart races at her words. My arms pull her closer, holding her a little tighter.
“You don’t want this life. How many times have you told me that? You hate football. You hate what it does to families.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “Until I met a man who puts me first despite his busy work schedule. He calls me before and after every game. He calls me every night to tell me goodnight when he’s away, and if I don’t get a call, I have a text every morning telling me to have a good day. When he’s home, he’s home with me. We talk, we plan, we laugh, and we do all the things you were never willing to do.”
“I was building something great to take care of you and your mother,” he says, sounding almost defeated.
“Maybe,” she says, shrugging. “But you sacrificed us in the process. If Reid’s taught me anything, it’s that you have to want to find the time. I understand the desire to have a career, support your family, and grow in your career, but you lost your way. You claim you were building a better life for us, but you didn’t fight for us either. You let us go.”
“It was the right thing to do,” he says, his voice raspy.
“Let’s agree to disagree on this one,Dad,” she sasses.
“I want to know my grandchild.”
“Well, insulting his or her father and treating him as if he’s less than when he’s one of the top-ranked tight ends in the league isn’t the right way to earn that right.”
They stare at one another until finally, Coach Warner nods. He clears his throat. “How are you feeling?” he asks softly, the anger suddenly drained out of him.
“Fine. We’re due in March,” she says, tossing him a bone.
“So, after the season.” He nods before he turns his gaze to me. “I’m watching you, Montgomery.”
I open my mouth to tell him he can watch all he wants, but my girl talks first, beating me to it.
“Good, then you can see how a man can have a successful career and a family that he enjoys being around at the same time. You might learn something, William.”
Ouch.Her words hit as his shoulders droop, and he casts his gaze toward the floor. I kinda feel bad for him, because I know what it would do to me if she shut me out, but there are years of hurt between them, which he’s not going to be able to repair overnight.
Bellamy peers up at me under long dark lashes. “You ready?”
“Yeah, baby, I’m ready.” We turn toward the door as Coach calls out for us to wait.
Bellamy freezes before turning to glance over her shoulder, and I do the same. “What?” Her tone isn’t unkind, but it’s laced with pain and years of hurt.
