Page 60 of Learn the Play
“We fell apart, Bellamy. Sure, his job had a lot to do with that, but it was just as much me as it was him. I didn’t fight hard enough to make it work. I wanted things to be simple, like a fairy tale. That’s not life.”
“Why are you telling me this? Why now, after all of these years?”
Mom smiles softly. “Because, my darling daughter, you’re finally in a place in your life that you’re willing to listen. You’ve carried this hate for so long, but since meeting Reid, you’ve changed. I can see the anger starting to fade away, and you’re willing to listen. One day, you’ll understand a parent’s love for their child.”
I place my hand on my small bump. At seventeen weeks along, there’s no hiding that I’m pregnant. I love this baby fiercely, more than I ever could have imagined possible. “He should have tried harder.”
“I’ll be right back.” Mom stands and walks out of the room.
“You doing okay?” Amanda asks me.
“Yeah, I just don’t understand why she defends him. She’s never once talked ill of him, and he left us.”
“Bella, I love you, but your mom is right. You were young, and relationships are hard. There are things you didn’t know or see, things you wouldn’t have understood at ten years old.”
“I can agree to that, but why now?”
Amanda shrugs. “You’ve had so much anger for so long. You’ve had a vise grip on those hurt feelings, and nothing anyone said could change that. How many times have I told you that maybe it was time to leave the past there and start fresh with your dad?”
“A lot,” I mumble.
She grins. “Reid’s changed you in so many ways,” she tells me.
I think about her words as my phone rings, and an image of the man himself smiles back at me. I accept his video call because I miss him like crazy, and I need to hear the sound of his voice.
“There’s my dream girl,” he says, and instantly, a smile tugs at my lips.
“Don’t you have a game to play?” I ask him.
“Yeah, we’re in the locker room, about to take the field. If your dad catches me on the phone, he’ll ream my ass, but I need to check on my girls before the game.”
“You know, if we’re having a son, he’s going to be offended you assumed he was a girl all this time,” I tease.
“I feel it in my gut, Bell. We’re having a baby girl.”
I don’t question him because he’s never wavered in that prediction, not once, and I don’t care what we have as long as he or she is loved, happy, and healthy. “You ready for the game?”
He tilts his head to the side. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I answer too quickly.
“Come on, baby. It’s me you’re talking to. Are you okay? The baby?” he asks.
“We’re both fine. I’m at Mom’s with her and Amanda. She made us dinner, and we’re going to watch the game.”
His eyes widen. “Your mom is watching?”
“Apparently, she’s watched them all this season to support you.”
“Really? Give her a hug from me, yeah?”
Mom comes up behind me and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “How about I give our girl one from you, too?” Mom asks, waving at the phone with her free hand.
“I like the way you think, Candice.” He winks. “Amanda, tell them you want one, too. Can’t have my girl’s best friend being left out.”
“I’ll be collecting from both of them,” Amanda calls out. “Don’t you worry.”
Reid laughs, and the sound sinks into my soul like a warm embrace.
