I guess I’ll always be a product of my upbringing, despite being told how special and cared for I am.
I slide a finger under the thick pink wrapping paper, releasing the tape and tearing it back. As soon as I see the logo that’s printed across the box, I whip my head up, narrowing my eyes at Bailey. She puts two cautious palms out, an explanation for why she went rogue from my registry, ready to go like she knew it would be needed.
“I know you wanted to go with another brand,” she begins, “but I was talking to Bella, and she told me that this one is super easy to transport and has the best safety ratings. Plus, it’s a whole travel system, so you won’t need a separate car seat for a while.”
“I want to be mad that you spent so much,” I say, lifting a brow as I pull away the rest of the wrapping paper. “But the fact that Bella Simon knows my namemakes that impossible.” It’s still hard to believe that she’s friends with the world-famous pop star, who just had a baby with Jett’s former teammate, Maverick Moran. Then again, the WAG world is full of strong, beautiful, badass women—and it’s also a very tight-knit group that sticks together through all the craziness the NFL throws their way.
“I figured that would help my case,” she tosses back with a wink as she slides the box aside and hands me a large gift bag. It’s full of little pajamas, dresses, and hairbows, all of which incite a small symphony ofawwws and excited squeals when I hold them up.
“I can’t handle the cuteness,” Stella says, replacing the gift in my lap with another. I’m feeling overwhelmed in the best way, full of gratitude that they’ve celebrated this baby from the moment I met them. They never judged or treated me like an outsider who was only in their midst by default. Instead, they welcomed me in, showing me what it’s really like to have people in my corner. We’ll be friends for life, no matter where the universe takes me next.
Livvy chuckles. “Maddox came in while I was wrapping and kept making comments about having a family of our own. I swear, ever since he saw Theo’s reaction to the baby kicking, he’s been throwing hints out left and right.”
I smile softly, memories from that night crashing into me like a warm wave. I was so excited, running through the house to find him because he hadn’t experienced it yet. And the look on his face when he dropped to his knees, professing his love like it was a secret justfor her, is something I’ll remember for the rest of my days.
“Do you want kids?” I ask.
“I do,” she replies. “I know we’re not getting any younger, but I also have big dreams as far as coaching goes, and his career is really just starting to take off. I don’t plan on going off my birth control anytime soon, but I would definitely embrace pregnancy if it happened. I love Maddox, and I want to have a family together.”
“Well,” I huff on a quiet laugh, “I’m living proof that birth control isn’t one hundred percent effective. All it took was one herbal supplement, and here we are.” My hand drifts over my belly, which, at thirty-one weeks along, has popped virtually overnight. It’s still hard to believe there’s a whole human being growing in there, although I’m reminded every time her nightly kickboxing session begins. Theo loves it, pretending to be her sparring partner as she goes to town on my ribs and bladder. He tells her how perfect and strong she is, and how he’s going to teach her all kinds of new moves when she gets here.
“Have you talked toyou know who?” Sydney says of Eric. I’ve only spoken about him once with them, stating that we weren’t in a serious relationship and that he didn’t want to be a part of the baby’s life. As much as that killed me at first, I know we’re much better off without him. This little girl will grow up with more love and support than she’ll ever need, and she won’t have to beg for crumbs of affirmation from anyone.
I press my lips into a flat line, shaking my head. “Nope. I thought maybe he’d reach out after the shock wore off, but he hasn’t. I’m not really surprised, though. He refused to even admit that she was his, despite me telling him from the beginning that I wasn’t sleeping with anyone else. He was all about being single and living it up while he could, so fuck him. I hope he enjoys it.”
I’ll admit it feels kind of freeing to say the words, even though I promised myself that I’d never talk poorly of my baby’s father. But I’ve taken the high road thus far, respecting his wishes to be left alone. Am I angry? Sure. But it doesn’t change the fact that the only one missing out in this situation is him. She’ll have everything she needs, and so will I.
“Fuck him, is right,” Stella adds. “While he’s missing out on milestones, Theo will be there experiencing every one of them. She may not share his DNA, but that man is more than ready to be her dad.”
Emotion prickles at my nose and eyes, her words wrapping around me like a warm embrace. Just a few months ago, I was scared and alone, wondering how I’d even be able to raise a baby without a shoulder to lean on when things got too heavy. I lost so much sleep, sick with guilt for not giving her more than I had. But then Theo swooped in and turned my entire world upside down with his deep blue eyes and dimpled smile, telling me that everything would be okay with such unmovable certainty that I had to believe it.
“He’s…” I say, trailing off, because how do you describe the person who took you in at the most vulnerable time in your life without asking for a thing in return? He found me crumbling in the middle of a city sidewalk and selflessly gave me everything I never knew I needed. Because of Theo, I’m excited for the future, which is something I honestly didn’t think was possible when I first saw those two pink lines. I was alone then, but not anymore. “He’s the most amazing guy in the world.”
Livvy sniffles, batting away the single tear that’s rolling down her cheek. “I’m so happy for you, Fin. You and this baby deserve all the good things.”
Unable to stop my own emotions from spilling over, I set aside the bag in my lap, stand to my feet, and give each girl a long, grateful hug. They’ve made this one of the best days of my life—one that I wish would never end.
“Alright,” Syd says, wiggling her brows. “Let’s move on to the shower games. First up is my personal favorite,Pin the Penis on the Naked Guy.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Liv groans, shoulders slumping in annoyance as she side-eyes her sister. “I gave you one job today.”
Sydney scoffs. “Nobody wants to play a game where you melt a chocolate bar in a diaper and guess what kind it is by looking or tasting. That’s fucking disgusting. I’d much rather be blindfolded with a giant dick in my hand, and I don’t think I’m the only one.”
Livvy stares blankly for several seconds, likely questioning why she thought this would go any other way, before she finally relents with a dramatic eye roll. “Whatever. Let’s play.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
THEO
“That’s a fucking Snickers, bro,”Maddox says, holding the diaper entirely too close to Emmett’s face. He backs away abruptly, his skin going an interesting shade of gray as he tries not to gag.
“Are you sure?” I ask, a mischievous grin playing at my lips. “Could be a Baby Ruth. There’s really only one way to find out.”
“Please don’t,” Emmett whispers, watching in horror as our quarterback lifts the diaper to his mouth, pokes out his tongue, and takes a small lick of the melted chocolate. We all wait with bated breath as he lets the flavor settle in, his brows pulling tight in concentration for several seconds before he speaks.
“Told you. Snickers.” He looks to Austin, who sits on the opposite end of the couch, for confirmation since he was the one we saddled with microwaving these sugary piles of shit. Our former teammate steeples his fingers, leans forward with his elbows on his knees, and nods silently in a very Godfather-like move.
“Hell, yeah!” Maddox shouts triumphantly, his arms shooting above his head. “Mr. Irrelevant, my ass! I’m the greatest of all time!”
