First and Ten (16 page)

Rome had already paid and checked into the
hotel room on his meal break earlier in the day. No reason to head
all the way back in town to his house since it was available to
him. He kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the bed. After
playing with DeMonte, he was electrified with excitement. The kid
wasn’t a bad ass or some little punk either.

“I don’t think Candace is the one who’s
raising DeMonte,” Rome surmised. “There’s no way. I mean, the kid
does call her mama, but other than that he looked as confused by
her being around as he did me. Even a little scared at times.”

“How much do you want your son?” Stanton
asked. “Deep down, right now you’re on a high. Sleep on it, run it
past your agent, think about the logistics of having a
three-year-old full time with your schedule. Aren’t you about to go
into mini-camp soon?”

Planning. Damn, he needed Dani and her
spreadsheet mind. Mini-camp was a lockdown event. “Let’s say I call
you tomorrow and say use both barrels.”

“I’ve got a set of private investigators on
retainer. I assume cost is not an issue?”

“Assume all you want. Don’t let my contract
dictate your spending. I want my son, but if I have no place to
raise him I’ll be as delinquent as Candace.”

“Were you raised in the expensive part of
Omaha?”

Jerome got the point, but he also wasn’t a
fool and writing this guy a blank check. “I know there’s more to
raising a kid than money, but I’m sure Candace has a dollar amount
I could drop on her and get full custody. If you charge more than
that, what’s the point of having a lawyer?”

“I hear you. Maybe in our investigation we
could find the magic number from her.”

“Please do. I know my schedule isn’t the
easiest to work with, but at least I’m playing in the city where I
live. And not being a rookie helps too.”

“That’s a bonus. Plus, how many more years
are you going to be in the league anyway?”

Rome tapped his knuckles on the nightstand.
“Hey, we don’t talk that way.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know the protocol.” Stanton
let out a sigh. “I’ll get on this first thing in the morning. Rome,
I’m glad you got to see your son for real now.”

They hung up and Rome stretched out on the
king size bed. It wasn’t as nice without Dani there beside him and
he tried to call a little before ten, only to go straight to
voicemail again. Not surprising since she probably wouldn’t turn
her phone back on until after midnight. Damn her and her rules.
She’d get his text in the morning and he hoped she wasn’t
completely pissed off at him. How could she be? He got time with
DeMonte. Real time. Although Candace tried to make it a bad
situation with her under the breath grumbles, he wasn’t going to
have it.

He didn’t understand what she thought she
would get out of the exchange. If anything, it made him more
determined to have DeMonte in his life. By the end of the night,
when he wrapped his tiny arms around his neck to say goodbye, Rome
almost cried when DeMonte said, “Bye, Daddy.”

At least he had more pictures and they were
with him, not a random picture forwarded by Candace followed by a
demand for funds. His hand twitched as he thought about Dani again.
What did they have? And what could they have if he had a child
fulltime. He could be throwing away a chance at happiness for a
child he barely knew. But the connection between DeMonte and him
was unmistakable. Candi could see it too. In his heart, Rome
believed Danika wouldn’t make him choose between her or his son,
but their limited time together reared its ugly head. He needed
more time with Dani. One on one. Not just once a week. The time had
come to ratchet up his relationship.

Danika blindly reached for her phone as it
sat dormant on her nightstand. If it wasn’t for Jerome standing her
up the night before she might consider not turning on her phone at
all. Laying on her side, she struggled to open her eyes. The family
dinner turned into a late night session of catching up until Dani
finally pulled the ‘I have a final tomorrow card’ and was
released.

Her phone powered on as a little cartoon
character greeted her with a hundred percent sign on his belly.
Once fully on, the pings started. A handful of voicemails, texts,
emails, and social media posts. Nothing she couldn’t handle and
only one she really cared about. Rome’s voicemail.

“
Dani, I’m so sorry, I wish I could have
caught you before you turned off your phone, but Candace showed up
with DeMonte and…well…I have a chance for dinner with him.”
Dani swallowed the pang of jealousy. The little time she had with
Rome and Candace chose that night of all nights to let him see his
son. There was a long pause and Dani thought he was done until he
said,
“I don’t know what this means but, Dani, I need to do
this. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

He did send a few texts, including one with a
picture of him and DeMonte. Side by side, there was no doubt Jerome
was the father. Same coloring, nose, and eyes. They were both
smiling. It was a selfie so at least she knew Candace hadn’t taken
it. Frick, the jealousy. Her test wasn’t for a few hours so she
gathered a notebook and started jotting down notes about call
backs. Marco was having problems locating a dress she’d seen in the
pictures from the spring fashion shows. She was going to have to
call the designer directly.

She walked downstairs and wandered in the
pantry. Looking at the shelves of food, she remembered having a
room about this size. If there was a window across from the door it
could have been her nursery. Her mother had been learning to
navigate in the social circles and training her kids, but Dani had
always preferred her father’s method. Although William Albright
wore a custom tailored suit to the office and functions, he didn’t
see a need to flaunt his fortune in everyday life. It was her
mother’s urging that had them moving out of a neighborhood, which
if she was honest, wasn’t the safest place for a multimillionaire
to live. Once her father started gracing magazine covers, they had
to move. Retrieving a box of fruitie-Os from the shelf, she went in
search of a bowl and spoon.

“Morning, Dani,” Ilsa said as Dani rounded
the corner. Ilsa had been with them for over fifteen-years. Her
chestnut hair was bound back in her signature tight bun. Dani tried
to get her to take it down once, but she would have none of that.
At least she stopped wearing the maid uniform, except on formal
occasions. That was her dad’s influence. Being waited on was bad
enough. Mix that with uniformed staff and he put down his foot. Not
that Ilsa didn’t come up with an outfit that might as well be a
uniform: khakis, light yellow polo, and sneakers. “I’m going to be
making breakfast if you’d want something more substantial.”

Dani placed the box of cereal on the marble
island in the middle of the kitchen. “How do you make all orders
sound like suggestions?”

“I have no idea what you’re saying.” Ilsa
held a small smile as she whisked eggs in a bowl. “I know you have
a big test today.”

“And how do you know more than my parents do
about me?”

“Now why would you think that?” Ilsa’s
nonchalance continued. “Will Mr. Speed be joining us for the
graduation dinner?”

“Okay, that’s just creepy.” Dani sat on a
leather barstool and saddled up to the island. “No one knows about
him.”

“Ha, please, you’ve made the local tabloids.
Currently you’re unnamed, but I knew it was you. It shouldn’t take
long before they figure it out. The last thing they want to do is
name you and it end up being a random girl.”

“I’m on Chi-Town Down and Dirty?” Dani felt
the color fade from her face and nausea set in.

“Since Tawny settled down and Jericho went to
school in New York, you’re under the microscope. I know they’ve
been dying to get their hands on you.”

“I’m a nobody.”

“You’re an Albright. That’s more than enough
and Jerome Speed was their favorite Grizzly for years. Not so much
lately. You know celebrity gossip is my guilty pleasure.” Ilsa set
down the bowl and looked directly at Dani. “What do you want in
your omelet?”

Dani’s phone started pinging with messages
and she dropped her head to the counter. “This isn’t
happening.”

“I’ll stick with the usual. Denver
style.”

“Will you look at my messages?” Dani asked as
her phone buzzed across the top of the marble. Pings echoed
throughout the empty kitchen.

Ilsa picked up the phone and held it out to
Dani. “It’s locked.” Dani lifted her head just long enough to enter
her code. “The first message says
OMG how could he do that to
you
?”

“What?” Dani asked and took the phone back to
see Esme’s message. It was then Ilsa’s phone tinged.

“Oh, I think I have the answer to that.”

“Of course you do,” Dani said.

“I set my phone alerts to this family and a
few other people I like to keep track of.”

“Stalk much?”

“You want to know what it says?” she
questioned with the phone out and at the ready.

“I’m fifty-fifty on that one.”

“Speed is breaking hearts as fast as he’s
breaking away from tackles,” Ilsa began reading. “Celebrations and
congratulations all around. Following the dismissal of Jerome
Speed’s latest paternity case brought forth by a Keisha Cousins has
flipped the time to settle down button on the father of one,
despite murmurings to the contrary. The above photo was taken
yesterday dispelling any rumors about the Grizzly running back
taking up with socialite Danika Albright. He may have been with
William Albright’s daughter for the last few weeks, but the romance
must have dwindled.”

“What photo?” Ilsa turned her phone around
and Dani saw a perfect candid family photo. Candace and Rome were
smiling as DeMonte had their full attention while playing. Ilsa
flipped the phone back to finish the article.

“The billionaire’s daughter was not available
for comment, not surprising since earlier this week we shared
intimate photos showing her canoodling with the five-time All-Pro
back. The Down and Dirty will have to keep a closer eye on the
Speed Demon of Love.”

“What intimate photos are they talking
about?” Dani swallowed hard and feared her parents would be coming
down to breakfast soon.

“I didn’t think they were very intimate.
Except the one on the boat.”

“Sweet Jesus.” Dani buried her head in her
hands. “We were miles from shore.”

“It was you coming off the boat.” Ilsa set
her phone down and leaned in closer. “What happened on the boat?
And who’s this Keisha girl?”

“No clue and nothing.” Dani scrambled and
headed off to her room right as her phone rang. Answering it, but
hitting speaker she tossed it on her bed. “What?”

“Randall called me,” Rome’s deep voice was
apologetic. “I didn’t even know I was being followed. They’d left
me alone for years.”

Dani frantically stuffed her books and laptop
into her bag.

“Yeah, well now I’m going to try to do damage
control and get out of my house before—” the knock on her door made
her stop and flop on the bed. It wasn’t a request to enter. It was
a warning that her father was coming in whether she wanted him to
or not. “Have I ever told you my father has an internal clock set
to perfect timing?”

“Danika,” her father said as he opened her
door.

“I have to go, Rome.”

The phone in Rome’s hand flashed back to the
home screen. Fuck! Not only had he not had time to apologize for
standing her up, but Dani had stepped into a scandal. If there was
one thing he’d noticed about Danika Albright, she didn’t do
tabloids. Aside from a dozen articles from about five years ago
about her sister, the only time the Albright name found its way in
the media, followed deals her father made. Rome hadn’t been one to
Google a person, but with Dani he made an exception. Not seeing the
woman driving you crazy for a week at a time would do that to
you.

“All good?” Dalton asked as he flipped the
silver buckle on his shoulder pads, locking them in place, trapping
his massive belly between the tight game day pants and the hard
plastic. Linemen in general were muscular, but their bellies tended
to be Buddha the early years. “Did Dani break your heart?”

“Other way around I think.” Rome tossed his
phone in his bag and pulled his pants on over the girdle shorts
that provided the hard padding he preferred. “You met my boy last
night.”

“DeMonte, right? Didn’t know you actually had
a real kid.”

“The paternity popped and I’ve been sending
the minimum required by state law, which is still a fucked up
amount to not have access. You know, that was the first time that
bitch Candace let me see him. I’ve been dropping a little over ten
grand a month and she’s fighting me on visitation. This shit system
is against the father. Who needs ten grand a month and still
somehow qualifies for assistance. DeMonte doesn’t even live with
her. He’s living down in Roseland with his grandmother.”