Page 4 of The Sacrifice
“She’s not that bad.” He sighs. “But she was organizing the pantry this morning. I think that breaking up with Warren has messed her up.” He drags a hand through his hair.
“Well, it can’t sit too well when your fiancé hooks up with a Hooters girl and skips town. It doesn’t say much for her skills in the sack.”
“Dude.” He glares as the baseball announcer says, ‘That’s ball two. That one was low and to the outside.’ “I don’t want to think about my sister and her sexual adventures.”
“Adventures.” I snort. “Mia wouldn’t know an adventure if one jumped up and smacked her in the face.”
That woman has a corncob shoved up her ass so far that she doesn’t even realize she’s boring. And uptight. And frigid. And–
Ding. Dong.The doorbell peels and fills the space around us.
Andrew arches an eyebrow. “Are you expecting the guys?”
“No.”
“Too bad.”
“You only hang out with me because of my other friends.” I jump up and walk across the wooden floor.
“Of course.”
“Bite me.”
Andrew’s chuckle follows behind me. I’m not worried he likes me because he can hang out with other pro players. We’re tighter than that. He waited for me to get out of the doghouse when we were suspended from school. His parents sent him to pick up trash alongside the road, while mine berated me for not being my brother.
He stood by me when I was a nobody in college. He was there when I got bumped from the first team to second in the pros and waited for me to wallow my way through kegs of beer, bottles of whiskey, and cheap cleat chases. He’s in it for the long haul.
I open the door, and my head jerks backward as I forget how to breathe. One of the cleat chasers. At my front door. Holding a baby carrier. A whimpering baby carrier. As birds chirp and fly by in the blue cloudless sky.
She licks her lips and shifts from foot to foot. “Can I come in?”
“Umm…”What in the fuck?My stomach cramps and sweat trickles down my back.This cannot be happening.
She raises the pink blanket, and my mouth dries. A pink face that’s squished together. A stork mark above her right eyebrow. Snot and tears coming out of holes until you can’t tell which orifice is responsible for what substance.
Dude, you’ve done it now.“Shit. Come in.”
Chapter Three
Jackson
As I stand in the middle of the living room, the sofa, recliner, and entertainment center spin in front of my eyes. How is this possible? That’s a stupid question. I was with her a year ago while drowning in self-pity and clearly too drunk to sack up but not too drunk to commit the act.
I brace my shoulders and inhale.You did the crime. You do the time.“I’m sorry. I don’t remember your name.”
“It’s Roxanne. Roxanne Torres.” Her gaze averts from mine as she sets the baby carrier on the hardwood floor. The sounds from the baby have stopped. Her eyes have closed, and if there weren’t streaks of snot on her face, she might be cute.
Andrew’s mouth is wide open as he stares between me, Roxanne, and the baby in the basket. He remains rooted on the sofa as if he’s too shocked to stand. You and me both. Blackness tinges the edges of my consciousness. What do I do? What does she want?
One thing is for sure. I’m not looking for a relationship. Especially not with someone like her. She works at the bar looking to hook-up with the players in hopes one will get her pregnant, setting her up on easy street. Yep, I walked right into that one.
“Listen….” I raise my hands in front of me. What in the hell do I follow that up with? I’ll help pay for the baby. I’ll keep the baby. I don’t want anything to do with the baby. Let’s co-parent like happy little campers. This situation, right here, is the proof that my parents were right–I’m the fuck up.
“I don’t want anything.” Her face turns a bright red as she shifts from foot to foot again like she’s antsy. Her jeans are designer, and her top is covered in glittered sparkles. She gnaws on her bottom lip. “I don’t want anything from you. For me.”
“O-o-okay.” Then, what in the hell does she want. Because she wants something.
“Dude.” Andrew jumps off the sofa and rushes up to us. “Don’t do anything stupid. You don’t know if that’s your kid or not. Don’t let her trick you into anything.”