To Love a Player (27 page)

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "He was a basketball player and one weekend, he had to travel out of town for a tournament. Elly was sick with some kind of respiratory infection, bronchitis I think, and I felt bad for leaving her with my parents. Jason told me that I could stay behind and he would come home as soon as he could. He got to the tournament, played horrible because he was feeling bad about leaving me home with a sick child, so after the first round, he told his coach he was done. He rented a car, called me and told me that he loved me, and started driving home. It was really late and he really should have pulled over for the night, but he was stubborn like that and didn't. He went around a curve, lost control because he drifted off to sleep and crashed into a row of trees."

I could hear Marnie sniffling and Lacey gave a weak smile as she sighed, "He had too much swelling in his brain, so they kept him in a coma until he could heal, but he never woke up. I had never had so much pain in my heart before. I was beside myself. Elly got me through it, though because I felt that I had to be strong for her. She has his smile and personality, so he lives on in her. When I found out that I was having a boy, I told Eli that his name was going to be Jace. I wasn't ready to love another Jason, but I could handle loving a boy named Jace."

"I'm so sorry Lace," I said, wrapping her in a hug and she patted my back as she said, "Thanks. I miss him sometimes, well a lot lately. Our relationship was a lot like yours with Callen, so sweet and honest. We made a promise to each other early on that as long as we talked honestly that we'd get through it together because there were some girls who were jealous of him being with me and many attempts were made to split us up. He was the most sought out guy in school and he wanted to date me. Not that I was ugly or anything, but I kept a weird group of friends. We were all artsy and he was king of the jocks, so we didn't run in the same circles. The beginning of our relationship is a whole different story."

She took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Silence filled the room as we let everything soak in. She spoke softly again, "I met Eli my senior year of college kind of the same way I met Jason. I thought that it was fate giving me another chance. He loved Elly from the start and wasn't scared off by a girlfriend having a four year old. His friends would tease him gently, but he ignored it all and was proud of being in her life. We dated for about a year before getting engaged and then took another year to get married. We just wanted to both get our careers started because we already felt like a family, so we didn't need for it to be official right away. He was working for my dad while I started at a dress shop, while designing clothes on the side. The rest is history, we got married, added two more to our little family and moved in here."

"Callen told me about him and Sophie," I said softly, hoping that I wasn't rubbing a raw wound. Lacey nodded silently, letting out a breath as she said, "Yeah, I'm just as much to blame as Eli though. I love him, I really do, but I have never loved him the way I loved Jason. Even though it's been 11 years, I have this part of my heart that just doesn't want to open fully and so after little Jace was born, I started pushing him away. Then we had all of those issues with finding nannies for the first year, it was hard to focus on anything else. I'm not saying that Eli should have cheated, but I don't entirely blame him for doing so either. I'm deeply hurt by it, but it's my fault, too."

"Have you talked to him about it?" I asked and Lacey shook her head sadly. She sighed, "I don't want to lose my husband, but I don't know where the healing process needs to start, either."

"Just start it anywhere," Marnie piped up softly. Her parents went through a divorce because of a similar thing and I know that she wishes they had tried. "If you still love him, just start anywhere. Go meet with a counselor or just find somewhere for the kids to go and spend all night talking."

"Callen and I will take the kids," I offered as Lacey smiled softly at me and I continued, "Or do it this weekend since you and the kids will be at your parents anyway. Just tell Eli to go there and lock yourself in your room until you talk everything out. Have that open and honest relationship with him like you did with Jason, it's not too late."

I saw hope flicker in Lacey's eyes and I knew that she was considering it. She nodded slowly and said, "Thanks, I'll call Eli tomorrow."

"No, you call him right now," Marnie ordered and Lacey laughed, saluting as she got up and we watched her walk out of the room. We heard her talking on the phone and both of us smiled at each other.

29

Mollie

Beep! Beep! Beep!

My alarm clock rang early Friday morning. Stretching, I couldn't fight the smile that was blooming across my face as I thought about all my day had in store for me. I was looking forward to the relaxing morning at the spa and of course trying on Lacey's designs, but what I was most looking forward to was seeing Callen.

The alarm started blaring again and I reached over, shutting it off. I knew that a pillow would be thrown at my head soon if I hit the snooze button one more time. Marnie had stayed over last night because she was going out of town with Brock for the weekend. Stretching out my tired muscles, I pushed the covers off and got up, grabbing my clothes that I had set out last night.

Stepping out of the shower, I quickly dried off and got dressed. I was having a hard time deciding what to do with my hair because I knew that it would be getting styled later on. I decided to pull it into a sleek ponytail and put on some light makeup. I didn't want to look like a slob when I reached New York.

I walked out of the bathroom and heard Marnie let out a low whistle. Rolling my eyes at her, I said "Oh, stop it."

"So has Callen texted you yet about how he is dying to see you?" Marnie asked, giving me a teasing grin. I shook my head and replied, "No, not yet. Are you all ready for your big weekend?"

Marnie groaned, shaking her head. Brock had called yesterday to ask if she wanted to spend the day in Boston and then go to the Red Sox game with him and some of his college friends. They would be staying overnight and then come home and she would stay with him until Sunday. She liked Brock a lot and knew that meeting his friends from school was a bit of a big deal, so she said yes, however she was having a hard time about it being a date.

"Mar, you are going to be fine," I said as I double-checked my bag to make sure that I had everything in it. I looked over my day's itinerary and excitement started bubbling up from deep inside. I felt the smile on my face widen as I folded it up the paper and put it in my purse along with my plane ticket.

I sat on the edge of my bed as I looked at her and said, "If he's introducing you to his friends, then it's a big deal. Maybe it's a step in the right direction?"

"I know," Marnie said as she stood up. She placed both of her hands on my shoulders and said, "Be safe, tell Mags that I said hello, and I cannot wait to hear all about your weekend. I'll be waiting for your call."

"Thanks sweetie!" I said, pulling her into a hug. I pulled back and winked, "You have fun with Brock and just relax. If it's more of a friendly thing, then just be his friend. But, I don't think that he would take you to meet his friends if he was interested in you as just a friend."

Marnie's face broke out in a soft smile and I hugged her again saying, "I need to go. Just borrow whatever clothes of mine you want, just make sure that you return them, and have fun! Love you!"

"Love you, too," Marnie said, giving me another squeeze. Before she let go, she smiled, "Have fun!"

I nodded, a huge grin spread out on my face. I left my room and walked down to the kitchen, finding Lacey typing away at her laptop. She grinned widely when she looked up and saw me asking, "All ready to go?"

I nodded, holding up my bag and said, "Yes, I double checked my bag, made sure that I had everything in my purse, and now I'm grabbing a quick bite to eat."

"You better make it fast because the car just got to the gate," Lacey said looking at her screen. Since Sophie's little disaster, new security measures had been taken. Whenever someone was at the gate, a video would pop up on Lacey's laptop no matter where she was. The guard now had to verify with Lacey on whether or not they were allowed on the premises, even if they had permission.

I grabbed an apple and said, "Okay, have a great weekend and I hope that you and Eli get everything worked out."

Lacey smiled, giving me a hug. After our talk on Wednesday night, Lacey called Eli and made the first step to reconnect. She said that they talked almost all night long and that it went pretty well. They made plans to go on a date and then spend the night at a Bed & Breakfast while the kids spent the night with her parents. I was excited for them and it was exciting to see Lacey get so nervous like she was going on a first date.

"Have a great day and give Callen a kiss for me," she said before letting me go. I nodded and she walked me to the door. Opening it, we were surprised to find a very nervous looking Eli standing there holding a bouquet of yellow roses. Lacey gasped, holding her hand to her mouth and he smiled at her sweetly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked softly and he let out a deep breath as he said, "I wanted to see you."

Grinning, I excused myself and climbed into the waiting car. As it pulled away, I wiped a stray tear as I saw them embrace with Eli lifting Lacey off her feet. I knew in my heart that they were going to be okay. I sat back and watched the scenery on the way to the airport.

I stared at my phone. Was it me or did the time seem to be dragging this morning? I only had seven more hours until I could see her beautiful face. Seven more hours? Groaning internally, it was definitely going to be a long day.

I couldn't wait to see her, touch her, hold her, and most importantly, kiss her. I could feel the grin spreading across my face, so I bit my lip to keep it from spreading too wide. I didn't want them to think that I was crazy because there were already a few board members glancing in my direction with curious expressions. I straightened my face out to a serious expression while I tried to focus on the meeting. Sarah was sitting across from me with an amused expression on her face as she looked at me.

A half hour later, we adjourned for a break and Sarah sidled up next to me as we exited the boardroom. Nudging my elbow, she said, "You are so not going to make it through the day, are you?"

Groaning, I ran my hands through my hair and said, "No."

"Why don't you just text her or something?" Sarah asked and I shook my head as I replied, "I can't. She should be getting on the plane by now."

"And why should that stop you?" Sarah asked, squinting at me questioningly. We stopped in the little break room to get some coffee and I said, "Because they frown upon people using their cell phones on the plane."

"So, if she hasn't taken off yet, then what's the harm?" Sarah asked and I knew she had a point. She touched my arm and smiled, "Call her. You'll go crazy if you don't."

I sat down in my seat on the plane. The butterflies flying around in my stomach were threatening to multiply and spread throughout my body. I was going to New York City, in first class. I had never been in first class, so I wanted to soak everything in. I tried not to look so much like a first timer and so I kept my excitement internal as much as I could. The seats were so much roomier and comfortable.

My phone rang and I smiled widely when I saw that it was Callen. I had been aching to talk to him all morning, but I knew that he was busy with meetings and he said that he wouldn't be able to call. Answering my phone, I murmured, "Good morning."

He let out a deep contented sigh and I could feel his smile radiating through the phone as he said, "Good morning beautiful, are you on the plane?"

"Yes, just boarded," I smiled. The sound of his voice sent the butterflies into overdrive. I couldn't wait to see him, face to face.

"I can't wait to see you," he murmured sweetly and I could just picture him leaning up against a wall in some hallway. I sighed contentedly as I replied, "I can't wait to see you either."

I heard the flight attendants start their flight instructions and I said quietly, "I have to go, but thanks for calling. I'll text you when I land."

"I have to go too, the meeting is about to start back up again," Callen said with reluctance in his voice. I smiled into the phone and said, "Okay, love you."

"Love you, too," he said before the call ended. I hung up and put my phone on vibrate before sitting back. The flight attendant finished and I watched out the window as the plane started moving towards the runway. The butterflies took off at the same time that the plane did. In about six hours, I would be with Callen. I could not wait!

"Feeling better now?" Sarah texted me and I gave her a slight nod as I smiled at her from across the table. I felt calmer now that I had heard Mollie's voice. I still couldn't wait to see her, but I was a little bit more relaxed now. There was something about talking to her in the mornings that made my day seem to start off right.

After talking to her, I called to make sure that my first surprise of many had been placed into the car that would be picking her up. I wanted to give her a day that she'd never forget and one that she deserved, especially after what happened earlier this week.

My jaw clenched when I thought about that. The police hadn't been able to find Sophie, which only meant that she was traveling again. They had the proof they needed to charge her for destruction of property and Lacey filed a restraining order so that if she was brave enough to show up at the gate or even at her office, she would be arrested. I wanted Mollie to get one, but she didn't think that it was necessary. We didn't have to worry about it for a while since she would be in New York with me and then next week I would be home with her.

Home with her. Those three words skipped through my heart with such joy, it was crazy. I couldn't wait to go to bed with her by my side and wake up next to her every morning. I truly felt like the luckiest guy in the world. A text came through my phone from Mollie and I felt my lips twitch into a smile. This time, I didn't fight it; I was a guy who would be seeing the love of his life in a few hours.

When I walked out of the terminal, I saw an older gentleman in a black suit holding a sign that had my name on it. I stepped forward, somewhat timidly and said, "I'm Mollie Black."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Black, I'm Reginald and I will be your driver today," he said, holding out his hand. I shook it and said, "Thank you and please, call me Mollie. I've never been called Miss Black before so I don't know that I'll be used to hearing it."

"Okay," he said with a wide smile as he slightly bowed, "Mollie. Is this all you have?"

I nodded and he picked up my bag, then led the way to the car. I almost let out a loud gasp when he stopped at the long limo waiting outside. I looked at Reginald in disbelief as I asked, "This is what I'm riding in?"

He smiled at my simple question and nodded, taking my hand and helping me in the car. When he shut the door, I could see several people trying to look through the dark window to see who was inside. They wouldn't be so interested if they knew that it was just me. I noticed a small bouquet of my favorite flowers sitting on an envelope on the seat across from me. My name was on it, so I opened it up and found a DVD with a post-it note on it that said "Play me".

"Um, Reginald?" I asked, pressing the button that rolled down the partition. Reginald's soft eyes looked at me through the rearview mirror as he asked, "Yes Miss...I mean Mollie?"

"I have a DVD back here that I'm supposed to watch, where do I do that?" I asked, holding up the DVD and gave him a confused look. He pressed a button that opened a panel with a slot and said, "The partition is a screen, so as soon as I shut it, put the DVD in the slot."

I nodded as he pressed the button to raise that partition. I placed the DVD in the slot and pressed play. I was slightly startled when Callen's voice came through the speaker, causing me to look immediately at the partition.

"Hey beautiful! Welcome to New York City! I hope your flight was good and I just wanted you to know that I love you. And also that I think that you are the most amazing person I've ever met and that I plan to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you truly mean to me. Now go have a great day, beautiful. I can't wait to see you."

He ended it by blowing a kiss into the camera and I practically melted in my seat. I could feel the goose bumps breaking out on my arm as the little tingles ran through my body. I had the best boyfriend ever. I picked up my phone and pressed his speed dial button.