Page 63 of Unexpected Pass

“We in this together, Phee baby.” I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

“They’re going to expect to see you together—charity things… red carpets. Anytime you’re out and she’s not there, they will speculate a scandal.”

“But, Ma, one thing. What about her baby daddy? He’s texting her. His fiancée’s harassing her. What if they try to sell a story?” I checked.

“They won’t,” she said calmly.

“It’s Reggie,” I told her, and her mouth fell open as she stared at me, pinching the bridge of my nose. “God dammit, Kellon! Of all the girls, you had to decide to date one of Reggie’s mistresses?”

“I didn’t know they were involved, Ma.” I tried to calm the storm, but she was already on her phone pressing buttons.

“I’ll have my legal team prepare some cease-and-desist letters in case they either speak to a blog or post any of your personal messages online. This could get messy, Kellon, especially with the team trying to acquire Reggie for next season.”

“And if they do post?” Phileigh questioned.

She smiled coldly. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime, you two will attend the couples’ pre-Valentine event tomorrow night. It’s a private function that’ll garner the teams’ support for your relationship. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for Phileigh to mingle with the WAGs. She’s going to need their support.”

“You good, baby? I know that was a lot.” I looked at Phileigh, who was sitting there with a stoic expression on her face.

“Yeah, just… um… I need to tell my parents I’m pregnant before Hollywood Tea Room does, and then I need to cut your hair.”

Kellon’s momhad just left, and the plan was pretty much laid out. Kellon had his Picsgram post scheduled. Our first official couple outing was less than twenty-four hours away, and everything felt official and real. Like, I was dating a professional football player.Wow!

“My parents,” I muttered, staring at my phone.

As strained as our relationship was, I still needed to tell them I was having a child. Hell, I hadn’t even told them I had skipped town to film a talk show segment. I was going to wait until the show aired and surprise them, but seeing how fast the blogs had picked up on our relationship, it was only a matter of time before all my business was out there.

“You don’t have to tell them today,” Kellon said gently, rubbing my back as I sat on the couch. “But I wouldn’t wait too long, even with us keeping it private. The pregnancy could still leak.”

I knew that, and that was what I was afraid of. They’d already traced back and posted some footage of us at Disney. Hell, for all I knew, footage of us at Dr. Gaines’s office was next.

“I know…” I trailed off, trying to find the right words. “My mom believes in marriage before a baby. She wanted me to do it right. And look at me. I’m calling her from another state, pregnant, and a single mom.”

“You’re not a single mom. I’m here, and she’ll come around.”

He brushed my shoulder with a sweet kiss that made me feel less alone. I appreciated his support more than he knew. Taking a deep breath, I hit the video call button on my phone, and after four rings, the screen lit up, and my mother’s face appeared.

“I hope you’re calling to tell me you’re outside. We’re still waiting on your visit,” she answered.

I took in her background, making sure she wasn’t out and about before I dropped this bombshell on her. It looked like she was sitting in the kitchen. Her hair was wrapped, and she had tea in her hand, which meant she definitely wasn’t entertaining any visitors. My dad leaned into the frame beside her, grinning widely.

“There’s my girl! Tell me, baby girl, are you with KB?” he teased, and my eyes rolled.

My father never showed any interest in me or my life. I guess all I had to do was date a professional athlete to get his attention.

“Hello to you guys too,” I said sarcastically.

“Are you on your way, honey?” my mom asked again. I guess they hadn’t seen the tea room post yet. That’s one benefit of having old parents.

“No… um. I’m actually in New York… I got an opportunity to be onThe Brittani Shepard Show.”

“New York!The Brittani Shepard Show?For what?” Her voice was laced with excitement and confusion.

“I’m giving out haircut tips and tricks. The show will air in a couple of weeks.” I told them that hoping maybe my television appearance would overshadow the next part.

“That’s so good, Phileigh! I guess cutting hair is getting you somewhere after all. I’m so proud of you, baby.” She smiled at the screen, and my head dropped, knowing that pride was about to be short lived.

“You got this,” Kellon whispered as he squeezed my hand for moral support.

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