Page 34 of Unrivaled

Even if I’d wanted to avoid hearing about Grayson, since my dad’s a high school football coach, he follows Marycliff’s seasons very closely. Many of his players have stayed close to home and played for Marycliff over the years. And every time Grayson’s name is mentioned, my normally placid father starts pacing the living room, clenching his fists and grinding his molars like he’d enjoy nothing more than to tear Grayson to pieces and punch anyone who mentions him in the mouth.

A slow smile spreads across his face, and I firmly ignore the warmth it ignites in my belly, though the fact that it replaces my nausea is welcome.

“You’ve been paying attention to rumors about me?”

Scoffing, I sit back and cross my arms. “It’s hard not to when everyone talks about it.”

He leans forward, propping himself on his crossed forearms, following my retreat, making that warmth in my belly rise to a simmer. “You’ve been paying attention, though.” He examines me slowly, his eyes skating over my face, lingering on my lips before returning to my eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you might like me.”

Pursing my lips, I shake my head. Any chance of me actually liking him ended when I was eighteen and pregnant, learning that the father of my child denied even knowing me. “May I remind you that we’re not on a date. And we’re here to discuss something that directly impacts the life of an innocent child. We’re not here for you to flirt with me.”

He seems to deflate, hanging his head and staring at the table. “You’re right,” he mutters a moment later. “I’m sorry.”

There’s a pause as a young woman with long brown hair in a high ponytail brings out Grayson’s food.

He gives her a charming smile and a warm, “Thank you.”

I look away, not wanting to watch him flirt with the pretty waitress.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Grayson asks as he gathers up the burrito in his hands, looking at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for my answer before devouring his food.

His stomach rumbles loudly, making me chuckle as I wave him off. “I told you I’m fine. Eat your dinner. You’re clearly starving.”

He gives me the same charming smile he flashed at the waitress before taking a big bite. “My mom tells me I’m still a growing boy,” he says between bites.

I can’t help smiling back at him, caught up in the lightness of the moment despite our history and the seriousness of what we’re here to discuss. His smile and boyish charm make it easy to forget all the bad lying between us.

This time it’s Grayson who brings us back on topic. “Look, I know you have a whole routine, and I’m not …” He looks around, searching for words. “I’m not trying to take him from you. I just want to get to know him. I want … access. And I want to figure out how much I owe you for the last few years you’ve been on your own with him.”

Instinctively, I shake my head. “I don’t think—”

But he cuts me off. “I’m going to play professional football,” he says matter-of-factly, like it’s already decided.

At my spluttering scoff, he just nods as he takes a sip of water then meets my eyes. “It’s just a matter of for who and what my contract will look like. They’ve been scouting me for the last couple of years, and leading Marycliff all the way to a bowl game this year has demonstrated that I have what it takes to lead a”—he pauses, once again searching for words—“an inexperienced team to a solid season. The team with the worst record gets first pick, and they want to pick solid players that can bring up their standings the next season.”

Nodding, I swallow, wishing I had a drink too. “Yeah.” My voice cracks. I clear my throat and try again. “Yeah. I know. My dad’s a football coach. I know the basics of how it all works.”

He nods too, finishing another bite. “So. I’m not saying I’ll be the first pick or anything, but the review committee told Coach Reese they expect me to go in the first or second round.”

Normally hearing a guy detail his pro football prospects would sound braggy, but he’s not giving off that vibe at all. It’s all very nonchalant and normal sounding, like everyone discusses the likelihood of being a first or second round NFL draft pick.

All I can do is blink at him.

“My point,” he says around a mouthful of food, then swallows, chasing it with another sip of water. “My point is that I’ll have plenty of money to help support Ben, and by extension, you. I’m his father. He’s my responsibility too.”

“Alright,” I croak. I mean, if he wants to send me monthly child support checks, that’ll just make it easier to get my own place once I’ve graduated and found a job, right? And at least that’ll be one less thing for my dad to get up in arms about. I’m sure he’d insist that Grayson start paying child support immediately if he knew I were in contact with him, especially since he’s demanding access to Ben.

I rub my hands up and down my thighs, not sure what happens now. Grayson watches me in silence.

“Okay,” I agree again, nodding. “If you want to help pay for things for Ben, I won’t fight you on that.”

He snorts, shaking his head, a crooked smile tipping up one corner of his mouth. “Meaning you will fight me on other things?”

Instead of answering, I ask a question of my own. “What is it you actually want?” I need to know, because I can’t make any plans until I know the answer to that question. “What kind of custody and visitation plan do you have in mind?”

He gives me a look like a deer caught in headlights, and I can’t decide whether I want to sigh or laugh more. Because clearly he hasn’t really thought much beyond the caveman level of, “Child! Mine!” and therefore hasn’t considered the full implications of what that means aside from financial support.

Taking a deep breath, I focus my gaze on my hands on the table. “You’ve said you want to see Ben. I’m pretty sure walking us from his classroom to my car isn’t what you mean by that. And he’ll need to be told that you’re his father, I—” I suck in another deep breath, closing my eyes and forcing out the words. “I intend to do that. But you’re basically a stranger, so that’s going to be a big deal for him.”

---