Chapter Five
Charice
The atmosphere in the house had been extremely tense since our surprise visit from Lincoln. Come to find out, everything that he’d said was true to form. He had signed a contract with the Giants and was moving to New York. When Ryan verified that information, he cursed harder and louder than I’d ever heard. I knew he wanted to keep Lincoln far away from me, and I couldn’t blame him. Not even a full year ago, I was about to marry that man. I guess I would be a little crazy about the idea, too, if I were in his shoes.
Hell, I had my own reasons to stay away from Lincoln. Yes, as you may have guessed, my baby girl, Lexi, was really fathered by Lincoln. I’d actually found out I was pregnant when Charity was first admitted into the hospital. At the time, I had every intention of telling Lincoln; however, my focus had to be on Charity. With the way our breakup went, I just couldn’t stomach being around him while battling to keep myself together for my daughter.
When Lincoln left me, I felt like my world had ended, literally. I loved him with my heart, body, mind, and soul. I’d given him everything in me that only Ryan had once consumed, and my love for him had taken over every possibility of me falling for Ryan again. I loathed Lincoln for what he did to me. I was at my lowest point when he left me, and it was further compounded by the illness and subsequent death of my daughter. Even after Ryan and I got married, it took a minute for me to give my all to him because of my feelings for Lincoln. Now, with Lincoln being on the same team, it posed all kinds of problems. There was no doubt that he and Ryan hated each other, and personally, I didn’t want him around me or our daughter.
The reason Ryan and I became as close as we did—besides the obvious reason of our daughter fighting for her life—was because he was the first person I told about my pregnancy. I expected him to go ballistic, but he was extremely calm and understanding. He stepped up as the protector that he is and really focused on me, so that I could be as healthy and as stress free as possible given the circumstances. That was what made me fall in love with him again. Ryan had proven to me that we were meant to be a family, and I decided to give our love another go.
I also decided that since Lincoln did not appreciate the family that I was willing to provide for him, then he didn’t need to know about Lexi. I mean, really? Was I supposed to sit back and be like his other baby’s mother, Lauren, and not get any physical, emotional, or financial support from him? Hell no. I’d played that part with Ryan for far too long, and I wasn’t about to play it with Lincoln.
The only person that brought me joy and kept me grounded was Ryan. He made me feel like life was worth living again. He gave me the courage to continue being a great mother to our boys and to appreciate the blessing in my pregnancy. Therefore, Ryan and I agreed that we would raise Lexi as our daughter. I didn’t need or want a thing from Lincoln Harper, and Ryan didn’t want Lincoln involved in our lives, so it just worked.
Now, looking back on everything, I couldn’t even believe I’d actually fallen for Lincoln and chosen him over Ryan. I’d always regret that moment. Always. It took a long time to get Lincoln Harper out of my system, and I’d be damned if he was going to bulldoze his way back into my life.
On my way home from clothes shopping for Lexi, I noticed a moving van parked in front of a house three doors down from mine, with movers unloading boxes. I drove down to the house.
“Excuse me, who is moving in here?” I asked a mover through the opened passenger-side window of my car after I pulled over.
One of the movers stopped and smiled at me. “The great Lincoln Harper. He’s going to be on the greatest team on Earth now. I know those Cowboys are going to be upset! First, we got Ryan Westmore, and now Lincoln Harper.”
My heart instantly plunged down to my toes. How the hell could he honestly move on the same street as Ryan and me? How heartless was this bastard? Why did he need a big-ass house like this anyway? He only had one daughter. Okay, well, two daughters—but only one that he knew of that would visit him. He wasn’t married, and it was not like he needed the space for his family. They lived in New York. He could’ve purchased a two- or three-bedroom condo in the city.
“Looking for me?” Lincoln’s voice resonated in my ear from my driver’s side.
Startled, I jumped and clutched my chest. “You scared the shit out of me!” I gasped then removed my shades before turning off my car.
He kneeled down so that we were eye level. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just pulled up behind you and saw that you were in front of my house. It’s good to see you again, Charice. I’m so glad that we get to be neighbors.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why are you even here? You’re one man. You don’t need a house this big,” I fussed, ignoring his greeting.
“Is that any way to treat your neighbor? Geez, you’ve been in New Yitty too long. You’re already losing your Southern hospitality,” he joked.
“No, I haven’t lost my Southern hospitality. I just don’t feel like being hospitable to you,” I sneered, putting back on my shades.
He chuckled softly. “It really doesn’t have to be this way. Look, why don’t you come inside, have a drink with me, and take a tour of my house? We are neighbors. We should learn to get along with each other.”
Was he serious? Anger swelled inside of me, and I started my Mercedes McLaren to leave. “I would rather drink a bottle of ammonia and sit in the county hospital ER than to share anything—especially my time—with you.”
He put his head down and then looked back up at me with sadness. “I’m sorry that you feel that way, ma.”
No. The. Fuck. He. Didn’t. That one word triggered me. I glared at him. “Don’t call me ma. Don’t ever call me that again,” I warned.
“Charice, from the bottom of my heart, I swear I’m sorry—”
“Have a nice life, Lincoln. Enjoy your house but stay away from mine.” I drove off, leaving him standing in the middle of the street. Bastard.