Chapter Ten

Now…

She’d missed Trent’s birthday.

Panic seized her chest when Whitney saw the date on her desk calendar the next day. She massaged her temples and took a deep breath. How could she have missed it? As forgetful as she was, she’d never missed a birthday before. She’d been so preoccupied with everything the day before that she hadn’t even registered what day it was. She’d been at the office until almost midnight the night before, and Trent had been asleep when she’d gotten home. He hadn’t even stirred when she’d slipped into bed next to him a little after one a.m.

How could she make this up to him?

Of course, he’d say it wasn’t a big deal. But birthdays were special to the two of them. They always tried to outdo each other with a nice evening planned and the perfect gift. The last couple of years, they’d barely acknowledged the days, but they’d at least acknowledged it.

She couldn’t text or call to apologize. She needed to do something meaningful. Make an effort to show him that he did matter to her, more than anything else in the world, despite her insensitivity the day before.

He truly did, and she was desperate to figure things out.

Not desperate enough, a nagging voice said in her mind as her gaze fell to the medical requisition form from Dr. Kyle still sitting in her open desk drawer. She’d yet to schedule the appointments at the local clinic. She had to soon. She couldn’t keep putting it off, but a paralyzing fear of the results was making it impossible to make the call. What if things were even worse than she thought? There was at least some comfort in not knowing.

Logging onto her calendar, she scanned the to-do items on today’s long list and struggled with the conflicting sense of obligation and commitment to her job and to her health and to her relationship. Something had to give. Right now, she was looking for a way to focus on Trent, allow him to be the priority. If she worked until six, they could still go to dinner somewhere. It wasn’t enough, but hopefully he’d accept the peace offering.

Picking up her phone, she texted:

How about dinner tonight?

Unlike when he texted her, his reply was immediate:

Would love to but can’t tonight. Football practice, then wings with the team.

It was Trent and Wes’s tradition to take the boys out for wings after every practice. Team building and morale off the field made for a solid unity on the field. She admired his commitment to not only training the kids to be better football players but giving them a source of support they may not get elsewhere.

A few dots that meant he was texting…then:

You could join us.

When was the last time she’d gone to the field to watch him coach? Or hung out with him without a set reservation or having to schedule it in? Practice was at seven, so that actually gave her an extra hour than she’d been planning to have if he’d been available for dinner. She glanced at the calendar, mentally calculating how long each item would take. If she worked straight through lunch, she could do it. Get everything done and be out the door at 6:45.

I’ll try to make it, she texted back.

And she really would.

As she set the phone on her desk, a new email appeared, and seeing the TV network’s email address in her inbox, her heart raced. She wasn’t sure what news she actually wanted.

Clicking on the email, she read:

Congratulations! Blue Moon Bay has been selected for the official pitch round…

“We got it!” she shouted before she’d even finished reading the message, practically bouncing in her chair. She couldn’t believe it. This was the biggest promotional opportunity she’d ever had to manage—and they hadn’t spent a dime.

Making it to the football field that evening was the last thing on her mind as she immediately got to work.

…

As Trent had predicted, Eddie was a natural.

Of course, getting the teen to play well out of skill instead of anger at being there, anger at the world, would be the biggest challenge. But he’d shown up to the practice, and that was a start. Wings with the team would help. Food bonded teenage boys.

“Thanks again for this, Trent. I think this is exactly what the boys need,” Angel said as she stood next to him on the football field, watching the boys run drills with the team. Wes was warming them up, and the former high school football star wasn’t going easy on the newcomers.

Liam was tall but thin. He would struggle with the bigger boys tackling…if they could catch him. He was damn fast. Eddie was shorter, stockier. More the traditional football player build. Trent was actually surprised that he had never played before. According to Angel, their father hadn’t been a fan of contact sports, insisting the boys learn tennis and golf, things that emphasized individual talent and skills. The man either didn’t understand or appreciate the value of being part of a team. The more Trent heard about Angel’s ex, the less he liked the guy.

“They’re good,” he told Angel. “With some practice, I think they could both be great assets to the team.” He laughed. “Hey, and if nothing else, maybe we can tire them out enough not to be so annoying.”

She smiled the way only a relieved mom could smile as she tapped her folded forearms. “I owe you.”

“Don’t even think about it.” He checked his watch. “You have a full hour to yourself. Why don’t you do something crazy…like read that book you keep carrying around.”

She laughed. “Maybe I will.”

Instead, he saw her climb the stands and take a seat on the bleachers to watch the boys.

He scanned the gravel parking lot behind him. No sign of Whitney yet. He wasn’t surprised, and he also wasn’t upset. She’d offered dinner, and he was the one that evening with a conflicting schedule. He couldn’t hold that against her, and he wouldn’t. He suspected she realized she’d missed his birthday the day before and it had been an attempt to make it up to him.

At least she’d wanted to make the effort. That meant a lot to him.

Since the day at the pumpkin patch, he’d been hoping to keep that momentum going. She’d relaxed and enjoyed herself that day, and he thought that if she took more days like that, it might help her realize the importance of a healthier work/life balance.

He really hoped she made it this evening.

Wes jogged toward him, slightly out of breath. “Those new kids aren’t bad.” He opened a large duffel bag and started taking out the rest of the gear.

Trent nodded, returning his attention to the field. “Well, you know how it is. Anyone can do drills. Let’s go see what they’ve got.”

…

Whitney pulled into the gravel lot next to the football field and climbed out. There were only a few minutes left in the practice, but at least she’d made it. And she would join the team for wings. Leaving the office had been difficult with work unfinished, but it was one night, and everyone was right—she did put a lot…okay, too much time in. She deserved a break now and then.

She paused at the field entrance. Trent was demonstrating a defense technique, tackling poor Wes with ease. Wes might have been the local sports hero in town before an injury had derailed any chance at a professional career, but her fiancé had at least fifty pounds on him. He looked so amazing out there. His body was built for sports, so strong and capable and a force of nature.

He’d certainly stormed his way into her life.

The first time she’d seen Trent, she’d been a goner, and not only because he was naked. He was exactly what she’d looked for in a man—strong, confident, tall, and muscular. She’d often struggled with men feeling intimidated by her because of her ambition, but Trent had only ever been supportive and proud. He was the perfect partner for her.

But seeing him with the kids made her chest hurt. He was so wonderful with them, and it was obvious that the teens looked up to Trent and respected him. He was patient and fun, yet firm, and he let them know when they’d messed up. A lot of the kids on the team needed the discipline that came with being there. Organized sports were important, and she knew Trent was looking forward to coaching his own kids someday.

Whitney headed across the field, then paused, seeing Angel in the stands. She was watching the field, too. And it seemed the bar manager’s gaze was locked on Trent, not her two teenage boys out on the field.

What did she expect? That just because Trent was her dream man, he wouldn’t be anyone else’s?

She shook off any feelings of jealousy. Trent was a hot guy who was constantly surrounded by beautiful women who would love to have his attention directed their way, but Whitney had never felt threatened or insecure. She knew he loved her. She could feel it with every ounce of her being. She had no reason not to trust him.

Angel was an employee. A coworker. And Whitney actually really liked her. She was an incredible manager and had helped take some of the pressure off Trent in recent months. She smiled at the woman as she climbed the stairs, then sat next to her on the bleachers. “Hi, Angel.”

“Hey, Whitney, how are you?”

The look of concern on the faces of family and friends Whitney expected by now, but seeing it on an almost stranger’s face made her stomach knot slightly. Had Trent told Angel about her accident? Had he mentioned Whitney’s stressful, busy workload?

The woman was eyeing her with a look of someone who might have some insider, intimate knowledge of Whitney’s relationship and personal life that did make her slightly uneasy. Was Trent confiding in Angel?

It was probably just natural, though. Trent and Angel spent a lot of time together. Probably more than she and Trent did recently. They would talk and open up, share stories about their personal lives. Trent had told Whitney all about Angel, too—her messy divorce with some Hollywood exec, the way she was struggling with the boys, who were having a harder time adjusting to their new life…

But sharing things with a significant other was to be expected.

“I’m great,” she said, hiding her uneasiness. “Are those your boys out there?” She gestured toward the field, where two new teens played.

Angel nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt and shivering in the chilly, early evening breeze. “Those are my monsters,” she said with a laugh. She looked so at ease, so natural sitting in the stands of a small-town football field, watching her kids play ball. Unlike Whitney, who was still dressed in her work clothes and definitely seemed out of place among the parents. She wasn’t a parent and this wasn’t her natural environment—a place she felt comfortable, where she belonged. Would she ever?

She shook the thoughts aside as she asked, “Did they play football in L.A.?”

“No. This was Trent’s idea, actually,” she said, and once again a look of gratitude crossed the woman’s beautiful face. Whitney knew from Trent that Angel was in her late thirties or maybe forty, but she looked a lot younger. Soft, flawless porcelain skin and pretty green eyes, gorgeous hair.

“He’s such a great guy,” Angel said, then laughed awkwardly. “As you obviously know.”

Whitney nodded and forced a smile. Her gaze landed on him now. She did know. She also knew that a great guy like Trent wouldn’t wait around forever for her to commit. Time was running out, and she needed to tell him everything. That this lifestyle—sitting in the stands someday, watching him coach their own kids—might not be in her future. Their future. It hurt to acknowledge, but she couldn’t keep pretending the life they’d once talked about was certainly in the cards.

He glanced their way, and a look of surprise registered on his face, seeing her there, before he offered a wave.

She waved back and tried to take comfort in the fact that it was her he was waving to, but for the rest of the evening, it was difficult to shake the odd feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach. Trent was the perfect person for her, but maybe she was no longer the perfect person for him.

…

Then…

Lying on Trent’s chest on her sofa, Whitney felt an undeniable sob escape him as the credits rolled on the heartwarming, inspiring sports drama they’d been watching. She lifted her head to glance up at him with a grin as he quickly wiped the tears away with his forearm.

“Are you crying?”

He shook his head and scoffed. “No. ‘Course not.”

She peered at him. “Yes, you are.”

“Fine. I’m a big softie when it comes to these movies.”

She snuggled closer. “I think it’s sweet.” She loved that there were layers to Trent. On the surface, he looked like a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound man who nothing could touch, but on the inside, he was thoughtful and considerate and in his own words, “A big softie.” He was fantastic with kids, and while they hadn’t talked about it since the pregnancy scare, she knew he’d been slightly disappointed. He was older than she was and had made life and career decisions recently that put him on the path he ultimately wanted. She was still young and figuring things out…

“It’s just, that’s the kind of life I want, you know? A simple, quiet, small-town life running the bar and raising a family,” he said, confirming her thoughts. “It’s a big part of why I wanted to finally settle down and have my own business. I don’t want to be one of those parents who misses out on things. I want to be there for sports games or ballet or gymnastics… I don’t ever want to miss a birthday, and I’m probably going to spoil them with love.”

“I don’t think you can spoil children with love,” she said pensively. As an adoptee, she knew all too well how lonely it could be, feeling unloved. Luckily, she hadn’t had many years to feel that way, and her parents had more than made up for anything her early years may have lacked in the way of affection. “How many children do you want? Eventually,” she added quickly.

“At least five or six,” he said.

Her eyes widened, and her head shot up. “Five or six?”

He laughed. “I want a big family like the one I was raised in. We drove one another nuts and fought all the time, but there was also lots of laughter and fun. I couldn’t imagine what growing up would have been like without my sisters.”

She nodded. She was an only child, so she’d never experienced that, but spending time with Trent’s family definitely made her feel like that was a wonderful way to grow up.

“So, what do you say? Can you see five or six kids in your future…eventually?” Trent asked softly, twirling a piece of her hair around his finger.

Whitney smiled up at him and kissed him gently. “Let’s start with three and see what happens?”

Trent grinned, holding her tighter. “Deal.”

Whitney’s heart swelled as she snuggled closer. Talking about starting a family with Trent felt right. She may not be ready for it just yet, but they had plenty of time, and she knew someday she’d be willing to give him a family like the one he’d had and the one she’d only dreamed of.

Someday.