AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry for bombarding your security with a bunch of questions, but my girl works in your daycare, and I—”
Justice held up his hand, smiling again, except this time, there was a knowing glint in his eyes. “I’ve got you covered.” He gestured for me to follow him, and we walked behind the desk into a small room with an entire wall of TVs. It looked as if he had eyes on just about every spot in his building...including several in the daycare.
“You're not the first Nighthawk to come demanding more access, and I doubt you’ll be the last. You’re just lucky I happened to pop in today.” He stopped in front of one of the cameras that showed Talia cuddling a little baby with a happy yet wistful smile on her beautiful face. “She reminds me so much of Blair,” he murmured, referring to his wife. “She was a natural with children, and all she wanted was to be a wife and mother.”
I couldn’t disagree since Talia had already confided the same desire to me. And if she wanted nine kids like Justice and Blair, I’d make sure she got them…even though that seemed overwhelming at the moment. But I’d do anything in my power to make Talia happy.
“I can see you feel about her the way I do about my wife. And how Ames feels about Dakota.” Justice’s obsession with his wife was well known, and I’d seen the same thing with Ames. Now, I knew what they were feeling, and I was pretty sure Ames was never gonna let me live down the shit I’d given him about it. At the moment, though, I was more interested in why Justice had brought me into the security room.
I watched him silently as he typed something into a computer, then grabbed a piece of paper and wrote on it before handing it to me.
“I know exactly how hard it is to walk away from her every morning. The feed for the daycare cameras is available at that website.” He gestured to the paper. “And I’ve created a password so you can watch them anytime. There is also a link for the front lobby and outside cameras.”
My mouth opened, then closed. I wasn't sure what to say. “Thanks,” I croaked.
Justice laughed again. “As I said, I’ve been there. Blair was actually the one who suggested I set up the website with specific links set up for different areas of the building. They use a similar one for parents who want to see their kids during the day. Ames has access to the ones on Dakota’s floor, Lennox has access to the cameras for whenever Brielle is on-site, etcetera.”
I dug my phone from my pocket and went to the website, then clicked the link for the daycare and plugged in the password. Suddenly, I was staring at my girl right in front of me, and I felt the tension roll off my shoulders.
“How did your security guard know to call you?” I asked curiously.
Justice laughed. “He recognized the signs. And he has a camera feed set up on his desk for the third floor where his wife is an analyst.”
I shook my head with a half grin. “I suppose I feel better knowing I’m not the only obsessed Neanderthal around here.” I checked my watch again and grimaced. “I have to go, or I’ll be late.”
“Let me know if you need anything else,” he replied as he opened the door for me to exit the room.
“Thanks again,” I mumbled, staring at my phone while walking toward the entrance.
I forced myself to shut off my phone while I drove, but I checked it at least twice on my way to the locker room. Fucking hell. How had I become so addicted to Talia that I could barely take my eyes off her in only a few days?
Ames spotted me as he entered the building and jogged to catch up so we walked the rest of the way together. “What are you—oh.”
He’d seen what was on the screen of my phone, and he burst out laughing. I glared at him, and he held up his hands in surrender. “No judgment, dude. I’m guessing if you have access to those cameras that Justice told you he gave me the feeds to Dakota’s, too.”
“Yeah,” I grunted as I put my phone away and opened the door to the locker room. “I just can’t seem to stop worrying about her.”
“Well, there aren’t many safer places for her to be than K-Corp,” he said as he walked inside. “You know…” He stopped and turned around, facing me as the door slammed shut at my back. “I didn’t know what to think when you suddenly announced you had a girlfriend the other night. I wondered if perhaps Prentice had urged you to prove you were settling down by getting a fake girlfriend.”
I barely managed to hide my surprise that he’d guessed correctly. “She’s the real deal,” I told him seriously. “The one.”
Ames nodded and clapped me on the shoulder with a happy smile. “I can see that. Congratulations.”
I blew out a breath and stared at the ground, letting the happiness I felt when I thought about Talia being mine fill me. “She’s…fuck, she’s everything to me. Even if I lose the quarterback spot, if I can get my ring on her finger and my kid in her belly, I’ll have everything,” I admitted quietly.
“Good thing you won’t have to make that choice,” a deep voice said. I looked up to see Prentice standing behind Ames with our head coach. Prentice was grinning from ear to ear, and the coach looked stoic, as usual. But he had a twinkle in his eyes that we often saw, giving away that he wasn’t really a robot even though we teased him about it.
“What do you mean?” I asked, looking between the two men.
“You’re starting this weekend,” Prentice announced.
Coach nodded, then grunted. “So get suited up and get your ass on the field. Just because you earned the spot doesn’t mean you won’t lose it if you let it go to your head and play like a fucking idiot.” Then he pivoted and stomped off.
When he was a safe distance away, we all chuckled.
“Congratulations, kid,” Prentice said.
“Thanks.” I returned his grin. “Damn, I can’t believe it.”
