Chapter 12

Milo

 

 

Practice had gone marginally better yesterday, but I knew I had to do something about my current situation if I wanted it to get better. I had to be at the top of my game, and this packet of papers hanging over my head wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

Leaning back on the small sofa in the hotel room, I had read the papers several times but wanted to read them again. The date on them was four years ago. So, four years ago, right after my daughter had been born, her mother had decided I wouldn’t be a part of her life. That just pissed me off. What gave her the right to make that decision? She hadn’t given me the chance to walk away; she took it away when she walked out of my dorm room that afternoon.

I grimaced remembering my behavior. I had propositioned her. Not only had a propositioned her, I’d done it minutes after I’d just had sex with another woman. Even I could admit that was crass. And gross. Like really gross. Despite my reputation back then, I wasn’t nasty. I had worn a condom with what’s her name.

The paperwork wasn’t all that confusing. Basically, I signed the papers, and Ainsley was no longer my daughter. I would not be allowed to speak with her or spend any time with her. My name wasn’t on her birth certificate. There would be no turning back.

No way. I couldn’t do it. Not yet. Truthfully though, I’d never planned on having children.

My mother had been a junkie, which was why I avoided drugs. I couldn’t risk becoming an addict and turning out like her. I didn’t want a child to inherit my same fucked up gene pool. I had always been so careful. I always used a condom. But that night when the coach’s daughter picked me out of the crowded room, my brain cells fizzled, and my hormones took over.

The ringtone that alerted me Stan was calling snapped me out of my reverie.

“Hey Stan,” I answered.

“Hey, how’s my favorite client?” he joked.

“Doing alright. What’s up?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t gotten fired and he been tasked with breaking the news to me.

“Just checking in to see how things were going. I got a chance to watch the game last Monday and I know you have one coming up Sunday. How’re you feeling about it?”

Biting back my initial response, I took a deep breath. Stan was looking out for Stan. If I failed, the deal failed and Stan wouldn’t get a big fat bonus. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew he only brokered the deal to fatten his own pockets and bolster his reputation.

“I’m feeling good. We’ll have two full weeks of practice in by game day, so I expect things to go a little better.”

“Great! Sounds good. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Looking at the papers in my hand, I debated the merits of unburdening myself, but thought twice. Stan wasn’t my friend. This kind of news didn’t mean shit to him.

“No, I’m good. I’m waiting for those endorsement deals you promised me, though,” I joked, knowing damn well that was a long shot. I was a nobody, and no company was going to pay me money to be the face of their brand. Not yet, anyway. If I could get my shit together, it could definitely be an option.

“You show me something worth taking to one of my contacts, and I will get you a deal,” he said, with a great deal of seriousness.

“I will. I’m telling you now; I am going to prove I am worth every penny of that deal.”

“Good, good. Did you find yourself a house yet? I know a few real estate agents I could put you in touch with. You think you want to buy or lease?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m leaning towards buying, but I haven’t even looked around.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make some calls and have a buddy put together a list of some available homes. You focus on the game.”

“I will. Thanks, Stan.”

He hung up, and I stared at the phone. How sad was it that one of the few people I could count as an acquaintance, I had to pay to be nice to me?

An idea sprang to mind. I did a quick Google search on my phone, found the name of a lawyer and made the call. I wasn’t going to try and navigate this paperwork without an expert opinion. I wasn’t smart enough to try and do that.

I made an appointment and felt a little better about the situation. I needed to know my options. Despite never actually wanting children, now that I knew there was a little girl out there who carried my genes, I felt differently.

Quickly, I got dressed and headed out for practice. I was early. I was going to prove to coach and my team that I was taking this seriously. I was in it to win it and wanted to set out to prove it.

“Hey, you’re here early,” Luke said, walking in behind me.

“Yep. It’s time I showed this team what I can do.”

“Want to run a few drills?” he asked. “I need to do the same.”

I smiled at the younger man. He was fresh out of college and showed more drive and determination than half the guys on the team, myself included. A lot of the pros that had already made a name for themselves didn’t think they needed to work as hard. They’d already proved they were good; now they could skate by and enjoy their fat paychecks. Or so they thought.

“Sure, let’s get suited up so we don’t have to come back in.”

We hit the field, did a few warm-ups and began going through some passes. The kid was an excellent receiver. I could see why he was on the team. What I couldn’t understand is why Coach hadn’t put him in the game. The kid was fast on his feet.

“Kissing ass doesn’t make you better players,” one of the guys yelled as he walked onto the field.

“Nope, but practicing does. You should try it sometime,” I shouted back.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the team was on the field. We split up into our typical position practices before coming together to run some plays. I did a lot better. I knew it, and I knew the rest of the team knew it too. None of them would say it, but I didn’t care. I didn’t need their validation.

“Pastek!” Coach hollered from his office.

My stomach dropped. Did he know?

I took a few deep breaths, licked my suddenly very dry lips and walked into his office.

“Yeah, Coach?”

“Good job out there today. I saw a lot of improvement. I also noticed you were early. What’s the deal with you and Dawson?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. He was early and wanted to get in some extra practice. The kid’s good. Really good, and he’s motivated.”

“Hmm.” His hands were steepled on the desk, and he leaned back. I knew that look. He was thinking hard about something.

Assuming that was it for me, I turned to leave. I had an appointment to get to, and I didn’t want to be late. This appointment would essentially decide my future. Did I have a daughter or was it best for me to sign away my rights and move on? I was hoping the lawyer would give me some solid advice. At five-hundred bucks an hour, he damn well better. The consultation was free, but if I decided to hire him, it was a steep retainer.

 

“Mr. Pastek?” the secretary called out.

I stood and approached the desk.

“That’s me.”

“Do you have the paperwork you referenced on the phone?”

I nodded and handed her the envelope Liza had given me.

She took it and reviewed it, making sounds that made me very worried.

“Is that a good or bad sign?”

She looked up at me, smiled and shrugged.

I groaned.  “Let’s let Mike decide if it’s good or bad,” she said, putting the paperwork back in the envelope. “Right this way,” she said with a flirty smile.

I wasn’t in the mood. It was smiles like that that landed me here in the first place. From now on, I was turning over a new leaf.

The lawyer stood when I walked in the door. “Milo Pastek. You’re our new quarterback. Good to meet you. Have a seat and let’s see if we can figure this out.”

He took the envelope from the secretary and sat down at his desk. He quickly scanned the paperwork, slapped it on his desk and shook his head.

“You didn’t know?”

“Not a clue. Not until a couple days ago. I confronted her yesterday, and she handed me those,” I said gesturing to the paperwork.

He grinned. “Milo, this means nothing. Actually, this helps us. I can take your case. I just need to know what you want. Do you want full custody? Joint custody? You want to sue for emotional damages?”

“No, nothing like that. Can I do that?” I asked with surprise.

Another devious smile. “You can. If you sign this paperwork, it’s ironclad. You will not see your child. You won’t have to pay child support. She can’t come back and sue you down the road.”

“I don’t think I want to do that,” I stammered.

I had no idea what I wanted, but I knew I didn’t want to sign away my rights.

He nodded his head. “Okay, you’ll need to hire me and then we can get started. My secretary covered the retainer with you, right?”

I nodded. “Yes. Fine, I’ll hire you.”

“Good. So, to get started, you’ll need a DNA test. I can get a court order for that, which will be easy enough with the paperwork. She says herself you are the father.Anyway, you get the DNA, which can take a week or six weeks, but I’ll make it happen in a week,” he was saying, jotting down notes and talking so fast I felt like I would miss something if I blinked.

“Okay.”

“Okay, then once we get the DNA back, what do you want? Full custody? I can tell you right now, the father’s rights movement is making big strides. We could go for that if it’s what you want, but you’ll have to hire a nanny and prove you can provide a suitable, stable home. With your job, it is going to be a little tougher, but we can make it happen.”

I sat in the chair staring at the man, dumbfounded. I had no idea what I was supposed to say.

“Uh, I don’t want to take her from her mother. I want to see her and have a relationship with her. What do I need to do that?”

He smiled. “Okay, that’s a start. Relax, I’ll slow down. I just wanted you to know all your options. And, well—we’re officially on billable hours,” he winked.

“I don’t want this in the tabloids.”

“It doesn’t have to be unless she makes it a story.”

“Uh, the mother, she is the coach’s daughter,” I blurted out.

He let out a long, low whistle. “Damn. Now I can see why you called me and didn’t use the team lawyer. You really stepped in it with this one. Does the coach know?”

I shook my head. “Not as far as I know. He’s never said anything about it.”

“Well, okay then, the first step is to get the DNA test. It’s important to keep in mind, the moment I start filing paperwork, there’s a chance it could go public.”

I grimaced. “Can I have a couple days to think about it?”

“Of course. That’ll give your check time to clear,” he joked.

“Thanks,” I said, standing.

“Let me know when you’re ready. Do you want me to hold onto the paperwork?”

“I’ll take it,” I said, grabbing the envelope.

“Don’t sign anything.”

“I definitely won’t. Thank you for seeing me today. I’ll be in touch before long.”

I walked out of the office, feeling a little better, but now with a lot more to think about. I didn’t want to be a dick. Maybe Liza would talk to me like a human, and we could settle this as adults.