Matt Stallworth

“Are you going to stare at your phone all night or help me out?”

I glanced up. “Sorry, Mama.”

Mom stood next to the center island of the kitchen, wearing a white apron with her hair up in a bun. I walked over and gave her petite five-foot-two body a giant bear hug then kissed her on the forehead. “Just got distracted for a second.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “So who is she this time?”

It stung a little, but I deserved it. Mom’s words reflected perfectly why I’d winced a little when I thought Kelsey had Googled me, even though I knew she hadn’t. I’d gone through quite a few women when I first made it to the show. I wasn’t an asshole to them and they knew the deal up front, but it didn’t stop rumors circulating and the media from having a field day with it. God, I was so fucking stupid.

“This time is different.”

Mom rolled her eyes, but then looked up and saw my stare. She smiled. “Good.”

“Hey, Matty.” Dad clapped a hand on my back.

“Hey, Pop. How’s the back?”

“He needs to see a doctor. That’s how his back is.” Mom shot a glare in his direction.

I chuckled.

Dad waved her off without looking. “Do not.”

Mom shook her rolling pin at me. “See, that’s the best comeback he has. It means I’m right.”

“I’ll be fine. Just rub a little dirt on it, good as new.” He walked back with two bottles of beer in his hand and gave Mom a kiss on the cheek while he handed me one.

“Mmm-hmm,” she mumbled.

I’d pretty much had a perfect childhood and didn’t have much to complain about. My parents were everything to me, but I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t relate more to Mom. I’d picked up my love of music from her and my love of baseball from Dad, but neither one ever forced anything on me. It made me love the things they loved even more.

The doorbell rang.

“I got it. You two catch up.” Dad said it as if I’d been away for years, even though it’d been about two weeks. That was a long time for me to go without seeing my parents in the off-season, though.

“You better prepare yourself. They’re getting bigger.” Mom smiled at me.

I laughed and didn’t even have to ask who.

“Uncle Matty!”

Nolan and Ryan—my twin nephews, both five—sprinted through the living room and into the kitchen. I dropped to my knees and readied for impact. They slammed into me and I made myself fly onto my back as they tumbled over the top of me, giggling. I wrapped both of them up in my arms and squeezed them tight.

“I caught ’em! You see this, Mama?”

I looked up at Mom shaking her head, still prepping the homemade pizza—my favorite—all by herself. “Yeah, I see it. Some things never change in this house.”

I picked up the boys and held them off the ground with each arm while they fought against my hold. “And you love it that way.” I kissed her on the cheek.

“Better believe it.”

I set them both down.

She bugged her eyes out. “Hello there!”

“Grandma!” they shouted in unison and grabbed her tight, one on each leg.

“Hey, Matty!”

I turned to my older brother, Luke. Mom had chosen our names from the gospels because she thought Jesus was a great moral philosopher and teacher.

Mom continued to spoil her grandbabies behind us.

“Hey, how are you guys?” I turned to his wife, Adrean. My hand reached out for her pregnant belly before I could stop it. “How’s my niece doing?”

“Sorry to tell you this, Matt.” Adrean dropped her head.

“What?” I reached up for her shoulder and fear shot through me.

Had something happened to the baby? Adrean looked healthy and beautiful for being eight months along.

“What is it?” I turned to Luke, who looked as clueless as I did.

Adrean lifted her head and smiled. “I just worry she might not live up to all the baseball hype in this family, because she’s kicking my ass like a soccer player.”

Luke shook his head and I belted out a laugh. Adrean had practically been a big sister my whole life and for the past five years she had actually been one. I gave her a big hug and then shook Luke’s hand.

I kneeled down on the tile and put my hand on Adrean’s belly once more. “Is that true? You’re gonna be a soccer player?” No response. I put my ear up next to her stomach and looked up at Luke and Adrean both grinning at my antics.

Suddenly, two hard kicks landed right in my cheek, and my face lit up.

“Oh wow!” Adrean stepped back.

I clutched my jaw like I’d just been in an MMA fight. “You may be right.” I looked around to make sure the boys were out of earshot. “She just kicked the shit out of my jaw.”

Luke and Dad started to laugh.

“I’ve never felt her kick that hard before.”

A smack to the back of my head jolted me upright.

“You watch your language in front of my granddaughter.” Mom’s words had morphed from scolding to baby speak by the time she got to the word granddaughter.

She looked up at Luke. “Your brother has a new girlfriend.”

“Do not!” I looked away.

“Can’t stop staring at his phone. Didn’t even steal any cheese from the dish over there.”

I snatched my beer from the counter and took a swig.

“No cheese. Tell me more, little bro.”

“It’s nothing—yet.” I whispered the word yet and grinned at the thought.

“Yeah, right, so when’s the wedding?”

I shook my head and muttered, “Dick.”

He laughed.

“I told you to watch your mouth around my granddaughter.” Mom didn’t even look back.

Luke and I stared at each other wide-eyed.

“How does she hear that shit?” Luke whispered even more quietly.

“It goes for you, too, Lucas.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry. I can’t get away with it, either.” Dad handed Luke a beer and turned to me. “Ethan working on your contract?”

“Yeah. He’s doing his thing.”

“He’s a bright kid. I’m sure you’ll get a ridiculous deal.”

“Yep.” I whipped around to Luke. “I need to set up an appointment soon after that, if you have time? Talk about where to allocate a lot of it.”

Luke was a financial planner and handled all of my investments. In most families it would be a poor idea, but our family was different, and Luke was actually overqualified to do it. I trusted him just as much as I trusted Ethan, and I counted myself fortunate for that. I knew a lot of guys who’d been fucked over when it came to money.

I glanced around at the same house I grew up in as a kid. Pictures of us hung everywhere, mostly little league stuff and family portraits, though pictures of the grandkids were slowly edging us off the mantel, the way it should be.

Nolan tugged at my pant leg. “Uncle Matty?”

I scooped him up like he was a feather pillow and he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck.

“What’s up, buddy?”

He looked down at the ground. “We’re umm, we’re—” He glanced over at Luke, whose eyes widened and he mouthed, “It’s okay,” at Nolan.

Why was Nolan afraid to ask me something? I adjusted my grip on him so that he was facing me.

“Hey, little man. You can ask me anything you want. Anytime, okay?”

Nolan smiled and his cheeks turned pink. He practically shook with excitement. Luke and Adrean smiled.

“Mom and Dad said we could play baseball this year. And they said, umm…” He started to stumble over his words he spoke so fast.

“What’d they say?” I tickled his ribs to try and slow him down a little.

He laughed. “Can you help coach?”

I glanced over and Adrean nodded at me. I turned back to my nephew. “I’ll have to travel some and be gone for some of my games.”

Nolan stared at the ground again.

“Hey, I wasn’t done yet.” I tilted his head back up with a finger. “But every day I am free, I will be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world, kiddo.”

“Really?”

I held out my fist for him to bump—something I was quite proud of teaching him. He tapped my knuckles and we blew it up. “Really. I promise.”

He squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe and I thought I might float into the clouds. It was going to be a damn good year. I loved kids, and the world stopped spinning when it came to my nephews.

I set Nolan down and he squealed and ran off hollering at Ryan about the good news.

Adrean and Mom both walked over to me with the look.

Oh shit!

I held my hands up in defense.

Adrean raised her brows. “You’re going to tell us about this girl.”

“Not yet. I don’t want to scare her away.”

We all sat around the large oak dining room table. Mom and Adrean’s jaws dropped open.

Mom glared. “You need to tell her.”

I glanced down under the table to my phone and hit Send on a message.

Me: My family is grilling me about you. It’s brutal.

“That better not be a cellphone at my table.”

I glanced up and scoffed. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do something like that. Psh!”

Luke faked a cough and laughed.

“She’s right.” Adrean looked over to Mom. “She’s going to find out. It’s what we do.”

“Mmm-hmm. And it’s not like it’s hard to find out about this one’s past.” Mom pointed her fork at me.

Luke sat at the end of the table next to the boys, chuckling. Nobody was looking and I shot Luke the bird.

“I saw that,” said Mom.

Luke laughed harder.

“You should be tested by Professor X.” I stared at her blankly.

“You know I don’t understand your video game references.”

My phone buzzed in my hand. I prayed Mom hadn’t heard it.

She leaned over to cut Nolan another small slice of pizza. “I will take the battery out of that thing.”

“Sorry.” I glanced down to read it anyway.

Kelsey: Are they waterboarding you for answers?

Me: Yes, it’s like Gitmo over here.

Kelsey: LOL

I looked up and Mom wasn’t in her seat.

Oh shit!

About the time I tried to shove my phone in my pocket it was snatched from my hand.

“Hey!”

Mom grabbed me by the ear—in a playful way. “I warned you.”

“Ow!” I made a show of pawing at my ear for my nephews.

They laughed like hyenas at my predicament.

I stared over at them. “Traitors!”

Mom walked over and set my phone on the island. “You can have it back after you do the dishes.”

Luke fist-pumped at the end of the table.

Asshole.

“You’re going to help. So don’t think you’re off the hook down there.”

Luke frowned.

“Matt, you have to tell her.” Adrean leaned toward me. “If you like her.”

“Can we stop discussing my love life at the table?”

Mom and Adrean looked at each other and laughed, then looked back at me.

I knew they were right, but fuck, I didn’t want to screw things up. It was too early. Kelsey would write me off for sure. Her walls would fly right back up and wouldn’t come down again.

“She’s guarded, okay? If I tell her right now I won’t get a chance.”

“Well, I like her already,” said Adrean.

I gave her an inquisitive look.

“Most girls just fawn all over you. This one’s making you work. That’s a good sign.”

“Yep.” Mom nodded.

“It’s complicated,” I grumbled.

“I think we know how girls think a little better than you do.” Adrean took a bite of pizza. “But hey, by all means do it your way. We also love to say we told you so.”

“What’s she do for a living?” Luke asked.

“She works at a record store. Like one of those independent ones. Not corporate or anything like that.”

“Ohh, she has a good taste in music?” Mom winked.

“Very good. We went to a concert on our first date.”

“Oh, I think that’s sweet. You did good there.” Adrean kept shoveling pizza into her mouth.

“My niece hungry?” I looked down at her and laughed.

Adrean shot me the finger. Mom didn’t say a word.

“Seriously? I know you saw that.”

“I saw nothing.” Mom kept grinning like she knew something I didn’t.

“What is it?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. I just have a good feeling about this girl.”

I hoped she was right.

I kissed my nephews good night and hugged Luke and Adrean. They took off to the minivan. Dad went off to do something in his office and I finished helping Mom clean up in the kitchen before plopping down with my phone on the couch.

Me: Sorry, I got my phone taken away.

Kelsey: Hah! You got in trouble.

Me: Yep. I made it out alive, though.

Kelsey: Do you have a big family?

Me: I have an older brother. He’s married with twins and another on the way.

Kelsey: You seem like you’d be a great uncle. How old are they?

Me: Five-year-old boys. They asked me to coach their little league team.

Kelsey: That’s adorable. Bet it made you happy.

Me: It was pretty amazing. Not gonna lie. What’d you do tonight?

Kelsey: Not much. Talked to Jenny for a bit and binge-watched some episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

I pictured her sitting around on her couch in pajama pants.

I bet she’s hot as fuck in pajama pants.

My cock started to rise just thinking about it and my thoughts turned to the naughty side.

Me: Bet you finished up what we started first, didn’t you?

Was that too forward? Fuck it. I wanted to know. The dots started bouncing around on the screen.

Kelsey: That’s personal information that you’re not privy to.

Me: So yes.

Kelsey: You don’t know my life, Stallworth!

I laughed. God, I wanted to see her again already.

Me: Bet you said my name, too.

Kelsey: Are you trying to make me blush via text message?

Me: Not trying anything. Stating facts that have already taken place.

Kelsey: Such a tease. And I was going to give you a play by play until you got all cocky about it. :)

I groaned at her text and then checked the room to make sure nobody was around to hear it. My cock was at full mast and ready to sail around the world when I looked down.

Me: I doubt it took very long, so probably not much to tell.

I couldn’t help myself and I wasn’t lying.

Kelsey: Guess we’ll never know.

Me: That’s okay. I’d rather watch you get off in person.

Kelsey: I don’t know what makes you think you can get me off so easily.

I almost snort-laughed. If there was one thing I was better at than baseball, it would be getting Kelsey off with my tongue.

Me: I think about my face between your thighs.

My cock strained so hard against my zipper I thought I might have an outline of it on my shaft. There was nothing in the world I wanted more at that moment than to fuck an orgasm or fifty out of Kelsey Martin. The first would be a rough, dirty little romp. Then I’d take my time with the second and make it intimate—slow and romantic with lots of foreplay. After that I’d spoon her all night long with one of her amazing breasts cupped in my hand.

Kelsey: God, I don’t think you know how dangerous that dirty mouth of yours is. Seriously. It should be against the law.

Me: It’s a weapon of mass destruction. Leaves your panties in ruins.

Kelsey: It’d be true if I were wearing any.

I bit my knuckle, hard, and read the last line of her text about twenty times in five seconds.

Me: Your dirty talk is pretty on point yourself.

Kelsey: It’s not my fault you ruined the ones I had on earlier and I was too lazy to grab new ones.

Me: Yeah, well, I don’t believe you. I think you left them on to try and re-create the moment exactly how it happened.

I could practically feel her squirming on her couch when she looked at her phone.

Kelsey: Guess you’ll never find out. :)

Me: Guess so.

I waited a few moments and no response. I needed to change the subject anyway, because I had a problem.

Me: So I have to go out of town for a week. I meant to tell you earlier and just got caught up in conversation.

Kelsey: What for?

Me: I’m flying out to watch my buddy play football in Green Bay.

Kelsey: Oh, okay. Well, have fun.

God, I wanted to cancel so bad but I’d promised him, and Ethan had already backed out to do wedding shit. I always kept my promises, even when a super-hot, funny, perfect girl came along. I couldn’t take her with me, as much as I wanted to. It was kind of “guy time” and she had to work.

Judging by Kelsey’s reaction she wasn’t super thrilled about it, either. We’d just started to really click and I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but I’m sure she wondered if there would be other women there, not to mention the inevitable women that would come up and want autographs and pictures. I decided to set her mind at ease, even if she wasn’t worried about those things.

Me: I really want to invite you, but it’s kind of a guys-only type of thing, and I know you have to work.

Kelsey: I didn’t expect you to invite me to go on a trip.

Me: I know, it’s not that. I want you to go. I’m not explaining this very well.

Kelsey: Well, spit it out, Stallworth.

I laughed.

Me: You can text or call me any hour of the day or night and I wouldn’t be upset about it. Is that better?

Kelsey: Maybe :)

Me: I’m going to try something new here if you’ll bear with me a bit, okay?

Kelsey: Intrigued. Okay…

Me: I really want to see you before I go. But instead of just telling you it’s going to happen, I’m going to ask if it’s okay.

Kelsey: Well, I appreciate you finally asking me. And yes, I would like to see you, too.

Me: Sounds awesome.

Kelsey: Okay, just text or call when you get up. I’m about to head to bed.

I glanced up to the clock; I hadn’t realized it was almost ten. I shrugged it off. She wasn’t a night owl—a small surprise, but far from a deal-breaker.

Me: Okay, good night.

Kelsey: Night.

Mom walked into the living room. “All right, I’m about to head to bed.”

I glanced to Kelsey’s messages and then back to Mom with a weird look. “Huh?”

“I said I’m about to go to bed. Everything okay?”

I tried not to think the eerie Freudian thoughts that temporarily ran through my mind.

“Everything’s good. I’m gonna head home.”

I stood up and gave her a hug, thankful that my cock had given me a bit of a reprieve from his earlier state of being.

Mom put a hand on my shoulder. “Just be honest with her. Dating you isn’t like dating an ordinary guy. She needs to know that.”

“I will.” I just didn’t say when.

I started toward the door.

“I love you.”

I turned back. “Love you, too, Mama.”