Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,352

and gold uniforms and locker room sickened me more than I sickened myself.

I had to get out of there.

I didn’t make it far. Jack pointed me to the hall.

“Got someone waiting for you,” he said.

I wasn’t in the mood. “I’m leaving.”

“She’ll want a picture.”

Fuck me. Elle.

She usually marauded around the locker room after a win—and the guys made sure they celebrated properly by flashing a dick in any or all of her pictures. But if I couldn’t look myself in the mirror, what was I supposed to say to her?

I exited the locker room, checking the stadium’s tunnel for Elle. A couple staff members and field managers lingered, and the few players chatted on their way to the team bus. Voices echoed off the cement tunnel.

None as loud as his.

Sebastian ran for me, full-fucking-speed, those little devil fists curled up tight.

“I saw you! I saw you! I saw you!”

He jumped up like he expected a hug.

Fuck.

I’d have bent over, but I packed a bag of ice between my suit jacket and dress shirt. Last thing I needed was for my spleen to fall out when I grabbed the kid.

“Hey, little man.” I kept him an arm’s length from my worst aches and pains. “Careful. I’m sore.”

“I watched you! Lachlan…Lachlan listen. We…hey, listen. We were in the seats right over the field. You caught the ball, and…Lachlan, look. Hey watch. The people went crazy!” He leapt around me. “Like this. They just…” He made an explosion sound through pursed lips. “And, and, and, Mom let me have…she let me eat a hot dog and then Elle came to get me. Can I see the locker room? I have to go the bathroom!”

Elle still wore her khakis and polo, but her camera was packed up for the night. She dodged Bast’s flailed fists as he regaled us with a play-by-play of the game. I didn’t remember gaining any superhuman ability to fly across the field with rocket jets, but his version of the events was definitely more exciting.

“Lachlan! Hey! Listen!” He zoomed around me, hyper as fuck, grinning like a maniac.

At least someone enjoyed the game. The bluish slushie stain around his lips probably had something to do with his newfound ability to bounce wall-to-wall.

Elle edged in close to me. “Hey. Are you okay? You got hit pretty hard a couple times…”

Was she pitying me? “I’m fine. Just sore.”

“How’d it go?”

I snorted. “You had the viewfinder. You tell me.”

My tone was harsh, and she punished me for it. Her voice had returned, and so had her sass. “Well, it looked a little sloppy.”

Sebastian tugged on my arm. “Lachlan! Lachlan, listen! Hey!”

Sloppy was my middle name these days. I sneered. “Say it. I screwed up. Don’t patronize me. Just make sure you get my good side in those pictures.”

“Yeah. I got a lot of good shots of your ass—butt…which is what you’re acting like now.”

Sebastian clapped. “Lachlan, watch me!”

“I had a tough game, Red.”

“And I’m trying to help.”

“Lachlan!” Sebastian got louder. “Lach? Lach. Lachlan. Watch what I can do!”

He ran laps around us. He sprinted down the tunnel, nearly getting trampled by the guys as they left the locker room.

“Bast, get your butt over here,” I said.

“It’s Sebastian!”

“It’s time-out if you don’t get over here right now.”

Elle touched my arm, accidentally squeezing a bruise. “He’s so excited. Your mom said he was thrilled to see you play.”

“Yeah!” Sebastian launched at me. “You were the best!”

For a little guy, he packed a decent punch. Then again, he had run full speed at my kidneys. A shock of pain burst through my body. I shouted.

“Christ! Watch it, Bast!”

The kid jumped back, eyes wide. “Sorry!”

“I told you I was sore!”

“I’m sorry!” His eyes widened.

I never saw him go completely motionless, but I’d never really yelled at him before. Elle cleared her throat, a quiet sound.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m peachy fucking keen.”

Goddamn it. I was usually careful with my words, but the language came naturally in the stadium. Elle rolled her eyes. Sebastian thought it was the greatest thing he’d ever heard.

“Wow! You said a bad word.” He grinned at me. “Mom’s gonna be mad.”

“Don’t repeat it.”

He did it to challenge me, just to have some fun. “Peachy fuc—”

“Sebastian!”

My voice echoed through the hall—loud, sharp, and absolutely the wrong tone to take with him. My teammates stopped to look. The couple reporters went silent.

Sebastian didn’t know what to do.

He stared at me, stunned, lip quivering like he was about to cry.

Oh, Christ. I couldn’t handle