could have possibly led to such a colossal, earth-shattering slipup.
“It must have broken,” Ellie says under her breath, embarrassment flooding her cheeks. “That’s the only explanation.”
“Shit. I didn’t realize. I should have—”
“Stop.” She sets a delicate hand on top of mine, and somehow, despite the tidal wave of terrifying news still crashing over me, holding her hand makes me feel okay, just a shred. “It’s not your fault. We both screwed up. We were reckless and stupid and…” She shakes her head, shiny dark red waves bouncing around her face.
“So is that why you’re staying in South Florida and working for the Riders now?” The smallest sense of clarity and calmness starts to return to my brain.
“Yeah. As soon as I told my dad the news, he insisted that I stay grounded here and—”
“Your dad?” I raise my brows and sit back. “You told your dad already?”
Great. The new team owner already thinks I’m a subpar second-string QB, and now he knows I knocked up his precious daughter.
“Just that I’m pregnant,” Ellie says. “I didn’t say who…did it.”
I half smile at her wording and the relief that Christopher Vice isn’t sending a hit man after me as we speak.
Ellie and I sit in silence for a minute, sort of mutually processing this overwhelming and daunting situation.
“Okay, okay…” I say on a deep breath, meeting her gaze and giving a smile. “It’s gonna be all right. This is sooner than I ever expected to be a father…and definitely not the most ideal circumstances…but we’re gonna figure it out together. We’ll start with the basics, like getting to know each other a little better, and—”
“Matt.” She gives a soft smile and glances down. “No, no, no. You don’t have to do any of that. You’re just starting to scratch the surface of an insanely successful football career. You should be able to totally pursue that, and this would just hold you back. I don’t need anything from you, and I want you to know you’re completely off the hook.”
Off the hook?
Disappointment and a pang of hurt twist in my gut.
“Ellie, I don’t want to be off the hook. It’s mine and…” I scratch the back of my neck and try to grapple with the ridiculous twists and turns of this whole fucking day. “Shit. I don’t know what to do.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” She gives a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to do anything at all. And me getting assigned to your PR project is a very sick and twisted joke played by the universe, but we can handle it.” She nods with certainty. “All business. And when nine months is over, my parents will help me take care of the baby in any way they can and work with me to handle all this. I’ll be back to traveling around the world, crushing it as a single, professional mom. You’ll be winning Super Bowls and living the life you were destined for. The life you’ve worked so hard for. I can totally handle this. God knows I have more than enough resources and support.”
I try to respond, but nothing comes out.
“See?” She brushes hair out of her face. “No stress. It’s all going to get handled, and I promise your life will not be disrupted or impacted.”
“I guess that’s…good.” I fix my gaze on the beige, speckled table and run my finger around the rim of my coffee cup.
It sure as hell doesn’t feel good.
“So I think you should just, sort of, try to forget about it. Let me handle it on my own. That’s best for you, right?”
I suppose I can’t really argue with her. Having a baby with a one-time hookup would definitely not be the best move for my career or my life in general.
“Yeah, sort of.”
Ellie offers a stressed-out smile. “I know this is a lot. I wish there was a better way to tell someone you just met that you’re carrying his baby…”
I give a soft laugh. “Don’t sweat it. You’re fine.”
“Okay, well.” She pushes her hair behind her ears, and her expression softens. “Thanks for being so understanding. I’m gonna do everything I can to make this easy on you. I mean, we barely know each other and everything. I think this is the right way to go about it.”
“By yourself,” I clarify, the words tasting bitter.
“Yeah,” she whispers, looking out the window and then back at me. “By myself. And with my family.”
“All right, Ellie Vice.”
“All right, Matt McKenzie.”
“One more question,” I say, letting