Two
3224 Words
two
Brady
The doorbell rings and Theo sprints past me, out of his room and down the stairs.
“Slow down! Hold on to the banister!” I shout and follow.
“Mom!” he screams.
I’ve only had him for two days, and Hannah is here to pick him up.
Theo is fussing with the lock on the door by the time I get to the foyer.
“Let me.” I reach past him and turn the dead bolt and the lock on the handle, then he twists the doorknob and opens the door.
Theo’s shoulders drop when he sees my parents, not his mom.
“Hey, what gives? Is that the kind of welcome I get now?” my mom says.
Theo gives her a smile. “I thought you were Mom. Sorry, Glamma.”
Yes, Glamma, not Grandma. Lennon—who is actually my stepmom, but I only think of her as my mom—insists that she’s too cool, too young, and too progressive to ever be called Grandma. And she’s right. I often wonder how a stuffy investment banker like my dad scored a woman who owns a s*x toy company.
“Make it up to me with a hug,” she says, and Theo rushes over and squeezes her legs. Lennon bends over and kisses the top of his head.
When Theo pulls away, he goes straight to my dad and does the same. “Hi, Gramps.”
My dad musses his hair. “Hey, champ. You headed back to your mom’s house so soon?”
He pulls away and nods vigorously. “Yup. She’s taking me to the aquarium today.”
My dad smiles. “Very cool.”
“I’ve been there before with my dad. It’s so cool. You should see this one fish they have…”
Theo keeps talking as I motion for them to come in. My dad bends and picks Theo up and heads into the family room, intently listening the entire time. Lennon gives my hand a squeeze as she walks past me.
She knows how much sharing custody hurts me. The fact he has to be shuffled back and forth is not what I had in mind. But Hannah and I are better off as co-parents and friends. In the end, I have to believe that our relationship will benefit my son more than if he had two parents who lived in the same house but were unhappy.
The four of us hang out in the family room and Theo shows my parents the latest Lego firetruck he’s been working on.
After a while, my dad and Lennon share a look and Lennon stands from the couch and walks over to Theo. “Hey, why don’t you show me the new Lego sets you’ve finished in your room?”
Whenever we finish a Lego set, we place it on display on one of the shelves in his room. While I’m sure Lennon has a mild interest in seeing what he’s been working on. I get the impression it’s a ruse to get my dad and me alone.
“Oh yeah, Glamma, I almost have the entire city. Dad said next are the boats.” He takes her hand and drags her out of the room.
Soon we hear Lennon and Theo’s feet on the stairs, him talking nonstop about the one Uncle Chase had to put together because Daddy’s friends knocked it over. The kid must have been spying because Chase did an incredible job on that one.
Getting that out of my head, I turn to my dad on the other end of the couch. “Good news or bad news?”
He chuckles. “We never can put one past you.”
“You’d always try though. So—good or bad?” A million scary things go through my head. Are they divorcing? No, they seem happy. Something with my brother and sister? Yeah, but they wouldn’t drive all the way over here. No way is Lennon pregnant again.
They used to try—a lot. I remember when I was twelve, and they’d pretend my dad was helping Lennon find something in the garage when in reality, they were making out or messing around. One day I called them out on it. Or when Lennon missed putting some presents under the tree on Christmas morning and I found the bag in the garage a couple of weeks later, grabbing my scooter, she tried to tell me that Santa ate too many cookies, and he must’ve forgotten the presents go under the tree.
“Well… we’re hoping you’ll think it’s good news.” My dad has his serious face on. The one I’m used to seeing when he’s working on a deal.
“I’m listening.”
“Lennon and I are entering negotiations to purchase the Kingsmen. If all goes smoothly, we’ll be the owners by the time training camp starts.”
I blink and I blink again until my eyes remain wide open. I don’t know what I expected my dad to say, but it wasn’t that. “Wow. Congratulations, I guess?”
He stares at me, trying to judge my reaction. “Are you okay with this?”
I think about what my parents owning my team means for me and how it might change the way my teammates view me. “I guess… this means you guys will be my bosses.” I cringe.
My dad sighs. “Technically, yes, but you’ll get no special treatment from us, and we won’t interfere with whatever you’re doing on the field unless things really go to shit.”
I chuckle. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Truth is, we’ve been looking at buying the team for a while. You being transferred here last year was surprising, causing Lennon and I to table the conversation. We didn’t want to interfere in your life. Then we got word Giles Hanover is still looking to sell, but we would never put pen to paper without talking to you first.”
I lean back on the couch, hands behind my head. “I appreciate it, Dad, but I wouldn’t stand in your way even if I wasn’t cool with it. You guys have done so much for me and Theo over the years—”
My dad quickly interrupts me. “That’s what parents do, Brady. You know that now yourself.”
He’s right. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my little boy. I myself never wanted for anything growing up.
I nod. “I know. I guess I’m saying if you want to do this, you should. Realistically, I’m thirty-two. My days of playing football are numbered, whereas you could own the team for decades if you wanted. I won’t stand in the way of that.”
My dad stands and clamps me on the shoulder. “All right then. Wish us luck. Giles Hanover is a class A prick I don’t trust with an ounce of my life.” Then he grows serious. “Needless to say, you cannot tell anyone about this.”
“My lips are sealed.” The sound of footsteps pounding on the stairs causes me to call out, “Use the banister!”
My dad smirks. “He reminds me a lot of you.”
“So, I was a complete handful at his age?”
Theo and Mom join us in the family room.
“Dad! Glamma said she’ll take me to Legoland if I’m good for Mom this weekend.” His eyes are wide and full of excitement as he bounces up and down in front of me.
“Isn’t that near San Diego?” I ask, looking at my mom.
She waves me off. “We’ll take the jet down and make a day of it.”
I’m not gonna lie and say it’s not nice to have money at your disposal, and my parents have always had money, that’s for sure. But it wasn’t until I was a teenager that they joined the one-percent club. I don’t want Theo to grow up thinking it’s normal to jump on a private plane for a day trip.
“Mom…”
She holds up both hands. “What? I’m not allowed to spoil my only grandchild?”
She’s saved from my answer when the doorbell rings and Theo runs out of the room.
“We should get going anyway,” my dad says.
My mom looks between us. “You two spoke?”
“All’s good,” Dad says.
She gives me a hug. “Promise we won’t cramp your style.”
I laugh and pull away. “I’m more worried about the opposite really.”
She swats me on the arm and gives me a wink.
Growing up with a mom like her required being confident I could kick every kid’s butt at my school. When your mother owns a s*x toy company, has tatted up her arms, and gives zero f***s what anyone else thinks, it’s hard walking in on day one of school or having her as a trip chaperone. Although everyone got to know her and loved her because she was awesome, it was hard during those adolescent years when all I wanted to do was blend in with everyone.
Then there’s the whole thing that no subject is taboo or off the table. Picture your mom giving you s*x tips after she finds you having s*x with a girl. And I’m not talking the usual “wear a condom” stuff either. More like an introduction to where to find the G-spot and how to ease a woman into a******x so you make her quiver.
We follow Theo to the front door where he’s once again messing with the lock. The exact reason I installed a latch on top that only I can reach. I lean in over him, unlock the door, and swing it open.
“Mommy!” He jumps into Hannah.
She fumbles with her bag but grabs him at the last minute, enveloping him in a hug. She smiles at me over his shoulder, then notices my parents standing behind me when she straightens and puts Theo on her hip. “Hi, Lennon, hi, Jasper.”
“Hey, Hannah. We were just leaving.” My dad slides around the side of me.
My parents give her a quick hug as they step onto the porch.
Amazing how we can be so civil. We’re all on good terms. There was never any drama between Hannah and me when things didn’t work out. The two of us were meant to be a hookup, but when she got pregnant, we tried to make a relationship of it.
Before my dad married Lennon, I lived in a one-parent-absent household and hated it. I wanted more than anything to be able to give Theo the traditional nuclear family. But it became obvious pretty quickly that Hannah and I were better as friends and co-parents than lovers. So we made the mutual decision to split before things took a turn and we ended up resenting or hating one another. Our relationship has been smooth as glass since.
I say goodbye to my parents, as does Theo, and we turn to Hannah. “He’s pretty much ready. There’s just a couple of things he still has to pack.”
Hannah runs her hands through Theo’s dark strands. “Hey, buddy, why don’t you go finish packing while I talk to your dad for a minute, okay?”
I’m familiar with the look on her face and the tone of her voice, causing my stomach to tighten. She’s about to change the good thing we have going here. I knew it was too good to be true when she agreed to move to San Francisco when I took the trade last year.
Or maybe she’s met someone. We have the condition that Theo doesn’t get introduced unless it’s serious. I have no idea how I’d handle a new man in her life. I mean, I know it’s inevitable. Truth be told, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet. Hannah is attractive with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and fit body.
Theo rushes off upstairs, and I gesture in the direction of the family room. “Come on in.” She sits on the couch and I sit in the chair, my forearms resting on my knees, my hands clasped together. “Everything okay?”
She nods and presses her lips together, a sure sign that she’s nervous to talk to me about whatever this is. “I wanted to talk to you about something without Theo here because I didn’t know how you’d feel about it.”
Definitely a new man. “Okay… what’s up?” I shift on the chair, cracking my neck side to side.
She blows out a breath. I glance at her left hand. No ring.
“I got a call about an opportunity to go overseas for work. My boss wants me to head up our team’s response to the crisis in eastern Europe.”
Elation hits me, and I spring up from the chair. “That’s awesome, Han. Congrats!” I grab her and hug her.
She sighs and nods, lightly patting my back before drawing back from the contact. “The thing is that this contract would likely be for a few months, not a few days or weeks. Months.”
“Oh.” I lean back and bite my inner cheek. “When would you be leaving?”
She clasps her hands in her lap. “Within the next couple of weeks.”
“Is it safe where you’re going?” That’s of paramount importance to me. I’ve seen what’s going on over there in the news and I don’t want my child’s mother in the middle of it. I don’t want my child without a mother.
She nods. “I wouldn’t go otherwise, but yes. I’ll be far from the conflict.”
My brain quickly runs through the timing. If she’s gone for months, her absence will run into training camp and football season, a time when she would normally stay close to home because of how long my days are.
“s**t, Han, training camp is coming up.” I run a hand down my face.
Hannah cringes. “I know. I thought maybe… you could use a live-in nanny while I’m gone.” Something must cross my face because she quickly backtracks. “If you don’t like the idea, I can just decline the opportunity. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure others will come up.”
Guilt tugs in my gut. She’s spent the last six years at the mercy of my career and never once complained. She moved here to allow me to be close to my parents and play for the Kingsmen. It’s not fair for her to always sacrifice for me if I’m not willing to do the same.
“Don’t say no. I think you’re right. A live-in nanny is the best option. It’ll be weird… I’ve never had anyone help me with Theo before, but I can’t rely on my parents to always pick up the slack. And Bianca and Evan are headed back east for grad school in the fall. A nanny is our best solution.”
Having my twenty-two-year-old twin half-sibs help me out with Theo would have been ideal, but they have their own lives.
“Are you sure? God, I’ve felt so guilty about this.”
I squeeze her shoulders. “Han, don’t feel guilty. You’ve given up a lot of opportunities over the years because of my career. It’s just a few months.”
Tears pool in the corners of her eyes. “Do you think Theo will be okay with someone else watching him?”
“He’s gonna miss you, for sure. But he misses you when you’re ten minutes away. We’ll video chat with you and school will be starting soon, so he’ll be busy all day anyway.”
“I guess.” She looks down at her hands.
I cover her hands with mine. “Does he resent me when I’m away working?” I arch an eyebrow.
“No… I guess not. But you’re a football player. It’s different. He’s proud of you. He can usually watch you on the television at night and see you at work.”
“And you’re a nurse who helps people in the worst moments of their lives. I’ll make sure he knows who the real hero is out of his mom and dad.”
A small smile creases her lips. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it tonight.”
I nod. “He’s going to be fine. I promise.” I squeeze her hands.
“I hope so.”
I retract my hand. “So for this nanny thing… what do I have to do?”
“Well… I had heard they can be hard to come by these days. So just in case you were okay with it, I already got in touch with a local agency that handles clients like yourself.” There’s that look again, the same one from when she asked me to talk.
My forehead wrinkles. “Hot, single, professional athletes with an abundance of charm and charisma?”
“No.” She gives me a stern look. “I was talking about celebrity clients. When they interview the candidates, they don’t tell them the client’s name until they’re hired. Then they have to sign an ironclad NDA. Keeps the celebrity hunters away.”
I nod. “Makes sense. So you want me to do this?” I try to hide the slight whine in my voice. I hate hiring people. I pawned off finding a gardener and house cleaner for this place on my mom.
Hannah tilts her head and presses her lips together. “I can do it if you want, but it’s not going to be me who has to live with them.”
“You just said they won’t know who they’re working for, so it’s not like I’d meet them anyway.”
“No, but you could view the tapes, tell the agency your preference.”
Just the thought of spending hours watching videos of boring British women telling me their beliefs in disciplining a child makes me want to vomit. They’ll go by my rules in the end.
“I trust you to make the best decision for Theo.”
We share a smile, and she says, “All right. I’ll take care of it. But don’t come bitching to me if Mrs. Doubtfire shows up on your doorstep.”
I chuckle. “You have my word. But could we go a little easier on the eyes?”
She lets her head flop back on the couch. “Do not sleep with the nanny, Brady.” One eye opens and glares at me.
“Relax. Everything will be fine. You’ll see. You’ll come back and everything will be just like it was.”
She exhales a huge breath. “I sure hope so.”
I’ll live with a nanny as long as she understands it’s Theo she’s watching, not me.
- Writer
