“They’re calling it The Kiss Heard ‘Round the World,” David says, his upper lip curling up in distaste. He flicks me an equally powerful look that shrivels my insides and turns them into dust. “Congratulations, you two. You’re famous! The only thing that could possibly make this situation any worse is if you knocked her up.”
Levi’s shoulder stiffen and I feel my eyes shoot wide. David takes in my obvious alarm, and his expression slowly morphs, turning bright red with fury.
“You stupid son of a bitch. You knocked her up?”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly on my list of goals,” Levi smarts off.
“Do you know what this means?” David snarls?
“Paternity leave?”
“Dammit, stop being such a shit!” David bellows. “Do you ever take anything seriously? For Christ-fucking-sake, Levi. You’ve really put your foot in it now.”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly the body part that was used—”
David’s finger stabs out, his tone threatening, as he cuts him off. “Shut your goddamn mouth. You’ve royally fucked everything now. There’s no coming back from this.”
With that, David strides across the room toward the door. Thank God he’s leaving. But of course it can’t be that simple. Before he goes, he stops and turns back to us. Levi’s back is turned toward his father, so he doesn’t see the spiteful look in his eyes that I do. It’s enough to make me sick. What reason, aside from the obvious, could Levi have possibly given him to harbor so much contempt for his own son? I used to think he was an alright guy, but now I have nothing but hatred for this man.
“You’ve been an embarrassment to me for the last time,” he says to Levi’s back. “Consider this the final straw. I’m cancelling all contracts that involve me and my company. I may not be able to stop being your father, but I refuse to risk mine and my company’s reputation for this sick affair you two have going on.”
Levi huffs a humorless laugh. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve grown used to not having a father, so you can continue to rest easy.”
Tossing the paper down on the end of the bed, Levi rakes his hands through his hair and squeezes his eyes shut in frustration.
Curious what’s in there, I pick up the paper. My eyes widen as they land on the enormous black and white image of Levi and me locked in a heated kiss. Then I read the headline and my heart sinks. Soccer’s Sweethearts…Brother and Sister?
“As for you,” David continues on, directing his hostility toward me. “I don’t care what your mother says or does, you’ll never see another penny from me.”
Seriously? Offended, I glare back at him. “I don’t want your money, David. I think I made that perfectly clear when I told you to keep your checks.”
As soon as the first check arrived, I knew that I didn’t want to start my life indebted to a man I had lost all respect for. Levi had told me things about him that hadn’t set right, but it wasn’t until that night at the hotel, the night that I left Levi, that I formed my own opinion of him. I decided then never to take a cent from him.
“That may be, but I know how you women are when it comes to money. And now that you’ve successfully trapped my son with your bastard, I just want you to know that mine is one pocketbook you will not tap into.”
My stomach clenches and pressure builds in my head in both shame and outrage. Shame because anyone would consider me a gold digger, and outrage that he just called my child a bastard. But I don’t need to say a thing, because Levi beats me to the punch.
Having reached his limit, Levi spins around and shouts, “Are you still fucking here? Get the fuck out!”
“Why, because you can’t take hearing the truth? The sooner you open your eyes and realize what an epic mistake this little tryst between you two is, the sooner you can correct it, Levi. I’m only trying to protect you.”
“Oh fuck off already,” Levi says with no small amount of disdain. David’s scowl deepens as Levi continues. “It’s one thing to treat me like shit on the bottom of your shoe, because I’ve grown used to it, but you won’t ever, ever speak to her with anything short of the utmost respect. You can think whatever you want about us and our choices, but if I ever hear you say a cross word to her or about her or my child again, I don’t care if you’re my father or the fucking pope, I will end you, old man. Got me?”
With a measured step, Levi steps in front of his father, partially blocking him from view, but, despite their similar height, I can still see David’s piercing eyes over his shoulder. The devastation, though held in a tight fist, as Levi delivers his next and final blow is there.
“You may not be able to stop being my father, but I am done being your son,” Levi snarls. “I want you out of here, and don’t ever think of darkening my doorstep again.”
David’s eyes narrow, his lips pressing into a firm line. Then, without another word, he turns and walks out the door, slamming it behind him.
The ball of tension in the room seems to burst like a bubble. As soon as he’s gone, all the air oxygen rushes from my body and I hunch over my knees, sucking in a lungful of air.
“What a fucking asshole,” Levi mutters to himself. “He’s got a lot of nerve coming in here like that.” I sense his movement as he begins pacing the room, his anger ratcheting higher with each step. “Telling me that he’s basically forced to be my father? Fuck him! Who ever said I wanted to be his son?” He’s yelling now, and as much as I want to go to him and tell him it will all be okay, I can’t. My ears are ringing, my thoughts are spinning out of control, and my breathing is so erratic that it’s hard to take a solid breath.
“And the way he talked to you?” Levi continues. “He’s lucky I didn’t rip his balls off and shove them down his throat. That fucker is dead to me!” He makes another circuit past the bed, stirring the air. “I’m so done with this shit. This is exactly why I branched out on my own. He thinks he has me cornered, but the joke’s on him. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes that I don’t need him or his fucking company.”
I stopped hearing Levi back at “Fuck him.” All I can see is the image of the two of us splashed across that page behind my closed lids. Holding my head in my hands, I wrap my fists around my hair and squeeze, hoping the pressure against my skull will relieve the throbbing ache in my brain.
This cannot be happening. The whole world now knows about us, about what we’ve done. We’ll never live it down. We stained our reputation, and by default, our child’s, too. And what about work? Everyone will know. They’ll never look at me the same. This is my worst nightmare coming true.
“Hey, hey,” Levi’s soft voice reaches into my head a second before I feel his firm hands clasp my knees. “Breathe, princess.”
Lifting my eyes, I see him crouching in front of me, worry written all over his face. It’s then that I realize I’m having some sort of panic attack. My chest feels too tight, my head fuzzy, and I can’t seem to get enough oxygen.
“It’s okay, baby, just keep breathing. That’s it. Nice and slow. There you go, princess. That’s my girl,” Levi praises as I concentrate on his voice, using it to calm me, to center me. Eventually, the fog in my head begins to recede and my heartrate slows to a more normal pace.
Stroking my cheek, Levi leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Okay now?”
I nod, but I’m not okay. Nothing is okay. “Levi,” I croak, my voice sounding rough and scratchy.
“What is it, princess?” His eyes tight, Levi’s thumb tracks across my cheek, smearing wetness across my skin.
I frown. When did I start crying? Swallowing down the lump that’s formed in my throat, I give voice to the fears running rampant through my mind. “That kiss…They know. The—” My voice chokes off on a sob.
Levi’s expression softens. “That we love each other? Yeah, they do. Everyone knows it now. We don’t have to hide anymore.”