not working.” He leaned forward, watching her high cheekbones redden with emotion. “I want to spend lots of time with the baby too—when I’m not on the road for a game. It’ll be hard to make arrangements around our schedules, so I want you to think about what I’m going to say.”
He paused, watching her pull herself together. He didn’t continue until she nodded.
“I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but I built your dream house here in Atlanta—a replica of the yellow colonial in Deadwood. I was going to give it to you for Christmas.”
She blinked at him, her mouth dropping open. “You what?”
“I was hoping it would make you happy. And that it would show you…hell, that I intended to marry you…in a few years. I knew we…I wasn’t going back to Deadwood anytime soon, if at all.”
Her face completely bunched up, and she put up a hand as she fought for control. “I don’t know what to say to you right now. Part of me wants to hit you for doing this without talking to me. Jordan, you know what that house means to me.”
“I know, but you know me. No sense sometimes. I didn’t know what else to do. I…didn’t want to lose you, but in the end…it didn’t matter.”
She continued to stare at him. “The night we broke up, Mom told me a nice family had finally bought the house.”
Suddenly everything made sense. “You were crushed. Why didn’t you say anything? I had another house exactly like it—well, plus some improvements—ready for you.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Jordan, I’d been waiting seven years for you to propose. We were supposed to start our life together in that house years ago, but we came here instead.”
“Grace, I know you had this whole life planned out for us. That we’d go back home. You’d open your place, and I’d work with your dad. We’d buy that house and raise a family. I couldn’t give up on football, and once I realized that returning to Deadwood probably wasn’t in the cards, I knew I needed to give you what you wanted most. That house.”
A couple of tears streaked down her cheek. “I wanted that house, but I wanted you more. Jordan, when my mom told me that house had been sold, I thought it was a sign.”
“And now you’re pregnant,” he said softly. “Why can’t that be a sign that we’re supposed to be together?”
She looked down and released a harsh breath. “Because you don’t really want to be married to me. Otherwise you would have asked. I understand what you said about your career. I do. But you weren’t willing to prioritize having a family before. I don’t see that changing, and besides, you’ve…lost yourself in all this fame. I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
Jesus, so nothing had changed. “Fine. We’re not getting married, but the house is there, and it’s still your dream. I…couldn’t sell it, and because I love the property, I decided to make your house the guest house instead. I’m building another house on the land, and it’s going to be finished in a few months. I plan to live there.” He’d paid a lot of money to make that happen. Crazy money—the kind that had helped drive a wedge between him and Grace.
“You want me to live in a replica of my dream house while you live next door?” she asked with an ironic shake to her head. “Sometimes your thought process defies common sense.”
But he heard the catch in her voice.
Desperate to press his advantage, he stared into her eyes. “We’ll be neighbors. It’ll be like our own family compound.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, all wary now. “You’re really serious?”
“Grace, don’t you see? This way I can pop over to see the baby whenever I want. And he or she can come and see me whenever.” He’d dreamed about his son running up his sidewalk after school, football in hand, or his little girl asking if he’d teach her how to pitch the ball.
He refocused on Grace. She looked like she
He paused, watching her pull herself together. He didn’t continue until she nodded.
“I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but I built your dream house here in Atlanta—a replica of the yellow colonial in Deadwood. I was going to give it to you for Christmas.”
She blinked at him, her mouth dropping open. “You what?”
“I was hoping it would make you happy. And that it would show you…hell, that I intended to marry you…in a few years. I knew we…I wasn’t going back to Deadwood anytime soon, if at all.”
Her face completely bunched up, and she put up a hand as she fought for control. “I don’t know what to say to you right now. Part of me wants to hit you for doing this without talking to me. Jordan, you know what that house means to me.”
“I know, but you know me. No sense sometimes. I didn’t know what else to do. I…didn’t want to lose you, but in the end…it didn’t matter.”
She continued to stare at him. “The night we broke up, Mom told me a nice family had finally bought the house.”
Suddenly everything made sense. “You were crushed. Why didn’t you say anything? I had another house exactly like it—well, plus some improvements—ready for you.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Jordan, I’d been waiting seven years for you to propose. We were supposed to start our life together in that house years ago, but we came here instead.”
“Grace, I know you had this whole life planned out for us. That we’d go back home. You’d open your place, and I’d work with your dad. We’d buy that house and raise a family. I couldn’t give up on football, and once I realized that returning to Deadwood probably wasn’t in the cards, I knew I needed to give you what you wanted most. That house.”
A couple of tears streaked down her cheek. “I wanted that house, but I wanted you more. Jordan, when my mom told me that house had been sold, I thought it was a sign.”
“And now you’re pregnant,” he said softly. “Why can’t that be a sign that we’re supposed to be together?”
She looked down and released a harsh breath. “Because you don’t really want to be married to me. Otherwise you would have asked. I understand what you said about your career. I do. But you weren’t willing to prioritize having a family before. I don’t see that changing, and besides, you’ve…lost yourself in all this fame. I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
Jesus, so nothing had changed. “Fine. We’re not getting married, but the house is there, and it’s still your dream. I…couldn’t sell it, and because I love the property, I decided to make your house the guest house instead. I’m building another house on the land, and it’s going to be finished in a few months. I plan to live there.” He’d paid a lot of money to make that happen. Crazy money—the kind that had helped drive a wedge between him and Grace.
“You want me to live in a replica of my dream house while you live next door?” she asked with an ironic shake to her head. “Sometimes your thought process defies common sense.”
But he heard the catch in her voice.
Desperate to press his advantage, he stared into her eyes. “We’ll be neighbors. It’ll be like our own family compound.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, all wary now. “You’re really serious?”
“Grace, don’t you see? This way I can pop over to see the baby whenever I want. And he or she can come and see me whenever.” He’d dreamed about his son running up his sidewalk after school, football in hand, or his little girl asking if he’d teach her how to pitch the ball.
He refocused on Grace. She looked like she
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