Playing for Keeps (Texas Scoundrels) (33 page)

“Jed, let me put it to you real simple like,” Fuller said, a condescending note to his voice. “You draw the press. They love you or love to hate you, I really don't care which.” The guy rested his elbow on the table and pointed his finger at Jed. “Your name brings the press running. That means exposure for the team. The more attention you draw, the more air time we have and the more seats we fill. And the owners will have what they like best—more money.”

“It’s a win-win, Jed,” Cal Palmer added. “We buy out your existing contract with the  
Wranglers and you get another couple years of play. In return, we garner the press coverage for just having you associated with the organization.”

Jed laced his fingers together and looked around the room. It took every ounce of his self-control not to beat the crap out of Fuller, and while he was at it, he'd wipe the eager smirk off the publicist's face, too. “So you want me for my publicity, not for what I can offer the team professionally.”

“The social media has exploded since the scandal broke,” one of the lawyers said.

“Jed, you've got us all wrong,” Cal said.
 

“Do I?”
 

“We want you,” Fuller said. “The added attention is simply a perk.”

“I see. You're not looking to offer me a real job, but something that will keep my name associated with your team. You want a way to catch the media’s attention, fill seats and keep lining your pockets in the process.”

“Oh, no, you'd definitely have a real position,” Fuller explained. “Get you out in front of the crowds, pull a few publicity stunts a couple of times a year. Hell, we'll even make sure you play, you know, to keep you happy when you're working the press. With your name and reputation, well, we see it as a winning combination.”

“I see it as a crock,” Jed said and stood. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Marty Fuller’s eyes narrowed to slits. “No? Do you know who you're talking to? We’re your last chance, Maitland. Be smart for a change. Take the offer.”

Jed braced his hands on the table and leaned toward Fuller. “Screw you and your offer. The answer is still no. You're not using my son to spruce up your last place image.”

He pushed off the table and stalked across the room to the door. His career might be over, but he'd be damned if he'd sell out his own kid to make a few bucks he didn't even need. Or worse, become one of those glory day boys who desperately attempted to hold onto a past that was long gone.

“Jed, where are you going?” the publicist called after him. “This could be the best thing that's ever happened to you.”

“I left the best thing that ever happened to me back in Texas,” he said, then walked out on the bastards.

He reached the elevator and punched the button. He was going back to Texas. Back to Hart. And back to Griffen. Provided she'd have him.

The elevator arrived and the door slid open. Jed stepped into the car just as Fuller and his entourage arrived. Jed pushed the button for the first floor, but the AGM’s hand snaked out and prevented the door from closing.

“The medical experts say your career is over, Jed. Think about it,” Fuller said in a cajoling and highly irritating tone. “Say yes, and we'll keep you on the roster.”

“You have a decent quarterback,” he said. “You don’t need me.” Jed punched the button again. It was either the button or Fuller’s face. “So you can take your offer and shove it. I just retired.”

Eighteen

GRIFFEN PACED THE length of the corridor of the second floor of the courthouse, her heels clicking loudly on the tiles with each nervous step she took. She hadn’t heard word one from Jed all week. Not that that should bother her, but the reality was, she was close to going out of her ever-loving mind.
 

She tried convincing herself she should be happy about his silence. After all, wasn’t she the one who’d said good-bye? She should be grateful the big jerk took the hint and stayed away from her. Only she’d never been a very good liar, and she sure as hell couldn’t swallow the whopper she’d been trying to sell herself all week. Not when her heart stuttered every time her cell phone buzzed. And certainly not when disappointment tripped her up each and every time it wasn’t him on the other end. The truth was, she had no one to blame but herself for her misery.

So call him
.
Tell him you made a mistake
.
 

If only it were that easy.
 

It is
.
Just do it
.

She’d seriously considered calling him, several times over the past four days. She had the sleepless nights and grainy eyes to prove it. But in the end, no matter how much she wanted otherwise, she simply could not sacrifice her values. If she had only herself to consider, then maybe, but she had a teenaged son to raise and shacking up with a man who wasn’t her husband wasn’t going to happen.
 

While she’d feared Austin would blame her for Jed’s departure, he hadn’t. He wasn’t exactly happy about it, but he hadn’t asked too many questions and seemed more resigned than anything else. When she’d talked to him, she reminded him that once his dad was settled, he’d more than likely be in touch. For all she knew, he may already have and Austin wasn’t talking. Which did make sense since Austin hadn’t seem all that concerned about Jed’s disappearing act. But she knew her son well enough to know that when he was ready to talk, he would.
 

She reached the end of the corridor, turned around and headed back toward Mattie. Austin had been in judge’s chambers with the court appointed child advocate, Trenton, and the swarm of attorneys representing Jed’s interests, for over half an hour. She could only guess at the questions they were asking Austin.

Of course, Jed was nowhere to be found. “Typical.” She glanced at her watch for the fourth time in as many minutes. Her life was about to be torn apart and he couldn’t even be bothered to show his face.

“Sit down, Griff,” Mattie said from one of the hard wooden benches lining the corridor. “You’re starting to make me
nervous.”
 

Griffen walked over to her sister and dropped onto the bench next to her. She blew out a stream of breath that did nothing to quell the quaking of her insides. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to fall for his lies.”

Mattie slipped her cell phone into her purse. “What lies?”

“He said he’d drop the petition to vacate the adoption. Like a moron, I actually believed he’d do it.” She looked at Mattie, but found no comfort from the concern in her sister’s eyes. She looked at her watch again. “They’ve been in there for forty-five minutes.”

“It’s going to be fine, Griff.”

The serenity of Mattie’s tone clawed at her raw nerves. “You don’t know that,” Griffen said a little too sharply.

“Neither do you,” Mattie said. “And don’t snap at me. I’m on your side.”

“I know.” She let out another huff of breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just scared.”

“Chances are they’re probably just doing some legal maneuvering to keep your rights intact while reinstating Jed’s.”

“Then why haven’t they sent Austin back out here with us?”

“I don’t know,” Mattie said. “The judge is probably just being thorough. It’ll be fine.”

“You think?”

Mattie reached over and gave Griffen’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, I do. I trust Trenton to handle it. He’s a good lawyer, Griff. He’s going to fight for you and Austin to stay together.”

“I wish Dad was here.”

“He will be. Soon.”

She sprung up off the bench and started pacing again. A month ago, she’d have thought the worst that could have happened to her was facing financial ruin. Today, she knew that tragedy was minor in comparison to the thought of losing her son. Why did she always have to do the right thing? Why couldn’t she have just thrown Dani’s journal away and never said a word?
 

Because she couldn’t have lived with herself if she had, that’s why. Deception just wasn’t a part of her DNA.

Given the same situation, she knew without a doubt she’d have done exactly the same thing. She didn’t have it in her to deny Austin a chance to know his father. She may have had her heart broken, but that was her own stupid fault for falling in love with a man who...

“Jed.”

Her heart took off at a maddening pace and her pulse skyrocketed at the sight of him walking toward her. The dark charcoal suit he wore fit his large frame to perfection. For all of two seconds, she considered launching herself into his arms and telling him she’d made a massive mistake. That she loved him and didn’t care about anything except that they be together. Only she didn’t. The fierce determination in his eyes, in his stride, reminded her why they were at the courthouse in the first place.
 

“We need to talk.”

God, she was really starting to hate that phrase. “Our lawyers are doing the talking now.”

He reached out and snagged her hand. “Come with me.”

“Hey. What do you think you’re doing?”
 

He pulled her along behind him, down the corridor and around the corner, into an alcove. He backed her up against the wall and her tummy flipped. God, she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to do a whole lot more, too.

Instead, she gave him what she hoped was a hard look that revealed none of what she was really feeling. “There’s nothing left for us to say.”

“Correction. I’m going to talk,” he said, “and for once, would you please listen?”

His nearness made her common sense scatter. She balled her hands at her sides to keep from touching him, from reaching out and smoothing her fingers over the frown lines gathered between his eyes. “Fine,” she said, cursing her stupidity for looking at his mouth.
 

“There is no Buffalo,” he told her. “I turned it down.”

“That doesn’t change—”

“It changes everything. My life is here. With you and Austin.” He leaned in, close enough so that his breath fanned her lips. Close enough that she could practically taste him.
 

“I love you, Griffen,” he said in that familiar, low, husky rumble. “I’ve known for a while now, I just couldn’t admit it. To myself or to you.”

Stupid her, she smiled at him. He loved her. “I’m still not moving in with you.” She couldn’t. Not without a commitment. Love was good, but it still wasn’t a commitment.

He smiled back with that killer Maitland grin, the one that had her heart melting and her girl parts paying attention. Well, that and he
had
told her he loved her.
 

“What kind of marriage is that going to be if we’re not living together?”

She pulled her hand from his. “Jed...”

He took her hand back and went down on one knee, and that’s when she saw them. Austin, her dad, and her sister and Trenton, all standing a few feet behind Jed. All smiling, waiting and watching them as if they knew this was coming. She looked down at Jed and her knees went weak. All the emotion rippling through her, all the love in her heart, was there, mirrored in his beautiful, dark eyes.
 

“I love you, Griffen,” he said again. He opened a little black velvet ring box to reveal an elaborate array of diamonds in an elegant setting. “Marry me.”

Only Jed could make a proposal of marriage sound like a command. She’d wanted to hear those words from him. She’d wanted that ultimate commitment from him, and there was no way she’d let him back out now that he’d put it out there.
 

Tears blurred her vision. “Yes, Jed,” she said around the lump lodged in her throat. “I’ll marry you.”

With the quickness of the snap of a football, he was on his feet. She blinked and she was in his arms and he was kissing her stupid.

He ended the kiss and looked over at Trenton. “Is everything ready?”

Her future brother-in-law grinned. “Ready.”

Jed planted another quick kiss on her lips. “Marry me now.”

“Now?” Was he crazy? “As in right this second?”

“Why not?”

She opened her mouth to protest, but uttered no sound. For the life of her, she couldn’t voice any number of reasons flitting through her mind. Apparently, she was equally certifiable.
 

That killer grin of his returned. “I promise I’m not going to run way with my assistant or wipe out your bank accounts or run up your credit cards.”

“You don’t have an assistant.”

“Not yet,” he said, his grin deepening. “But I will.”

She hiked up an eyebrow. “Then she’d better be gray haired and over sixty with dozens of grandchildren.”

The tenderness in his eyes was wearing her down. “Sweetheart, you’re just going to have to trust me.”

“You know that’s not so easy for me, right?”

“Geeze, Mom,” Austin said, “say yes already.”

“Seriously, Griff,” Mattie added with a laugh.

Trenton looked just as impatient. “The judge
is
waiting.”

Her father smiled at her as he pulled a pretty bouquet of roses in varying shades of pink from a bag, holding it up for her inspection. Apparently Jed had given this whole marriage thing a lot of thought.