Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 1) (11 page)

T
hings were happening so quickly
in my life. Graduation was in two days, and my mom was coming to visit. The draft was only a couple days after graduation, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was so nervous.

I wanted to make plans with Alexa, but everything was so uncertain. I couldn’t bear the thought of drifting apart after graduation.

The last couple of months have been everything I could ever want out of a relationship. We sat next to each other during our shared classes and studied together at night.

On the weekends, we went out to eat alone or with our little couple group. Parties were more fun when I could go home with my girl instead of looking for a hookup.

Alexa seemed happier, too. Instead of binge drinking into oblivion, she never had more than three drinks. She said she would rather go home with me early and remember our time together. We had to set limits on how much time we could spend together, though, because we had final exams to worry about. I always tried to push the boundaries on this.

“Come over,” I told her over the phone. “I just finished my last exam, and I want to celebrate.”

“I can’t, and you know it,” she said. “I have to finish a paper tonight and I have one more test tomorrow.”

“Please?” I begged.

“I’ll hang up on you,” she threatened. “After tomorrow, I’m all yours.”

“Don’t forget, I made a reservation at seven o’clock,” I reminded her.

“I can’t wait,” she said flatly.

My mom was coming for the graduation ceremony and I was going to introduce her to Alexa over dinner. I was nervous for them to meet, so I couldn’t even imagine how Alexa felt.

“Are you sure your parents aren’t coming?” I asked. It seemed crazy that her parents would skip such an important event in her life over a silly disagreement.

“Yeah, I doubt they’ll show up. I haven’t heard from them in months. I think they would tell me if they planned on being here.”

I felt bad for her. I knew what it was like to have a parent who wasn’t around, but at least I still had my mom. She was great and always supportive of me.

“Do you want me to come over and help you study?” I offered.

“No, thanks,” she responded. “You’ll only distract me.”

She was right. Almost all of our study sessions ended with us hooking up.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later,” I said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I looked around my bedroom. With all of the stress from finals and the draft, I had forgotten that I had to pack all of my belongings up. I grabbed stacks of notebooks off of the floor and tossed them into the trash. I collected dirty plates from my nightstand and took them to the kitchen.

As I put them in the sink, a tiny white piece of paper floated to the ground. It was my fortune from the cookies Alexa and I shared together. I put it in my pocket.

I knew my mom would want to hang out in my dorm and see Reg, so I hastily tried to make everything look presentable. I hid our alcohol collection under the sink and sprayed an air freshener to cover up the smell of sweat and booze.

* * *

T
he next day
, I drove to the airport to pick up my mom. She offered to sleep on the couch in my dorm, but I couldn’t let her do that. First, because our couch was terribly uncomfortable and covered in mysterious stains, but also because I wanted a place where I could be alone with Alexa, if the opportunity arose.

My mom gave me a big hug when I got out of the car to put her suitcase in the trunk.

“Geez, mom,” I said. “You’re only going to be here for a few days. I think you over-packed.”

“I wanted to make sure I had the right outfit. My little boy only graduates from college once!” she squeezed my arm.

“Where’s Alexa?” she asked, while peering into the front seat.

“She still has finals. She’ll meet us for supper tonight.”

“I’m so excited to meet her. Tell me all about her.”

“I already have, Mom. I’ve told you everything I know about her.”

My mom has always been very interested in my love life. I haven’t had very many girlfriends, but if she likes them, she treats them like they’re her own child. If she doesn’t like them… that’s another story. I was confident that she would love Alexa, though.

“Can I meet her parents this weekend?”

“I don’t think they’re coming. I told you about how things were still bad between them.”

“Yes, but parents don’t miss events like these.”

“Then why didn’t Dad come?” I asked.

“I didn’t invite him. Should I have?”

“No, you’re right. I just don’t think her parents will be here either. Even if they were, they don’t know about me, and I don’t think they’d want to meet me.”

“They’d be crazy not to like you,” she said, pinching my cheek.

I brought her back to my dorm and she went into mom-mode. I repeatedly told her not to worry about cleaning up, but she couldn’t help it. I was a little thankful, to be honest. It was a big task to clean up several years’ worth of stuff.

I took her back to her hotel to get ready for dinner.

“I’ll be back in an hour,” I told her.

I raced home and got in the shower. It felt like such a big step in our relationship, for Alexa to meet my mom. I kept my family life private, and I felt like I was letting her in on a big secret.

I dried off and put on a short sleeved button down shirt with khakis. I drove back to the hotel and picked up my mom and we made our way to the restaurant.

While we waited for Alexa, I ordered a drink for myself and a glass of wine for Alexa. I knew that she would need some liquid encouragement.

She arrived just a few minutes after we did. She looked incredible. Her hair was wavy and loosely pinned up. She was wearing a cute sundress that I had seen her wear on a previous occasion. She was finally learning that it was okay to wear clothes more than once.

I don’t know why we were so nervous, because they hit it off amazingly. Alexa was so at ease around my mom and my mom was captivated by Alexa, hanging on to every word she said.

“What are your plans for after graduation?” my mom asked her.

“I may be staying with a friend,” she responded. “I’m not entirely sure yet.”

“Come stay with us,” my mom said. “My house is small, but I would be honored to have you with us.”

“Thank you,” Alexa said as tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re so incredibly kind to me.”

“I like anyone who makes my son this happy,” she said.

As we ate, we talked about school, football, and summer plans. My mom managed to only tell two embarrassing stories from my childhood. Alexa was loving it.

When the check came, Alexa and I both reached for it, again.

“Nonsense,” my mom scolded, grabbing it away from us. “My treat.”

We thanked her and I took my mom back to her hotel.

“So,” she started. “When are you two getting married?”
“Mom! We’ve been dating for just a few months. It’s way too early to even discuss it!”

“I like her, Martin. She’s the one. I’m sure of it.”

Her approval meant a lot to me. I kept smiling after I dropped her off and drove back to my dorm.

The one. I felt it, too.

I went over to Alexa’s dorm and helped her decide what she was going to pack, and what she was going to get rid of. Her closet was packed with clothes she never wore. I found some things I wanted to see her wear and put them aside.

“Your mom didn’t hate me, right?” she asked as the flung a pair of shoes in a box to give away.

“The opposite. She loves you.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m not. She called you ‘the one’.”

She smiled widely and went back to packing.

“You should sell some of this stuff,” I said, holding up an expensive looking coat.

“That’s not a bad idea,” she replied. “We know I could use the money.”

I found a very provocative nightgown in one pile of clothes. It had clasps and straps that I couldn’t even begin to understand how they worked.

“I want to see you in this,” I said.

She gave me a dirty look, but snatched it out my hand and shut the bathroom door behind her. A few seconds later, she emerged; strutting around the room like it was her personal catwalk.

I lunged at her and threw her on the bed, to her delight.

“Shut the door,” she ordered.

I kicked it with one leg and hastily pulled off my clothes. I examined her in the lingerie.

“I like this, but I think I’ll like it even better on the floor,” I decided.

She had to help me with the complicated closures, a fact that I was not proud of. Once she was free, I grabbed a thigh, pulling her closer to me.

The door shot open and before Alexa could pull the covers up, Sasha screamed.

“Sorry,” she called, covering her eyes with one hand. “Finish up, and then let’s go to a party on the third floor.”

She shut the door and Alexa gave me a ferocious look.

“Why didn’t you lock the door?”

“I’m sorry, I just kicked it closed in a hurry. Should we get dressed?”

“Of course not,” she said and pulled herself on top of me.

We finished up quickly and pulled our clothes on. Sasha already left with Reg, so we met them at the party. It was weird talking to people I got to know really well over the past four years, knowing that I may never see some of them again.

“I should go,” Alexa said. “I have to get up early to finish packing and get ready for the ceremony.”

“Yeah, I’ll go too,” I said.

I gave her a long kiss in the hallway. Having her softened the blow of leaving college.

At this time tomorrow, I would be celebrating my graduation. I was just a kid from a poor, broken home, about to be a Princeton graduate. I just hoped I would be able to make something out of it. I wanted a future that Alexa could be a part of.

I
woke
up early on the day of the graduation ceremony full of dread. It was going to be so hard to see everyone with their proud parents, while I was alone. Martin’s mom was very loving and accepting of me, but it wasn’t the same.

I wanted my parents to be there. Well, I wanted my parents to be there, only if they could love and accept me.

I had another nightmare about them the night before the ceremony. I dreamt that they showed up with Sebastian in tow. When I woke up, I thought it really happened. It wouldn’t have been anything out of the ordinary to make one last appeal to me.

I had given up on packing things in an orderly matter. I stuffed things into suitcases. The school was gracious enough to give us an extra day to pack, so I wouldn’t have to move out until tomorrow.

I checked my email to see if my final grades were in. They were—I got all As this semester. I was graduating with honors! I was so excited that I almost deleted an unread email.

It was from my grandparents. I was surprised, because I didn’t even know my mom’s parents knew how to use the computer. Maybe a maid helped them.

Alexa,
it read.
We are so proud of you for graduating from such a fine school. We regretfully cannot attend the ceremony, but we have made a deposit in your account for your gift. Send you parents our love when you see them today.

Grandmother and Grandfather

I was stunned. My parents were coming today? Why didn’t they say anything? Maybe my grandparents were confused. I’m sure my mom hadn’t said much to them about our falling out.

I checked my bank account. There was five thousand dollars added to it yesterday. Not too shabby.

I disregarded the message from my grandparents. There was no way my parents would show.

I called Martin to make sure he was awake and getting ready for graduation. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t even gotten out of bed.

“Get ready,” I screeched. “We have to be there in thirty minutes!”

“Whoa,” he said sleepily. “What’s with the panicking?”

I told him about the weird email I got this morning.

“Maybe they are coming,” he said. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

I wasn’t sure. I wanted them to come, because I wanted everything to be okay between us. I also didn’t want them to come, because I didn’t know how they would react to Martin.

“Maybe my dad will come,” I said hopefully.

My mom was never supportive of me getting an education. She thought it was unnecessary. I thought her opinion was setting women back about a hundred years. My dad, on the other hand, quietly urged me to go to college. He was thrilled when I got into such a good school. He took education seriously.

I curled my hair, finished applying my makeup, and put on one of my favorite Tory Burch dresses. I found a pair of matching shoes that I had yet to pack, and slipped them on. I grabbed my cap and gown, and rushed out the door.

We were seated alphabetically, so Martin was quite a few rows back. The ceremony was taking forever, and I was getting bored. I wanted to talk to him, to listen to him crack jokes about the various speakers. He always knew how to entertain me.

I kept scanning the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of my parents. If they didn’t show up today, what chance would I ever have to reconcile with them? The auditorium was packed with proud parents. It was hard to pick anyone out of this crowd.

After what seemed like hours, it was finally time to go on stage and get our diplomas. My row lined up and waited to go on stage.

As I slowly made my way up to the front, I was more positive that my parents wouldn’t show. Each step I took felt like a small stab in the heart.

I was about four people away from receiving my diploma when I saw a hand waving from the corner of my eye. I froze. My parents were sitting in the stands. My dad was beaming and my mom had a sour expression on her face. She didn’t look enthused, but her presence meant a lot.

“Hey,” the guy behind me whispered. I was so caught up in seeing my parents that I forgot to keep walking. I walked up on stage, shook the dean’s hand and received my Ivy League diploma.

I was a college graduate, I had an amazing boyfriend, and my parents were here to support me. Things might actually work out for me after all.

I sat back in my seat, trying not to stare up at my parents. I thought about what I would say to them after the ceremony.

Would I mention Martin? Would I introduce them? I decided that I would wait to see what their mood was like before springing any surprises on them.

When Martin’s name was called, the auditorium erupted in cheers. I always forgot about the celebrity he had at this school. He was one of the best quarterbacks this school had seen in a long time.

He looked a little embarrassed to be receiving so much attention. I was a proud girlfriend. I was one of the very few people who knew how big of an accomplishment this was for someone of his background. This school was filled with people like me, who grew up with all of the connections and resources in the world. Martin got here all on his own.

I was proud of myself for making it this far without a lot of emotional support from my family, but I was even more proud of him. I didn’t know what our future together would hold, but I was ready to find out.