15. Brock

The knock on the door of my Airbnb interrupts my thoughts, pulling me away from the stack of paperwork spread out on the kitchen table. I glance at the clock — too early for a guest check-in, too late for a delivery. Curious, I make my way to the door and pull it open, revealing my mother standing on the threshold, her expression a mix of concern and disapproval.

"Mom?" I greet her, surprised to see her there. "What are you doing here?"

She steps into the foyer without invitation, her eyes sweeping over the modest furnishings with a hint of disdain. "I can't believe you chose to stay here rather than our home. Do you have any idea how that looks?"

"I don't care how it looks. I need my space."

I close the door behind her. My mother has always been one to speak her mind, regardless of the consequences.

"We need to talk about this mess you've gotten yourself into."

"Mess?"

"Don't pretend you don't know."

"What"s on your mind, Mom?" I ask, trying to keep my tone neutral.

She fixes me with a stern gaze, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You need to get back together with Tierney. She's more suited for you."

"I'm engaged to Layla."

"Is this a publicity stunt? Or just stupidity?"

"Mom," I hiss.

"You are not going to be galivanting around with a single mother," she laughs disgustedly. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm an adult and I'll do whatever I want. I don't live my life for other people's approval."

"It's not for other's approval, it's what's best for you and your career."

"I've been doing just fine managing myself and my career since I got out of college."

"Tierney fits your lifestyle."

"Layla does. Tierney doesn't."

"How can you say that?"

I sigh, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "Mom, Layla, and I have something real. Something that goes beyond what Tierney and I had. I care about her deeply, and I want to be with her."

My mother"s eyes narrow, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Choosing a single, poor mother over Tierney? That"s not the look we want to portray, Brock. You need to think about your reputation, your future."

I bristle at her words, my patience wearing thin. "Mom, I don"t care about appearances. I care about Layla. She"s an amazing woman, and she deserves to be treated with respect and love. I won"t let anyone—including you—dictate who I can and can"t be with."

"Brock, I just want what"s best for you. Layla may seem nice, but she"s not good enough for you. She doesn"t come from the same background, or the same social circle. She"ll never fit in with our family."

I shake my head, my resolve hardening. "Maybe I don't want her to fit in with our family. I'm rarely around you for a reason. Layla may not come from the same background as us, but she has more integrity, more strength of character than anyone I"ve ever met. And if you can"t see that, then I"m sorry, but I won"t let your narrow-mindedness stand in the way of my happiness."

My mother"s eyes flash with anger. "You need to be around your family. Tierney understands that."

"I"m sorry, Mom," I say, my voice firm. "But I won"t apologize for loving Layla. And if you can"t accept that, then maybe it"s time for us to have more distance. You can leave now."

"Brock," she spits.

I shake my head and open the front door, gesturing for her to leave. She makes a sound but walks out the door.

With that, I turn away and walk back into the living room. I fall down on the couch and bury my face in my hands.

It"s a difficult decision, but one that I know in my heart is necessary if I want to forge my own path, to live life on my own terms.

My mother has always been this way. She's always been judgmental and worried about what others think about her. It's something that I never noticed until I was away at college and was around a variety of people. I thought her behavior was normal until I realized it wasn't.

Getting drafted and moving to Nashville was necessary for me to grow into the man I am today. I broke free of the values that my parents had forced onto me and developed my own. I treat the janitors at the rink the same way I treat our team's owner.

My parents have only ever been to a few of my games in Nashville, my mother was horrified to see that I was on a first-name basis with the man on the Zamboni after a game. She thought it made me look weak.

I disagree.

It's part of the reason I didn't come home a lot over the years because I didn't want to deal with the constant negativity of my choices. Maybe when she learns that Breckin is her grandson, she'll change her tune a bit.

I continue working on all the paperwork necessary to add my name to Breckin's birth certificate. I don't want it to be broadcast yet. He doesn't even know and I, especially, don't want him to be thrown into a circus.

If I'm being honest, I don't believe that Tierney will take this very well. She can be extremely petty and reactive. I will have to shield Layla and Breckin from her.

My stomach growls and I realize I haven't eaten anything all day. Layla had texted earlier and said she wasn't feeling well which changed my dinner plans.

I stand back up and grab my keys and my wallet before leaving the house. I'll go into town and get something to eat. I get on my phone and place an order for pickup at Murphy's. Then drive into town.

Twenty minutes later, I walk into Murphy's. I grab my to-go order and walk back out of the restaurant quickly.

"Brock, right?" a dark-haired man asks.

"Yes," I reply instantly.

Out of habit, I extend my hand to shake his, thinking he's a fan. He glances at my hand disgustedly before he shakes his head.

Randy.

"I'm Randy, I was in a relationship with Layla before you came along."

"Okay."

I'm not about to argue with this man in public. His information is wrong, and I'll continue letting him be wrong.

"You know that Layla and I have been together since high school, right?"

"I know you dated in high school."

"And college. Breckin is my child."

I smile inwardly.

What is this man playing at?

My face remains emotionless.

"Okay. He doesn't call you Dad."

"No. Layla doesn't know that I'm the dad and I didn't want to tell her he was mine. Anyone can look at him and tell that he's mine though."

"If you and Layla have been in a relationship since high school, why wouldn't she know he was your child? Or better, why wouldn't you tell her?"

"Because until recently I didn't know if I wanted to be in their lives. I realize now that we're meant to be and I won't sit back and watch you swoop in on my family."

"You've been in Breckin's life for the last five years and he doesn't…"

"There's no need to hash this out here. I don't want the whole town gossiping about this. I'm getting a DNA test to prove it and you need to back off my family."

Does he realize how any of this makes him sound?

"I'm not sure what you're getting at here, but Layla's already said that she doesn't want to be with you any longer. If you're Breckin's father, then we will work through that when the time comes."

"No, when Layla realizes I'm Breckin's dad then she will end things with you, and you can creep right back to Nashville with the other losers."

"Do you have any idea how it looks that you've known for the last five years that you're his dad and you failed to mention it, assist financially, or even try to have a relationship with him? I'm not sure how you think all of this is going to go, but odds are it's not a fix-all like you think."

"You know nothing."

"You're right, I don't," I shrug as I start to walk away.

"Leave my family alone. Go back to Nashville where you belong," he hisses after me.

I don't break my stride as I walk to my car. I get in and drive straight to Layla's house.

I know she said she was sick, but I ordered food for her and Breckin too.

I'm dropping food from Murphy's on the porch for you and Breckin. Just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you and that I hope you feel better

She doesn't reply. I pull up into her driveway a few minutes later and get out to put her bag of food on the porch. As I'm walking up to the porch she comes outside.

"Brock? What are you doing here?"

"I texted you. I'm dropping off food."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to."

"It's very sweet of you but…"

"Are you feeling better?"

She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. "I wasn't sick."

"I don't understand."

"I met Tierney today."

I close my eyes and inhale slowly. "I'm sorry, she…"

"She told me that she's pregnant with your child and that I need to walk away from you so that you can do the right thing."

"She's not pregnant," I sigh. "At least, I don't think she is. I feel as though she would have told me that by now. She's definitely the type of person who would make up something like this."

"Why?"

"She's petty. She's a brat. She doesn't like being told no. I've watched her lie about stuff before and just excused it away."

"I don't want to believe her."

"I'll find out the truth. Why didn't you tell me that instead of lying and saying you didn't feel good."

"Technically, I was sick to my stomach over it all," she shrugs. "I needed to clear my head."

"I'm sorry that she approached you anyway and that I wasn't there to keep her away."

"It's not your fault. It's a shitty situation and we knew that our fake engagement would ruffle some feathers."

"Speaking of, I met Randy today. While I was picking up the food, actually."

"Oh no."

"He wanted me to stay away from his family. He told me that Breckin is his kid."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, he doesn't deserve that information."

"Thank you," she sighs softly. "Also, does he realize how bad that makes him look?"

"I don't think he does. I pointed it out to him, but it went over his head."

"Maybe Tierney and Randy should get together," she giggles.

"I think he might be a problem. They both will be."

"I don't understand why he won't let me go. He treated me like crap. He even admitted to cheating on me."

"It would probably be different had he been the one to break up with you. He seems like a very ego-driven man."

"That's accurate."

"I'll find out about the validity of Tierney's claims, but I don't believe them to be true."

She nods slowly looking out at the yard as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Thanks for bringing the food by. Breckin is already asleep, so he'll eat it tomorrow."

"Are we okay?"

"I don't know," she sighs as she gazes into my eyes. "I want to be. At the same time, I'm scared. I don't know what to think or feel right now."

"Thank you for sharing that with me. We'll handle this, okay?"

"Okay."

I put the bag I'm holding down on the porch and then I pull her into a hug. She melts into me before looking up at me. I cover her mouth with mine.

Her arms wrap around my neck, and I attempt to pull her as close as I possibly can. My body tightens, my cock hardens at the feel of her against me. I want to pick her up and carry her straight into her bedroom and forget about everything else.

She pulls away. Her eyes are wet as she gazes back at me.

"I should go inside."

"Layla," I start.

She shakes her head and races inside the house, shutting the door quickly. I stare at the mahogany door for a few minutes. I pick up the bag of food, set it in front of the door and walk back to my car.

The food is in front of the door

I start my car and go back to the Airbnb. As soon as I'm in the driveway I call Tierney.

"Hey baby," she purrs.

"Are you still at my parents' house?"

"Yes, your mom and I are drinking margaritas by the pool."

"I'll be right there."

Margaritas while pregnant? I knew she was lying.