Page 34 of Biggest Player (Not Yours #2)
Margot
I let him leave.
I let him leave, and I didn’t want him to.
In fact, the one thing I don’t want is to be alone.
The house is empty again.
Silent.
Wyatt is obviously at her dad’s, and when Dex offered to give me space, I agreed that was for the best, but in all honesty it’s the last thing I need.
He’s right, though; I need a hot second to process what the hell just happened between Colton and me, and between Colton and Dex. Colton’s words rear back at me in flashes.
I really thought there was a chance we would get back together someday, but I guess not.
What a liar.
There is no way he thought there was a chance we would get back together. No. Way. What a load of gaslighting bullshit. Ten years ago the conversation came up; we tried to be a couple when Wyatt was still a baby, but could never see eye to eye.
Some things aren’t meant to be ...
For him to weaponize those words? Appalling. I’ve never heard him speak to me that way, with that tone—condescending and patronizing—making me feel as though I could never date a man like Dex because I’m not good enough.
How dare he?
“What an asshole! Way to ruin my night.” I stomp through the living room, then into the kitchen, where I yank open the fridge and search the shelves for a bottle of wine.
“Wine, wine, where are you?” I mutter to myself because wine is exactly what I need, and it appears that I’m out.
Drinking away my worries is not going to happen—at least not tonight.
I slam the fridge closed. Leaning against the kitchen counter, I pick up my cell and tap open the web browser. Can’t hurt to poke around, right? Find out what Colton was so upset about?
Tap, tap.
Tap.
“And here they are . . .”
Pictures, links, and articles for the very same stories that brought Colton to my front door:
Dex Lansing Dates Single Mother
Dex and his date: The Mother of all Singles?!
Dex Lansing Domesticated?! Click for the full story!
The headlines glare up angrily at me, taunting me to click them with their bold, sensationalistic fonts. Dex Lansing, NFL heartthrob, domesticated by little old me? Imagine! Me, a single mother, dating America’s bad boy of football!
It might have been laughable had it been anyone else but me.
This was my life, my relationship, my privacy.
Headlines I can handle—I think. My ex-boyfriend and the father of my daughter getting pissed about it? Well, that makes the fantasy of dating Dex unravel faster than I can stitch it back together.
Tears sting as they threaten to spill over; I blink them back. I refuse to cry.
The audacity of Colton to show up at my doorstep and spew his self-righteous nonsense! Over the judgment of the media, who knows nothing about my life. My struggles! My heart!
Ugh.
I shove away from the counter and pace the length of my small kitchen, eyes on the sink Dex tried to help me fix—a tiny smile threatens to bend my lips.
I need to do something to distract myself from the chaos swirling in my mind.
Glancing around the kitchen, my gaze lands on the messy pile of dishes in the sink.
Perfect.
I roll up my sleeves and plunge my hands into the soapy water, scrubbing furiously. The monotonous task allows my mind to wander, the physical exertion a balm to my frayed nerves.
“Men,” I grumble, scouring a plate. “I swear.”
Bubbles cover my arms, water wrinkles my skin.
So satisfying.
The dishes done, I dry my hands on a towel and, because I am a glutton for punishment, reach for my phone again.
I stare at the screen and debate long and hard before tapping open a fluff piece on a pop-culture website using Dex as its clickbait.
Is Arizona Quarterback Scoring off Field?
Rumors have been swirling for weeks about the nature of Dex Lansing’s—Arizona Sentinels’ quarterback—relationship with a mysterious woman spotted with him on numerous occasions.
Today we can confirm that the woman is none other than single mom Margot Mahoney.
Ms. Mahoney is an elementary school teacher.
Sources close to Dex reveal the pair have been on and off for several weeks and met on the social app Kissmet. Dex has been spotted in public with Margot’s daughter, aged 10.
However, those same sources report this romance is far from picture perfect. Just yesterday, Dex was spotted storming out of Margot’s home. Is there trouble brewing in their so-called paradise?
Only time will tell if this relationship—and his career—can withstand the pressures of the spotlight. One thing is clear: Dex Lansing is no longer the carefree bachelor. He is officially off the market. For now.
Seriously?!
“He did not storm out of my house after a fight!” I announce loudly to no one. “He wasn’t even here yesterday!”
How do they know all this? My God, talk about an invasion of privacy!
Is this how it is? Lies printed about people for clickbait?
“Yes. The answer is yes.”
Frustrated, I shut off the screen, heart practically pounding outside my chest.
I’m the first to admit the article was way less sensational than I expected it to be, but it still feels incredibly invasive. They mention my child and her age? And the fact that I’m a teacher? My relationship with Dex isn’t meant to be fodder for gossip columns. It’s private!
What if reporters show up and are standing outside school Monday morning when I arrive for work? Then what? Will I get fired for dating an athlete and putting my job in the spotlight?
Am I in jeopardy of getting fired for drawing attention to myself?
I bite my fingernail nervously.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit!
Before I can dwell on it any longer, the doorbell rings, and my pulse quickens as I walk to the door, not knowing who’s on the other side of it.
Thank God it’s you.
Dex stands there with a concerned expression.
“Dex.” I can’t keep the shock off my face. “What are you doing here?” He’s only been gone a short time. Twenty minutes maybe?
“I never actually left,” he admits, stepping back over my threshold and pulling me into a hug.
“I was outside googling shit and thinking. And I texted my buddy Landon, so I didn’t get very far.
” He chuckles, and I love the sound of his voice.
His explanation is perfect and exactly what I need right now.
The tension seeps out of me, and I relax. “Well, now that we’re confessing things ... I hadn’t actually wanted you to leave. I’m glad you came back.”
“Did you look at your phone?” He wants to know.
“If you’re asking if I read any articles and went on the internet, the answer is yes.”
“What’d you think?”
“Er. I guess I’ve seen far shittier, more sensational articles.”
He nods his agreement. “You should see some of the articles that have been written about me—there have been some doozies. Do you know how many times I’ve been called a piece-of-shit womanizer?”
My eyes get wide. “ Are you a piece-of-shit womanizer?”
He laughs. “No. Not at all.”
My head hangs as I walk toward my bedroom. He trails along after me as I explain, “I was seriously hoping our relationship wasn’t going to become tabloid fodder.”
“It’s not.” He pauses. “We could have gotten ahead of the story and leaked some information, but that would be like jumping the gun, yeah? And we didn’t exactly disguise ourselves when we were rock climbing. Or when we went to eat.”
Dex sits on the edge of my bed, watching me, when I go into my bathroom so I can remove my makeup. “Know what I discovered tonight?”
“What?”
“Your last name is Mahoney.” His chuckle makes me shiver. “Never would have guessed.”
“We’ve been out how many times and you didn’t know my last name?”
“You didn’t tell me. It never came up.” He shrugs. “It suits you though. It’s cute.”
“You think my last name is cute?” That’s a new one. I turn back to the mirror, dabbing at the last traces of mascara. “Well, I guess I can live with cute.”
“Good,” he says, his voice suddenly serious. “Because I like it. And I like you, Mahoney.”
“Do not start calling me by my last name. I’m not one of your bros.”
“Bros before hoes.” He grins when I scowl at his ridiculous mantra, and I gawk at his reflection in the mirror.
His phone rings, and he looks at the screen, then glances up at me. “It’s my agent. He wants to video chat—is it okay if I take this call?”
“Of course! This is work, you can’t ignore the call.”
Dex stays in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed as he answers the call. I can hear his agent faintly through the phone.
“Hey, Dex. You have a second?” His agent’s voice is deep and direct. “I want to go over this situation with your new girlfriend.”
Situation? New girlfriend?
This perks me up—his agent didn’t mention my name, but he’s obviously speaking about me. That’s a good thing, yeah? His agent knows I exist! Yay, me!
“What about it?”
“I ran a short focus group with some fans who were touring the stadium today, and the survey came back favorable. Seventy-five percent of the results show you in a more positive light than they did before it was released that you’re dating a single mom.”
What’s this now?
I stop running a toner-soaked cotton ball across my face so I can listen, not wanting to be noticeably eavesdropping.
“Uh-huh.” Dex’s finger taps the side of his phone as if he’s futzing with the volume button.
“Case in point,” his agent is saying. “According to the numbers, everything we discussed is working. Good job.”
“Thanks,” Dex deadpans, no expression on his face.
His eyes dart and meet mine in the mirror.
“I say you give it another few weeks, then pull the plug on your fun. Tamryn Clarke’s people followed up about the Daytime Goldie Awards and wanted to circle back around to see if you were still interested in being her date.”
I recognize that name.
Tamryn Clarke is a singer slash actress slash influencer with millions of followers who is probably more famous than Dex is. I wonder what his agent is going on about. Is he trying to set them up on a date? How can he do that when Dex is dating me? Why would Trent even mention her?
What is Dex pulling the plug on? The fun?