Page 56 of Home Town Advantage (Fourth Quarter Fever #1)

I look at Francesca’s peacefully sleeping face.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her in person.

Maddie has completely blocked my access and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

If I took her to court, all Maddie had to do was ask for a paternity test, which she’s threatened to do hundreds of times when I tried to push for visitation or offer any input into her life decisions.

Daylen thinks I should leverage my child support payments to get what I want, but I would never do that to Francesca.

Tears fill my eyes as I take in her soft features. I hate that she’s suffered, and I’m thankful she’s asleep and not currently feeling pain. I’m sure she’s got a long road to recovery ahead of her.

As I sit, I can see the color coming back into her face. It’s amazing how quickly and visibly the transfusion is working.

“We’re keeping her sedated a little longer. She’ll be asleep through the night,” the doctor interrupts us from behind. “We want her to get a good night’s sleep so her body can heal. You all should head out and get some rest yourselves. ”

Maddie shakes her head. “I’m not leaving her. I’ll sleep in the chair.” She points to the extremely small, uncomfortable-looking chair in the corner. “Curtis, please get home to the kids. Vance, you can come back in the morning if you want.”

I want to stay too. I want to sleep in the tiny, uncomfortable chair and watch over her. I want to say a million things to Maddie, like that she’s a fucking idiot for allowing a five-year-old to drive a motorized vehicle. But I don’t. I’m sure it’s been a traumatic day for her. We’ll talk tomorrow.

I kiss Francesca’s forehead and then chat with the doctor in the hallway about her recovery needs and tell him to give her the best of the best and bill me for it. She seems confused, likely due to the revelation that I’m not her father, but acquiesces nonetheless.

My parents invite everyone over to their house so we can all chat about what’s happened. Apparently, MeeMaw is at the house cooking her famous chili for everyone, anticipating a hungry crew and food being her love language.

I’m finally ready to unburden myself by telling Sulley and her parents the whole story. The truth.

Nearly an hour later, we somberly and silently walk into my parents’ house to the loud sounds of a woman moaning in ecstasy. My mom runs toward the living room and yells out, “Mother, turn off the television. Right now!”

MeeMaw doesn’t hear her, and before Mom has the chance to turn it off, we all see what MeeMaw is watching.

Porn. Not just regular, run-of-the-mill porn.

Double penetration porn. Two men and one woman.

The woman is happily taking it in both the front and back entrances.

Sulley spits in laughter. My father and Frank share bemused looks. Mom is mortified.

She scrambles for the remote control, fumbling with it. Somehow, she manages to turn up the volume, making the moans that much louder. Despite the situation, I can’t help but smile. Leave it to MeeMaw to add some levity to a tough day.

Mom finally finds the right button and powers it off. MeeMaw turns to her with a scowl. “We were just getting to the good part.”

I bite back my smile. “I think they were already at the good part, MeeMaw.”

She shrugs. “The guy in the rear door is my favorite actor. I watch him all the time. I’m a member of his fan club on Facebook.

You should see what he can do with his tongue.

He looks just like your grandfather did at that age.

Not as well hung, but otherwise very similar.

” She has a wistful look on her face. “Boy, did he love it when I’d give him a no-denture adventure. ”

“Mother!” my mom shouts. She pinches the bridge of her nose while she grits out, “We need to have a serious conversation with the O’Sheas. I think it’s your nap time. Why don’t you head to your room? I can smell the chili cooking. I’ll keep stirring it and wake you when the timer goes off.”

MeeMaw takes in the situation, realizing something serious is going on. She’s no dummy. I doubt my parents told her exactly what was happening, they don’t like to upset her, but she’s still sharp as a tack. She looks at me and winks. “Sullivan is so beautiful, isn’t she, Fancy Vancy?”

I nod. “The most beautiful woman in the world. Next to you, MeeMaw.”

She smiles and winks again as she makes her way to her bedroom.

My mother invites everyone to sit in the living room, which they do. All eyes are immediately on me, undoubtedly anxiously awaiting an explanation.

I look at my parents, and they both give me a nod of encouragement. They may not visit often enough, and they may not agree with all my decisions, but never for one minute have I ever felt anything other than wholehearted support from them.

I blow out a long breath before beginning. “Before we start, Nancy and Frank, I need you to know that I’m in love with your daughter. I see no reason to pretend otherwise anymore.”

Nancy and my mother squeal in delight. Sulley grits her teeth. “You’re skating on thin ice with me, McCaffrey. I want what I’ve been wanting for a long time. The truth. Why have you been lying to everyone for over six years? I don’t understand. Start talking. Now.”

I shake my head. “I haven’t lied to everyone . My parents knew.” I turn to the O’Sheas. “Frank and Nancy, please don’t be upset with them. They’ve been respecting my wishes in keeping this secret. They love you two, and your friendship means everything to them.”

Nancy takes my mother’s hand in hers and kisses it. I know they’ll be fine. It’s Sulley I’m worried about.

Sulley’s face falls. “Your parents were treated so poorly by the people in this town. How could you let that happen to them? They didn’t deserve it.”

Dad waves his hand dismissively. “I don’t care what people think of me. My son did an honorable thing, and I support him completely.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I lick my lips nervously before finally saying the words out loud, words that have been on the tip of my tongue to tell her so many times this year.

“I have never—nor would I ever in a million years—touched Maddie Wells. To my dying day, I will never understand what Finn saw in her.” I open my mouth but stop myself from elaborating further on my deep disdain for Maddie.

“I don’t need to stand here and bash her.

I’m pretty sure no one here has any amount of love for her. ”

There’s a collective mumbling about that being the truth.

I continue, “Finn and I had a lot of conversations about his mortality. He was steadfast that if something happened to him, I was to take care of Sulley and Maddie. It consumed him. He mentioned it to me no less than a hundred times during the eight years of his service. In every single conversation we had, he drove that point home. That’s what I’ve been doing.

Honoring his final wishes to take care of his girls. ”

Sulley shakes her head. “You paying for Maddie and Francesca’s entire life feels extreme, Vance. I’m sure if he knew she cheated on him, that she was pregnant with another man’s ? —”

“He knew,” I interrupt.

Three sets of shocked O’Shea blue eyes stare at me as all of them immediately fill with tears. Sulley whispers, “He knew?”

I nod. “He knew.”

SIX AND A HALF YEARS AGO

Finn and I sit in my truck as I drive him back to the airport.

He’s been acting strange today. Distracted.

Something happened between him and Maddie last night.

He went to see her right after Sulley’s basketball game.

Maybe they finally broke up. I hope so. He’d be better off without her.

Word around town is that she’s been partying hard.

I have no doubt she’s cheating on him. Trashy women like her always do.

When I stopped by to pick her up on the way to the airport, it was clear her mother had no idea where she was. Knowing she wasn’t at work, I was able to read between the lines.

I turn to him. “I hate that your visit was so short, but at least you’ll be home for good in a month.”

His jaw tightens. “I accepted the extra six-month deployment this morning. I need the money.”

“What?” I scream. “No. Absolutely not. Come home. You said you had saved enough for college. That was the deal. You were in the military to make enough money for college. You have it. Time to get out while you’re still intact.”

He takes a few deep breaths before blurting out, “Maddie’s pregnant.”

I think all the blood drains from my body. No, no, no. Now he’s stuck with that piece of shit.

It takes a few seconds before it registers. He hasn’t been home in nearly two years. The baby isn’t his.

“Whose is it?” I ask.

“Mine.”

I scoff. “I didn’t ace high school biology like you, but I know enough to know that baby isn’t yours.”

He swallows hard. “She doesn’t know who the father is. She was smashed. It was a one-night stand. She regretted it ? —”

“Oh, come on, man. Bull fucking shit. This is your chance to break free from her. She’s never been good enough for you. Now you can be rid of the trashy bitch.”

I don’t see his fist coming before it’s too late. It connects with my jaw so fucking hard I wonder if it’s dislocated.

I slam on my brakes and pull over before I crash the car. My jaw is throbbing. I look at him. “What the fuck, man?”

“Don’t you ever call her that. She’s the love of my life. My future wife. The mother of my children.”

I manipulate my jaw. It hurts like hell. “Why? She fucked another man. She’s having his baby. Time to cut ties.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t get it. You’ve never loved a woman before.

She made a mistake. People make mistakes.

I’m sure my being gone all this time has been hard on her.

I’m adding the extra six months to help pay for the baby’s needs.

I’ve thought long and hard about it. I love Maddie, and the baby is an extension of her.

This child will be raised as mine. We’re getting married as soon as I get back. ”

I stare at him in disbelief. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Right for her. Not right for you. Please come home. Move on from her. Go to college. Get your degree. Do what you were meant to do in this world. ”

He exhales a long breath. “It’s not your life, Vance. And,” he hesitates briefly, “I think college is now off the table for me. It was one thing when it was just going to be Maddie and me, but now there will be a baby. I need to work.”

I start to reply, but he holds up his hands.

“Don’t you dare fucking offer to pay. It’s insulting.

” He holds up two fingers, the same two fingers I’ve come to hate.

“Two things, nineteen, I only ask two things of you.” He pauses briefly and then slowly adds a third.

“Make it three now. Promise me, Vance, if I don’t make it back, you make sure the three of them are always taken care of.

Whatever it takes. Whatever your feelings are for Maddie, you take care of business for me.

Man to man, this is all I need from you. ”

I stare at him. He’s out of his mind.

I have no words for him as I turn my eyes back to the road and begin driving again so he doesn’t miss his flight. My head is pounding from the force of the punch. The little shit hits hard.

Eventually, I mumble, “You’re a fucking idiot.”

He stares out the passenger window, looking a million miles away. “Maybe.”

“Definitely.”

He’s leaving. I can’t let him go with us fighting, so I try to lighten the mood. “I barely felt that punch. You hit like a girl.”

The corners of his mouth turn up as he reaches over and flicks the back of my hair. “At least I don’t look like one.”

I chuckle as we try to engage in normal chitchat for the rest of the ride despite the black cloud hanging over us.

I hug him hard at the airport. “See you in seven months.”

He nods as he hugs me just as hard. “Take care of them, Vance. Please.”

PRESENT

“Those are the last words he ever said to me in person. It was as if he knew what was coming. He was gone three months later. I did a lot of soul searching in the months after his death. I naively hoped the baby would come late, and you wouldn’t know it wasn’t his.

You all were so excited about having a piece of him left.

I didn’t want to take it away from you. But when the baby came, you realized the truth of the situation.

It was only a matter of time before the whole town knew the baby wasn’t Finn’s.

Maddie would be vilified. Exiled. Cheating on a war hero?

It doesn’t get much worse. He wouldn’t have wanted that.

Whether I agreed with him or not, she was the love of his life. He was fiercely protective of her.”

A tearful Sulley finishes my thought. “So you made yourself the villain in this story. All for him.”

I nod. “Taking care of her and that baby was his dying wish. How could I not?”

She and Nancy are sobbing. So is my mother, even though she already knew the story.

Frank has tears streaming down his face too.

He stands and holds out his hand to me. When I take it, he steels his face and says, “You, Vance McCaffrey, are the most honorable man I know. Thank you for being such a loyal friend to my son. I’m sorry for the things I said to you when everything went down all those years ago.

” He turns to my parents. “I’m sorry for allowing people to treat you the way they did that first year.

I should have done more. I should have stepped in earlier. I’m ashamed of my actions.”

My father shakes his head. “You were a grieving father, Frank. I never once faulted you for any of it.”

Frank pinches his lips together, still overcome with emotion.

I stare at Sulley. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. Like everything that was standing in our way is gone. This barrier between us no longer exists. Can she feel it too?

I watch for her reaction. Eventually, she stands. Unable to look me in the eyes, she croaks out, “I’m sorry, I need to leave,” before she practically sprints out the front door.

Nancy stands to go after her, but I hold up my hand. “I’ve got this.”