Page 10 of Playboy Husband

MAISIE

The water had always been my anchor. The faint echo of those splashes when a diver broke the surface, the sharp scent of chlorine that hung in the air, and that rhythmic hush of ripples hitting tile. All of it was comforting.

No matter how much time had passed, the pool still felt like home. Just because I didn’t compete anymore didn’t mean I didn’t still love it.

I launched myself off the springboard, my body cutting clean through the water, and when I surfaced, I was grinning from ear to ear. I also heard Georgia’s laughter though, which made me wipe the water from my eyes before I searched for her.

The only friend from college I’d kept in touch with, she’d been on the swim team at Cal Poly and she’d stayed in California, moving to San Francisco after graduation to become an attorney.

She stood at the edge of the lane, her goggles perched on her blonde head and her arms crossed like she’d been waiting to catch me in the act.

“You’ve still got it, girl,” she said, shaking her head with a huge smile on her face. “You realize that, right? You could walk into a competition tomorrow and clean house.”

I pulled myself out of the pool and chuckled as I tugged at my cap. “The only thing I compete in these days is grading algebra tests before bedtime like it’s an Olympic sport. I’m okay with it, though. How are you?”

She laughed and accepted my hug even though I was dripping wet, even hanging onto me tightly. “I’m good, but I know you didn’t drag me out here for nostalgia’s sake. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take any excuse for a swim, but you sounded so stressed on the phone. What’s going on?”

Releasing me as she spoke, she looked me up and down once we’d separated, then waved me toward a bench that overlooked the glass partition between the pool and the kids’ recreation center at the gym.

My membership to this place was one of my biggest monthly expenses, but I refused to give it up.

This particular gym was fancy and exclusive, which I didn’t really care about, but they had an Olympic-sized pool, fabulous diving boards, and loads of activities and classes for kids.

That was why I’d chosen it. I could use Brody’s playtime to do my own thing, diving.

It was the only indulgence I allowed myself, but Brody loved it here too. For a long moment, Georgia and I just watched him together through the glass. He was with a cluster of boys, climbing and tumbling across the padded mats like they had springs built into their shoes.

As I watched him, the knot pulsated in my chest. It was an ache I hadn’t been able to ease. That boy of mine deserved the world. He deserved so, so much more than me, which was why I’d called Georgia.

“I saw him,” I admitted as I finally wrapped a towel around myself and sat down beside her. “Brody’s father.”

Georgia froze, her eyes widening so much it looked painful. She was the only person in California who knew who he was, and even though she hadn’t really known him back at college, she knew his name. The weight it carried.

“Callum Westwood,” she said slowly, quietly, testing the syllables like they might shatter even as she looked around like a spy in an action movie, trying to make sure no one around would overhear us.

Even though we were mostly alone, she lowered her voice to a whisper anyway.

“How the hell did that happen? Where did you see him? Did you speak to him?”

I nodded, clutching the towel tighter around me. My heart was pounding. “I didn’t know it was him. He put out this ridiculous ad that just said he was a businessman looking for a wife. I answered it, but I swear I didn’t know it was him until I got there.”

Her jaw dropped, alert blue eyes widening all over again. “You did what?”

“I know how it sounds.” I groaned, hating how small I felt under her incredulous stare.

“Don’t judge me. It felt like the right thing to do at the time, okay?

You know how much I’ve been struggling on my own.

Brody needs a man in his life, so when I saw this ad, it resonated with me.

Here was a man who was looking for a wife, who wanted to cut through all the bullshit, and for just a minute, I thought, this could be it. ”

“Let me get this straight.” She cleared her throat, rolling her shoulders a little as if she’d never lost the habit of loosening up before she would take the plunge, and then she looked right back at me.

“Some stranger puts an ad in the paper saying that he’s looking for a wife.

You answer the ad and the weirdo who placed it, the guy who wants to take a shortcut to getting married, is none other than Callum freaking Westwood?

” She hissed his name. “Are you kidding me right now? Does he know?”

“No,” I said quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. “He doesn’t have a clue about Brody, Georgia. I’m not about to go scratching where there’s no itch, but here’s the thing, I’m considering it.”

“You’re considering marrying that guy?” She pressed her lips together, clearly trying to process as her eyes slammed shut.

“Are you actually insane? Did you forget how much of a legend he was for all the wrong reasons back at college? He’s a party boy, Maisie.

A heartbreaker. He’s the guy even the professors muttered about when they thought nobody was listening. ”

“I know.” I cringed. “He’s grown up, though.”

She scoffed. “No, he hasn’t. His reputation followed him home, babe. I’ve read the tabloids. Do you really want to invite that back into your life? Into Brody’s life?”

I turned to look at the glass again. Brody was laughing so hard, his whole body was shaking, his hair damp with sweat and his cheeks flushed with pure joy. My baby. My whole heart.

“He’s not just any guy,” I finally whispered. “He’s Brody’s father. More than that, he’s a Westwood.”

Georgia’s eyes softened. “Brody’s a Westwood too, but that name carries power. It carries money. Expectation. Are you sure you want that for him?”

“No, but I am sure he deserves a chance,” I said, even though my heart still pounded and my palms were getting clammy. “Brody deserves to have someone in his life who can give him more than I can, even if that someone is Callum.”

The admission burned in my throat, equal parts fear and hope.

I tipped my head toward him. “Look at him, Georgia. Really look. He’s Callum’s clone.

They’ve got the same smile. The same talent.

He sure as heck didn’t get his height from me.

Callum is notorious for being a superstar in whatever sport he decides to take up. Does that remind you of anyone?”

She inhaled a deep, presumably calming breath. “I still think this is insane, but I also know you. If you’re even considering it, it’s because you’d do anything for that kid. Just be careful, okay? You’re not the only one who could get hurt here.”

I nodded, staring at my son’s fierce grin through the glass and feeling my stomach tighten with nerves. Fate had thrown Callum and me back together, but that didn’t mean we were meant to be. Honestly, all I was hoping was that having him around could mean something for Brody.

Georgia followed my gaze to him through the glass wall. He was darting across the padded floor in a game of tag, dark hair plastered to his forehead. “He really is Callum’s clone, isn’t he? He has your eyes, though. At least there’s that.”

I laughed once, but the sound was short and bitter. “Sometimes, I feel like he’s a stamp that was pressed. Even the way he tilts his head when he’s thinking is exactly the same.”

“Has Callum met him?” she asked cautiously. “If he has, how can he not know?”

I shrugged, swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat.

“He barely even remembers me. I mean, why would he? It was only one night, a stupid hookup after a party. We never spoke again. I never even saw him again, which is why I never told him about the pregnancy. I just kept moving and so did he, I guess.”

Georgia gave me that sharp, lawyer look she’d perfected over years spent in a courtroom. “I feel obligated to tell you this, but if you marry him without telling him the truth, you’d be walking straight into a legal nightmare. Custody, inheritance, disclosure. It’s a mess waiting to happen.”

“Yeah, I know.” My voice cracked a little bit and I hugged my towel tighter.

“I’m not saying I’ll never tell him. Just that I haven’t yet, and unless he proves that he can step up for Brody, I won’t.

If he can’t do that, then I won’t marry him and I won’t tell him either.

I’ll just keep doing what I’ve always done, my best.”

Georgia exhaled, but her gaze was back on mine and there was a somber glint to it.

“You’re entitled to more than that, babe.

You’re entitled to your own happiness too.

You can’t keep sacrificing yourself for everyone else.

Not even for him, but if you do this, you’d even be getting married because it’s what you think is best for Brody. That’s not right.”

“Yes, it is,” I reasoned. “I’ve already dragged him away from everything he’s ever known. I took him away from our family, our safety net, and I did it because of that job offer. It was selfish, but it got him into one of the best schools in the country. I had to give him that chance.”

“And now you’re thinking Callum can give him the rest.” Georgia’s tone was flat. “Is that it?”

“Not just Callum.” My throat tightened at the thought. “The Westwoods. They have money. Connections. Callum also has brothers, and according to the press, they’re a tight-knit family. If anything ever happened to me, they wouldn’t let Brody fall through the cracks. He’d never be alone.”

Georgia’s mouth twisted as if she was smelling something foul. “Where does that leave you, though? Living in some gilded cage, tethered to a man who doesn’t even remember your name.”

She shook her head, muttering something under her breath about mothers and martyrs, but my mind was made up. Being single and childless, I knew she couldn’t possibly understand this, but deep down, I knew it was something I had to explore.

Even if my heart was tearing itself apart because of it.

By the time we got to the rink, Brody was raring to go. His gear bag thumped against his legs as he sprinted in ahead of me. I couldn’t even be annoyed about it. This was his first practice with Gage officially as his head coach, not just an assistant helping out with the younger boys.

It was also Brody’s first chance to skate with kids who were, perhaps, closer to his level and he’d been counting down the days.

He rushed into the locker room with a pack of others, leaving me clutching my coffee and finding my usual spot on the stands.

I sat ramrod straight, beyond nervous not only about how he was going to do out there, but also about Callum’s imminent arrival.

There was a reason why I hadn’t really wanted Brody playing with the older boys, and it had to do with violence and broken bones. But from the very first whistle, he was absolutely in his element out there.

Fast and fierce, my boy threw himself into every drill like it was a championship game. The other kids could take him, matching him and giving him a run for his money, and I could see the sense of belonging taking shape on his features.

It was all over his flushed face as he skated past with a grin that wouldn’t quit. Pride swelled inside me, so big that my chest started aching. Callum doesn’t know Brody is his son, and he already made the right call for him. A call I’ve been too afraid to make.

About half an hour in, the doors opened and the man himself walked in, tall and steady, dressed in the kind of suit that didn’t belong anywhere near a neighborhood rink.

Those blue eyes focused on the ice first, scanning and drinking in the scene.

Then he lifted his gaze to the bleachers.

When he found me, his whole expression shifted.

The hard lines around his mouth softened, his shoulders loosened, and something almost tender flickered across his face. Heat crawled up my neck despite the chill. For one dizzying second, I was nineteen again, standing across a crowded room and realizing Callum Westwood had noticed me.

That same wild flutter stirred low in my stomach, the same butterflies I’d buried for so long because I never thought I’d stand a chance with him. God, I had such a crush on that boy.

Now here I was, so many years later, and I remembered what it felt like to be seen by him, really seen, in a way no one else had noticed me before. The fact that it still made butterflies explode to life in my stomach honestly terrified me more than anything else ever had.

But it excited me too.