Page 37

CHAPTER

TWENTY

ARCHIE

We’re just finishing up for the day, and I hear my ringtone coming from my duffel bag.

I pull it out and see Emma’s name, along with several missed calls and texts.

I miss her so much it hurts. Even though I’ve been going nonstop since I’ve been here and pretty much fall into bed every night, I still miss my girl.

“Hey, darlin’. How did you do today?”

“Hey. Um, well, not great.” She huffs.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” I can tell something isn’t right by the tone of her voice.

“I, uh … I had some cramping and bleeding, so I had to stop playing, and they sent me to the hospital.”

“What the fuck?! Why didn’t you call me right away?” I start pacing. My heart is racing, and I just feel … helpless right now.

“Babe, I did. You were in drills all day, right? There wasn’t anything you could do anyway.

You’re in Indiana, and I’m in Arizona. No way would you have been able to be here, and besides, I’m okay.

I had all the blood work done and got an ultrasound.

I got to see and hear the baby. I’m good. We’re good.”

“Emma, I’m so sorry I didn’t see my phone sooner. You’re my girl, and that’s my baby.” I whisper the last part, not wanting anyone around me to hear my conversation. Not now.

“I know, but, babe, it’s okay. I do need to see the doctor when I get home. They saw something in the ultrasound about the baby’s heart. They didn’t seem to be too worried, but definitely want me to follow up.” Her voice cracks.

“Darlin’, are you on your way home or still in Arizona?” I’m trying to calculate if I can make it there to be with her or if I can rearrange my plans to meet her when she gets back to Oklahoma.

“We leave early in the morning. I’m at the hotel now, already in bed. I’m going to get some sleep. I’m physically exhausted, but it’s been a bit stressful today, and it’s worn me out.”

“Yeah, okay. You should get some rest. I’m going to see what I can do to get home tomorrow.”

“Archie, no. Don’t you still have some things to do?”

I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “No, I’m done for the most part. Let me talk to my agent and see what I can do. But, Em, I’m going to have to tell him why I need to come home early. It’s only a day early. And I need to be there with you.”

“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’m going to get some sleep. I hope everything went well today. I can’t wait to hear about the whole thing when you get home.”

I put one hand on my head and pull on my hair, frustrated. “I’m not gonna lie, Em. I’m really not happy that I can’t be with you to hold you tonight.”

She sniffles and then clears her throat. “I know, babe. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night.”

“Night. Get some rest. I should be there around the time you get home, too, so I’ll meet you at your place. Love you, baby.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

She ends the call, and I stand there, staring at my phone .

Something doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s because I’m not with her, or she didn’t tell me she loved me, too, but I’m worried.

I shoot off a text to my agent and ask him to call me when he gets a chance. My phone rings seconds later.

“Archie, my man. What’s going on?”

“Hey, Scott. I need to get home early tomorrow. Do you think that will be an issue?”

“Home to Texas or home to Oklahoma?”

“Oklahoma. I need to see my girlfriend.”

“Is there a problem, Archie?”

“Yeah, um … so my girlfriend is pregnant, and she had an issue today. I really need to get home to be with her.”

He huffs. “You mean to tell me that you haven’t mentioned that you’re going to be a dad, knowing I’m trying to negotiate deals on your behalf, for your future. You didn’t think I should know that?”

“Look, it’s a little complicated, but she’s nearing the end of her pregnancy now, and we can’t really hide it anymore anyway.

I’m not asking for your opinion on my personal life or my reasons for not discussing it with you before now.

Just figure out a way that I can get home without causing an issue. Can you do that?”

He mumbles something I can’t decipher. “Right. Well, we’ll deal with it. I think we need to sit down and have a meeting, and she should be included in the conversation going forward—because whatever move you make will involve her.”

“Yes, it absolutely will. You and I both know where I want to be, so now more than ever, we need to get there with negotiations.”

“I hear you. I’ll start digging deeper and let you know if anything interesting happens.” He moves his phone away and speaks with someone. “I gotta run, Arch. Talk later.”

Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.