Will pulled Owen in closer to his body. It only made the baby scream louder.
Brody held his hands out. “Dude, I can fix this. Trust me.”
The last thing Will wanted was Brody Janik in his house, much less holding his kid.
“Give him the damn baby!” Gavin yelled over Owen’s cries.
Reluctantly, Will handed his son to Brody, who sat down on the sofa and immediately plopped Owen facedown over his knees. He firmly rubbed the baby’s back, then patted, followed by more rubbing. After a few minutes, Owen released a belch that would make a locker room blush, his crying subsiding almost immediately.
“Damn!” Gavin raised his beer in salute. “Where’d you learn to do that?”
“Two nephews and a niece.” Brody rolled a delirious Owen up into his arms and gently rocked him. “Hey, little dude. Lucky for you that you don’t have your daddy’s ugly mug.”
Will ran his fingers through his hair, relieved that Owen had calmed down. “Thanks. Now tell me again why you’re here. And skip the crap about a gift because you know it wasn’t that kind of wedding.”
Brody looked shrewdly at Gavin before turning back to gaze at a sleeping Owen. “Your wife. I’m here to see her.”
Something in Will’s gut clenched, but he kept his expression cool. He didn’t like the way Brody looked at Gavin, as if he didn’t want to reveal the real reason for his sudden appearance. “What could you possibly want with my wife?” The words came out in more of a growl than he would have liked. Let Brody think what he wanted.
“I need a wedding gown.”
Gavin chuckled. “You’re a pretty boy, Brody, but I never pictured you in a wedding gown.”
“Funny.” Brody shot a lazy grin at Gavin. “You didn’t tell me your wife was a wedding gown designer to the stars, Will.”
“I don’t recall telling you anything about her at all, Brody.”
“Yeah, well my sister Tricia is getting married and she’s desperate for a gown designed by JV Designs. Tricia’s been calling the London office for several months, but they keep saying the designer is not taking any new commissions. When the story leaked that you two were married, I’ve been bombarded by all the women in my family to ask your wife personally if she’ll do this.”
What a load of crap. Brody never bowed to pressure from his sisters. He generally just made himself scarce, which might explain his appearance in North Carolina, but Will didn’t think so. More likely, there was more chatter in the locker room about Bountygate and Coach Zevalos’s involvement. Media and players were beginning to connect the dots and—if ESPN could be believed—names were being whispered. Brody was a smart kid and could connect the dots faster than most.
The tight end was also under the misguided delusion that he was Will’s self-appointed wingman and could somehow help. But Will kept his own counsel. He didn’t need anybody’s help. Especially not Brody’s. All he wanted was his teammate out of his house before he started prattling to Gavin about the situation. His best friend was already asking too many questions.
“I’ll be sure to ask her.” Will scooped Owen up from Brody’s arms and placed the baby into the portable crib in the corner of the room. “Thanks for the help with the baby. I’ll call you and let you know what Julianne says.”
Brody casually stood. One thing about the kid, he wasn’t slow; he got the hint the first time.
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” He strolled toward the door leading out to the verandah. “I’m actually in town for a few days.” He gave Will a pointed look. “Deep-sea fishing and stuff. I’m staying at your mother’s B and B, Gavin. Maybe I’ll see you around there.”
“No doubt,” Gavin said as Brody walked out the door.
Will sat in the chair Brody had just vacated and grabbed his beer, taking a long pull at the bottle. Brody’s gift was still on the seat beside him.
“I forgot all about it being your one-week anniversary. I wonder what the gift for that is?” Gavin mused.
Will said nothing, staring at the television screen as the Braves turned a double play to end the inning.
“You’d probably be off the hook with sex, seeing as most couples would still be on their honeymoon,” Gavin continued. “Too bad you two aren’t having sex. It would really take the pressure off a gift.”
Will tossed a football at his friend’s head. Laughing, Gavin ducked, catching the ball with the ease borne of having been on the receiving end of football passes most of his life. But Will wasn’t laughing. He’d managed to avoid thinking about sex with his wife, who wasn’t really his wife, for the past several days. Now he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind again. Not only that, but he also had to worry about Brody Janik. What was he really doing in town? More importantly, whose side was he on?