Player (A Secret Baby Sports Romance)(39)
I raise a brow. Country-bumpkin Natalie is making an Oscar-worthy performance.
Mom snorts a laugh and bats a hand at Nat. “Oh, please, this boy couldn’t find his own ass with two hands.”
Natalie cracks up right alongside my mom, hamming it up like the two of them are old bridge partners. “He sure can’t, Mrs. Taylor!”
“Oh now, please, it’s just Bernadette, we’re family now.”
She turns back to me, beaming like I haven’t seen her in years - even when I “made it” and bought her this house.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” she says in that gushy mom way as she reaches up to pat my cheek. “Now, c’mon now, let’s get fed, huh?”
Natalie starts to follow her into the house, but I snag her arm and hold her back.
“Since when is Ms. Natalie Ames a little ol’ country girl?”
She grins and shrugs. “It’s proper to put people at ease when you meet them for the first time.”
“By imitating them?”
She frowns. “No, God, of course not,” she says primly. “Meeting someone new for the first time is putting aside showing who you are and letting them be who they are.”
I blink. “Wow.”
“Eddington Hill Preparatory Day finishing classes,” she says with another shrug.
“A what now?”
Natalie grins. “Rich kid school for learning to be fancy.”
“Sounds awesome.”
“Oh, a blast.” Natalie winks. “If you ever want to go ballroom dancing, by the way, I’m kind of really good at it.”
“I’ll have to check my schedule.”
“C’mon now, you lovebirds!” Mom’s voice calls out from the kitchen.
“Your mom is kinda great, by the way,” Natalie whispers before winking and turning towards the kitchen. “Just makin’ sure this big goof remembers to take his boots off before traipsing through the house, Bernadette!”
Mom hoots from the kitchen.
“Now I’ve been dyin’ to know, honey.” Mom puts her fork down and grins eagerly at me across the dinner table. “How exactly did y’all meet?”
Shit.
I probably should’ve expected questions like this, and really, we probably should’ve gone over this at some point. Hell, we’re going to need this story for the media any-
“Dance class.”
I snap my eyes over to Natalie, who’s grinning impishly at me over a bite of chili.
“Dance class?” Mom’s brows shoot up. “Well you don’t say.”
“Yes ma’am,” Natalie winks at me across the table, ignoring the hard look I’m trying to shoot her. “Ballroom.”
“Oh how sweet!” Mom turns and wags a finger at me as she smiles. “You are full of surprises, honey now aren’t you? Now, did y’all go as a couple?”
Natalie answers for me, of course, because she’s enjoying this too much. “Oh, we were both there solo and Austin came over and asked me to dance.”
I silence the laugh that’s threatening to come spilling out with a giant spoonful of chili. The idea of me, going alone to some ballroom dance class doesn’t make a damn inch of sense.
Mom is head over heels though, beaming between the two of us as if she can’t make up her mind who she wants to smile at more.
“I just knew you were more than just some sports guy, Austin.”
I roll my eyes. “I mean, sports guy Austin was able to buy this house, mama.”
Mom grins slyly at Natalie. “He did, you know. Just the sweetest boy getting his mama a new house like this in the city so I could be near him.”
She neglects to mention that doing so keeps her away from my dad, wherever the fuck he is these days, but that’s just as well.
“More cornbread, honey?”
Natalie chuckles and pats her stomach. “Oh, no thank you, Bernadette, I-”
“Oh I’ll get you one more small piece then.”
I shrug helplessly at Nat as Mom walks back to the kitchen.
“God, I can’t believe you’re lying to my mom like that,” I whisper, leaning close to her.
Natalie elbows me in the side.
“Do not start with me,” she says, grinning.
“Dance lessons?” I snort. “Hardly a believable backstory.”
She turns and smiles sweetly at me. “Well it’s hardly believable that I’d marry a guy like you, isn’t it?”
Our eyes lock for a second, and then another, even though we’re saying nothing.
I like this sass.
Mom steps back into the dining room and stops at the head of the table, eyes darting between us with this mischievous look on her face.
“What’s up, Mama?”