Touchdown Baby by Rose Harris Read Free Book Online Page B

knees.
    As soon as Ava left to lay Ashlyn down for her nap, Lexi lit into Jace. “Jace Anderson Johnson, why did I have to hear about your ‘child’ from a reporter?” Lexi was a modern mother. She understood Jace lived the life of the hotshot quarterback, but she had raised him to protect himself and his partners.
    “Mom, I didn’t tell you because I was in shock. How was I supposed to tell you I might have a kid?” Jace responded as he looked down at his feet instead of looking into his mother’s disappointed eyes.
    “Jace, I will not lecture you. You are a man, and I expect you to take care of your responsibilities, but I want you to look at me when I tell you this.”
    Jace obeyed his mother and saw only her love in her eyes.
    “First, I love you and your dad loves you.”
    Jace looked over at John and felt like an idiot for doubting his father’s love. John sat in a recliner with Roxi perched on the chair arm. John was wearing his standard blue polo shirt and jeans. Pride warring with the disappointment in his eyes.
    Lexi continued to talk, and before Jace knew it, he felt her strong arms wrap him with her support and love. “We will stand beside you no matter what happens in your life, but you need to understand you have to let us know what is going on before some reporter does. I don’t ever want to be surprised by something like that again. Understand?”
    Jace put on his best little boy pout and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
    Lexi pulled back from him, and the love in her eyes shone bright. Jace knew she still thought of him as her little boy. She told him the rest of their decision. “Your dad, Roxi and I think you should stay here until the press dies down a little. Before you say anything, this is a safe place. No one knows about this house. Everything is in Ava’s name. No one will connect it to you. Roxi also told us you’re going to get an appointment with Ava’s law firm and—”
    Jace cut off his mom’s speech when he responded with a definite, “Okay.” The look on everyone’s face was priceless. Did they really think it would take a lot of convincing to get him to stay here with Ava for a week or two? Of course, they didn’t know he wanted Ava as much as his next breath.
    The gasp at the door was as audible as a foghorn. Everyone turned to see Ava in the doorway, and Jace wondered why she looked so distressed.

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    Another restless night of scandalous dreams and Ava was not ready to hear the alarm go off, even with the additional hour she got on Mondays; she pushed the snooze button. She took the next nine minutes to get herself together before getting out of bed. Mondays were always the easiest day of the week. Roxi kept Ashlyn until she had to get to her first class, dropping Ashlyn off at daycare for the afternoon.
    Roxi had mastered the ability to get the greatest schedule her senior year of any college student. She didn’t have a class on Monday until twelve-thirty, and the rest of the week, her earliest class was at ten. Ava had never been able to get a schedule with that much freedom.
    Ava’s day normally started at five in the morning and ended around midnight. She never complained about her long days or not much anyway. She had landed her job as a legal secretary at the law office of Lawson & Morris right after she discovered she was pregnant. At the time, it felt like a dream come true. Now she hated her job with the creepy Bob Lawson, but the thought of not being able to support her daughter kept her motivated to fight back and stand strong.
    Ava felt partly responsible for the company’s constant demands. She’d made herself available at their every beck-and-call for the past four years, but when it came to Bob, she was biding her time before she let him have it.
    The hectic schedule caused some problems being a single mother, but with Roxi, her own mom and Lexi helping her out, Ava’s life was manageable. Ashlyn adored her extended family.