The Way We Score: A small-town, accidental pregnancy, sports romance. (The Bradford Boys)

Before the wheels touch pavement at the small airport in New Jersey, I’ve made an appointment to meet with Kurt and Thad. While I was home, focusing all my attention on Liv and our baby girl, Logan worked behind the scenes to help Thad strategize.

I could use a fucking massage for how tense my muscles have been all week. I’ve never seen Liv that way, and it activated something inside me, something even more protective than I already felt for her.

She’s always been so strong and so damn smart and in control all the time, but when I walked in and saw her in that bed so scared, I knew my days in New York were over. I wasn’t leaving her again.

Now I just have to let these guys know, and hope they give me the benefit of our time together.

“Have a seat, Garrett.” Kurt doesn’t stand.

Thad meets me at the door to the office, leading me to one of the stiff leather chairs facing Kurt’s desk.

“How is everything back home?” Kurt actually looks concerned, which is encouraging.

“Better.” I don’t really want to sit, but I do. “We had a follow-up appointment, and the heartbeat was steady, no more spotting.”

“That’s good.” Kurt nods, resting his arms on his desk.

Thad doesn’t say a word, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have kids. I know he isn’t married.

“Did you happen to catch the game last week?” Kurt turns, tapping on the laptop beside him. “Berke and Holmes look like they’ve been playing together all season.”

“I caught the highlights.” I wasn’t interested in watching a four-hour football game with Liv still restless and worried.

“I’ll cut to the chase. We’re not letting you out of your contract.”

I’m about to tell him I don’t give a shit what he thinks he’s not doing, but he continues.

“Instead, we’re moving you to the disabled list.” He turns to face me. “You’re still on the roster, and we can call you back into play if anything happens. But for now…” He stands, reaching out a hand over his desk. “Go back to Newhope and be with your family.”

It’s all I needed to hear.

Standing, I shake his hand. “Thanks, Kurt.”

The lights of the city are in my rearview, and I’m setting my own land-speed records when my phone lights up with his text. Lifting the phone, I use text-to-speech to reply.

Flexing my grip on the steering wheel of my truck, I think about that possibility.

For a week after the scare, we slept every night together in her bed. The doctor said her stress levels went down when I was there, and it was enough. Hell, I’m pretty sure mine went down, too.

Holding her in the darkness, her body would relax. She’d drift to sleep so peacefully, and I’d trace my fingers through her hair, thinking how my entire world was right there in my arms. I’d place my hand on her stomach, and I had everything I needed.

When I was in the city, I’d pull up the images of our little pomegranate on my phone, and energy surged in my chest. She’s tiny, but the outline is so bright. Her heartbeat is as strong as this bond growing between us, and I’m already imagining holding her in my arms.

Standing in the parking lot of Dr. Pierce’s office, I wanted to kiss Liv so badly. We’re so close to being back, it’s hard to wait. We’ve been making small steps with each passing week, and I know now, as I cover these miles in my truck, we’re at the beginning.

Our second chance starts now.

“Did you know as recently as colonial times, birds were so numerous, people thought they could never go extinct?” Liv stands inside the chicken coop in that pretty dress with the cherries on it.

Her strawberry hair is back in a ponytail, and she’s wearing gloves as she checks on Henny “the goof” Lane. Of course, I don’t say that out loud.

I rolled into town after one a.m. and crashed in my bed at the house. I slept hard, but when the sun broke on the horizon, I was up, quickly unpacking, showering, and heading here to her mom’s house to brew her morning coffee.

Ms. Plum greeted me at the door with a warm smile and a big hug. She told me Liv was out here feeding the chickens and checking on their crazy little brooder.

“Can’t say I did.” I’ve got the garden hose, and I fill the water trough while she prepares individual cups of food and water for Henny.

The little white chicken makes the strangest sounds. They’re noises I’ve only heard on Jurassic Park, but for whatever reason, Liv thinks it’s so special.

“I was listening to a podcast.” She steps out of the chicken coop to where the other birds are pecking around and spreads feed on the small picnic table-trough, along with ground oyster shells. “It said there were so many birds, they would block out the sun at times.”

My brow rises, and I nod. “What happened?”

“Ladies fashion. Everybody wanted to wear feathers.” She puts a hand on her hip, studying the flock. “I sure could go for some buffalo wings right now. There’s a Buffalo Wild Wings in Foley.”

Talk about a record-scratch moment. “It’s nine o’clock in the morning, Liv. I’d be glad to get you some, but I don’t even think they’re open yet.”

Her lips twist, and she glances up at me. “Are they open for lunch? I wonder if they deliver.”

Taking out my phone, I search for options. “It looks like they have online ordering… in a couple hours.”

She walks over to hold my arm. “Buffalo wings and a chili cheese burrito. Doesn’t that sound delicious?”

My brow furrows. “Together?”

“I bet Krispy Kreme is open now.” Her eyes widen, and she rises onto her toes. “Chocolate glazed donuts would be so good for breakfast.”

“You always said Krispy Kreme was too sweet for you. It made you sick.”

“Remember when you made those cinnamon rolls for me in New York? That would be even better.”

Swallowing my laugh, I slide my finger along her chin. “Give me ten minutes.”

It takes less than five to jog back to my house and grab a can of cinnamon rolls out of the refrigerator. I’m on my way out again, when I see Dylan trotting up the hill from the restaurant.

“Garrett! You’re home!” She runs straight to me, laughing and throwing her arms around my waist. “What are you doing with the cinnamon rolls?”

“Liv’s craving them.” Scratching my thumb over my chin, I huff a laugh. “She’s kind of craving everything all at once. Buffalo wings, chili cheese burritos, Krispy Kreme donuts…”

“Now I know that’s the baby.” Dylan’s eyes sparkle as she skips beside me, holding my arm. “Liv never liked Krispy Kreme. She said it was so sweet it made her sick.”

“She wanted chocolate-glazed Krispy Kreme donuts.”

“And you’re bringing her Pillsbury cinnamon rolls?” She makes a little tisk-tisk sound, shaking her head in disapproval.

“She changed her mind halfway through. I’m not sure if she wants this stuff all at once or if she’s just checking them off as they come to her.”

“Text me, and I’ll see what Thomas and I can whip up for dinner.” She laughs, twirling towards the house again. “I’ve got to get ready for school, but have fun!”

“I already am.”

“I can tell.” Dylan has a big smile as she walks backwards, her amber eyes holding mine. “You’re glowing.”

“Garrett Bradford, it really is you!” Aubrey Schiffer walks out of her small, glass cubicle to greet me at the front counter in the animal control office. “I heard you were joining the force.”

Once Liv was satisfied with her cinnamon rolls and sat down to catch up on lawyering, I decided I’d better check in with my own “job.”

Rodney called Aubrey when I was in his office, and she said to stop by when I was ready to start. Now seems as good a time as any.

She crosses her arms, looking up at me with a grin. “I haven’t seen you since you graduated high school. I thought you were the best-looking thing…”

My smile is tight. I guess it’s okay to be flattered. Even if Aubrey is my superior officer, she’s still five years younger than me.

“You were in what? Seventh grade?”

“How do you remember that?”

“I’m pretty good at math.”

Chuckling, she walks around the counter, waving for me to follow her. “Let’s go.”

We walk down a short hall to a sterile, linoleum-lined lunchroom. It’s empty, and the fluorescent lights bathe the space in pale green. Just inside the door is a closet with a lock, and I wait as she stretches out a string of keys from her hip and inserts a bright gold one into the slot.

“I’m pretty confident we don’t have a uniform that’ll fit you, but you can wear one of these vests.” The wire hangers make a scraping sound as she slides them across the metal bar.

The vest is black canvas with Animal Control Agent in white across the shoulder blades and a patch that has the law enforcement seal of Alabama on the front chest.

“People really don’t care what you’re wearing when they have an animal control problem.” She leans in as if she’s telling me a secret. “They just want you to fix it. Stat.”

“I can believe that.”

Taking the vest, I pull it on. It’s roomy, which means it fits me fine. Aubrey, by contrast, is wearing a full khaki uniform with stripes on the arms and epaulets on the shoulders. She’s very official.

“We’ll start out doing the rounds together until you get the feel of things.” We leave the cafeteria, and I follow her back to the front desk. “After that, you can handle the smaller jobs on your own.”

“What kind of jobs are the smaller ones?” This is the part where I’m hoping for dog catcher.

“Oh, you know, the usual stuff, setting raccoon traps, retrieving squirrels from gutters, chasing skunks out from under porches.”

“Skunks?” I don’t like the sound of that.

“Don’t surprise them.” She stops abruptly, eyes wide. “Never surprise a skunk.”

I almost laugh. “You’ve got experience with that?”

“Nope, but my dog does.” She shakes her head. “It took three cans of tomato juice before he stopped howling.”

Her phone starts to ring, and she leaves me standing at the front desk while she hustles into her office behind the glass. It has a plastic stack of shelves on one corner, and some papers are strewn across the blotter. Other than that, it’s pretty neat.

I rest an arm on the counter, thinking about how I left Liv this morning asleep in bed. She’s sleeping later now that I’m back, or at least that’s what her mom told me. I was only gone four days, but Ms. Plum said she was up at dawn every day taking care of that silly chicken, almost like it’s a soothing mechanism.

Ms. Plum likes to exaggerate things, but she’s on my side. I’m not questioning her account, and I know to treat Henny Lane like she’s a very special hen. Tracing my finger over the grain in the wood, I chuckle thinking about my serious lawyer lady so focused on a chicken.

“Looks like it’s your lucky day!” Aubrey emerges from her office, moving fast. “Or mine. Let’s go!”

“What’s up?”

“Your brother works with Gloria Fruit out at Second Chance Stables, doesn’t he?”

“Zane, yeah.” My chest tightens, and I hustle to follow her out to her old-school, brown and tan Chevy Suburban. “Something wrong with the horses?”

“Nah, they’d call the vet for that.” She turns the key and it roars to life. “Snakes. Gloria said a black racer decided to hide a nest of eggs in her back stall. Now they’re hatching, and she needs us to relocate them. Gloria said she’d handle it, but she’s got a class and your brother’s at Miss Gina’s.”

“A black racer snake?” Fuck. I’m no Indiana Jones, but I hate snakes.noveldrama

“Yeah, and it’s causing a big problem. Horses and snakes don’t mix.” Aubrey reads my face and starts to laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ll take the lead on this one. Just help me with the traps. And don’t forget your gloves.”