Touchdown: Sharks Football, #3

By Leslie North

In the game of love, you can't win if you don't play…

 

Maxwell Smith never wanted to be a father. As the star wide receiver for the Savannah Sharks, he's got his life and career set, and his focus is entirely on football. But when the tragic deaths of his sister and brother-in-law leave him sole guardian of their triplets, all those plans get thrown out the window.

 

Max knows nothing about raising kids… He's gonna need a Hail Mary pass to make this work. And he finds it with Gillian Collier, the triplet's beautiful aunt. The problem is, Gillian stirs Max's blood in a way he never expected. It's throwing him off his game, and it's a distraction he doesn't need…

 

The last thing Jill wants in her life is a hot football player whose idea of commitment is going on a second date. She's been burned by cheaters before, but something about Max is different. He's kind, smart, and the sexiest man she's ever known. Still, it's hard to trust a guy who's surrounded with women.

 

Can their love score a touchdown? Or is Max just looking to play the field…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Relay Publishing
• Release date: Oct 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201790646

Book preview

1

A re you sure you don’t need me anymore today?

The nanny’s innocent question almost made Maxwell laugh. He’d hired Kelsey two weeks ago, but the past fourteen days clearly hadn’t helped him adjust any better to the new role of Daddy he’d been handed.

I swear, I can handle it from here, Maxwell told the helpful but still clearly worried brunette who spent every morning and afternoon watching the triplets, who were currently sitting in a circle in the living room, taking turns screaming Cat!

"Even if it still looks like I have no idea what I’m doing—I am getting the hang of things."

Kelsey laughed a little but didn’t look convinced. And hell, Maxwell wasn’t convinced either. After all, he’d gone from bachelor NFL superstar to single father of three without any warning.

It wasn’t every day that people had their lives completely upended like he’d had. But he liked to think he was handling it as best he could, with a nanny and plenty of googling about what two-year-olds were and weren’t supposed to eat.

Well, just let me know if you’ll need me tomorrow, Kelsey said, slinging her purse strap over her pale shoulder as she prepared to leave. I’m okay coming in on my day off if you need something. She went over to the triplets then, pressing a kiss to the top of their heads in turn. Bye, Cameron. Bye, Shelley. Bye, Kevin.

The kids spared only a moment from their game to wave goodbye to Kelsey. She offered Maxwell a small smile as she headed for the front door.

Just let me know if you need anything in the meantime, okay? She seared him with a serious look, which he appreciated, despite the undertones of maybe you can’t handle this. Kelsey’s agency had been recommended to him by a Sharks teammate who had lost his wife to cancer a few years back and needed grief-specialized nannies to fill in the gaps in childcare.

And while Maxwell hadn’t lost his wife, he had lost his stepsister. Kelsey had been doing a good job navigating the weird situation, that much was certain. She wasn’t poking fun at him for what he didn’t know, only offering gentle tips and plenty of reassurance that she could come back if needed.

I appreciate that, but we’ll see you in two days, Maxwell said, following her to the front door of his expansive, Mediterranean-style oasis.

What he needed right now wasn’t more nanny.

What he needed right now was a stiff drink and a beautiful woman to take his mind off things. But he knew neither of those would be in the cards for quite some time. Stiff drinks were to be avoided this close to the playoffs, and beautiful women…well, he could find plenty of those in the NFL fan club. But he’d entered a whole new level of cautious when it came to who entered his circle, with the triplets a part of his world now.

Which meant NFL fan club indulgences were temporarily postponed until his life got back to something resembling normal.

Except when will that be?

The question returned to him as he followed the shrieks and screeches of the toddlers back into the living room. His bachelor pad had been converted from a lush, leather-lined paradise into the equivalent of a daycare explosion. Wooden blocks lay scattered everywhere while Peppa Pig went unwatched in the background on his 77 flat-screen. A miniature kitchen sat in the corner, tiny plastic foods tossed everywhere from what Kelsey had affectionately called a food fight" right before Maxwell got home from practice.

This was the whirlwind his life had become after the freak accident took his stepsister and her husband from this world. Their wills named Maxwell as the custodial guardian in the event that anything should happen to both parents.

And of course he’d visited the triplets plenty of times throughout their two years of life. He just hadn’t visited enough to truly get a taste of what raising them might be like.

Okay, kids, he boomed when he returned to the living room. Shelley had curled up in his recliner—his spot, until the kids had come along—while Cameron and Kevin banged on a small xylophone, their dark heads of hair nearly touching as they focused on the music. We ready for a successful public outing or what?

Nobody responded; all three continued exactly what they were doing.

I’ll take that as a yes. Maxwell clapped his hands together, as though signaling to the two-year-olds that the time was now.

Unka Mack! Shelley clapped her hands together, her dark curls bouncing. Unka Mack was the closest she could get to saying Uncle Maxwell. The other two just called him Mack.

While Shelley repeated his name, Maxwell clapped along with her. But when he stopped clapping, a different pounding continued.

He twisted, listening closely. Thud thud thud.

The front door. He held up a finger to the triplets. Nobody move. Unka Mack will be Unka back. He smirked to himself as he jogged toward the front door. They were too young to groan—or appreciate—his bad dad jokes, which had started sidling out of him, unbidden, within the first week. Mark and James, his best buddies on the Sharks, both promised him this was a normal development in the parenting timeline. Maxwell just hadn’t thought it would hit so soon.

His footsteps squeaked over the recently shined marble of his foyer. He peered through the sidelight at the front door but couldn’t see who was there. He pulled the door open, half-expecting Kelsey looking for a forgotten item from her workday.

Instead, a gorgeous Black woman stood on his porch. A huge handbag dangled from the crook of her arm, and her black hair was swept off to one side of her heart-shaped face. She looked up at him with the biggest eyes he’d ever seen.

Hi, she started, maybe nervously. Are you Maxwell?

He blinked dumbly. He had no idea if he was Maxwell. All he could focus on was the way her shy smile revealed the golden-brown sheen of her cheeks. He blinked a few times, clutching the doorframe for support.

He’d wished for a gorgeous woman—he just hadn’t expected that request to be answered so promptly.

Uh, he began, swallowing hard as shards of clarity began clicking into place. H-how did you get in here?

Because that was the matter at hand. He lived in a gated drive; no one could enter without the key code or calling him first. No matter how gorgeous they were.

The beauty rolled her lips together, pressing a hand to her forehead. I’m sorry if I barged—I spoke with the woman who just left, and she told me that it was fine to come up here since I’m looking to see the kids. I’m Gillian Collier—Wayne Collier’s cousin. He left me in charge of his estate.

Realization thudded through him at the mention of the name Wayne Collier—his stepsister’s husband. The father of the triplets. He nodded, stepping aside as he gestured for her to come in. Gillian. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Come in.

His mind swirled as she stepped into the house, her wide, brown eyes sweeping across the foyer. But call me Jill, please.

Of course. Jill. And yes, he responded to her initial question, much too late, I’m Maxwell. Call me Maxwell. Or Max. Or…Unka Mack. Take your pick.

He wasn’t sure how he’d missed this addition to the extended family tree. He’d certainly never heard of a Gillian—or Jill—much less seen her hanging around the family events or reunions. An eyebrow lifted as she looked over at him.

"They always told me you were in football, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized you were the Maxwell Smith from the Sharks."

He smirked, shutting the front door behind her. Jeez. They must not have talked about me too much, huh?

Oh, here and there, she said, sweeping some hair out of her eyes. Her lips curled at the edges. But for the past couple years, I’ve been living overseas, so whenever I saw them, it was more about catching up. And getting to know the kids.

Well, I’m sure you’re excited to see them. His heart thudded as he led the way deeper into the house, toward the living room where the triplets awaited. Were you at the funeral last week? He sure would have remembered this face.

No, I wasn’t. She sighed. My flight was canceled, and I couldn’t make it back in time. It broke my heart that I couldn’t be there.

Questions swarmed him, but none made the leap past his lips because the second they stepped into the living room, the triplets started screaming with excitement. The three toddled over, stumbling and laughing in the process.

Auntie! Auntie!

There are my little stars! Jill crouched down to receive their hugs as the three of them tumbled into her arms. Maxwell cocked his head, watching with interest. International traveler, yet somehow she knew the kids this well…yes, the questions were accumulating rapidly.

Jill kissed each of them in turn multiple times before releasing them. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you all, she gushed.

Shelley began tugging at Jill’s hand, guiding her toward the play kitchen. Maxwell eased onto the edge of the long couch against the far wall of the room. A sea of toys stretched between him and the others. Peppa Pig snorted from the television screen.

So you know them pretty well, Maxwell said.

I had been gone for a while, Jill explained, grinning down at Shelley while Kevin and Cameron both scrambled to join in. Living abroad, like I said. But I’ve been in the process of moving back. She paused suddenly, as though questioning how much to reveal. Then she offered him a sparkling smile. And I made it a priority to get to know the kids. We did tons of video calls. Wayne was my cousin, but we grew up together. He felt more like a brother.

He was a good man, Maxwell said, his throat tightening. Because it was the truth. Neither Wayne nor Maxwell’s stepsister, Carmen, deserved to miss out on their children’s entire lives. All the smiles and milestones and happiness. Sometimes I still can’t believe it’s real.

Jill shook her head sadly, her gaze falling back to the kids. I’m glad I’d already started moving back to Savannah; now I need to be here more than ever. I want to be in their lives. They need us.

They need us. Maxwell rubbed at the back of his neck, the familiar emotions from the past two weeks washing over him again. Yeah. It’s the truth.

The triplets didn’t grasp that their parents were gone and not coming back, but Maxwell, and their combined families, needed to do their part to make sure the kids grew up knowing how much love they came from.

Jill played with the three kids for a bit, laughing as they showed off various plastic food items and tried to serve her platters of chicken nuggets. She fingered the tight curls on Shelley’s head.

This girl needs a haircut.

I was thinking about finding someone, Maxwell started.

Jill tutted. "Uh-uh. These kids need to go to the right someone who specializes in Black hair. I know exactly where they should go. I’ll set something up—I can take them."

That would be great, Maxwell said with a relieved laugh. Honestly—I don’t know the first thing about…well, any of this. I’ve just been sticking to the schedule. I remember Carmen always talking about that much, at least.

Jill sent him a knowing look. Schedules are key. So, what’s on their schedule for today?

You know, we were just about to head out and go to the park. Normally, he’d race around fighting to get the kids dressed and ready on his own. But today, he recognized Jill’s arrival for what it was: a chance for the kids to visit with their family and a chance for Maxwell to spend some guilt-free time with a gorgeous lady…who could teach him a thing or two. Do you want to come with us?

Jill’s dazzling smile returned, washing his mind clean of whatever sadness or confusion that lingered. I would love that.

2

Jill shielded her eyes against the sun as she gazed across the playground. Shelley, Cameron, and Kevin played an intense round of hide-and-seek with Maxwell. After enough swing-pushing to make her arms hurt, she’d retreated to the bench to watch Maxwell run off all his NFL energy alongside the kids’ toddler energy.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. And really, she tried to tell herself that it was only the kids making her smile this much.

But no. That wasn’t the whole truth.

Maxwell Smith was fine. So fine that he was hard to look away from. His dark brown eyes swam with mischief whenever their gazes locked, his dark hair and obsidian-colored skin a fatal match for her libido. His biceps were big enough to make her wonder what he might have going on in his personal life…and whether she could get those biceps wrapped around her…

Jill, you stop that right now. This is not the time to be thinking like that and you know it.

Lord, did she know it. She’d been formally moved back to Savannah for only a week, but her professional life was already running a thousand miles a minute. Maybe that was the upside of being a dentist—there was never a shortage of need, wherever she went. Even if it meant her soon-to-open pediatric dentistry clinic in Savannah already had a waiting list a mile long…she chose to see it as a good thing. No, a great thing.

Auntie Jill! Shelley ran her way, her curly locks bouncing. She was the one who reminded Jill most of her cousin Wayne, and the glee on her face removed some of Jill’s sadness. The triplets were pure joy—and occasionally frustration—and she intended on spending every moment possible with them.

Her original goal in moving back to Savannah had been to move closer to family and start a new, expansive phase of her career. And now, after losing Wayne, she didn’t just want to be physically closer to family—she needed all the family she could get. And if she had her way, she’d be seeing these kids as much as possible—just short of moving in and calling herself the fifth resident in Maxwell’s stunning, palatial home.

Shelley, are you having fun? Jill lifted the little girl onto the bench beside her. Shelley nuzzled into her side, and Jill relished the brief window of alone time, while the boys shrieked and laughed near the slides with Maxwell. Shelley clearly needed a break from all the activity, and Jill welcomed the chance to pull her into her lap and watch the chaos of Maxwell and Shelley’s brothers playing together.

Your Uncle Maxwell sure is a cool guy, Jill murmured, unable to prevent her gaze from sliding over the angular muscles of his calves and the wide spread of his shoulders. Yes, he looked like a snack, for sure.

But she was on a diet—figuratively—and needed to stay the hell away from temptations like that.

After a few more rousing rounds of hide-and-seek, Maxwell and the boys trotted their