Beautiful Game

Everything comes at a cost. Is love worth the price?

They say I've got it all. But half my identity is a mystery.

When I’m traded to Pittsburgh’s pro soccer team, I know I need to solve the secret of my origins.

I just need to stay focused on my game in the meantime.

Easier said than done.

I had to go and meet a woman who’s just not that into me, and I can’t get her out of my head.

Lucy Nelson is so fierce. She’s raising her kid on her own and working hard to build a future…as part of the coaching staff for my team. She’s got priorities and apparently they don’t include a cocky soccer player, no matter how charming I try to be.

As far as Lucy’s concerned, I’m only good for one thing.

But I’m a midfielder. I’m used to playing offense and defense. I’m not afraid of Lucy’s baggage, especially with backup from a trio of brothers I didn’t know I had.

Beautiful Game is a stand-alone contemporary sports romance with crackling tension and sizzling passion. If you love meddling side characters, secret siblings, and single moms who finally find trust, you’ll swoon for this installment of the Stag Brothers series.

“Moyer! Boss wants to see you!” My coach’s voice snaps into the steamy shower room as I stand with my head against the tile, washing away the grime from practice. I give Coach a thumbs-up, too tired to even turn my head and acknowledge him properly.

This is my third season with Salt Lake City’s pro soccer team, which means it’s my third year as a standout player in a mediocre franchise. I’ve been hoping for this meeting. Coach knows I’m looking to be traded. Last weekend I scored my fourth goal of the season which, if you know anything about soccer, is pretty fucking stellar for a midfielder. 

I rinse the shampoo out of my hair, get dressed, and take the elevator up to the manager’s office. The big boss. Maybe someday I’ll own a pro soccer team like Lou, but then I’d have to put up with cocky assholes like me every day. 

I rap on the doorframe as I approach Lou’s office and hear him grunt from inside. When I open the door, I see my agent, Brian, sitting with his foot up on his opposite knee, his arms crossed behind his head, looking relaxed as fuck. He winks at me as I walk into the room. 

The boss looks up from his paperwork. “Ah, Hawk. Have a seat.” His voice is flat. I’m sure Lou’s irritated that I’m leaving. He can suck my nuts. Everyone knew Utah was just a layover for me. I sink into the chair. Brian leans forward and slaps me on the back. 

Lou grumbles and exhales through his nose, folding his hands on top of the papers on his desk. “Well, Mr. Moyer, it appears your tenure with us has come to an end.”

I arch a brow and turn to Brian. He grins and squeezes my knee like we’re on a date. I look at him. “You landed the deal?” Ever since I went pro, I’ve been hoping to get traded closer to my mom. I know I could easily move her out wherever I’m playing, but she’s stubborn and doesn’t want to leave Ohio. Not that I blame her. She’s got a real nice support network there with all her church friends. 

But Brian knew from the day he signed me that the big goal is to get back to the heart of the nation. I know, I know. Most guys dream of playing in New York or LA or some other glamorous city. What can I say? I’m a mama’s boy. It helps that the Midwest has some of the best pro soccer teams in the nation. “Am I going to Columbus?”

Lou grunts and Brian clacks his teeth together. “Not quite. Pittsburgh!”

“Pittsburgh?”

Brian nods. “I checked and it’s like the same distance to your mom as Columbus. Three hours by highway, probably less in your speedy little Lambo. Great stadium there by one of the rivers. The Forge were pissing their pants with glee to buy your contract, let me tell you.”

“Pittsburgh?” 

Lou snorts and Brian waves a hand. “Don’t worry about the doping scandal. The players have all tested clean and that coach was fired. It was literally just that one dude messing things up. But Pittsburgh’s publicity scandal is why I was able to get you so much fucking money, Hawky!”

I arch a brow at him. I could give two shits about a scandal over performance-enhancing drugs. That is not why I refuse to play for that city. “Do you ever listen to a thing I say?”

Brian holds his hands up. “I do listen, bro. But it’s a big city. There’s no reason to think you’re going to cross paths with your bio dad.”

I stand up from the chair so fast it tips over backward, and I kick it. I stomp over to the window and stare out at the field where I just finished sprinting until I puked. I’ve worked every second of my life to be great, to distance myself from the shit-stain sperm donor who knocked up my mother and left her to O.D. under a bridge. 

I don’t even know his name, but I know his entire city is tainted for him being there.

I watched Mom claw her way up from rock bottom and make a life for us, sacrifice so that I always had a way to get to soccer training. 

I place my hands against the glass, feeling the cool surface against my palms. “Anywhere but Pittsburgh, man. Come on. I said anywhere but Pittsburgh.”

“Pittsburgh had the money, baby. You’re going to be getting seven figures, Hawk. Do you know how unheard of that is for a soccer player in the States? You’re like elite-level hot shit right now.” I can hear Lou grumbling as Brian tries to calm me down. 

I shake my head. “I’ll just stay here in Utah.” I press off the glass and turn around to face them again. 

Brian slaps me on the back. “No can do, amigo. Trade window closed. Everything is signed. You personally notarized everything and I know you were stone sober when you did it.”

I grind my teeth together and turn to stare at Lou, who shrugs. I kick another chair. “I should have played baseball.” I start walking toward the door before I really lose my shit. I need to go find a creative outlet for all this rage I’m feeling. 

Lou shouts after me as I walk out of his office. “The staff are cleaning out your locker as we speak, Hawk, but I’m sure the team would appreciate a goodbye.” 

I clomp down the stairs, ignoring the burn in my quads, and when I get to the locker room, there’re two security guards holding a box each with my personal crap from my locker. I wonder if they’ll even let me keep my duffel bag. It’s not like they can do anything with it or pass it on to another player. I peer into one of the boxes and it’s just got my deodorant and a picture of me with my mom. I guess they’re going to auction my personalized gear for charity. Or burn it.

I thank the guards and take the boxes from them. I’ll email the team later. I’m not in the headspace to talk to anyone right now. When I get to the parking lot, I pluck out the photo and dump the rest of my shit into a trash bin. I climb inside my car, squeeze the steering wheel, and scream for a few minutes before calling my mom. 

Feeling significantly more calm by the time she answers, I greet her in a pleasant tone, noticing my voice is a little scratchy. “Good news, Ma.”

“Hey, sweetie. I’ve asked you not to call me ‘Ma’ like that. It makes me feel old.”

“Ma, you’re, like, 45. That’s not old.”

“I know, smartypants. I said it makes me feel old. Now what’s this news of yours? Did you meet someone?”

I groan. I’m barely 26 and she’s pressuring me to settle down and get married, as if I’m not a professional athlete focused on my very demanding career. Except when I’m focused on avoiding the man who slipped me half my DNA, I guess. 

I decide to ignore her question and just tell her I’ve been traded. “I’ll be living in Pittsburgh,” I tell her, and she squeals. “Brian says I’ll be two hours from you.”

“Oh, baby, that’s amazing! I’ll get to see you once a week. Maybe more!”

“You’re not driving that far once a week just to see me.”

“And who says? I like road trips. I can listen to an audiobook. There’s some really spicy ones I’ve got my eye on.”

“Ma, please do not talk to me about spicy books, okay? But if you really want to come, I’ll have someone drive you or something. I don’t like thinking of you alone on the road that much.”

“Oh, Hawk, I’m just so excited. You made your mama very happy today. What time is it there? Did you eat yet?”

“I’ll eat when I get home. I just got out of practice and found out about the trade. You’re my first call.”

There’s a pause for a minute and I hear the hesitation in her voice when she says, “I thought you said you’d never play for Pittsburgh…”

I sigh. “I know I said that. Brian also said Pittsburgh offered the most money. He says it’s a pretty big city…”

“It is a big city, baby. And I’m glad Brian got you a good contract. You’re worth every penny!”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“There. Was that so hard?” She chuckles. “I think Brian is right. There’s no reason for you to avoid an entire city. That’s just wasted bad energy, sweetheart.”

“Maybe I’d have less rage about it if you’d just tell me who my father is so I can go wring his neck and move on with my life.”

“Hawk!” My mother gasps. “You’re not being fair. We’ve been over this so many times…” I was conceived during a very dark time in my mother’s life, when she was struggling with addiction and living on the streets. She took up with a man twice her age for protection. “He was in no shape to be anyone’s father, baby. I chose to get my act together. You are a gift to me. You changed my life.” She always gets emotional talking about it. Like I was the result of a supernatural answered prayer, rather than a drunk slime ball who fucked a teenager.

“He left you to die, Ma.”

“Hawk. I made a choice every time I put those drugs into my body. And then I made a choice to do something about it when I found out I was pregnant. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, and I want to come see you play in Pittsburgh and make new memories there.”

I sigh. There’s nothing productive I can say right now and I’m too pissed off to keep talking about it. “I gotta go pack,” I tell her, firing up my engine with a roar. 

“I love you, Hawk. Fly home to me and let’s talk more.”

I roll my eyes. “Such a cheesy line, Ma.” We hang up and I drive home.