by KL Donn
She stands by my side with my ring on her finger when I accept the MVP award. This time, she’s not afraid of the television crews.
After the dinner plates are cleared and dessert is being served, I pick up my fork to garner the attention of our friends and family seated around the restaurant.
“Uh oh, looks like someone needs our attention, as usual,” Mikael teases.
Chantel covers his mouth with her hands. “Go ahead, Ian. I’ve silenced him…for the moment. Better hurry though.”
“Yes, I’ll try. I have one more piece of business with my fiancé which needs your attention tonight.” Neenah’s face turns toward me in delight. I think she loves that title as much as I do.
Dane looks up at us. “What’s a fiance?’ he asks bluntly.
“It means we’re getting married,” she answers and hugs him close. “Is that okay with you?”
He nods. “So, we’re going to be a family?”
Neenah looks at me speechless. Her hands grip her throat, and she’s teary-eyed. Her shoulders tighten with anxiety. We never know how Dane is going to take things. He’s improved with his temper control so much since first getting Apollo, but he still fills with anxiety at times. I look down at Apollo, and he doesn’t appear to be on alert for a mood change.
“Yes, we’re going to be a family,” I answer for her.
He looks back and forth between the both of us, studying our faces. “Good.”
“Speaking of being a family, I need to ask you both something.”
Neenah furrows her forehead, looking at me with confusion. I pull the heavily wrinkled envelope from the Hope House opening out of my jacket pocket and place it in the center of the table between us.
“What’s that?” Neenah asks, reaching for the envelope.
“As I said earlier, I’m ninety-eight percent whole. You agreeing to marry me made me ninety-nine percent. I need one more thing.” I take one of each of their hands and hold them in mine. “Would it be all right with both of you if I adopted Dane, giving him my last name?”
Dane jumps up from his chair and runs over to me, hugging my neck and squeezing me so tightly I can barely breathe.
“YES!” they both shout at the same time.
“The best feeling in the whole world is watching things finally fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long.”
About C.M. Lally
C.M. Lally is a Contemporary romance author, specializing in the Sports romance and Steamy romance sub-genres.
She has always been a bookaholic, often getting lost in the library for hours inside a good romance. She’s in love with happily ever after and often combines her passion for writing with an even deeper love of music. She adores matching strong, bold, and sassy women with the men who can handle them.
She’s a small town girl with big city #sassitude. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, where life is as unpredictable as the weather and the alpha heroes she adores. If close by, stop for a long chat, some chocolate, and a few laughs. She’s always good for any or all three.
Read More about C.M. Lally
The Change Up
A Novella by Evan Grace
The Change Up
by Evan Grace
Two years ago I slept with my best friend right before I left to start playing for the Chicago Hawks MLB team. I left without fixing what we both broke, saying good-bye, and I've regretted it ever since. I've drowned out thoughts of her in random women ever since, but nothing helps me forget our night together. A chance encounter brings us back together, but there's something she's never told me...we have a son. As we navigate these unfamiliar waters, feelings grow. Can I open my heart to her? Can she forgive me when I break hers?
Copyright © 2020 Author Evan Grace
All rights reserved.
First Edition: January 2020
Evan Grace
Moline, IL. 61265
www.authorevangrace.com
Editing by Ellie McLove @ My Brother’s Editor
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
1
Sawyer
My eyes stay locked on the flat screen and I still can’t believe that I’m on the news. In June, I got drafted to the Chicago Hawks, the MLB team I’ve wanted to play for ever since I picked up my first baseball?
“Sawyer, how do you feel about getting ready to leave for spring training? You still look shocked. It’s rare that someone gets drafted directly into the majors.” The reporter stands in front of me, the light from the camera blinding me.
It sounds like my heart is beating in my ears. “I-I am. I feel very lucky to be in the position I’m in and I hope to earn my place with the Hawks and prove they made the right decision.”
They hand me the Hawks jersey the team sent me after I was drafted and I hold it up, posing for pictures. My mom comes walking up with my best friend, MeMe, who’s smiling widely standing by my mom’s side. I’m still posing for pictures and they stop on the edge of the crowd, both vibrating with excitement for me.
I start to laugh when MeMe crosses her eyes and rolls her tongue at me. The reporter glares at her and I don’t miss the way her cheeks turn pink and she mouths, “sorry” to me.
“Thanks for the interview, Sawyer, and good luck to you.” I shake his hand before he and the cameraman disappear into the crowd.
MeMe comes running to me, jumping into my arms and hugging me tightly. “I’m so freaking proud of you, but I’m going to miss you so much.” She kisses my cheek before dropping her feet and stepping back from me.
I take in her outfit and smile. She’s wearing her Chicago Hawks jersey that I bought her for her birthday three years ago. The red and blue jersey has her name on the back. MeMe calls it her lucky jersey because when she wears it, she swears good things happen, or so she says.
“Did you wear that for me?” I tuck a loose light caramel brown wavy lock behind her ear.
She nods. “Of course and I still expect season tickets.”
I wrap my arm around her slim shoulders as Mom approaches with beers in her hands. She hands one to MeMe and one to me. “I’m so proud of you, honey.” I lean down, kissing her cheek. “Your dad would be so proud of you.”
My dad died five years ago—it had been a stroke and was sudden… shocking. He was my biggest cheerleader and coached me through middle school. “Thanks, Mom. I hope he is proud of me.”
Mom gives me a squeeze. “I’m going to head out and let you guys party without your mom getting in the way.” She hugs me tightly before letting me go. I watch her hug MeMe and then disappear into the crowd.
MeMe comes running up to me, throwing her arms around me again. “My best friend is going to be the shortstop for the Chicago Hawks.” She lets go of me and does her Tina Belcher dance, basically she’s got her hands on her knees popping her butt out over and over.
I shake my head, laughing because I fucking love her so much. We met in seventh grade and we just clicked. We never dated, even though people always thought we had—we were always just friends. Through high school, every girl I “dated” hated my friendship with her, and I know the guys she dated hated me. They were always jealous because MeMe and I spent so much time together.
She’s always been there for me—every home or away game she’s always been my biggest cheerleader. My dad died and she and her family were there for us, especially MeMe, and when her dad died our freshman year of college, I held her up when she kept starting to fall.
“Let’s do some shots,” I tell her.
MeMe throws
her hands up in the air, makes the devil horns with her fingers and yells, “Shots!” I don’t miss the way the guys around us check her out and I can only shake my head. Of course what do I expect? She’s always been gorgeous, even when she was just a scrawny pre-teen.
She’s got to be at least five-eight and she’s got curves that could make a grown man cry. Her skin is a lightolive tone and her almond-shaped eyes are a deep rich chocolate brown. MeMe’s mom is half white and half Korean. She gave MeMe her name; her full first name is Mee-Yon, her skin tone, eyes, and brown locks.
Her dad was a tall blond curly haired, blue-eyed, Swedish man, and he gave MeMe his height, wavy hair, and he gave MeMe’s older sister, Elsa, her name, her blue eyes, everything else is from their mom.
I lead her to the bar and we order some shots of Jager and toss them back. She orders us another round of beers along with two more shots. After we do our shots, we head over to some of our friends that just showed up to help me celebrate.
As the night progresses, things start to get a little fuzzy. The dance music is playing loudly and MeMe grabs me, dragging me out to the dance floor. I should politely decline, but I can’t seem to say no to her. She starts moving to the beat of the music and I wrap my arms around her.
We move together as the bass pulsates through my body. My dick is half hard and I hope that she can’t feel it. A waitress stops next to us and has a tray of shots. I grab us each one and we clink them together before tossing them back.
After a couple more shots, we decide to head back to my place. We walk the two blocks to my apartment—we’re both nice and buzzed and the cold air leaves us in billowy puffs. When I see my place up ahead, I grab her hand in mine and we make a run for it.
MeMe’s laugh is like a balm to my soul. Once inside, I don’t let go of her and lead her up the stairs to my place. I fish my keys out of my coat pocket and let us inside. It’s dark when we step into the living room, and I move to turn on the lamp, but MeMe stops me.
My blinds are open and the lamp from the parking lot illuminates the room enough that I can see her eyes on me. “Saw, I’m so proud of you.” MeMe lifts her hands and rests them on my chest. Can she feel my heart beating a hard rhythm against her fingertips?
I place my hands on top of hers—maybe it’s to pull hers off or to hold them there. “What are you doing, MeMe?” She’s never looked at me the way she is right now. Her eyes are soft and she keeps biting her lower lip.
“Are you going to forget all about me when you go?” Her voice is soft and there’s a hint of pain in it.
I shake my head. “How could I forget you—my biggest cheerleader, my best friend?”
MeMe’s hand slides up my chest and behind my neck until her fingers sift through my hair. I’m not sure what’s happening, but I can’t, for the life of me, stop her. My dick starts getting hard when I feel her nails scrape against my scalp.
The hand not in my hair reaches up, touching my face. Her thumb strokes back and forth across my lower lip. I open my mouth and nip it with my teeth. Fuck me, MeMe moans softly and it goes right to my dick.
I suck it into my mouth and she bites her lip. I should stop this before we do something that could ruin our friendship. MeMe makes the decision for me—she pulls her thumb from my lips and with her other hand, she pulls me down until our lips touch.
It’s electric and I swear to God that I see stars behind my closed lids. I grab her face and take control of the kiss. Using my mouth, I ease her mouth open and our tongues meet in a dual, I drag one hand down and around until my hand is on her ass—pulling MeMe closer, I feel her rubbing against my cock, which is hard as a rock.
She reaches between us and grabs my dick and I groan into her mouth as she strokes it through my denim. The desire to fuck overwhelms me and I pick her up. She immediately wraps her legs around my waist, all the while our mouths are still fused together.
I move us blindly through my apartment until we’re inside of my room. Her back hits the wall and I use my body to hold her up. I pull back enough to rip my t-shirt up and off. Pressing my body tighter to MeMe’s, I divest her of her top and then pull her bra off. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”
Hoisting her up higher, I suck one berry nipple into my mouth. MeMe’s fingers grip my hair and she moans as I nip the turgid tip. I give her other breast the same treatment. She’s trying to rub up against me, but I’m afraid I’ll come too quickly if she keeps doing it.
“MeMe, I’m gonna come if you don’t stop,” I whisper against her breasts.
She grabs my face, tipping it up to look at her. “Please fuck me, I need you.”
I push us off of the wall and stumble with her in my arms to my bed. Falling to the bed on my back, MeMe begins kissing her way down my body. My dick threatens to punch through my jeans as she undoes the button and then pulls the zipper down.
I lift my hips and help her pull them down and then she pulls them off. “Holy shit,” MeMe whispers.
She quickly gets off the bed to pull her pants off. I take a moment to look her over and I lick my lips because how did I not see how fucking beautiful her body was? MeMe’s tight but curvy. I’m a breast man and hers are fucking gorgeous, high and perky. “Come here.” I hold out my hand to her.
I don’t miss the hesitancy in her steps. I get up from the bed and stop right in front of her. “We don’t have to do this. We can get dressed and go to bed or I can take you home.”
MeMe shakes her head. “No, I want this.”
I pull her to me and we begin to kiss. It immediately turns heated. My dick is sandwiched between our bodies and it jerks at the feel of MeMe’s soft skin. I pick her up and she wraps her legs around me. I climb onto my bed and lay her down on her back. She pulls my face down again, kissing my lips thoroughly.
Fuck, I had no clue she could kiss like this. Had I known, we would’ve been kissing a long time ago. Reaching between us, I grab my dick and rub it through her wetness, hitting her clit and making her moan.
I reach blindly into my nightstand and grab a condom. Quickly I sheath my cock and then line it up with MeMe’s opening. This is it, the moment that will change our friendship forever.
MeMe reaches behind me and grabs my ass, trying to pull me toward her. “Please don’t make me wait,” she pleads.
“We can’t go back. Once we cross that line, there’s no going back,” I whisper.
She nods. “I know.”
I hold her eyes as I ease inside of her. The moment I’m buried to the hilt, we both moan. I’ve never felt anything so perfect, so right. I give MeMe a second to become accustomed to my size and then I begin to move.
Fuck, she’s tight as I thrust in and out of her. I lean down, sucking one of her nipples into my mouth. MeMe moans while arching her back, pushing her nipple further into my mouth.
I let it go with a pop and then suck the other into my mouth, giving it the same treatment, except this time I nip it with my teeth. MeMe’s pussy flutters around me, causing me to moan.
As we begin to fuck hard, her cries of pleasure make me want to come, but I’m not ready for it to be over yet. I pull out and flip her around so she’s on all fours. MeMe thrusts her ass back at me and I slap it. I swear to God I come a little as she moans—who knew my sweet MeMe was a naughty girl.
I slap her again, harder and she cries out in pleasure. Reaching between us, I run my fingers through her pussy and she’s so fucking wet. I bring the wet digits to my mouth and lick her juices from my fingers. “Fuck, you taste good.”
I grab my dick, line it up, and thrust inside of her. She throws her head back and moans. Fuck me, she’s so hot, wet, and squeezing my dick so hard. I reach around her and begin strumming her clit. My lips stay pressed up against her back—she smells good.
“Are you gonna come for me?” I ask with my lips against her skin.
MeMe nods. “Oh god, yes. I’m gonna come so hard.”
My strokes are digging as I stay buried deep inside her. I lean up and bit
e her shoulder—she comes immediately. Her pussy tightens, squeezing my dick so hard. It’s like an inferno inside her tight channel.
I get up on my knees and grab her hips in a tight grip as I begin to fuck her hard. Over and over, I pound into her until I reach my own release, coming so hard I see stars. When our orgasms ebb, I pull out of her and collapse on the bed, pulling MeMe down with me. “I want you to promise me this won’t change anything.” I tip my head down to look at her. “Promise me.”
“I-I promise,” she whispers.
Little did I know she was going to break her promise.
2
MeMe
I lift Sawyer’s arm as I slide out of his bed. Tears threaten to fall when I realize that I’ve effectively ruined my friendship with him. Things will never go back to the way they were. I’ve been in love with him since the day we met. I just never told him out of fear of losing him as a friend, my best friend.
He’s never felt that way about me, and that’s okay. It just sucks to love someone who doesn’t love you back. Tonight was the best night of my life—he fucked me throughout the night until we both passed out.
When I woke up not too long ago, I woke to Sawyer with his arm wrapped around me, hugging me to his chest. It felt good, it felt right. That’s why I am making my escape—his rejection when he wakes up will kill me. The sun is just starting to come up and no matter what, Sawyer will be up the moment it shines on his face.
I quickly dress and take one last look at him, trying to save it to memory. How can I ever face him? I don’t wipe away the tears that roll down my cheeks as I scoop up my boots. In his living room, I order an Uber and then slip them on.
