I didn’t realize exactly what I would be marrying into when I accepted Van’s proposal twelve years ago. I knew Van came from money – his jacked-up truck and his townhouse hinted at that – but what I didn’t realize is that between his trust fund and his NFL salary, we have more money than our great-grandchildren will be able to spend.
“So, are the kids looking forward to going back to school?” I ask Kiernan as she opens another bottle wine and I refill the bowls of chips.
“HA! No, Kace is in junior high. He’s moody, growing armpit hair, and I think he’s starting to like girls. Lord help me if he’s like his father,” she laughs.
“You mean totally in love?” I quip.
“Okay, well if you put it that way. I guess I was more referring to what came before that,” she says and we both laugh. Van and Brooks each had their run through the co-eds before Kiernan and I met them.
“Well, they’ve both redeemed themselves, I’d say.”
“How are you feeling these days? Not much longer now,” she asks and motions toward my gigantic belly.
“Well, I feel like a whale, if I’m being honest, but you’re right, only two more weeks,” I reply and rub some Dorito cheese dust on the navy-blue maternity shirt covering my enormous belly.
“You were made to make babies, or you wouldn’t already have four,” she says with a giggle. “I don’t know how you manage that, the foundation and Van.”
“Patience, and well, more patience,” I reply with a chuckle.
Van and I started the Donovan and Maisy Blake Foundation shortly after I finished law school. I run the foundation, which funds scholarships for students to attend college who may not otherwise be able to do so. When I attended Cambria, I had a scholarship, but it didn’t cover everything I needed. Our scholarship makes sure students don’t graduate from college buried in debt. We also contribute a lot of money to a project near and dear to my heart – a house for school-aged children whose parents are incarcerated and don’t want to go into foster care. These students live in a dormitory-type setting while they finish high school, and then are awarded one of the scholarships to the university or trade school of their choice. The heart that Van always claimed he didn’t have turned out to be quite large when it comes to kids in need.
“Owl! Where are you?” I hear my favorite nickname exclaimed from my favorite man’s mouth.
“Kitchen!”
“Oh, hey, KK,” Van says as he strolls in, looking like a model straight out of the Hamptons magazine in mint green shorts, a white polo with pink stripes, and white canvas dock shoes. His coffee-colored hair is coiffed in the front and shaved on the sides. The days of the sexy-as-fuck man bun are gone, but damn he still looks just as hot as he did the first day I saw him in English Lit.
“How are those boat shoes, Blake?” Kiernan jabs. We never let him live down the fact he always said he wasn’t one of the “trust-fund pussies in cable-knit sweaters and boat shoes.”
“Fucking comfortable. I’m pissed I missed out on so many years of wearing these,” he replies, wiggles a foot at Kiernan, and pops a grape into his mouth.
“So, are we having a fire on the be—” I stop midsentence.
“Beach?” Van fills in the blank.
“Holy shit!” Kiernan screams.
“My water broke. It’s fine. Not my first rodeo. Van, get the mop.” I nod toward the pantry.
“Damn right it’s not. Not with my super-fucking-swimmers,” Van says proudly. He’s right. Considering how we grew up, Van and I both knew we wanted a large family, and over the last twelve years we’ve been building one.
After he proposed, we decided to get married in Vegas. I didn’t have any family, and while I love my friends, I just really wanted something intimate with only Van. After the draft and graduation, we flew to Vegas and proclaimed our love in front of Elvis.
“Mac and I will stay here,” Kiernan offers. “Belle can handle playing with five boys for another day or two. Get her to the hospital, Blake.”
“Are you sure?” I ask. Watching our four boys can be a challenge. They’re active to say the least.
“Go,” she commands. “I’ll get the mop. And keep me posted! I can’t wait to meet him.”
Epilogue: Donovan
Making kids is really fun, really, really fun. But, shit, nothing compares to watching a new life come into this world. A life you created with the person you love the most.
We walk into the hospital in Manhattan two hours later and Maisy is in active labor. She can barely breathe through her contractions. We’ve been here before, and I know it won’t be long until my fifth son graces us with his presence.
Maisy has been a champ birthing and raising our boys. We have George who is nine, Andrew, who we call Drew after her dad, is seven, Rowen, after my best friend from college, is four, Hayes, after my coach at Cambria, is two, and the incoming little human, we plan to name Lincoln.
“We need a room, please. My wife is in labor,” I tell the nurse at the registration desk.
“Are you sure?” she asks gruffly.
Pretty fucking sure, lady. Move your ass, is what I want to say. It’s what the old Blake would have said, but Van says, “Yes, ma’am. This is our fifth. Her contractions are three minutes apart and we need a room. My name is Donovan Blake and this is my wife, Maisy.”
“Donovan Blake, the Patriot?” She sets her pen down slowly and moves her eyes to my face.
I nod.
“I’ll get your room ready myself,” she confirms. “Amber, please check Mrs. Blake in,” she asks the other nurse at the desk and wanders down the hall.
Once Maisy is all checked in, we settle in and I reminisce about how we got here. The bet, Halloween, Emilio, the draft, our “Hunka Hunka Burning” wedding, and the birth our sons.
Thankfully, SA McLaren left Maisy and me out of the arrest report for Emilio and our names have never been connected to his arrest. He is in Florence, Colorado at their supermax facility. 24/7 surveillance and isolation twenty-three hours a day.
Maisy and her dad have remained in contact. He calls once a week from San Quentin and is half done serving his time. Chet is hopeful he will get out early though. He really wants to meet his grandchildren.
My parents still don’t come around much, but dad has made an effort to attend little league and pee-wee football games as much as he can now that we’re living on the East Coast again. My mom and I had a heart to heart after the draft. She understood my point of view and apologized for being absent. Not much has changed though. She doesn’t make time for her grandsons any more than she did me. Thankfully, Maisy is the most hands-on and present mother in the world. Our boys are so loved.
“Van,” Maisy says breathlessly. My concentration shifts back to her as the contractions start coming fast and furious. Dr. Bridges is in the room and we’re ready to meet our baby boy.
“We’re close, Maisy,” Dr. Bridges encourages.
“Soon, baby. He will be here soon. You’re amazing,” I offer support while she squeezes the ever loving shit out of my hand. She is fucking strong for a pint-sized woman.
“One… more… push,” Dr. Bridges prompts Maisy, who bears down and pushes with an intensity that rivals anything I’ve ever seen. When she gave birth to George, I expected screaming, sweat, blood and all hell breaking loose, like you see in the movies. But that’s not my girl. Maisy pinches her ocean eyes shut, bites her bottom lip and tilts her head back as her body clenches. She is the strongest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.
Soon the newborn screams fill my ears and the sound makes my heart beat faster, he’s here.
“It’s a GIRL!” Dr. Bridges announces proudly to the room.
“Maisy, you’re ama— Wait, what?” I turn my attention from Maisy to Dr. Bridges.
“It’s a girl, Donovan. You have a daughter.”
“Holy fucking shit,” I reply in complete shock as I watch Dr. Bridges sets my daughter on my wife’s chest.
�
�Cut the cord?” a nurse asks and hands me some weird hospital scissors. I nod, but I’m still in shock. I just assumed we’d have boy number five. I cut the cord and the nurse takes our daughter from Maisy to wash her up because let’s face it, I learned from the birth of our first son, that babies don’t come out all shiny and clean.
“Owl,” I begin, but I’m speechless as the nurse carries our daughter away. I have a daughter. A baby girl to wrap me around her tiny little finger.
“Congratulations, daddy,” Maisy says and smiles up at me. Her sapphires are sparkling with pride. “Our boys are going to freak out.”
The nurse returns our baby girl to Maisy’s arms, swaddled in a blanket. A tuft of dark black hair sticking up on her precious little head. I reach down and a tiny little hand grasps my large finger. I’m done for.
“This is going to be the most protected little girl in the world,” I say as I lean down and kiss my daughter. “Our daughter.” I kiss Maisy, long and soft. This is the kiss reserved for the mother of my children. Not the bedroom kisses that led us here to begin with.
I stare at my wife. After twelve years, it’s still surreal that I get to call this amazing woman mine. We always said we could flip a switch between making love and fucking, and my God, after all these years the sex is still fucking mind-blowing, but having children adds a new level of intimacy.
Maisy’s body has changed with age and pregnancy. It is softer, supple, and goddamn if she’s not the most stunning woman in the world mind, body and soul. Our love has evolved, and being the man I used to be, I shouldn’t be lucky enough to spend my life with her. Growing old with her is all I want.
“What do you think of the name Charlotte?” she asks with a brilliant smile bringing my mind back to the present.
“I think Grammy would love to have a namesake,” I confirm as a warmth spreads through my body, my heart beating rapidly from the excitement of becoming a father to a girl. “I love you, Owl.”
“I love you too, Van.”
“And I love you, Charlotte,” I say and kiss my baby girl’s head again.
About The Author
Sadie T. Williams
Sadie T. Williams is a wife, mother (human and fur), sports fan, coffee addict and avid reader of romance novels. She runs on chaos and caffeine. Exception and Redemption are the first two books in the Cambria University Series.
The Cambria University bad boy jocks and the strong girls who tame them are just the type of characters she loves to read and write about.
Follow Sadie on Facebook @sadietwilliams, Goodreads @sadietwilliams or on Amazon amazon.com/author/sadietwilliams to stay up to date on her writing progress and process.
Praise For Author
My favorite type of books are college jocks romance, and this is the best one I have read hands down!!!!! I loved Kiernan, aka KK; she is everything you want in a heroine. She and Brooks are such a great a couple; I felt like I was in their relationship. The supporting characters in this book were excellent as well; I loved each character's group dynamic. I especially loved the public banters and getting everything out in the open!!!
It's the first book I read from Sadie T. Williams, and it won't be the last. I'm excited about the second book!!!
- Donny, Amazon Review of Exception
I was recommended this book by an instagram page, and it did not disappoint. Read this in one shot, it was just that good. I don't really write reviews, but I'm making an "Exception".
What I really loved about this book was it's characters...
The friendship, the sportsmanship, the relationships, heck, I JUST SHIP IT. It's a really good read and another life to get sucked into. Happy Reading :)
- JanMae, Amazon Review of Exception
The author has come with another peachy keen Romance novel of the series which will make the readers adore the characters. The book has Romance and a lot of drama with a surprising plot twist that makes the story unputdownable.
Personally, I loved how the characters are interlinked from the first and the second book and all of them together at the end. Can't wait for the next book.
- Booksaddict2020, Goodreads Review of Redemption
Sadie has created such a fun world that even when you don’t connect with some of the characters, the side characters, conversations, and atmosphere still pull you in. I’m so looking forward to reading more about the Cambria crew. I’d love to know more about those Baseball boys too!
- Pixiereadsromance, Goodreads Review of Redemption
I absolutely loved character developments the couple made together! Loved the humor too!! It has a little bit of everything I look for as a good read! I highly recommend!!
- Hanni, Amazon Review of Exception
Books By This Author
Exception (Cambria University Series, Book 1)
Exception is the first book in the Cambria University Series and Sadie's first published novel. It is a standalone contemporary sports romance novel.
Kiernan Kelly and Brooks McCarthy were each born into football royalty. One fateful meeting changes the course of both their lives.
Everyone at Cambria University knows that the most popular, handsome and talented guy at the school is destined for the National Football League - alone. His father, Rhett, not only passed on his DNA, work ethic and love for the game, but a set of rules to keep his son unattainable.
Kiernan on the other hand tries to hide her famous lineage as she dazzles everyone with her skill on the softball field. As the daughter of Hall of Fame quarterback, John Kelly, she inherited his athleticism, but not his lust for the spotlight or the public persona he works so hard to protect. She has a plan for her life that does not include falling in love. Love makes you weak. Weak like her mother. But fate has other plans for the stunning athlete.
Will Kiernan finally not let fear control her? Has Brooks finally met the exception to his rules? Do their families really have their best interest at heart? If their love can survive the first year then it can survive anything.
- Excerpt -
Exception
(Cambria University Series, Book 1)
Chapter 1: Kiernan
August
The George and Eleanor Blake library may be one of my favorite places on the campus of Cambria University. The old stone, crawling ivy, and stained glass windows make it feel like a castle. Inside, the air feels damp and smells like old leather books. I imagine myself as a dainty damsel in distress, locked in my tower with nothing but books to occupy my time. Sitting, reading, waiting for my knight to storm in and rescue me.
But that’s not who I am. I am not a damsel. I am the starting shortstop for the Division One softball powerhouse Golden Knights. I may be smaller than the typical DI shortstop, but there isn’t much dainty about me. I am about five feet, five inches tall and 130 pounds of pure muscle. I have a small waist, thick thighs and a booty that is a little too big for my frame, but I can flat out fly around the bases. I am a triple threat from the left side of the plate. I can drag bunt, slap hit or swing away. I use my speed to reach base and I led the nation in batting average last year at .585, plus I added an NCAA-record 84 stolen bases to my resume. I was never thrown out.
Last season, we were one win away from a National Championship. Our senior pitcher cracked in the sixth inning. She just completely lost her shit. I’ve heard of players getting the yips before—hell, I had a catcher on one of my travel ball teams who couldn’t throw the ball back to the pitcher. She had to throw it to me down at second base and I would have to walk it to the mound. Crazy, I know. But, after being lights out all season long, the pitcher couldn’t throw a strike if her life – or the game – depended on it. Losing to Alabama and their smug coach, again, was the cherry on top of watching the National Championship slip through my fingers.
This season, my junior year, we’re back and more determined than ever. As team captain I’ve been kicking my teammate’s asses during offseason workouts. I’m a beast on the field, and they w
ill be too. Off the field though, I’m pretty mild mannered. I’m like Jekyll and Hyde, really—my dad always said that he feels sorry for the guy who marries me because I’m two different people. He doesn't have to worry about that though. I have no intention of getting married. My parents set a stellar example of how not to be married when I was growing up, and as a result I made it my life goal to never be them. Plus, with my dad being one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, I never know if people are genuinely interested in me or if they just want to get close to my dad. Therefore, I don’t date. I’m “just one of the guys,” which I enjoy most of the time. Of course, sometimes I wish I had male companionship, but I prefer it this way.
Sports talk and no drama. That sums up my interactions with the opposite sex. The great John Kelly, aka my father, taught me to talk football, or any sport really. We hang out at parties, drink beer, and play beer pong. They don’t view me as more. I’ve never even been asked out on a real date, at least not seriously. Sure, they love to tell me how nice my ass is, but they say that to a lot of girls. They always end up taking home some hot chick in a short skirt. Not the girl wearing sweatpants. It’s frustrating sometimes, and probably the reason I’m a virgin at the ripe old age of 20, and I’m pretty sure that won’t have changed when I hit the big 2-1 next spring. Real talk, I will probably die a virgin.
Redemption (Cambria University #2) Page 34
