Hardball: A Sports Romance

by Alexa Reiss

Lindsey’s head turned in the direction of Arabella’s bedroom. “Who else is in here? I smell men’s cologne.”

  Panic filled Arabella. A small selfish part of her still wanted to cling to their privacy, but Lindsey’s eyes were already widening with astonishment. She reached around the counter to usher her out, but it was too late. Chance rounded the hallway to stop in mid-whistle in just as much surprise to see Lindsey standing there.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Lindsey asked.

  Gone was the relaxed face that Arabella had loved to witness all night long. Chance’s face immediately slipped into a guarded expression.

  “None of your business,” he said, and strode over the other side of the counter. “I have to get going. I’ll see you this evening. I promise.”

  Stiff as a board from Lindsey’s surprise intrusion, Arabella gave him a small nod. He paid no attention to Lindsey as he leaned down to kiss Arabella on the lips a little longer than appropriate, but she couldn’t bring herself to break. He barely spared Lindsey a look as he walked out the front door, closing it behind him.

  “That’s an interesting turn of events,” Lindsey said, whistling under her breath. “What happened between you two last night? Because I’m assuming that is why you didn’t meet me at the mall like we planned.”

  Arabella fidgeted beneath Lindsey’s gaze. She picked up a rag from the kitchen sink to wipe up the spilled coffee just to avoid the question as long as possible.

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  “Oh, please,” Lindsey scoffed, shaking her head. “The entire time I’ve seen you two together or in pictures, he has never kissed you that way. I’m not daft either. I can see that he stayed here last night.”

  “Then, I guess you can pretty much figure out the rest then.”

  Lindsey grinned widely. “You two are in item then? Like, not for a publicity stunt anymore right?”

  “I wouldn’t say in item,” Arabella said. “Maybe? I think so. He asked me out on a real date without all the cameras following us around.”

  She couldn’t contain her own giddiness that was surging through her. It was real, she thought with a smile. That kiss, the entire night, none of it was for the cameras. It was for the both of them.

  “I’m happy for you,” Lindsey said. “Just make sure he knows that if he breaks your heart I’ll go kick his ass. These football players can be players.”

  Arabella’s smile widened.

  “I think he knows that there is a lot more involved with me than anyone else. We’re just going to see how all this goes.”

  ***

  Chapter Twelve

  Chance

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Chance looked up from the box filled with at least thirty books. Reading the nervousness on Arabella’s face, he rolled his eyes dramatically at her.

  “For the hundredth time, yes. I am positive about this,” he said. “I wouldn’t be packing up all your books and shit if I wasn’t sure.”

  A small smile tugged at Arabella’s lips at that.

  “I’m sorry. I know that I keep asking the same question over and over.”

  The living room was cluttered with various boxes. Two days ago, Chance had helped (much to his annoyance) move all of Arabella’s furniture into a storage unit ten minutes away. He had insisted on her moving in with him halfway through the football season. Not for further publicity since he and Robert had yet to comment on the status of his relationship with Arabella, but because it was what he wanted. He wanted Arabella in his bed every single night, quivering in the aftermath of their lovemaking, and curled up next to him in sleep. He was tired of her driving home at the end of the night, or driving home himself to get up for practice the next day.

  Nothing could dissuade him from that complete feeling he felt deep within his soul every single moment he spent with Arabella. Every time he touched her, he felt the best parts of him being touched.

  And lately Chance had made a habit of going after the things he wanted without worrying about his father’s or the world’s opinions. The only opinion that mattered was Arabella’s. He didn’t care about anything else.

  The phone in his jean pocket buzzed. Chance glanced down at it to see his father’s number lighting up the screen. His thumb hovered over the answer button for a moment. Ignoring his father’s call meant a flood of calls later.

  “Whose calling?” Arabella asked.

  “My father,” Chance replied, tensely. “I’m just going to ignore it. I know what he’s calling about.”

  “Take it,” she said, nodding to him. “If you don’t, he’ll just keep calling. Robert did say in a press conference today that you’re going to be talking about our relationship. I’ll go outside to give you some privacy to talk.”

  She grabbed a book from one of the boxes stacked neatly against the living room wall before flashing him an encouraging smile.

  Chance sighed. He already had imagined how this conversation would go once word reached his father’s ears that he was in a confirmed relationship, but pictures of Arabella moving into his apartment was all the hook his father needed to call. Bracing himself for a testy conversation, he sat down on the edge of a box.

  “Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?”

  He winced at the question. “I’m sure the pictures circulating around the internet and news sites says it all.”

  “Pictures are worth a thousand words,” Nathan agreed a bit cynically. “I just hope that whoever this woman is—”

  A surge of fierce protectiveness flowed through Chance.

  “Her name is Arabella,” he said, shortly. “And I don’t want to hear you talk bout her. You don’t even know who she is.”

  A long stretch of silence followed at that.

  “I’m a bit confused, son, because you told me that you two weren’t in a relationship. That this was all for publicity to get you back into the league and fan’s favor again. You’re telling me that it is real now?”

  “Yes,” Chance said. “It’s not that complicated, and it’s not for a show.”

  “I hope that it is. Remember what we talked about? You are on the brink of a wonderful and successful career. Do you honestly want to be tied down right now?”

  A headache pounded away at Chance’s temples. He glanced through the kitchen to see that Arabella was true to her word, sitting outside with a book cracked open in her lap to give him privacy.

  “She’s not tying me down,” he replied. “She’s with me every step of the way. You remember how you felt about mom?”

  Nathan sighed into the phone. “Of course I do,” he said, impatiently. “I loved your mother more than anything in this world, but I know she would be with me on this. You are so young, and you have plenty of time in life to find love and settle down. Enjoy things for what it is right now.”

  “Mom wouldn’t be proud of me for the things I’ve done,” Chance said. “I’m not proud of the things I’ve done. I have to go. If you want an answer about what is going on, tune into the conference like everybody else.”

  He hung up before his father could reply.

  “What did your father want?” Arabella asked when he stepped outside.

  The chill of the winter air didn’t seem to bother her from the warm smile crossing her face. She had dusted snow away from the porch step to sit down, and enjoy the small bit of warmth from the sun peeking out behind the overcast skies.

  “Just the usual,” Chance said, holding out a hand for her to take. “Come on. We have to get to the stadium for the press conference.”

  Arabella took it without hesitation. She reached up to run a hand self-consciously through her hair. While neither one of them confirmed anything to the press, the speculation surrounding them online was intense as ever. Two days ago, Chance had no other choice but to hand over his social media accounts to his agent to help him filter through the comments and messages from women. And it angered him greatly to see the hurtful comments directed at Ar
abella from anonymous users, but he ignored it as instructed.

  Soon, they would all know what Arabella meant to him, or where his heart was at.

  They arrived to the stadium where Robert was waiting for them on the football field with a slew of reporters and teammates. In four days, they would be flying to Arizona to play in the Super Bowl Championships, but there was a undeniable curiosity from the reporters who turned to flash pictures of him walking hand-in-hand with Arabella.

  Chance caught sight of Liam waving to him a little bit away from the chaos of cameras and reporters. He excused himself from Arabella for a moment before jogging over to his best friend.

  “Do you have it?” He asked, quietly.

  Liam glanced over the crowd before pulling the small box out of his pocket. “Yeah, bro. I got you covered.”

  Staring down at the tiny black box for a moment, Chance slipped into the pocket of his pants this time. He casted a furtive glance over his shoulder to make sure that no one saw it, including Arabella who was chatting with Robert.

  “Are you sure about this?” Liam asked. “Not that I’m old fashioned, but I hope you asked Arabella’s father first.”

  “Two weeks ago,” Chance said, grinning. “I invited him out to the sports bar for a couple of beers and food.”

  “Smooth. What did your father say?”

  Chance looked across the stadium to avoid Liam’s gaze. “I don’t know. I’ll find out tonight once the camera’s start to roll.”

  “I guess you can’t be afraid of your father cutting of ties from you,” Liam replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You’ve got your own success in life to support you. Do you think he’ll understand?”

  “God only knows,” Chance said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not going to worry about it. Keep your phone out. I want to get a snapchat of Arabella’s expression when I ask her to marry me.”

  Liam pulled out his phone at that. “You’re pretty confident that Arabella feels the same way towards you. It’s only been a few months.”

  He knew Arabella felt it. There were several times throughout his life that Chance had been around the same woman physically and mentally over and over. None of them had ever felt right. With Arabella, it was nothing but utter peace and stability. He hadn’t realize it before, but that was something he had been looking for before.

  And now that he had it, he sure as hell wasn’t going to let it go.

  “I’m sure,” he said.

  Chance turned to look through the maze of cameras and faces until he landed on Arabella. Their eyes met, and the rest of the world melted away as it always did. He stuck a hand into his pocket to grip the box tightly. It was now or never, he thought, and the word never was not a part of his vocabulary.

  ***

  Chapter Thirteen

  Six months later

  The fluttering of blue and pink tissue paper stirred Arabella back from the quick nap she had slipped into. Several presents were stacked high about the living room, but it was the two oak cribs with two large bows that brought an instant smile to her face. Go figure that Chance would run away from cleaning up the mess from the baby shower. It was overwhelming just for her to look at.

  Arabella pushed herself up to rest a hand on the swell of her belly. Four more months, and the twins would be sleeping in those cribs— a surprising present from Chance’s father, Nathan. He had objected to their relationship, engagement, and even marriage, but the mention of grand-babies seemed to be the thing that won him over.

  Their five bedroom house was quiet, too eerily quiet. It was the middle of summertime, and Chance had nowhere to be for at least another couple months before preseason started again. She massaged her lower back as she walked out onto the back patio deck that overlooked three acres of green grass to find Chance sitting on edge of their small pool with his legs in the water.

  “What are you doing out here?” She asked, using his shoulder as a way to lower herself down to sit next to him. She let out a blissful sigh when the warm water lapped at her already swollen ankles.

  “Just thinking,” Chance said. “I didn’t want to wake you. You literally passed out the second Lindsey pulled out of the driveway.”

  “It’s exhausting being pregnant with twins,” Arabella replied, rubbing at her face with a tired yawn. “The party was just as exhausting. Are you surprised about the cribs?”

  Chance shrugged his shoulders. “I think my dad’s more excited about grand babies than he was about ever having me.”

  They shared a laugh at that. It had been the same type of news when they told Arabella’s parents that they were pregnant with twins. Arabella rested her head on Chance’s bare shoulder to feel the hot sunlight in his tanned skin. They stared across the green lawn to where a bush of wildflowers grew thanks to Arabella accidentally dropping a packet of seeds in the dirt. Bumble bees buzzed from flower to flower while sprinklers clicked lazily in the distance.

  “How are they doing now?” Chance asked. “I hope they let you get some rest.”

  He rested a hand on her stomach. The sunlight glinted off the golden band of his wedding ring, and he received two enthusiastic kicks in return.

  “They let me sleep when you don’t mess with my belly,” she said, rubbing the top of his hand with a smile. “I think they already know the difference between your hands and mine. They kick whenever you sneak a feel in the middle of the night.”

  Fierce pride filled Chance’s eyes at that. He picked up Arabella’s hand, and pressed a tender kiss to the back of it. Genuine happiness sparkled in his eyes as he gazed at her.

  “How did I get so lucky?” Chance asked, softly.

  “I have no idea,” she said, teasingly. “It certainly wasn’t easy loving you some days, but you got it figured out.”

  And it hadn’t been easy. Their relationship was on every tabloid and gossip site. It took all of Arabella’s trust and self-control not to pay attention what others said about them. She learned real quick that there was always a hundred different angles to one story. Most of them were speculation or made up.

  She didn’t regret it though. She didn’t regretting accepting his marriage proposal on live television. Not because it was publicity, but because Chance wanted to prove a point that he could commit himself in light of everything. Now, they were expecting twins together with another contract tucked away under Chance’s impressive career. Nothing could go wrong now. It felt as though they were invincible for the first time in their lives.

  Arabella twined an arm through his as they sat there with their legs submerged in water, and enjoying the views of the summer sky stretching on before them, endless and beautiful.

  Hardball by Alexa Reiss

  Published by

  Alexa Reiss

  www.authoralexareiss.com

  © 2016 Alexa Reiss

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.