by Ava Walsh
“It’s so simple. I just got it for some space without a thought to ever sharing it with anybody. We can have a house built instead,” Owen suggested, as she laughed and kissed him. “My mom loves you, though. She enjoyed you staying with her even though she told me to get my act together in private.”
“She did?” Nadine asked him through laughter, as he nodded. She adored Marilyn. Even in her grieving moments, the women was strong and sassy. “Your mama is amazing.”
“I know it. I knew that I would need a strong woman like her before I settled, and I’ve found her. Even when you left me last time, it was for yourself. I can tell that you succeeded there, and I hope that being here won’t be bad as it was for you before,” Owen said in a serious tone as she stared at him.
“A job doesn’t make up for love. I love you, Owen, and I want to raise our family here.” The words slipped out before she could stop them and Nadine widened her eyes.
“I love you too, hot mama.” They made love again with her on her stomach after he had checked and double checked that it was safe, and Owen didn’t hold back as he took her fast and hard. Nadine gripped the sheets as she bit her lip and felt her body start to release the intense pressure inside of her. “Nadine, I’m coming,” Owen told her in a broken voice as she cried out with him. It was like a rocket as she came again and Nadine felt all of her energy in that motion before she slumped onto the mattress.
He told her that he wanted a proper family dinner now that they were together. Nadine had only caught fleeting glimpses of his brothers over the last few days, and she sensed that they weren’t fans of hers. She nodded and pulled him close as she memorized the feeling of their bodies together.
The supper was a couple of nights away, and Nadine went out to buy a new dress for the occasion. She stared at herself in the mirror on Owen’s closet and took in the sage green material against her body as she ran a hand over her stomach. She wasn't showing yet, but Nadine felt more pregnant every day. She smiled widely at herself. Owen stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, with a tie that matched his eyes draped loosely around his neck. Nadine stepped forward and knotted it before she pressed her lips against his.
They drove to the main house and Nadine met the entire family. The brothers all resembled one another and, from what Marilyn said, their father. Jacob and Tommy were polite at best, but she saw them looking at her suspiciously before glancing at Owen several times during the evening. She was beside Owen and sipping her cider when Tommy cleared his throat. “It’s convenient that you’re here, Nadine.”
“Stop it,” Owen warned his brother, knowing that he hadn’t mentioned the will to Nadine yet.
“You know about our father, but has anyone told you about the will that he left for us?” Jacob joined in, and Marilyn set her napkin down as she glared at her sons.
“Will?” Nadine asked, and Owen gripped her hand tightly.
“The first to produce an heir gets the ranch and the inheritance. Are you sure that that you didn’t know that?” Her eyes widened, and when she looked at Owen his eyes showed the pain that he was feeling. “It will make the two of you very rich, and your life will be very comfortable. Is this even Owen’s baby? Or is this a ploy on your end to take everything after our hard work, Owen?” Tommy asked as Marilyn started telling them to shut up.
“Don’t listen to them, Nadine,” Owen pleaded with her, as she got up and left the table. Nadine ran for the front door and blindly took off over the soft grass to the pond as tears flooded her eyes.
Again, in Texas. Again, over a man who was using her for his motives. Nadine felt so stupid, and she dropped to the bench by the water as she cried all over again.
Chapter Six
Owen found her there an hour later. He dropped onto the bench and stared into her broken face. “You played me for a fool, Owen.” Nadine looked at him. His face was ashen, tie askew and his hair a mess.
“I don’t want the ranch or the money, Nadine. This isn’t about that; it’s about this baby and us.” Owen assured her, as she stared silently at him. “That’s all I want.”
“How much are you getting?” Nadine asked, and he gave a ragged sigh.
“There’s a lot, but I don’t want it. The others can split it for all that I care. I love you,” Owen insisted, as he tried to touch her.
“Stop it,” Nadine told him, as she started crying again. She tried to insist on staying there, but Owen made her go back to the house and made sure that she was safe before he left for the night. Nadine wasn’t caving and refused to talk to him as she closed the door to the spare bedroom in his face.
Nadine had an appointment the following day for the baby, and they drove silently together. Nadine would never refuse him the chance to share in his child’s development, but she no longer trusted his motives with her. The technician doing the ultrasound smiled at them as she asked if they wanted to know what they were having since it was already pretty clear. “Yes,” Owen told her, as he tried to take Nadine’s hand. She dropped it, and the girl looked between the two of them with curious eyes.
“It’s not one hundred percent coming from me, but you are having a girl.” The petite brunette showed them and Nadine felt her joy diffuse some of her disappointment at Owen.
They went right back to the house, and Owen left Nadine watching something on television with Cindy. The girl kept looking at her, and Nadine finally stared back at her. “What?”
“They’re wrong about Owen. Tommy and Jacob are wrong. He loves you,” Cindy told her. Nadine frowned. She was so young. How could she know that? “He talks about you a lot. Owen loves you, Nadine. He has never cared about the money more than you.”
“Why didn’t he tell me about it before they did?” Nadine asked her, and Cindy gave her a wide-eyed stare.
“You have to ask me that?” Cindy’s face showed her that the reaction would’ve initially been the same on Nadine’s part, and she knew that Cindy was right.
Nadine’s face fell as she dropped lower onto the couch and stroked her belly gently. There was a bump there now, and she sighed as she felt something move inside of her again. “I just felt the baby. She just moved.”
Marilyn heard her and rushed into the room as a tear slid down Nadine's cheek. “Cindy’s right, you know. That boy loves you more than he’s loved anything else apart from me.”
“I just wish I would’ve heard it from him. I have so much doubt.” Nadine whispered as Marilyn and Cindy pressed against her stomach with soft touches. “I need some time to think about this.”
While she didn’t leave the state, Nadine also kept to herself for the next week or two. Her pain was evident in her face, and Owen finally called a meeting with his brothers to discuss the will. He told them that he wanted to split the money and give them the ranch as long as they set aside some money for Cindy. Owen planned on moving away from the house and starting anew.
Tommy and Jacob stared at him as he dropped his gaze to the floor in the home office. “You’re having a baby, Owen. That gives you everything.”
“I never wanted the money. I only wanted Nadine and our baby, and I don’t even have that. I’ll just take my share and figure something out.” His voice showed the sadness he was feeling, and his brothers shared a long look. “Let’s plan a meeting with the lawyer and get that set up.”
He left the house feeling broken and lost. Owen decides to go to the rodeo even though that’s what had started all of this, but it normally soothed him and distracted him from the things on his mind.
After a few beers, Owen ran into some friends talking about the amateur bull contest happening in an hour. He decided that it was a perfect distraction. They all went over to the guy running it, and Owen threw his name into the mix. He’d ridden a bull a few times and prided himself in his talent, even asking for one of the wilder animals.
Nadine overheard Tommy and Jacob talking with Marilyn in the kitchen after a nap and walked right into the room. “He�
�s splitting up the money?” she demanded, and Tommy nodded.
“I don’t even think he wanted that, but fair is fair. He loves you, Nadine. I’ve never seen him like this with a woman before.” Tommy shook his head. “I assumed all wrong, and I’m sorry.”
“Where is he?” Nadine asked as Jacob frowned.
“I heard he’s down at the rodeo acting a fool.”
“Damn it,” Nadine cursed and looked at Marilyn. “Can I use your car? I need to talk to him.”
“Go get your man.” Marilyn smiled as she walked over to get the keys.
Nadine didn’t even freshen up before she left the house in her torn jeans and pale pink t-shirt. She just needed to fix everything. Nadine drove as carefully as she could in the luxurious SUV and parked in the back instead of wasting time finding somewhere closer. She needed to find Owen and tell him that she loved him and that she wanted them to be a family.
Running through the crowd she heard sirens, but Nadine went right to the sounds of cheering to find someone riding a bull. “Nadine? What are you doing here?” She turned to see Cole, who looked stunned to see her.
“Owen James. Where is he?” she demanded as his face fell and he looked around the crowd.
“He just rode and got thrown off. He’s on his way to the hospital,” Cole told her and tilted his head. “Are you with him now?”
“I will be. What hospital?” Nadine asked, and made a mental note to herself as she tore through the crowd to the car. She took a moment to figure out the fancy GPS system before she was on her way through the light traffic as tears slid down her cheeks. Marilyn called as she was driving and Nadine told her what had happened in a flood of tears before she took a sharp right when the robotic voice told her to.
The hospital loomed before her, and Nadine parked quickly and ran inside to a nurse’s station, demanding to know about Owen. The woman told her to calm down as she checked a computer and informed Nadine that Owen was on the second floor of the building, and they could help her up there.
Nadine ran to the elevator and paced as she waited for the car. The baby was moving, and Nadine wondered if she could feel her mother’s stress. At that station, Nadine was joined by Marilyn and her children and they found out that Owen was admitted unconscious with a concussion after a violent ride on the bull. They went to his room, and Marilyn consulted with a doctor while Nadine crept in there to see him alone as she waited for any word.
Owen looked painfully bruised and asleep as she looked at the monitors that he was hooked up to. “Please wake up, Owen. I love you, and we both need you. I know that you weren’t after the money, and I’m so sorry for thinking that and...letting this happen. Please come back to me.” She dropped into the chair and took his hand as she cried against the mattress and prayed for his recovery.
The room slowly filled with family and friends, but nobody moved Nadine from her vigil by his bedside. She could see how loved Owen was by the community, despite his concerns when they had first met. It seemed like days, but Owen opened his eyes only a few hours later and looked around the room before his blurry eyes settled on Nadine at his side. “You’re here.”
“What were you trying to do with that bull? Kill yourself?” Nadine asked him, as Marilyn chuckled and shook his head.
“You took the words right from my mouth,” Marilyn told her, as the rest of the room laughed.
“I wasn’t thinking straight. Am I okay?” he asked, as he clutched her hand tighter.
“You will be, but don’t even think of being that stupid ever again. Our daughter needs you. I need you.” Nadine smiled and cried as he looked at her with wide eyes.
“Does that mean what I think it does?” he cautiously asked her, and she nodded tearfully.
“I love you, Owen,” Nadine pledged in front of the entire room to sounds of gasps and murmurs. “I never want to be without you ever again.”
“Nadine Parson, will you marry me? I want to be a family, and I need you as my wife. I need you by my side forever,” Owen asked her, and she cried and nodded.
“Yes, I want that. I want you.” She gingerly stood to kiss him as he apologized for not having a ring. The witnesses cheered as she smiled and kissed him.
“I don’t care about any of that, Owen James. I am sorry that I doubted you, my love.”
As he kissed her, Nadine knew that she’d found her forever in Texas. Warmth filled her veins.
Texas. Who would’ve ever guessed?
*****
THE END
Secret Baby Sports Romance: Basketball Daddy
Description
He’s every woman’s dream. And he’s making me an offer I can’t refuse
Tamsin Clarkson has got her lucky break. She’s the journalist who is chosen to interview the winning team in the NBA semi-finals. This is exactly the boost she needs for her career.
Finding herself in the locker room after the game, she is confronted with superstar and notorious bad boy Crosby Jones. She’s supposed to interview him, but it’s a little difficult to concentrate when he’s in the shower... right in front of her.
He agrees to give her an exclusive feature article that she could never have imagined in her wildest dreams, but only if she gives him what he wants first: herself.
Tamsin agrees to the deal, but soon has to face the consequences: a surprise pregnancy.
She doesn’t tell him about it and breaks off all contact because she’s convinced that he doesn’t want the baby. Or is there a chance that he does?
Tamsin can’t afford to make another mistake—especially since she’s still dealing with Adam, her creepy one night stand who won’t stop texting her.
Adam is harmless though, right?
Chapter One
Tamsin was afraid she’d break a nail at the rate at which she was twisting her fingers from nervousness. Whatever happened, she had to be calm, she knew that. It was her first time on an assignment like this one, where she actually got to interview a team after the game in their locker room. The worst thing she could do was appear nervous and mess it up.
She was standing at the door of the locker room, waiting for the team to come back in. The loud cheers from the stadium made it evident that the fans were not ready for the team to leave yet after their win. That was okay, Tamsin could wait. The longer they took to return, the more time she would have to soothe her nerves.
The phone in her bag vibrated and she felt it move against her thigh. Tamsin pulled it out irritably. She didn’t need any more distractions.
Ver R U? answr nw
She couldn’t believe Adam had actually got himself a new number, since she’d blocked his old one. He couldn’t even write a complete sentence without dropping all the vowels. Tamsin rolled her eyes, as annoyed with herself as she was with him. What had she been thinking? Why had she agreed to a one-night stand with a random guy she met at a bar?
She deleted the text, dropped the phone back into her bag and leaned against the doorway.
The cheering from the crowd grew louder. This victory meant the team had made it to the semi-finals. Tamsin went from screwing up her fingers to biting her nails. She could feel the vibration of the floor as the team made its way back in.
Ever since she was a little girl, all she had wanted was to be a sports journalist, to cover NBA games and meet some of her favorite players, and it was happening now. This was her chance.
The team appeared at the end of the corridor. The guys were in their red and black jerseys, with their manager, coach and other supporters behind them. High fives were flying around, and she could see the sweat dripping down their hair, down their temples, soaking their jerseys. To Tamsin, they looked like warriors, like heroes, and they were making their way towards her.
That was when she saw him for the first time in real life. Crosby Jones. The guy had been an inspiration to her and many others. At the tender age of eighteen, Crosby had entered the NBA, having been scouted in college, and had become a national star in no time.
Now, six years later, he was a veteran but still going strong. Tamsin couldn’t help but smile at them. They were approaching her in a huddle, and she stood frozen at the spot.
“Are you Tamsin Clarkson?” somebody asked her, but she remained staring at the guys, following their every movement with bewildered eyes. Her dream had come true.
“Excuse me, miss. Are you Tamsin Clarkson?” The voice interrupted her thoughts again and she turned to find the manager of the team standing there with his arms crossed, glaring at her.
“Uhh…yes, I am.” She was fumbling with her words, still trying to get her bearings and shake herself out of the daze.
“Yes. I was told you’d be here. We don’t have much time for you, Miss Clarkson. Just a quick interview with the coach and a few of the players will have to do.” He started to walk into the locker room and Tamsin followed him, fumbling with her notebook and pen in her bag.
“Of course. I was promised an exclusive with Crosby Jones as well,” she said, still nervous as hell.
“Crosby doesn’t have time, Miss Clarkson. The coach will have to do for now.” He turned to her with an icy smile as he navigated his way through the people in the locker room. She wasn’t really paying much attention to what he had to say. All she could do was look around her in awe.
“Time for what?” someone asked and Tamsin jerked her head to look at Crosby standing in front of his locker. His shirt was off, and he was standing with his hands planted on his hips. Tamsin could feel her cheeks grow warm. She had never thought she would ever meet him in person, and here he was in his full bare glory.
Crosby towered over her by at least a foot, his pale skin was tanned and the muscles on his bare chest and arms were flexed. As he looked at her with curiosity in his eyes, she could see that his green eyes sparkled. Strands of his blond, shining hair fell over his eyes as he examined her. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his bare torso. Tamsin could feel her belly flop. He was the hottest guy she had ever set her eyes on. No wonder he had the reputation he had, of making women drop their panties with just one look.
