by E. A. James
Hanes rested his head against hers and kissed the top of her head. She hummed and relaxed a little bit against him, making him smile.
Thomas and his other brothers talked outside of the car—making plans on going back home and helping Hanes, or something like that. Hanes couldn’t hear too well from inside of the care, so he wasn’t fully sure what they said. Not that he fully cared. His attention was mainly focused on Frankie.
“Sorry again,” he said again for the umpteenth time. They had already had their talk—about him not acting reckless every time Frankie got upset. “How you doing?”
“Much better,” she said. She kissed his shoulder. “You?”
“Same.”
“Good.”
They rested like that for a minute longer—Thomas taking out another paper outside of the car and showing it to the other brothers.
Talking about business again, Hanes thought bitterly. He rolled his eyes. “They can’t wait to do all that at home?” He was going to say more when he saw Thomas tear up the paper.
Hanes stiffened. Well, he stiffened as much as his aching body would let him.
“They’ve been talking about how to talk to you,” Frankie said. “It’s kind of sweet in a funny way.”
“Talk to me about what?”
“Fairly splitting your dad’s assets and profit. Apparently, me crying in front of them and then you getting nearly trampled to death helped them get over their feud.”
Hanes blinked, stunned. “Huh.”
“Yup.”
Each brother shook hands with another before Thomas finally got in the driver’s seat of his car. He looked back at Hanes. “How you holding up, dumb-ass?”
Hanes scowled. “I just came out of the hospital. Have some class.”
“Not when you were put in the hospital for a stupid reason.”
Hanes would have argued if Frankie wasn’t right there. She had—in a much kinder way—said the same thing, and he had agreed with her at the time. Caught between his pride and his sincerity, he huffed out a frustrated breath and glanced away.
“That’s what I thought,” Thomas said, starting the car.
The drive back home was quiet, nothing but the radio playing country and the outside noises penetrating the silence. It was peaceful—restful, even. Hanes closed his eyes and sagged against Frankie.
When he opened his eyes again, they were at his parents’ estate.
Surprised, he raised his head and looked around. All the while, Frankie patted his arm.
Thomas got out of his own car and jogged around so that he could open Hanes’s door for him. His other brothers popped up from somewhere, too, all of them helping Hanes ease out of the backseat with his crutches.
“Want me to carry you?” Thomas asked, making kissy sounds right in Hanes ear.
“Shut up,” Hanes said, unable to contain the laughter that came out of him.
Thomas was never so…goofy. To see him like that—Hanes laughed a little harder and lightly pushed against Thomas’s shoulder.
And then everyone was laughing. Hanes wasn’t sure if they were laughing at Thomas or at Hanes—or laughing with them, even—but it was…nice. It had been a long time since Hanes shared an enjoyable moment with his family.
They all walked to the front of the manor at the same slow pace that Hanes was moving. Frankie walked right next to him, though she allowed him enough room to use his crutches.
When he reached the deck—the steps having taken forever for him to conquer—Gina burst out of the front door and nearly hugged him. Horror struck her face though, and she quickly stepped back.
“You look awful,” she said, grimacing as she eyed him up and down. “How are you even alive?”
Hanes snorted. “I missed you, too, you runt.”
“If you ever do something so idiotic again—”
He tilted his head to the side and huffed. “I know, I know. I got all kinds of lectures back at the hospital. I won’t do that ever again.”
Gina visibly relaxed. “Okay then.” She slowly moved forward and gave him the lightest hug he had ever received. “You’re the good one, you know.”
Hanes smiled fondly, pressing a kiss to his baby sister’s head. “Second to you, maybe.”
Gina snorted, but she didn’t disagree with him. She patted his back once before backing away and opening the door for them all.
Hanes nod his thanks as he hobbled his way inside the air-conditioned home. He heard Frankie and his family shuffle in after him—all of them so close to him and one another. They practically hovered over him until he sat down on the couch, his crutches placed against the couch’s arm.
Frankie, quickly but gently, settled in beside him again.
And then everything returned to normal.
“We should talk about how exactly to split up dad’s assets,” Thomas said, taking his seat in the lounge chair. “He does have some properties on the east coast that I think we should sell. And we have lost some renters this past year, so we need to focus on doing more advertising.”
“Again with the advertising,” Eunice whined. “That’s all you ever talk about.”
“Advertising is how sales happen.”
“We haven’t even gotten a proper contract set up yet. Everything still belongs to Hanes right now.”
Thomas’s face fell. “Right.” He turned to Hanes. “Um—”
Hanes waved his hand at them all, some of them taking their seats while others remained standing with their arms crossed. “Don’t give a damn. You can have it all.”
“You should have some say in the company,” his mother said. She was one of the ones who remained standing, her face contorting with frustration. “Those stables and ranches your father rented out are his legacy.”
“I thought that was what we were. Why else would he write out the will the way he did?”
That got everyone quiet, their gazes lowering.
Hanes smirked with triumph. And now that everything was silent, he could return his full attention to Frankie, snuggled against his side. “You know,” he said, amusement and warmth coursing through him, “someone at the hospital told me that you and I were engaged.”
Frankie jolted a bit before backing away to face him properly. A blush coated her entire face, her mouth opening and closing before an actual sound came up. “Well, um, Thomas thought that—it—I—”
“I really liked the sound of it,” Hanes said, his smirk softening as he stared at his babbling beauty.
Her face went slack, her eyes moistening. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He leaned a little closer. Her scent, her warmth—it wrapped around him, made him feel like he truly was home. Everything about Frankie Carmichael was everything he had ever needed, and he felt the urge to make it permanent as soon as possible. “I would get on one knee if I could, but—”
“I’ll marry you,” she breathed before kissing him. “Of course I will.”
As Hanes heart soared, his relatives applauded. He didn’t know why they were clapping—he and Frankie weren’t their only little reality show—but he didn’t care. He leaned forward and kissed Frankie again, his hand moving to rest on her swollen belly.
Home, he thought again, joy and peace settling over him.
THE END
The Quarterback’s Secret Baby
CHAPTER ONE
I’m from Small Town, Texas, and no, that is not a joke – that’s its real name. It looks and feels exactly like what you would imagine - a small town with about 3,000 residents. There are only three schools - one elementary, one middle school and one high school. The same people have been working the same jobs for as long as I can remember. It’s the kind of place that when you leave you never come back, but if you stay, like me, you’re stuck…forever.
I drudged up the dirt pathway, made from the years of foot traffic to open the Greasy Spoon Diner. After ten years of working here Dottie finally trusted me to open in the morning. When she first told me I couldn’t help but
be excited, I mean…she didn’t trust anyone to open her beloved diner. Now, at five in the morning, when dawn had barely cracked, I was opening this restaurant. I could almost predict my day to a T. At 6:00 am, the cowboys would slowly pool in for coffee, always ordering the same thing. The few not lucky enough to have wives would order breakfast or confirm that they’ll be ordering lunch. Around 7:00, the few stragglers would come in, needing a hot meal before work, before I would get a blessed hour of peace from 9:00 – 10:00. After that starts the feeding frenzy for lunch, and that doesn’t calm down until 3:00….which is thankfully when I finish for the day.
“Morning Maddie,” Sal says, patting me hard on the behind, per tradition.
“It’s too early for that Sal,” I say, exhausted already.
“Nonsense, it’s never too early for a little shake to go along with my eggs.”
“It’s fries.”
“So you agree. Come here so I can get some more.”
I could only sigh and shake my head before walking back to the kitchen to deliver the orders.
I took the orders, passed them off to Flo, our morning cook. As cliché as it may seem, there was something comforting about the gum smacking woman with over-fluffed red hair firmly stuck in the 1980s.
“Let me get a hot blonde in sand, (coffee with cream and sugar), Adam & Eve on a raft and wreck ’em with a side of Noah’s boy (two scrambled eggs on toast with ham).”
Flo rung up the orders with the speed of God and dished out the plates. Diner lingo was essential to our functional operation. Daisy ran the register but most of our customers paid in cash and rarely tipped. Thankfully, Dottie paid me a little above the statewide wage for servers. Even with her charity, though, I barely made ends meet.
I finally stepped aside for my break, shaking like I needed a cigarette. I would if it wasn’t such a costly habit. I suppressed the urge with my phone.
Text message? Who the hell talks to me? If I didn’t need to always be available, I wouldn’t even have a phone.
Hey, bestie. - 10:14 am Cara.
Cara Shields, the most beautiful woman in the world. It might seem like I was exaggerating but I wasn’t. She was one of those girls that got everything they ever wanted, and I couldn’t be mad because she was as humble as they come. If I wasn’t so prideful, we wouldn’t have lost contact over all these years. After staring at the screen longer than I should and procrastinating with a short game of Angry Birds, I responded.
Hey. - 10:32am
Good God, she lives. Where you been Madkins? - 10:33am
Haha. Look I’m on break for a few more minutes. - 10:35 am
Ok then here’s the gist….I’m getting married! - 10:35 am
What?! - 10:37 am
I know! And I want you there. I’m having the wedding in Small Town, and I BETTER SEE YOU THERE. - 10:38 am
You don’t even have to be a part of it. It’s a little last minute, so I’m not having any bridesmaids, but I’ve just got to have you there. - 10:39 am
I couldn’t even respond I was so shocked.
Please say yes. It’s been too long girl. I just want to see your face on the happiest day of my life. - 10:41 am
The guilt trip was real. What could I say but yes?
Of course I’ll be there. - 10:42 am.
Perfect. The time and date are in your email. - 10:42 am
With that, I resigned myself back to torture and entered the frenzy of lunch hour.
I’m sure I looked as haggard as I felt. I was running between the food counter and few tables in the establishment, serving drinks and yelling orders at Flo. Shira, the lunch shift server, came in to help, but there was just more mouths to feed than working hands.
“Let me get an M.D. (Dr. Pepper), 2 Atlanta specials, (Coca Cola), mother and child reunion (chicken and egg sandwich), and burn one, take it through the garden and pin a rose on it (hamburger with lettuce, tomato).
By the time I dragged myself home everything hurt. I wanted to cry, but I had to put on a brave face. Before my key could turn, the door flung open, and something attacked my legs.
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”
I bent to pick up the Tasmanian devil. “Hey, my love. Where’s the fire?”
She giggled and buried her small head into my neck. “There’s no fire. Allie would have put it out. I missed you, Mommy. What you do today?” She eyed me with innocence and chubby cheeks, and I couldn’t help kissing her.
“What do you think I did today?”
“I think you fed all the hungry people,” she said, and I grinned.
“That’s right.”
Allie, my babysitter, came around to lock the door behind me. “How are you doing Ms. Williams?” Allie wore her hair in a short stylish black bob. For someone so young, she radiated beauty. She was poised and articulate….the epitome of a proper Texas lady.
“Just fine Allie. Thanks for asking.”
I collapsed on the couch. “How was she today?” I asked her, taking in her poreless face. Even without makeup she had no dark circles under her eyes. I didn’t have to look in the mirror to know I would scare myself.
“She was great,” Allie said, bending down to braid Emmy’s dirty brown hair.
“Just great,” I said before grabbing my purse to pay her.
“See you tomorrow Emmy,” she said, closing the door behind her.
I only had a few minutes of free time off my feet before I had to get up and cook dinner. It was a simple one – spaghetti…or as Flo would call it, foreign entanglements and chicken nuggets for the little one. I couldn’t help thinking about what Cara said as I stirred the sauce. If she were coming, and no doubt marrying that famous movie producer, the entire town would come out. Everyone I wanted to see, and wanted to avoid would be there.
The nostalgic feeling made me dig out my old photo album. Only time and memories kept the pictures to the page. Emmy trudged in just as I put the food on the plates.
“What is this Mommy?”
“It’s a photo album.”
“Are you in it?” she asked, attempting to dump all the ketchup in the bottle on her plate.
“Yes,” I said, grabbing the bottle. “Right here.”
“Oh,” she crooned, her big blue eyes wide at my youth.
“You were so pretty.”
Were. Such an ugly word. It held so much potential to cut, referring to the past version of you and, in this sense, a better version.
“Aren’t I pretty now?” I asked, grappling for my shattered pride.
“Yes.” She nodded, stuffing more chicken in her mouth. “But you were the prettiest,” she said pointing to the faded picture of me senior year of college.
Not much has changed over the years. My blue eyes had darkened over the years. My blond hair still hung long, bright and shiny down my back, though with more split ends than I care to admit. My face has gotten harder from struggle, though I still tried to smile as much and I had definitely gained some weight.
That book held so many broken dreams, unfulfilled promises and faces I didn’t want to see. Most of all, I didn’t want to see his face. I closed it with finality, determined not to think about him. When the table was cleaned, we sat on the couch to watch Monday Night Football. After an entire day on my feet, I wanted nothing more than to relax with my favorite girl and watch hot men throw some skin. Emmy obediently went to the bedroom to lie down, leaving the door open. She knew Mommy would be busy.
I sighed, pulling the computer out to start my second job. From 8:00 pm to midnight, I worked as an article writer for a news site from my house. It was hard being a single parent with two jobs but what choice did I have? A lot of people liked to criticize me and tell me that I should relax and “be around more” because I have a child…this was my compromise. I worked two jobs because I had a child. After $500 a month for a one bedroom apartment, $300 for childcare, $85 for electric utilities, $60 for a cellphone, $300 for health insurance, $200 for basic groceries and $60 for internet, two jobs we
re necessary. Thankfully, Emmy had stopped needing formula and diapers.
I watched the game come to an end. The sound helped Emmy sleep and kept me entertained in between writing articles. Thankfully, I could make as much money as possible writing as many 600-word articles as possible. The TV screen in my peripheral caught my attention.
There he was. The man I let get away. The face I didn’t want to see…my beautiful nightmare and my sweetest dream. Liam Shields, Cara’s older brother and the only man I ever loved. He was the NFL’s MVP of the year and Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, but the last time I saw him was at high school graduation. He tried to say something, to hold onto us but I ran away, and that was the last time I ever saw him face-to-face. The screen zoomed in on his face.
