by Susan Arden
“Sonya and her niece are on a flight leaving Miami at six this morning. It was the first one out and they’ll be here about ten.”
A team of nurses entered the room. “Please, we’ll need everyone to exit except for the twin’s daddy.”
Cory stared at Carolina and the circle of blood widening on the sheet under her leg. “Oh God,” she groaned.
In the commotion, she felt lost until Brett tugged on her arm, leading her out of the room. In the hall, he stopped and she blinked back the tears of confusion, sorrow and fear.
Brett whispered against her the side of her head, “What can I do to help?”
She pressed her hand to her temple and rubbed. “I almost wish you’d go home and get some sleep. Don’t you have some sort of training to attend later today?”
“No. Nothing until next week. Remember, there was a party and it’s probably still going on.”
Quickly she glanced down. “Oh yeah. And you’d be having a really great time if we’d not shown up to wreck your plans.”
Brett cupped her chin and lifted her face until their eyes met. “Hush. Tonight I had one of the best nights of my life, and the best mornings.”
CHAPTER 11
By the time the nurse had come into the waiting room and announced it would not be much longer, Brett had been seated next to Cory with her head resting on his chest and his arm around her shoulders for a couple of hours. Every once in a while he’d lift his head and meet someone’s stare. More and more it came from Wade McLemore’s intense blue eyes. No matter, he wasn’t sorry. Never would regret the time he’d had with Cory, only the mess that had rained down, causing her strife. But from lemons, he fully intended on making lemonade by turning this situation around. He was aware talk was cheap when it came to daughters and the men they dated. And these ranchers were men accustomed to all sorts of bullshit. As usual, it was always a question of more time on the clock.
“Sweetheart,” he whispered and shifted Cory’s head onto the back of the sofa where they sat. “Give me a moment,” he said, then tacked on. “Be right back.
She squeezed his hand. “I’ll be here.”
Wade McLemore had gone out into the hall. Brett intended on speaking with Cory’s father, unwilling to let this situation stew much longer. He followed her dad down the corridor, gaining speed on the older man’s strides and catching him when he bent over a water fountain.
“Mr. McLemore,” he said, approaching Cory’s father. “I’d like a word.”
The older man straightened, glaring over at Brett. His blue eyes were so much like Cory’s, but set in a weathered tan face creased with worry. “What?” Mr. McLemore crossed his arms over his chest.
“This hasn’t been easy for you and I don’t know what you’ve heard,” Brett began. “I’m going to marry Cory.”
The older man scowled at him across the short distance of the hall. He glanced down at the water fountain, then back at Brett, taking a deep breath. “Guess whatever it is, it’s in the water in Dallas as well.”
“Say again?” Brett inquired.
Mr. McLemore shook his head. “Just how do you intend on doing that?”
“As of this moment, I don’t have a plan laid out.” Hell, this was coming out bad. “Cory and I met three days ago, and she’s all I think about.”
“Oh, and that means she’s the one you’re going to marry?”
“It’s different…” He wanted to say she’s reached into his chest and snatched his heart. Gone was his breath unless he stood next to her. And yeah, his thoughts were kidnapped, too. The girl wasn’t about to give any of it back, nor did he want her to. His whole world and existence were spinning on their axes. For the first time in his life, it felt as if he was in his correct orbit. Without her, it would all go back to being out of sync. All he could get out was, “She’s the one.”
The older man grimaced. “You’re not much for stringing words together. Maybe that’s a good thing. Fast talkers have a way of losing steam over the long haul.”
“I won’t.” Brett’s voice came out sure and strong.
Mr. McLemore’s expression changed as he walked over to Brett, so close he could see the red capillaries in the older man’s irritated eyes. He took his finger and jabbed it against Brett’s shoulder. “Get your head out of your behind when it comes to Corinth.”
Brett stared back at Cory’s father, unprepared for the brash suggestion, but then again Cory had to get her unabashed ability to speak her mind from somewhere. Mystery solved.
“I screwed up,” he said without hesitation.
Mr. McLemore pressed his lips together. “You think? More like opened the gates of stupidity and then just let it all out.”
“It won’t happen again,” Brett said.
“Corinth is just starting out. Her whole world is opening. And now you come along. I know you’re playing with the Devils. You probably have seen lots of things as part of the NFL. But my daughter hasn’t. You storming into her life without so much as a thought about the aftereffects isn’t a smart move for a man who is supposed to make a living off smart moves.”
“I won’t drop the ball, sir.” Brett said. “And I don’t consider marrying Cory as anything I’m going to fumble and let go. But I understand, being with your daughter isn’t a game.”
“Wade?” a soft female voice called out. Mrs. McLemore came down the hall but stopped, seeing them nose to nose. Christ, it must have looked like a showdown was about to happen.
Both men stopped talking and Wade glanced down the hall, then over at Brett. “You do something to hurt her or disrespect her further.” Cory’s father lowered his voice. “And we’ll find you. You get my meaning?”
“Yes, sir. Fully.”
“Time will tell.” Mr. McLemore nodded before moving away, then stopped and added, “You’re in for the ride of your life with this one.”
“I won’t let go of her,” Brett replied.
“Good luck is all I’ve got to hope for you, son.” Mr. McLemore moved off to join his wife.
“It’s time. The doctor said Carolina’s ready to give birth.” Mrs. McLemore glanced over at Brett. Her expression had softened from their previous encounters, but she still wore worry on her face.
What did he expect, in a hospital in Dallas, about to become a grandmother, and her only daughter getting caught in a man’s hotel room? He inhaled, taking hold of his neck and squeezing the knotted muscles. He walked behind the McLemores and stopped short of the waiting room. The volume of voices had shot way up. He stalled and leaned against the wall, staring down the hall and outside. The morning sky was streaked silver. Snow dusted the ground and still fell in flakes caught in beams of light, bobbing up and down in swirling air currents.
Cory stepped just beyond the waiting room doorway and the skin over his body tightened. “Hey,” he whispered, holding out his arms. His chest squeezed at the sight of her, constricting sharply when she unleashed one of her sweet smiles.
“You survived,” she said, coming to him. “I was worried when my father came back in and you didn’t follow.” She stepped in between his legs as he canted against the wall. Running her hands up his arms, he silently groaned with the urge to kiss her. This close to the McLemore hub, he wasn’t about to continue his trek into the land of rash decisions.
“I’d kiss you if I thought it wouldn’t bring a hailstorm down on our heads.”
“What? Don’t like storms of this magnitude?” she grinned. Their eyes locked, and the conviction that he’d do whatever it took to keep her ran through his veins.
“How much longer is your college program?”
“You thinking of enrolling?” she asked, searching his face.
“Hell, no. I want to know how much longer you’ve got ‘til you graduate.”
She looked down as though unsure what to say. “At least three years and some. This is my first semester.”
“Oh,” he exhaled the word. He didn’
t know much about long distance relationships except they weren’t easy. Luckily, his training camp wasn’t too far from L.A. Shoot, the NFL career meant each player basically signed up for this type of life on the move. Question was, would Cory think it was worth it?
“What are you wondering?” She touched his hand, lacing their fingers together.
“I want to date you. Get to know you.” He watched her face go from questioning to disbelieving. “If I thought I could get you to say yes to us being exclusive, I would.”
“And how is that supposed to work?” she asked the obvious question, and one he’d heard openly discussed in locker rooms since he’d come to play professional ball. A source of consternation with players and their wives, girlfriends, lovers, even family tended to get frustrated after the glow of a large contract wore off. Everyone loved getting their first deal; it was the day-to-day life that everyone had to learn to negotiate.
“I train part of the year on the West Coast, and the other part I’m traveling or playing ball here. I can get you tickets to the games and fly you out as much as you want.”
“Why me? We hardly know each other.”
“Are you saying it’s not something that tears at you? The thought of us not seeing each other again?”
“No,” she quietly said. “I mean, of course. I don’t know what to do and it’s hard being here and caught up in this. I was afraid you were counting the minutes until launch time where you’d be long gone.”
“After staying all night,” he smiled down in her cute face, “why would I up and leave? You must think I’m some sort of do-gooder. I’m here for selfish reasons.” He bent his head, brushing his face next to her cheek and whispered, “Wolfish reasons.”
Her sharp intake of air made her body jerk and her soft hips landed against his groin. They both stared at each other. No way to pretend he wasn’t erect and painfully hard for her. “You’re not lying, are you?” she asked.
“Baby, if I hadn’t just had a threat of bodily harm, I’d pull you into an empty room and have my way with you right here and right now.”
“God, we must be crazy.” Cory shook her head. “I want you, too. I just don’t see how this is supposed to work. A ton of parties and the places you’ll find yourself. Casual hookups are part of your world. Honestly, I don’t know if I can deal with it all.”
“If you tell me to walk away from you, I don’t know that I can. Ever.” He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. “I screwed up big time last night insofar as making a positive impression on your family. But if it means I found the woman I’ve been waiting for, I’d do it all over again.” He waited for her response and it felt like years.
Cory brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and she locked on to his gaze with a questioning intensity in her eyes. “I saw that player. The one from the Cougars. Wasn’t he just featured in the news and on the cover of a magazine with his wife and children? I saw the magazine in the grocery store. He’s married to a woman known for her charity work…not some heartless fool. Last night, he was sitting with his hands on two women. He’s supposed to be happily married. What’s his excuse? Stress relief?” She held up her palms. “I’m not judging, only wondering, how long until you find you need to unwind?”
“Cory, I’ve got my head on.” He searched her face, and inhaled deeply. “At least now I have, after meeting you.”
How could he tell her that in growing up with a single mother and in the midst of so many other single women, he’d been given an up-close view and lesson while on the road traveling with a bunch of actors?
Overhearing years of conversations, he’d learned a thing or ten about how women thought and what mattered to them. But none of that seemed to count, standing in the hall of a hospital, and considering that he’d been half crazy upon seeing Cory this evening.
He’d basically given her a backstage pass into the realm of haywire behavior. Mix alcohol and drugs with stressed-out players, and what resulted wasn’t pretty. It was a side that no one beyond the locker room should see. By letting Cory into this part of pro football life, he’d given her ammunition to justify never wanting to see him again. What the hell had he been thinking?
Fuck. He’d not had a thought in his head when she’d appeared last evening outside the club, except to keep her close to him. Any normal man would have kept her from the place and never, ever admitted this side of playing professional ball existed.
“Damn, Cory. At least this way you know and can go forward with eyes wide open. I don’t expect this to be an easy ride. I promise I won’t be hanging out in a bar on Friday night or taking any woman besides you back to my hotel room. I was spiraling when I saw you last night, and didn’t want you to leave and chance hooking up with someone else. I should have found another club and taken you far away from Firefly. No excuses. It wasn’t my best moment.”
She seemed to take that in and consider his words. “Yeah. It was pretty out there.”
“Not every player is hell bent. You saw guys from all over the place. This isn’t what my team is known for, and I’m sorry if you think that’s all we’re about. If you want, come with me on Sunday. I can show you a whole other side, and then you choose.”
Cory squeezed his arms. “What’s going on Sunday?”
“For starters, you can meet my mother. And from there, we can hang out with a group of mine. A short visit, one I make when I’m in town. Later, there’s a team dinner.”
“Cory,” Gillian came flying down the hall. “Matthew Wade McLemore Jr. is here!”
“Oh golly. I’m an aunt.” Excitedly, she turned back to him. “Okay. Sounds fun.”
He kissed her soft cheek and then hugged her tight. “Baby, just give me a chance.”
CHAPTER 12
Seated in a rocking chair surrounded by her family, Cory smiled down at Isabella Sonya McLemore. Her niece was fast asleep, unlike her nephew. Matt Jr. wailed in Brett’s arms. He stood and slowly walk forward, and she expected him to hand over the baby to one of the several waiting arms. But he didn’t. Brett spoke low, in an assured tone, his eyes fixed on the baby’s face.
Whatever he said worked. Matt Jr. slowed his cries. The women in the room watched as she did, transfixed on Brett’s progress. If he’d walked on water, it would not have been as spectacular. Brett returned to the chair next to her, lowered to the seat, and met her gaze.
“He’s been letting the whole world know he’s not pleased with something.” Cory whispered.
“A baby boy’s job is to let the world know he’s arrived.”
“What in tarnation did you tell that little brute?” Cory laughed.
“Not much. We had a conversation about conserving energy for the big play. And how he’s causing a ruckus with the women.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, shifting position and crossing her legs. Brett’s gaze slanted down to her lap and then lower. The way he possessively devoured her with his eyes made her body clench. He had a power to unhinge her tightly sealed cocoon, tempting her to be wild. Even in a room filled with whispering women, talk of babies, diapers, formula, and scads of birthing stories, she was filled with the desire to tell him—or yell to whoever cared—yes. Heck yes! She’d be his, the woman he dated…exclusively.
“Cynthia, your turn.” Cory scooted toward the edge of the rocking chair.
“Let me.” Brett was already up and out of his seat. With his free hand, he reached down taking hold of her elbow. She rose, brushing up against him. The electrical current hadn’t lessened during the long night. Each time their eyes met, she felt herself go liquid, hotter than molten lava and ready to boil.
Sonya, Carolina’s mother, came over to Brett. “May I?” she asked. Her face gleamed with pride and her dark eyes flashed over to Cory. “Such beautiful babies.”
“They are. Isabella is an angel,” Cory whispered. Isabella slept peacefully. When the baby had been awake, she’d smacked her lips or smiled, showing off her cute dimple, t
he same one her daddy had. “Such sweetie.”
“And Matt Jr. is a handful.” Sonya laughed. “These children will never know what the inside of a bassinet is like. They are blessed.”
Cory nodded and carefully eased Isabella into the waiting arms of Cynthia, Carolina’s cousin. “She looks just like her mother and her daddy,” Cory said, smiling over at her brother who now appeared much more relaxed, sitting right next to Carolina.
“Heaven help Texas.” Cynthia laughed. “If she’s also got her parents’ stubborn streak, the men in your town won’t know what hit them.”
“Frankly, I’m still mystified,” Matt retorted, grinning from ear to ear as he hugged Carolina, holding up her hand. “She says jump and, well only a fool wouldn’t be more than happy to comply.” Her brother kissed his wife’s hand, the one that now displayed a sparkling diamond ring.
Matt had surprised Carolina with a beautiful ring made in celebration of the birth of his babies. A huge diamond surrounded by pink and blue topaz. For a man with the razor sharp ability to harness the goings-on of a cattle ranch filled with backbreaking work, he was forever sentimental when it came to his wife.
“I heard that, babe. If only it were true,” Carolina replied, stroking his arm. Her hair had been braided and she wore a light green dressing gown, appearing radiant after hours of labor. Matt looked down at her, proud as a Texas peacock.
“Darling,” Matt murmured, then kissed Carolina’s cheek. “You make beautiful babies. I love you and cherish the ground you walk on.”
Every woman in the room let out a collective “Oh!” Cory’s eyes stung from the obvious current of emotions flowing between her obstinate brother and her wayward sister-in-law. Who would have thought she’d be here a couple years after Carolina’s and Matt’s initial roller-coaster romance as a witness to the riches coming from never giving up on what felt right. No matter how messed up things might seem.
To this day, Cory’s family still believed she’d been the one at the hotel with Carolina’s god-awful ex-boyfriend. Her spine straightened. Oh jeez! That’s what she was sort of doing to Brett by letting idle gossip color her vision. What if he’d heard those rumors spun about Carolina’s ex showing up in Annona? So many people thinking it had been her in that man’s hotel room. It had been hard to hold up her head, and probably a big reason why her family was overreacting. Well duh! Another hotel hookup gone wrong.
