Men Love Curves: BBW Romance

by Ruby Madden

  The doctor bent over her, telling her to calm down, breathe deeply, and close her eyes.

  It was surreal. I couldn’t believe this was happening. In all the time I’d known her, I’d never known her to have panic attacks or get out of control. Seeing her like this scared the hell out of me.

  “What is going on? Isla, I’m right here,” I said, forcing myself to a standing position so she could see me.

  The doctor spoke over us. “Someone get in here!”

  A couple of nurses rushed into the room. One grabbed an oxygen mask attached from a bracket on the wall behind the bed and placed it on Isla’s face.

  “What is wrong with her? What’s happening?” I asked again, but no one responded. They were focused on calming Isla down and making sure her blood pressure didn’t skyrocket.

  It took several minutes before Isla relaxed. I had no idea what I’d witnessed. All I wanted to do was hold her and keep her safe.

  “Stressing yourself out isn’t going to help you,” a nurse scolded Isla.

  “That’s not her fault. Something is wrong with her. Isn’t it your fucking job to fix it or help her deal with it?” I knew taking my anxiety out on the nurse wasn’t the best idea, but who was she to talk to Isla that way?

  “Sir, you need to calm down or we’re going to have to ask you to sit outside in the waiting room,” the nurse challenged me.

  I scoffed at her threat. “I’m not leaving. You can kiss my ass, lady,” I murmured under my breath.

  Less than ten seconds later, three hefty middle-aged security guards were huffing and puffing in front of me, telling me I had to leave the hospital grounds.

  “I’m not going any damn where!” I yelled as the three of them attempted to man handle me and show me a not-so-friendly way out of the building.

  Isla was upset all over again. Her face was beet red and, according to the monitors, her blood pressure was on the rise.

  “Get him out of here,” the doctor said. “Your boyfriend is not helping matters, Miss Johnson. He’s not going to be allowed on the premises again.”

  “Do you know who he is? He’s Beck Alexander and he’s not my boyfriend; he’s my fiancé. He’s upset. He’s worried about me and the baby. Please don’t make him leave,” Isla begged them, but that didn’t change their opinion of me. Sore leg and all, they carried me out into the waiting area and out the exit doors.

  “This is bullshit!” I screamed, my fists balling up.

  I didn’t want to go to jail. Isla needed me, but who were these people? Had they been living under a rock? Did they not know who I was? I could practically buy this whole damn hospital if I wanted to.

  The only person I could think to call was my attorney.

  “How are you holding up?” my attorney asked.

  “Not good. I need you to come down to the hospital now. Isla is in the emergency room. They kicked me out. It’s a long story, but I need you to call your judge friend. We need someone to marry us,” I said.

  “What? Why? Now? I mean, is she okay? Is the baby okay?” he asked.

  I didn’t have time to explain. I wanted him to do as I said and get there as quickly as possible. “Get down here!” I raised my voice at him. “Do whatever you have to do to make sure it’s all legitimate. Hurry!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three - Isla

  “I promise, he won’t cause any problems,” I assured the hospital security officers. “Look, he just had surgery and is in a lot of pain. He’s on pain meds. You can look it up. I’m sure you have that information in the hospital records. Please, I don’t want to beg you, but I’m begging you.”

  I couldn’t believe how low my life had sunk. Here I was begging a room full of strangers to let my baby daddy in the hospital. The funny thing was, I always imagined if I had to make apologies for anyone, it would have been a Black man, not some white football player.

  “If he is allowed to return, you do understand security will have to keep him in their line of sight. This is a place of business. People are convalescing. They don’t need someone in here causing a raucous because they’ve had a bad night,” the doctor informed me.

  I wish Beck would have punched him in the mouth before they threw him out of the building!

  The next several minutes were anxiety-ridden while I waited for the security team to consult with Beck and let him know they were in charge, not him. I knew he wouldn’t take that too well. He liked having full control of every situation, even when he pretended to be the one being led astray, he was in full and utter control.

  Having spent as much time with him as I had, I’d begun to see patterns to his behavior. Ultimately, all roads pointed to the fact that his childhood was riddled by drama. I was no expert, but I believe that’s why he lived on the edge of right and wrong. One part of him had his foot planted in what he should have been doing, what was in line with normal conventions, but a deeper, darker side of him, craved thrills, danger, anything and everything that would get him in trouble. I had to wonder which part of his personality I was feeding. Was I good for him or was I providing more bumps in his road? Had agreeing to go along with his game added more stress to his life?

  I almost didn’t recognize him. He walked into the room with his head down, like he was ashamed of himself.

  “Welcome back,” I teased. “Did you miss me?”

  The corners of his mouth quirked up. My beautiful man was still there underneath whatever this was he was presenting himself as. “I miss you all the time,” he answered, looking up at me with dark circles around his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I asked. “You don’t look well.”

  His looked behind him at the security guards. “I’m good. I was just worried about you. How are you feeling?”

  Poor guy.

  I waited for the others to clear out of the room before I pressed the issue further. I figured he was holding back because we had an audience. I didn’t believe for a second he didn’t have an opinion about what had taken place.

  “Are they going to admit you?” he asked, his voice tentative.

  I sat up straighter. “Whoa! What’s with this shy guy routine? What are you up to?” He wasn’t fooling me!

  He glanced over his shoulder again, as if he was anticipating someone would walk through the door and interrupt us. “I want to get married,” he said.

  “Well, why not? I look and feel like hell. so yeah, let’s get married right now.” I pretended to be excited about it.

  “I’m not kidding. I want to get married right here, right now. I called my attorneys; they’re going to find a judge that will marry us today. What do you think? You could be my wife tonight.”

  I didn’t know what to make of it. Where had this come from all of a sudden?

  “Isla, breathe,’ he said. “You’re all I think about. You’re all i dream about. If I’m not with you, I lose my mind. So, let’s make it official. Be my wife.”

  I had so many reasons to say no. It’s not that I didn’t love him because I absolutely did. I wanted to spend my life with him, but I didn’t want to get married in the hospital.

  “Why now?” I asked. “What’s changed?”

  He averted his eyes again, his posture changing. “I almost cheated on you earlier.”

  I froze.

  “I didn’t cheat, but I almost did. That’s why we need to get married. This girl was begging me. I mean, really begging me to bang her and I couldn’t…” he stopped, noticing the horrified look on my face. “Wait, let me explain. Don’t get mad. This is a good thing. Just hear me out.”

  “Get out.”

  He moved closer to my bed, confusion on his face.

  “Get the hell out!” I wasn’t kidding. My whole body started to shake with rage. “Get out now!”

  The security guards threw the door open and filed in one right after another. “Is everything alright in here?”

  “I want him to leave. Take him out of here and don’t let him
back in,” I ordered them.

  Beck started to protest, but it was too late. They’d already grabbed his crutches and his arms, ready to help him out the door.

  “Let’s go,” one of the guards said.

  I couldn’t breathe. What did he just say to me? What kind of animal tells you he wants to marry you in the same breath he tells you he almost slept with another woman?

  Without putting up a fuss, Beck let them lead him out. I thought I heard him whimper, but I forced myself not to react. It was over. Things had already gone way too far. This had to end and end right now. I didn’t need him.

  I pulled my purse off the chair next to me and pulled out my cell phone.

  “Hello. Do you realize what time it is?” Cole sounded like I’d woken him up.

  “Yeah, sorry, but if the offer is still available, I accept. When can I start?” I asked, resigning myself to being rid of Beck for good.

  Cole’s tone changed. “Good. Good. I’ll see you first thing Monday morning. And, by the way, welcome back to the good side.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four - Isla

  It had been the longest two weeks of my life. While I had plenty of work to keep me occupied, there wasn’t enough to make me forget about Beck. Aside from the fact I was carrying his child, all of my belongings were still at his house. Although my office was as far away from the locker rooms or the practice field as they could be without having to move into a separate building, the fact remained that we worked for the same organization. We’d run into each other again. It was inevitable. I had no idea how I’d handle that when it happened. I was barely holding things together as it was.

  Cole poked his head in my office. “Hey, we have a meeting at one.”

  I nodded, thinking, yeah I know. I scheduled that meaning, jerk!

  “We’ll hold it in the conference room upstairs. I don’t want to take a chance of you running into your ex. Today will be his first day back and you know how that goes,” he said as if it was no big deal.

  The only thing I could think to do was give him the dumb grin I’d perfected over the last couple of weeks and nod.

  “Good. Good. Don’t be late. The owners will be there. I hear they have some exciting news for us,” Cole said, sounding giddier than I remembered him ever being.

  I watched him walk back down the hallway toward his office. That’s how I spent most of my day - staring down that same hallway.

  My cell phone rang, startling me out of my misery. “Isla here,” I answered.

  “Miss Johnson?” a woman’s voice asked.

  “Yes? Who is this?’

  “This is Diana from Dr. Loretto’s office. We have the results of your ultrasound,” she said.

  Finally!

  “Oh, great. How is the baby?” I asked, bracing myself for bad news.

  “Everything looks good. Your baby girl is growing normally. She looks like she’s right on target,” the nurse said.

  My hands started to shake. “She? The baby is a girl?” I asked. No one had told me that. I’m not sure I even agreed to find out the sex of the baby.

  She gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought you knew that. Please forgive me. I feel so bad now.”

  It took a moment for me to get my faculties back together. I was having a baby girl. “You’re sure it’s a girl?” I don’t know why I asked that question. I don’t know why it mattered to me, but in that moment, if felt like the most appropriate question to ask.

  The nurse replied, “It appears that way. When you have your amnio, the lab can confirm. I’m sorry to ruin the surprise for you.” I could tell by the tone of her voice she was sincere.

  “An amnio? I’m having an amnio?” I hadn’t been informed of that previously either. I’d had a number of friends and family members who’d had amnios, so I knew enough to know they weren’t done in all cases. “Why am I having one?”

  Another slight shift in tone from the nurse. “Well, the doctor wants to make sure everything is okay with the baby. With all the problems you’ve been having, it’s just an extra precaution. I’d like to schedule that now with you if I could.”

  Like I had a choice. “Yes, okay. Let’s schedule it. Should I be worried?” Even if she had told me not to worry, I was going to worry.

  “No, not at all. Have someone come with you because the procedure might be a little uncomfortable. Invite dad to come along and hold your hand,” the nurse said.

  Dad? Crap! How was I supposed to do that when I wasn’t even speaking to him anymore?

  After we made the arrangements and hung up, it didn’t take two seconds before I slumped back in my seat, hitting my head on the wall behind me. What did all this mean? What was I going to do now?

  I did the only thing I knew to do. I called my mother.

  “How are you doing, mama?” I tried my best to sound chipper, as if nothing was wrong. I still hadn’t told her I’d gotten my job back with perks and moved out of Beck’s house. It’s not that I’d been lying to her when we did speak; it’s just I always made sure to fill the conversation with all sorts of other information. She was none the wiser.

  “How are you going to ask me how I’m doing when you’ve been hiding the truth from me for weeks?” she asked, anger evident in her voice.

  Uh-oh!

  “I… What… Mama…” I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth. I was busted.

  “Guess who called me last night?” she dared me.

  I swallowed hard. Damn!

  “I was awake all night long thinking of ways to tear into you and give you a piece of my mind. Just what were you thinking? Here I am thinking you’re doing good. The two of you are doing right by your relationship and your child, but no, you broke it off with the man and went to live who knows where,” she spoke with sarcasm riddled all over her words.

  I messed up! What could I do? It was time to fess up and let whatever happened happen.

  “Mama, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. There was nothing to worry about really. I had a backup plan,” I explained.

  She laughed a hearty laugh. “Oh well, you had it all handled. Oh, I get it. You’re some sort of superwoman and you don’t need your mother anymore. I’m just nobody. Yeah, I get it. You do you then.”

  Why was this woman so stubborn? Lord, help me!

  This was going to take some time. Experience had taught me my mother didn’t calm down quickly. She did everything in her own time. When it came to me and something I’d done, she loved to drag things out. This was her ‘wailing in the street’ moment. Nothing I said was going to stop it. When it began, it was like a freight train that had gone out of control. I either had to get off the tracks or bear the brunt of the force.

  “Just how in the world are you supporting yourself? Who hired a pregnant woman? Where are you living? Oh, please, don’t tell me you’re not in one of those women’s shelters sharing space with a bunch of strangers who come from who knows where,” she said, panic in full-force.

  “I have a job. I got my job back. They even gave me an apartment and a spending account. It’s great! You should see it. I have a nice view of the park. I have a company credit card and a clothing allowance. You should see the cute, new clothes I bought. They’re sharp. You’d like them,” I said, hoping she’d be impressed.

  “You sold out for some clothes and a nice office? You gave up the man you swore you loved for some extra cash? I don’t even know who you are anymore because no child of mine would be so pathetic. Who knew you could be bought! I hope you feel really good about yourself because one of you should.”

  What did that mean?

  “I’m sorry Beck called you. I didn’t think he’d do that,” I offered.

  “Well, he did. He sounds like he’s all broken up about it too. He said you won’t take his calls. What’s that about? Did you up and decide you’re going to raise this child alone now?” she asked.

  I hung my head in shame. My hands began t
o shake. “Mama, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Tears welled in my eyes. “I have to have an amniocentesis. I’m scared. I’m so scared. What if something is wrong with the baby?”

  The anger in her voice turned to concern. “When is it? I’m going with you.”

  I was so relieved. I needed her with me.

  Before we hung up, we made plans for her to fly out and spend some time with me. I felt a little better about things. At least, I wouldn’t have to go through this alone.

  My new assistant knocked on the door.

  I wiped the tears from my face and opened the door. “Yes?”

  “Coach Lawson wants to see you if you have a minute. He’s in his office,” she said. If she noticed my red, swollen eyes, she didn’t say anything. The last thing I needed was to have people think I was weak. When I accepted this position, I swore to them Beck wouldn’t be a distraction. I promised I’d stay clear of him, other than when we were in a professional capacity. So far, I’d succeeded. Granted, it took Herculean effort sometimes, but I’d managed.

  “Here goes nothing,” I told myself as I stepped out of my office.

  Thankfully, the hallway was empty when I walked through it. I made sure to check the practice field to make sure the team was still practicing. From what I could tell, they were hard at work and there was no sign of Beck yet. I wasn’t expecting to see him on the field, but I figured he’d at least be nearby. He wouldn’t have been okayed to play yet.

  “Isla! How are you doing today?” Coach Lawson had toned down his disdain for me after about a week of me being back. “Are you feeling okay?”

  I nodded. “Yes. You wanted to see me?” I asked.

  Motioning for me to take a seat, he replied, “I have some news for you.”

  Now what?

  His gaze floated to the door behind me. “Here he is now. Welcome back, Beck!”

  My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I held my breath.

  “Hey Coach, miss me?” Beck teased.

  I could feel his eyes on me. It’s like we were connected. His emotion was mine and mine was his. We both waited for the other to make the first move.

  “Isla,” Coach Lawson started, “Beck is back. We need to make some sort of announcement explaining his return and informing them about his restrictions. We need to make it big. Do it with Beck’s signature style - just more decorum. Do you think you could handle that for us?”