by Ruby Madden
I exhaled slowly, biding my time. “Yes, let me know what you want me to say. What are his restrictions?” I refused to turn my head and look at Beck. I couldn’t. I knew how dangerous that would be. I feared I’d never recover if I looked into his eyes.
The coach was either dense or simply didn’t care how difficult it was for Beck and I. “Ask him yourself. Why don’t the two of you go back to your office and talk? The press knows there’s an announcement coming today, so figure it out soon. After the conference with the owners, it’s game on for the two of you.”
Game on.
Coach Lawson sat in his seat, a smug grin on his face. I got the feeling he enjoyed watching us squirm.
Beck spoke first, still standing out of my line of vision. “I brought the doctor’s orders with me,” he said, his voice low and tentative.
I looked at the coach, trying to get him to empathize with me and the awkward situation. “If you’ll make a copy for me, I can handle the press release on my own.”
Coach Lawson leaned forward, his fingers drumming on the desktop. “It’s not a press release we’re asking for, Isla. The two of you are going to hold a press conference.”
“Together?” Beck and I asked at the same time.
“Yes, together. Now, get to work.” Coach Lawson said.
I had to say it. There was no going around it. It was the elephant in the room. “What about my contract? You made me promise to stay away from him, remember?”
He cleared his throat. “That’s neither here nor there. What you need to focus on this minute is your job. Part of your job is to make our players look good. Now, go on and type something up and earn all that money they’re paying you.”
Beck stepped forward, next to me. “Don’t talk to her like that! You offered her money to stay away from me? What kind of bullshit is that?” His eyes on me. “And, you accepted that deal? That’s what all this is about? That’s why you left me? For a damn paycheck?”
I shut my eyes, willing myself away from here. Away from this life. “I didn’t do it for money. I… I didn’t… I couldn’t....” my voice trailed off. How could I defend my decision without sounding selfish?
He glared at me, pain in his eyes. “Let’s get to work then. I have shit to do.” He turned and stepped out of the office.
I looked at Coach Lawson. “Are you happy? Does this make you feel good?”
“It’s not about my happiness. It’s about what’s right for the team.”
Asshole!
I rushed out of his office, humiliated and horrified by what I’d allowed to become my reality. Behind me, I could hear the sound of Beck following behind, the cast on his foot pounding on the floor underneath us.
When we reached my office, we stood in silence for a couple of minutes, both averting our eyes from each other. The pain we felt piled on top of each other like bricks on a wall.
“Why?” he asked, his voice shaking. “Why would you leave me like that?”
Tears streaming down my face, I forced myself to look into his eyes and explain myself. “You scare me. You do things without thinking about who it hurts or what it will do to your life or anyone else’s life. I can’t risk that. I can’t risk my heart and I can’t risk having you hurt our child. You were going to sleep with someone else, Beck.”
A low whimper escaped his lips. “I didn’t cheat on you. I’d never do that. That’s what I was trying to tell you. You changed me. You made me feel something I’d never felt before in my life. When I told you that story, it wasn’t to hurt you. It was to show you how much you mean to me. I’m a fuck up. That’s who I am. You make me want to be better. When she was begging me, all I could think about was you. You’re the only one I want. You’re my whole world. I’m broken without you. I don’t know who I am without you. The last few weeks have been hell. I hate myself for hurting you.”
My limbs started to shake. I wanted to collapse and crawl into a hole somewhere. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be real. What kind of fool was I not to see how much I meant to him? What kind of woman would I be to take him back? He was trouble with a capital B-E-C-K. But the fact of the matter was, I loved him. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. My life without him in it would mean nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“I’m sorry,” I cried.
He inhaled a gush of air. “No, don’t apologize. You’re perfect. You’re my angel. Marry me, Isla? Come home. Come back to me, please?”
Epilogue - Beck
I held her hand. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.”
“Oh, shut-up! You try pushing a baby out of your…” Another contraction saved me from a barrage of much-deserved insults and swear words. Isla had been in active labor for three hours. Our baby girl was taking her sweet time to make her official entrance into the world.
“Deep breaths. Take deep breaths,” the nurse said.
“I swear to God if you don’t stop saying that, I’m going to…” Isla started again before the next contraction hit.
The doctor took control. “Okay, Isla, here we go. Now, calm down. Bear down with one long push.”
Isla screamed at the top of her lungs as she pushed.
I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to see any of that down there. I was fine right up here by her head, in the line of fire for her flailing fists, while my mother-in-law kept an eye on all that stuff no man should ever see.
“Here she comes,” the nurse said.
My palms began to sweat. This was really happening. I was about to be a dad. Me; the bad ass football player with more attitude than brains. I couldn’t look. The pain in the hand Isla was squeezing was too intense. Who knew she had that kind of strength!
The best sound in the world filled the room. My baby girl had a set of lungs that would rival her beautiful, but extremely loud mama.
“Welcome to the world, Miss Alexander!” The doctor lifted her up in the air.
“Congratulations, daddy,” Isla said, beaming from ear to ear.
I’d never admit it to a living soul, but I bawled like a baby when I met my little girl. “Welcome to the world, Savannah Michelle Alexander. Welcome to the world!” I was the happiest man in the world.
The nurses cleaned Savannah up, then presented her to Isla in the tiniest little package. “Meet your mom and dad.”
The rest of the day was a blur. Between the balloons, hugs, paperwork and trying to figure out how to hold Savannah without breaking her, the day was full. Isla had never looked more beautiful. All the pain and drama we’d been through had come to an end. My body had healed and I was getting set to play again this coming season. Life was perfect. Well, almost perfect. We still had a wedding to plan. No matter how hard I tried, Isla refused to get married when she was pregnant. She didn’t like the way she looked in a wedding dress. For me, none of that mattered. I just wanted her.
When night fell and all the visitors had gone home, it was just the three of us in the hospital suite. We were going to be just fine.
“Can you believe it?” Isla asked, staring down at our gorgeous baby girl. “We’re parents. We’re responsible for another person’s life.”
I caressed her cheek. “It’s a beautiful thing. You’re both so beautiful.”
“Just think, a few months ago you were sitting in a club, trying to play stud-muffin and I was trying to figure out how to be a public relations manager for a team full of huge egos,” she mused.
“Yeah and now, I’m still a stud-muffin, but only at home with my one and only. All those people that tried to ruin my life are long gone. The court cases went away and life goes on,” I said, staring at my baby girl’s precious face.
“You know before I became a part of the football world, I never gave much thought to how things worked. I never knew that strings were pulled and alliances were formed and broken behind the scenes. Now I get it. I saw how dirty the game could be and how shady people were,” she said.
I no
dded, feeling bad for her and the loss of innocence. “If you’re talking about Jared and how his case mysteriously went away, yeah, that’s how it works. We’re ballers. If we fail, the team fails. There’s too much money at stake. They can’t have that stain. So, we just roll with it and keep doing our thing.”
“How much longer?” Isla asked, referring to how much longer I’d play.
“One more season, then, we’re done. Who knows, maybe we’ll buy a place near your mom. I think that would be good for Savannah, don’t you? She’d like that. Maybe, I could become a high school football coach or something?” I had all kinds of ideas about what I’d like to do once I gave up football.
“I’m all for change, but don’t stop being sexy, okay?” Isla teased.
“Yeah, as if that would ever happen,” I teased back.
Savannah stirred in her mother’s arms.
“Hey, baby girl, how about we let daddy hold you for a bit?” Isla handed her to me.
I looked down at her, knowing my life would never be the same again. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not for all the money in the world. This was the life I was meant to have. I knew that the moment I invited my beautiful Isla into my bed.
THE END
BEARLY SLEEPING
SLEEPING BEAUTY RETELLING
FAIRY TALES WITH A SHIFT
BY
CARA WYLDE
CHAPTER ONE
Rose clenched her teeth and groaned when the servant pulled her corset tighter. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
“Princess, if I may…” the young servant girl whispered. “I don’t think I can make it tighter than this.” What she really meant was that it was tight enough, and if she continued, the Princess would not be able to breathe anymore.
Rose threw an angry glance in the mirror. Her long, blonde hair was gathered in a loose braid that hung down over her right shoulder. Her bright blue eyes were the only good feature about her face, and no one could convince her otherwise. She hated her wide forehead, her plump cheeks, and round jaw. Big, heavy breasts, thick waist, generous hips – she hated everything about her body. It was no wonder her friends didn’t want to spend time with her unless they got to tease her about her weight.
“Tighter,” said Rose.
The servant sighed, but complied. She pulled at the strings hard and tied them in a pretty bow.
Rose took a labored breath and straightened her back. She studied herself in the mirror again, this time nodding in approval. It was hard to breathe, and her ribcage felt like it was being crushed little by little, but her waist did look better. Thinner. She was almost pretty. It was time to go downstairs. Her three friends were waiting for her so they could go for a walk in the lush gardens of her father’s palace.
“Thank you, that would be all,” she told the girl and headed to the door, careful not to let on she was in pain. It would eventually go away. She just had to think of something else.
Juliet, Angel, and Talia welcomed her with huge smiles and warm hugs. After all, some of the courtiers were present, and they didn’t want to let anyone know their idea of having fun was to tease the Princess about her extra pounds. They giggled and complimented Rose, making sure she caught the subtle sarcasm in their voice, then they ran straight to the gardens. Rose followed them, lifting the heavy skirt of her dress just an inch above her ankles. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Tavian staring at her, and she couldn’t help but smile. Her day was already better.
Tavian was the son of one of the courtiers, and he was three years older than her. Tall, well-built, with wide shoulders and strong arms, he was the epitome of what Rose found attractive in a man. She dreamed about his long, brown hair caressing her breasts as he leaned over her and kissed his way down her neck, about his green eyes boring into hers as he whispered how beautiful she was. Dreams. Sweet, impossible dreams. Why? Because, even though he came from a fairly noble family, Tavian wasn’t what the King and Queen wanted for their daughter. Rose had already been promised to a Prince from a neighboring kingdom, so it was better for her to stay away from handsome Tavian. She allowed herself to fantasize about him, but she did her best to avoid him on the halls and in the gardens.
“Come on, Rose! Keep up,” yelled Angel.
Rose picked up the pace, forcing herself to ignore the terrible pain in her chest. Angel… the girl was anything but an Angel. Long, dark hair, dark eyes, and a thin, perfect waist. Even though she was the Princess and she would inherit her father’s kingdom, Rose would have given everything up just to be like her friends: beautiful, sexy, confident. But she wasn’t. Rose, the Princess, the apple of her parents’ eye, the girl who had been blessed by seven fairies at birth was insecure, scared, and desperate to please. Sometimes, she wondered whether it could be because of the curse.
Juliet, Angel, and Talia sat down on the fresh, green grass. Rose completed their small circle by carefully sitting down between Juliet and Angel. If she kept her back straight and her chin high, she could almost breathe normally.
Talia studied her posture. “You look nice today,” she said. “I love your dress.”
Rose smiled. Her efforts were paying off.
Angel huffed. “That servant of yours tightened your corset too much. How can you even breathe?”
“I’m fine. It’s a little loose, actually.”
Angel rolled her eyes and Juliet chuckled. Rose ignored them and pulled out her fan. It was a lovely summer day. They sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying the colorful beds of flowers, the clear sky, and the warm sun on their white skin.
“So,” said Juliet. “Tomorrow is your birthday, Princess.”
Rose brightened up. Finally, she was turning 18. She couldn’t say exactly why, but it made her happy. Her friends were at least one year older than her. She felt like she was one step closer to becoming a woman. The downside was that her parents would start planning her wedding, but there was nothing she could do about that. All she wanted was for her friends to see her as their equal, and turning 18 would help. She knew it.
“It’s not such a big deal.” Rose tried to be humble.
“Of course it is!” Talia almost jumped in excitement. “Soon, you’ll marry Prince Philip and have a wonderful wedding.”
“And there’s also the curse,” Angel interrupted her friend. “If you ask me, that’s the most interesting part. We’ll finally know if it’s real.”
Rose’s smile faltered. “It’s not real.”
Angel bit the inside of her lip in thought. “Yeah… it’s probably not. Given that the fairies’ gifts weren’t real either.”
Rose swallowed heavily. Angel’s comment hurt a lot. She didn’t know if she should be angry that her friend wanted the curse to be real and for Rose to fall in a deep sleep, or that she thought she didn’t possess any of the amazing gifts the fairies had offered her when she was born.
“I can sing,” whispered Rose. “And dance.”
Juliet smirked. “Okay, we all have to admit you have a decent singing voice, but… dancing? That’s a whole different story. You don’t have the natural grace, Rose. I’m sorry, but you just don’t.” She leaned in and covered Rose’s hand with hers. “And I’m not saying this to hurt you, I’m just being honest.” She turned to Angel and Talia. “We’re always honest to you. That’s what friends are for.”
Rose looked at Juliet’s hand and fought the urge to slap it away. That was what they said every time they blatantly offended her: they were only being honest. Rose smiled and nodded. She couldn’t let them see how much their words affected her. She was the Princess. She was supposed to be strong and brave. Of course, if she were, she would have never accepted to be treated the way they had been treating her for years.
“Anyway, I have a great idea about what we should do for your birthday,” said Angel.
Rose perked up a bit. Maybe they weren’t such bad friends if they had thought of
a surprise for her, or a fun activity to do together.
“How about we find out if the curse is real?” Angel’s dark eyes glowed as she spoke. “Once and for all.”
Rose dropped the fan and didn’t bother to pick it back up. Her blue eyes were wide, and her lips parted to say something, but nothing came out.
“I mean, none of us believes in it, right?” continued Angel. “We always joke about your parents’ paranoia.”
The Princess smiled bitterly. That was another thing she had failed to address: how much it hurt every time her friends made fun of the King and Queen, and their order to ban the use of spinning wheels all over the kingdom.
“Yes,” said Juliet. “You will prick your finger on the spindle and fall into a deep sleep,” she laughed. “What kind of curse is that? You know what? I don’t even believe those women were fairies and they could do actual magic.”
“Magic doesn’t exist,” said Talia.
“All this is stupid, and we’ll prove it tomorrow. What do you say?” Angel fixed Rose with her intense eyes, and the Princess couldn’t look away.
“I don’t… I don’t know…”
“Come on! You don’t believe in the curse,” insisted Angel. “You’ve always said you don’t believe in it. Let’s show everyone how wrong and silly they were.”
Rose struggled to stand up. It was difficult, but she managed. She smoothed down her dress and avoided her friends’ eyes.
“I don’t think it’s such a good idea…”
“Why not?” Juliet pouted.
“Well, for one: there are no spinning wheels left in the kingdom. They were all burned.”
Angel smiled mysteriously, but didn’t say anything just yet.
“And I would be betraying my parents. Their trust, everything they sacrificed to protect me…”
