Kane (Face-Off Series Book 2)

by Jillian Quinn

  “You okay, K?” Sydney’s singsong voice fills the quiet room.

  “Syd, my stuff is out at the table. I’ll be fine just go keep an eye on things.” I wipe my mouth, flush the toilet, and try to get the spins under control.

  “I’ve got you covered,” she says, confident. “Do you need me to hold your hair or anything?”

  “Nope. I’m good. Thanks.” My throat is so raw it hurts when I speak.

  When I open the door, Sydney is waiting for me on the other side with her back pressed against the wall, our purses dangling from her arm and my laptop bag slung over her shoulder.

  “What about our table?” I ask but could care less at this point, because all I can think about is going home and laying in bed for the rest of the day.

  “I let a group of girls have it. We need to get you back to my place stat.”

  I walk over to the sink, slap some water on my face, and wash my hands, staring into the mirror in horror. My skin has a yellowish tint, and I look like fucking death. Tyler will have a stroke when he sees me like this.

  “That was so weird,” Sydney says, adjusting the strap on her shoulder with laughter in her voice. “One minute you were fine, and the next you turned into the Exorcist.”

  I cup my hands together and fill them with water to splash on my face one last time. “Shut up. It’s not funny. I just hurled up everything I have eaten for the last day, and I am not in the mood right now.”

  She lifts a strand of hair from my face and pushes it behind my ear. “Did you eat something bad this morning?”

  “No, the cake is the first thing I have eaten all day. Tyler had a workout with his trainer this morning, and I forgot to eat since he wasn’t around.”

  “You’re not…” She bites down on her bottom lip, her expression turning grim.

  She doesn’t even have to finish the thought before I realize where she’s going with this conversation. But that is not possible.

  “No.” My tone lacks confidence. “Tyler and I stopped using condoms a while ago, but I am on birth control. It’s…no—”

  “Babe, it’s okay if you are preggers. You’re both adults.” She runs her hand down my back to soothe me except this talk is having the opposite effect on me. I may puke all over again at the thought.

  “I’m telling you, Syd, there’s no way I am pregnant.”

  “Because you are on birth control? While it may be super useful most of the time, it can fail.”

  Taking my purse from her arm, I slip it onto my forearm and reach inside to retrieve my empty birth control pill packet. I finished my entire dose five days ago. But when I open the pack, I spot one last pill in the row above the sugar pills. Somehow, I must have mixed them with the real medicine.

  “Fuck,” I mutter to myself under my breath.

  Sydney takes the pills from my hand, her face twisting into a mixture of surprise and disgust before she gives them back to me and feigns a smile. “You will be okay. No matter what, I am here for you and Tyler will be as well.”

  I cannot and will not accept reality, my entire world feeling as though it is crashing down on me all at once. How will Tyler take the news if it turns out I am pregnant?

  “I have to call Tyler,” I tell her as we leave the restroom. “He is going to freak out.”

  “Maybe not. For all you know, Tyler wants kids. Besides, you could be fine.”

  I still haven’t told Sydney about Blake or Tyler’s extended family. She has no idea how Tyler may feel about this situation. Keeping my fingers crossed, I follow behind Sydney as we stroll through the café and out the front door.

  On our way to Sydney’s apartment, we stop by the pharmacy and buy three pregnancy tests—because one did not feel like enough at the time. Sydney unboxes all three while I wait on the toilet for her to hand them over. She insisted she does this with me, regardless of how awkward it is for her to stand here as she gives me the sticks. I pee on each one and set them on the counter next to me, afraid and scared for both Tyler and me of the results.

  While I know he wants kids, children are a sensitive subject with Tyler. The outcome of the tests holds our future. I am beyond terrified.

  I hold my breath, sinking my elbows into my thighs and glancing over at Sydney as we wait for the tests to change color.

  “It’s going to be okay, babe.” Sydney sits on the floor next to me and rubs her hand down my forearm. “No matter what the tests say, you have Tyler and me. You have your family. We will all be here to support you. If it’s Tyler you’re worried about, he’s a grown man who can handle it.”

  “We haven’t been together long enough for us to be thinking about having children.” I shake my head, both frustrated and irritated with myself. “As much as we have sex, we were running through condoms every other day, and with my irregular periods, I was already on the pill, so I didn’t think anything of it. I never mess up like this. How did I not see that I was taking the wrong pills?”

  “You didn’t mess up. It was an accident.” She sighs, taking my hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. “Let’s just wait and see what the sticks tell us before you go beating yourself up over missing a pill. It happens to plenty of people.”

  Digging my fingers into my hair, I stare at Sydney, wishing she had the answer. She always has the answers, knows the right things to say, but even she seems as if she’s having a hard time with this situation.

  “One more minute,” she says, glancing down at the cell phone in her trembling hand. “

  “I cannot believe this is happening,” I say this more to myself, but Sydney can still hear me. “I am so fucking stupid. How could I swap them out without noticing? I’ve been taking the same pills for years. My schedule is like clockwork. I wake up, I grab my medicine, I brush my teeth—”

  “Stop dwelling on it.” Sydney snaps me out of my self-loathing rant. “There’s nothing you can do about it now.”

  “I finished the sugar pills three days ago and didn’t even notice I still had one left. How? Was I half asleep when I took them? Probably,” I say, answering my own question.

  Most mornings, Tyler wakes me up with a hard-on, wanting sex before I can even stretch my arms out. He’s insatiable. He can never get enough of me, and the feeling is mutual. But we are not ready for children.

  The alarm on Sydney’s phone beeps, my heart pounding out my chest with each ring. She shuts it off and pulls herself to her feet, using the edge of the vanity to brace herself.

  “I’m afraid to look,” I tell her. “You have to do it for me.” Tasting the bile rising up from my stomach in the back of my throat, I try to choke it back down along with my nerves. But nothing can help quell my anxiety.

  I watch Sydney, praying for a sign of relief. Her face brightens, the corners of her mouth turning up into a happy smile as she turns to face me. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I am going to be an aunt, and I am so damn excited about it.”

  “I’m pregnant!” I shoot up from the toilet seat to check out the tests for myself. All of them have two lines, indicating that I am having Tyler’s baby. Our baby. We are pregnant.

  A small part of me is excited because a child is what Tyler has wanted every since the day he signed the adoption papers for Blake. He has regretted his decision from that moment on, forced to live with his choice.

  What if this news sends him over the edge?

  Sydney wraps her arms around me and snuggles her cheek against mine, the scent of her sweet perfume making my stomach churn. “You’re going to be a mom, K. This is so exciting.”

  I want to be happy, and I am to some extent. But I have trouble sharing Sydney’s enthusiasm without knowing how Tyler will respond. I left the house this morning as his girlfriend, and now I’m the mother of his child.

  “How do I tell Tyler?” I stutter the words, my nerves getting the best of me.

  She takes a step back from me, holding me at arm's length and staring into my eyes. “You tell Tyler he’s going to be a father,
and if he has a problem with it, he will have to deal with me.” Her smile reaches up to her eyes, and I can’t help but join in because her words provoke a reaction from me.

  For the first time in over an hour, I am smiling. No matter the outcome of my conversation with Tyler, it does not change the fact that I am having his child.

  “I guess I better get home.” I slip away from her grasp, throwing my hands onto my hips as I stare down at my stomach. “What will I look like a few months from now? With the way I eat, I will end up being the size of a house, and Tyler will be repulsed by me.”

  She shakes her head and then brushes a loose curl behind her ear. “I can see you already, glowing and gorgeous and the cutest mother to ever rock Chanel.”

  “There’s no way I’ll fit into Chanel in a few months. The last time I checked, they don’t sell maternity clothes.”

  “Hey, they have a maternity wedding gown. I’m sure we can find you some maternity clothes to go along with it.”

  “Oh, God. Now you’re freaking me out. Wedding gowns, babies, this is all too much at one time.”

  “Just focus on my little niece or nephew that is cooking inside your belly, and I will worry about you being the best dressed baby mama this city has ever seen.”

  I laugh at her insanity, keeping my fingers crossed that Tyler will respond in the same fashion as Sydney.

  Chapter Nineteen

  TYLER

  By the time Kennedy walks through the door, I have just finished another ass kicking workout with Donovan and our trainer, Brian. We had to replace Vanessa with Brian after Donovan hooked up with her a while back and made the situation awkward for all of us. Our last session with her was brutal to say the least, the weird tension between them too much for any of us to tolerate.

  I hired Brian around the time Kennedy moved into my house, and I have been hitting it hard with Donovan and him for the last few weeks. This year we have to get our team to the playoffs. That is my goal, one that I will die trying to achieve.

  “Hey, babe.” I lean in to kiss her cheek, trying not to rub my sweat on her face. “How was your lunch date?”

  “Fine.” She glances down at her feet, before returning my gaze.

  There’s something off about her behavior. When she left the house this morning, she was on cloud nine about meeting Sydney. Now, her hair looks a mess, mascara is smudged and caked to her lashes, and there’s a certain sadness behind her eyes.

  “What happened?” I caress her cheek with my hand and run my thumb along her jaw, lowering my voice to a whisper. “Talk to me.”

  She looks over her shoulder at Donovan and Brian and waves, a pretend smile on her lips. “Hey, boys. How’s it going?”

  They exchange the usual pleasantries for a minute before I grip Kennedy’s shoulders and lock onto her. I know her well enough to know when something is bothering her. “Did you get into a fight with Sydney?”

  “No.” She shakes her head. “Do you think we can talk about this after your friends leave? It’s important, and I want to speak to you alone.”

  We need to talk are not the words most men want to hear. Is she breaking up with me? Moving out? I hope not. Everything has been going so well for us since Kennedy moved in. And I love having her here, waking up in my arms every morning.

  “I’ll get rid of the guys. Just give me a few minutes.”

  She nods. “I’m going to make myself a cup of tea, and then I’ll meet you in our bedroom. I want to lay down for a little bit. It’s been a long day.”

  I hug her tight and kiss her forehead, before releasing her. “Sounds good. I’m right behind you. Try not to fall asleep before we have a chance to talk.”

  “I promise.” She smiles at me, and then disappears into the hallway, her tight ass making me want to chase after her and into the kitchen. But I turn around to face Brian and Donovan, who are on the opposite end of the living room, bullshitting with each other.

  Brian was a good choice as far as trainers go, but he and Donovan are so much alike that sometimes I feel as though they are the same person. Both men are several inches taller than my six-feet two inches, ripped with muscle and covered in tats, and have dark, scruffy facial hair. I’m the complete opposite with my short, blond hair and clean shaven look. But these two could pass as twins some days, especially after they are in action.

  I walk over to them and clamp my hand down on Donovan’s shoulder to get his attention. “Kennedy isn’t feeling good. Do you think we can grab a drink another day?”

  “You’re bailing on us,” Brian whines. “C’mon, man, I’m sure your girl will let you out for the night.”

  “Yeah,” Donovan says, “you keep flaking out on our plans. We’re gonna stop inviting you out with us if you don’t grow a pair and tell your woman you are coming out with us.”

  After seeing the look on her face and hearing the sadness behind her words, I have to stay home and in bed with Kennedy. I have no idea what she wants to discuss, but I have a feeling I will not be happy about it based on her reaction to my questions.

  “Nah, I think she needs me. She said she’s not feeling good. I will make it up to you next week.”

  “I will hold you to it,” Brian says with a smirk.

  “I’m sure you will,” I shoot back.

  Donovan reaches down to grab his gym bag from the floor and slings it over his shoulder. “Now that you’re married, I guess we’ll get out of here.”

  “You don’t have any room to talk.” I snicker, thinking about how he chases around after Sydney. “If Sydney called you right now, you would be out the door and over the bridge faster than you can blink an eye.”

  “He’s got you there,” Brian says, laughing. “That girl has you wrapped around her finger.”

  Donovan punches Brian hard in the biceps. “Shut up. I just want to fuck her. She doesn’t have me wrapped around anything.”

  I join in on Brian’s laughter. “That’s a lot of work for a girl who won’t even kiss you. And we all know you’re full of shit.”

  “Whatever.” Donovan’s face twists into an angry scowl as he walks past me. “I’ll catch you later.”

  “Say hi to Sydney for us,” I call out to him, and he raises his middle finger at me.

  I show Brian to the door after Donovan had already slammed it behind him, acting like a damn child. He has it bad over Sydney. If she’s anything like Kennedy, I don’t blame him.

  “Same time next week,” I tell Brian and close the front door behind him.

  I flip the lock and suck in a deep breath, letting it all out at once. Afraid of what Kennedy has to tell me, my stomach knots. Taking the stairs in front of me three at a time, I climb two floors, not stopping until I’m standing in front of our bedroom. The door is closed over, a crack of light shining through and into the dark hall, casting its shadow on the marble floor.

  When I push the door open, I smile at the sight of Kennedy and Roxie sprawled out on the bed together. Kennedy brushes Roxie’s coat with her fingers, her head rested on Roxie’s stomach as she pets the top of her head.

  They look up at me when they hear me come in. Roxie perks up, waiting for me to pet her. Kennedy greets me with a warm smile.

  My two girls together in one place. What can be better than this?

  Sinking into the mattress, I snuggle up against Kennedy and pull her into my arms. Roxie sits up just enough to move back into her position next to Kennedy.

  “What’s the matter, babe?” I whisper into her ear, taking it in my mouth to suck on the lobe.

  “Mmm...” Her words die off in her throat for second before she finishes. “We need to have a serious conversation, Tyler.”

  “Are you breaking up with me?” I have a hard time controlling my emotions, the word coming out like a whimper.

  She peeks up at me. “No, silly, I love you, and I am not going anywhere. But I have something I need to tell you.” Pushing herself up with her palm, she looks me square in the eyes.

  Nervous, I
reach out for her hand to give it a quick squeeze. “Tell me before I have a heart attack over here. The suspense is killing me.”

  Without preparing me for what is about to come, she mutters, “I’m pregnant.”

  Two words I never thought I would hear for a very long time, two words that ruined my life and my relationship with Payton. Two words that could ruin what I have with Kennedy. I have no idea how to process the information, all of my emotions hitting me at once. While I am happy, I cannot deny I am a little sad, the pain of the last pregnancy all too real and present in my life.

  “You’re planning to keep the baby, right?”

  Please say yes. I cannot go through the heartbreak another time.

  She grins so wide I already know the answer. “Yes.”

  That’s all I need to hear before my lips crash against hers, my tongue slipping inside her mouth. My tears run down my face as I kiss her, and I can taste the saltiness of them as I run my fingers through her hair, consumed by each kiss. I love this woman and our child growing inside her stomach, and I don’t even know him or her yet.

  I break away from her long enough to wipe the tears streaming down her face with my hand. She does the same to me because I am a fucking wreck right now. After all the years of wanting a child and wishing things were different, I have another chance with the woman I love.

  “Thank you, Ken,” I say, stroking her jaw with my fingers. “You are everything,” I reach down and touch her stomach over her shirt, “this baby is everything, and you have made me the happiest man. My life was nothing but hockey and sadness before I met you. Now I have something too valuable to lose.”

  “I love you, too.” She’s crying so hard that her body is shaking. At least they’re happy tears. “We’re having a baby, Tyler. Can you believe this? We’re going to be parents.”