Shantel glanced upward, praying for a sign of what to do, when a knock sounded on her door. She rose to open it and found Julian on the other side.
“Are you busy?” he asked.
“No, I don’t have any clients right now.”
“Good.” He swept past her into the office, leaving Shantel to close the door. “Why haven’t you been returning my calls? I had a big fight with my father and I needed to talk to you,” he said. “Did I do something to upset you?”
Shantel shook her head. “Of course not. I’ve been really busy.” She walked past him to her desk and began searching files, eager for a distraction.
“You’ve never been too busy for me,” Julian countered as he walked toward her and leaned against her desk. And he was right. She always made time to lend an ear if he needed it. But lately, her plate had been too full with her own problems to be a sounding board for Julian.
“Things change,” Shantel said, sweeping her sweater duster around her shoulders. It wasn’t as if Julian could see she was pregnant. It was way too soon, but now that he was here, Shantel felt guilty knowing she hadn’t yet shared her condition with his brother. And Shantel wasn’t sure when she would be ready.
Julian touched her arm and turned her to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Bull. There are dark circles around your eyes and you look as if you haven’t seen a good meal in days. Have you lost weight?”
“Really, Julian. Why do you care? I’m sure you didn’t come here to inquire about my health. What new woman has you tied up in knots?”
Julian stared at her as if she’d sprouted horns. “Damn, Shantel. I’m sorry to have burdened you with my troubles. I’ll look for another shoulder to cry on.”
As he turned to leave, Shantel called after him. “Wait! I’m sorry, Julian. I’m a bit testy these days. Please forgive me.”
Julian perked up and a broad smile replaced the frown marring his handsome face. “It’s all right. We all have a bad day, and it looks like you’ve seen a few lately. How about I take you out for lunch? We can have a big juicy burger with pickles, sautéed onions and mushrooms.”
The thought of red meat made Shantel’s stomach roil. She bolted out of her seat and rushed to the en suite bathroom in her office. She barely made it in time before she emptied the contents of her stomach in the toilet. She was going to have to see a doctor soon, but she hadn’t wanted to have her worst fear confirmed.
Julian was banging on the door. “Shantel, are you okay?”
After flushing the toilet and rinsing with mouthwash, Shantel wiped her mouth and opened the door to the bathroom. She must have jumped up too quickly from the toilet because suddenly she felt as if the earth was swallowing her up. Those were her last thoughts as she fainted in Julian’s arms.
*
“You’ve made very little progress moving the needle with Curtis,” Josiah Lockett told Roman later that day.
“That’s not true. He’s agreed to come to Atlanta to see our facility and meet with us in person. I wanted him to be assured his son would be in good hands.”
“Yeah, well, I would have inked the deal already,” Josiah stated. “You clearly aren’t offering him the right package. Perhaps he needs more incentive with branding and marketing. Giana can help you with that.”
“Yes, she can,” Roman said, “and she has. We’ve already laid out a brand strategy we think works for his clean-cut image, but he’s still hesitant to sign with us. I think he has his heart set on a team in the North.”
Josiah rolled his eyes. “But other teams don’t have the best state-of-the-art facility in the country. We do. Who else has an elevated pitch next to the coaching offices, so plays can be run on the fly without going back down to the fields?”
“No need to preach to the choir, Dad,” Roman replied. “I know all this.”
“And yet you can’t manage to get the job done. Maybe I’ve been backing the wrong horse all these years.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Roman asked. He hadn’t gone to Harvard and Wharton business school for no reason. Roman was sick and tired of his father putting him down after all the hard work, sweat and tears he’d put into the family business.
“I mean,” his father boomed, “Giana is begging and pleading to do more. Perhaps I should have been showing her the ropes instead of paying for that expensive education of yours if it’s not going to yield dividends.”
“I’ve had enough of your tirade, Dad. I’m tired,” Roman said and headed toward the door.
“At your age, I had already bought and sold several companies and married your mother. I mean, you’re near thirty-five years old and you’ve yet to give me a single grandchild.”
Roman spun on his heels. “And why would I want to do that, Dad? Why would I want to bring a child into this family? So you can make them feel less than like you’ve done me?”
“I have given you everything, Roman.”
But your love, he wanted to say, but uttering the words would only make him appear weak to Josiah, and Roman didn’t want the fallout. It was better that he leave now.
“Roman, wait,” his father started, but he was already out the door. As always, they were at odds and it was getting old. Josiah’s lack of trust and faith made Roman start considering his options. He’d been approached by another franchise in need of a general manager as well as a Fortune 500 firm looking for a CEO. With his MBA and prior management skills, the Atlanta Cougars wasn’t the only show in town, but it was the job he’d trained for his entire life. Who was better qualified than him to run the family business?
*
Shantel was silent on the drive back to her cottage. After she’d fainted at her office, Julian had taken her to the emergency room where, after several blood tests, the doctor had come to the room and congratulated Julian.
Julian hadn’t understood at first, but then realization dawned when the doctor began talking to Shantel about his recommendation for an ob-gyn and suggested prenatal vitamins along with prescribing some anti-nausea medication that wouldn’t hurt the baby.
The baby.
Her pregnancy was no longer a figment of her imagination or two lines on a pregnancy test. There was no more putting her head in the sand. The doctor had confirmed she was five weeks along, perfectly lining up with the night of the bachelor auction. Not that there was any doubt of who the father was, but had Julian put two and two together?
She’d never seen him rendered speechless, but he hadn’t spoken to her after the doctor’s proclamation. Instead, he’d stared at her long and hard and then walked out of the room.
He hadn’t returned until she was being checked out, and even then, he hadn’t said much. He’d bundled her into the passenger seat of his Bugatti and given her a ride home.
When they made it to her cottage, Shantel noticed her car in the driveway. Julian must have arranged to have it brought to her when he’d taken her purse at the hospital. Although she appreciated his kindness, she couldn’t bear the silent treatment any longer. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
He turned to glare at her and Shantel sucked in a deep breath. He knows.
“Exactly when did you plan on telling me I was going to be an uncle?”
Okay, so he had put two and two together.
“Before you answer me, you’d better think long and hard about whether you want to ruin a twelve-year friendship,” Julian said once he’d walked her inside and closed the door.
Shantel swallowed the lump in her throat. “I…” But no words came out. She sat still for several moments, collecting her thoughts, and then tried again. Her brows furrowed and she asked, “How did you know?”
“That you slept with my brother?” Julian asked, frowning. “It was a hunch, but I wasn’t certain until you confirmed it just now.”
“I never said anything, and Roman doesn’t strike me as the sort to kiss and tell, so why would you even go there?”
/> “Roman asked about you after the bachelor auction. It struck me as odd because you’re not really Roman’s type, but he’s been out of sorts lately. Unsettled with his life. That night, you would have been something of a novelty. I can see how he would have been drawn toward you as I was the first time we met. Except our relationship has always been a platonic one, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t always known you were a special person, Shantel. Your capacity to be so kind, caring and compassionate. I suppose it’s why I never crossed the line with you, because I never wanted to lose you.”
Tears slid down Shantel’s cheeks at Julian’s words. It was the most vulnerable she’d ever seen him. “And I’ve disappointed you?”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. You were innocent in this. But not Roman. He knew better. He knew you weren’t one of his one-night stands. Yet he used you for his own pleasure.”
“It’s not his fault, Julian,” Shantel replied. “He wasn’t the only one in the room when we…”
“Created a life?” Julian offered.
Shantel nodded. “I know I should tell him.”
“He has a right to know.” There was no denying the demanding tone in Julian’s voice.
“I was trying to figure it out and make my peace with the situation first. It’s been rather shocking. A baby was never in my future.” She’d thought about not having the baby or even putting it up for adoption. But at the end of the day, Shantel discovered that although she may not have planned the pregnancy, she wanted to keep her baby.
“You shouldn’t have to go through this alone,” Julian responded. “Roman should be here because he’s equally responsible for where you find yourself now, and I’m going to see he makes things right.” He started for the door, but Shantel tugged on his arm.
“Julian, no!” But he was stronger than her and gently removed her hands and left. Shantel knew there was no stopping him. Julian had decided he was going to give Roman a piece of his mind.
Why does he have to go all macho on me and confront his brother like some avenging warrior? She was no fair maiden and she could stick up for herself.
Mind made up, she grabbed her purse and rushed out the door. She had to talk to Roman before Julian did.
Eight
With a tumbler of whiskey in hand, Roman paced the floor of his home. He’d lived in the guesthouse on the Lockett estate ever since graduating Wharton. Why had he let his father get to him earlier? Hadn’t he learned he was never going to please the man? Even if he hadn’t already signed DeMarius or considered trading Dustin, his father would have raised the bar yet again.
It was time he faced facts. His father wasn’t going to step down as general manager anytime soon and Roman jumping through hoops wasn’t going to change the status quo. Josiah Lockett liked being in charge and handing down the almighty edicts. He would never give up control any more than Roman would. He supposed it was why they butted heads—because they were so much alike—but that didn’t mean he would continue to be his father’s whipping boy either.
In the last fifteen years, he’d proven he had the business acumen to run the Atlanta Cougars franchise, and if his father didn’t recognize it, he had to consider other alternatives. If he chose to run another football franchise as general manager, he would have autonomy over most decisions other than having to run contractual issues by the owner for final approval. It wasn’t his first choice to leave because the Cougars franchise was rightfully his. He’d thought it was his destiny, but maybe he was wrong?
He was thinking about his next move when he heard the crunching of gravel in the driveway outside. Pulling the drapes back, Roman saw Julian emerge from his Bugatti. He wondered what was going on because his brother walked with a purpose. He didn’t have long to find out because Julian burst through the front door.
“Julian, what the hell?” Roman began, but before he could get another word out, his brother charged at him, knocking the tumbler out of his hand and sending shards of glass in every direction.
Roman glanced at the mess, but didn’t have time to react because his brother punched him in the jaw. He recoiled backward, stumbling into the couch. “What was that for?” Roman asked, holding his throbbing jaw. When he looked up at Julian, his face was etched with rage and he looked like he was going to take another swing at him.
“Oh, don’t play dumb now,” Julian said, punching a fist into his hand. “You know exactly what you did.”
He tried to rise to his feet, but Julian stepped toward him again. “Wait a second,” Roman said, holding up his hand. “I have no idea why you’re angry with me. Whatever it is you think I’ve done, surely it can be fixed. We’re brothers.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed. “What you’ve done can’t be undone.”
Roman was about to respond when he heard the squeal of tires outside and a car door slamming. Seconds later, Shantel was standing in the doorway of the guesthouse.
What was she… Roman glanced up at Julian and it hit him. Julian must have learned he and Shantel had hooked up. But why was he acting like a jealous lover? If he wasn’t mistaken, Julian had told him Shantel was like a sister to him. So why was he upset?
He watched Shantel survey the damage and turn to glare at Julian. “Why couldn’t you have stayed out of this?”
“Because,” Julian said, “he deserved that punch and so much more.”
“Are you hurt?” Shantel asked, concern in her dark brown gaze as she looked Roman over.
After weeks of not seeing Shantel, Roman’s gaze roamed over her as she walked toward him. But the woman coming toward him wasn’t the same as he remembered. She looked tired, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Has she been crying? Was there some sort of lovers’ quarrel between her and Julian? Is that why his brother came at him so hard?
Roman’s stomach churned at the thought. He knew it was irrational to feel possessive about Shantel given they’d only been together the one time, but he was.
“No, I’m fine,” he finally managed to say. “Nothing a bag of frozen peas won’t remedy.”
Shantel chuckled. “I doubt a single bachelor such as yourself even has frozen vegetables in the fridge.”
But that didn’t stop her from heading to his refrigerator to find out. After opening the freezer to search the contents, she turned around and held up some frozen peas. “I’m shocked.”
She walked toward him, her hips swaying, and Roman couldn’t help but watch. For some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, Shantel did it for him even when she wasn’t put together.
She handed him the bag of frozen peas and he pressed it to his jaw.
“Surprise, surprise.” He grinned, and to his immense relief, he garnered a smile from Shantel.
Their gazes locked and held. Roman suspected they would have gone on staring at each other, but Julian coughed loudly. When he glanced in his direction, his brother still looked as if he was ready to thrash him.
“As much as I’d love to stay for the show, my work here is done. I did what I had to do.” He turned to Shantel. “You need to tell him.”
Shantel’s eyes grew large. “You haven’t told him?”
Told me what? Roman wondered, glancing at the two of them.
“No. You made it here before I could,” Julian replied, “but now that you’re here, you should tell him. I’m leaving.” He started for the door, but spun on his heels to face Roman. “Know that you and I are going to have a talk when this is over.”
Roman was completely in the dark about Julian’s ominous statement. Once the door closed, he immediately turned to Shantel. “Care to fill me in on whatever it is my brother thinks I need to know?”
“Can we sit first?” Shantel asked, and without waiting for his response, sagged into the sofa beside him.
“Looks like you need the rest more than me.” Roman tossed the peas on the coffee table and came to settle beside her. “Can I get you anything? I have whiskey.” When she furiously shook her head, he added, “Or I’ve got water, tea o
r juice.”
“I’m pregnant.”
*
Shantel blurted the words out. There was no other way to go about revealing the news she had to share but to get on with it. And once the news was out there, Roman’s midnight eyes turned fiery.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me,” Shantel responded. “I’m pregnant. And before you ask me if you’re the father, the answer is a resounding yes. I’m not the sort of woman who sleeps around. You’re the only man I’ve been with recently. So, there you have it. That’s why Julian is upset with you.”
Roman scrubbed his jaw and Shantel waited for him to say something. Anything. But then he shocked her by sweeping his strong arms around her and cradling her against his chest.
Shantel wanted to protest, to tell him to let her go, but she was overcome with emotion at his response. She didn’t know if it was hormones or the fact that he was tall and powerful and larger than life, but she let out the tears she’d been holding in since she arrived. She didn’t know if they were tears of sadness or tears of joy.
Now she was leaning towards the latter.
When she stopped sniffing, Roman drew back and looked at her and wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “I’m sorry, Shantel. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you during this time.”
“So you believe me?” she asked.
“Of course I do,” Roman replied. “I could tell the night we were together you didn’t take going to bed with me lightly. I should have walked away and let you go but I was so intrigued by you. I just couldn’t, and well, here we are.”
“Stop it!” Shantel said, pushing against his chest and putting some distance between them on the couch. Being this close, she was surrounded by his scent. Masculine. Provocative. It was all she could do not to melt into a puddle on the floor. “I want you and Julian to stop acting like I didn’t have a say in what happened between us. It was my choice. I wanted to have sex with you.”
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