Marrying the Football Billionaire

by Stephanie Street

  “I should put him in his bed.” Oakley moved to pick up her sleeping boy, but Chris was quicker, scooping Kaden up in his strong arms before she could blink.

  “I’ll carry him for you.” With absolutely no effort, he got to his feet and waited for her to lead the way.

  “It’s just in here.” Kaden had his own room. It was small, but so was he and so was his toddler bed. Someday, she’d have to get a bigger bed for him, but for now the space was perfect. She pulled down the dinosaur comforter and sheet before stepping back so Chris could lay Kaden in the bed.

  Once he set the little boy down, instead of moving aside to let Oakley tuck Kaden in, Chris did it himself, drawing up the sheet and blanket, making sure it was snug around Kaden’s little shoulders. Before standing, Chris brushed his hand over Kaden’s head in an affectionate move that Oakley found herself performing a million times a day.

  Who was this man?

  Chris turned his clear blue eyes toward her. “I should go.” His jaw worked as he studied her for several long seconds and then he strode out of the room.

  She hurried to follow.

  Chris picked up the tools he’d set on the end table by the front door. “Thanks again for dinner. It was delicious. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a meal so good.”

  Oakley nodded. She opened the door and stepped aside, allowing him to pass. The way he was acting, she half expected him to leave without a backward glance, but he didn’t. He stopped just in front of her and again, his blue gaze held hers as a series of emotions crossed his face. Finally, with a twitch of the muscles in his jaw, he was gone.

  “Don’t forget to set the locks,” he called over his shoulder as he jogged down her steps.

  Oakley watched until he reached his own porch, until he turned and saw her still standing there in her open door.

  Chris nodded and she knew he wouldn’t go inside until he was certain she’d locked up. Slowly, she closed the door and turned the lock on the knob before setting the flip lock in place, thankful for the added security and the man who’d been considerate enough to put them there for her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  He couldn’t stay away from her, which was how he ended up on her front porch the next night after she arrived home from work. He’d watched from his front window as she struggled to carry Kaden in from the car. He should have run out to help her, but maybe that was going too far.

  Or maybe not, because fifteen minutes later, he knocked on her front door, a bag of popcorn and two sodas in hand.

  Oakley opened the door and leaned against the frame, studying him. That was alright because he wanted to look at her, too. She’d showered and changed already, her wet hair hung down the back of the oversized t-shirt she wore. Her face was free of make-up and her long legs were bare beneath the hem of a pair of gym shorts. She was beautiful.

  “I have popcorn.” He lifted the bag for her to see.

  She breathed a laugh and shook her head, but she wasn’t denying him. “Outside?”

  It was a beautiful night. Chris nodded and she opened the door.

  Oakley pulled a quilt off the back of her couch and led the way into her back yard where she spread it in the grass.

  “Will Kaden be okay?” he asked quietly as the settled side by side on the blanket.

  “Yeah, his window is open.” It was a little awkward, but then again, it wasn’t. Something about this woman made him feel like he’d known her forever when in reality he hardly knew anything. Somehow it didn’t seem to matter.

  “Will you tell me about his dad?” Chris handed her a soda after popping the top, asking the question he’d been mulling for days. He knew they’d divorced. He knew the guy never showed up for visitations or to help Oakley with child care. He knew she struggled financially because he didn’t pay child support. He knew the guy had signed away his rights. What he didn’t know was why.

  She took a long pull from the soda can and he could see the debate going on in her head as she decided what to tell him.

  “We met my first semester at college. I was young and stupid and he was cute and charming. I don’t know what possessed me to agree to marry him, but we were young and in love. Or I was at least. I found out later he’d only wanted to get married so he would qualify for financial aid. He’d always planned to divorce me once he was finished with school, but then I found out I was pregnant with Kaden.”

  Chris exhaled an angry sigh. “What a-” he paused, glancing at her apologetically.

  A laugh burst through her lips. “Yeah, exactly.” She played with a loose thread on the blanket. “Anyway, he tried for a little while, but ultimately he didn’t want a family, at least, not then and definitely not with me. In the end, I was glad to be rid of him.”

  “So what did you do?” He was close, so close, he could feel the warmth from her body, but he didn’t touch her.

  She shrugged. “What could I do? I had no education, no money, and a baby. I moved in with my parents.”

  He studied her. “But you didn’t stay.”

  “Would you want to live with your parents?” She let her head fall back. Her hair tickled his arm. Goosebumps rose on his skin.

  He let out a mirthless laugh thinking of his parents. “No. But I can’t imagine your parents are anything like mine.”

  “I don’t know about that, but it wasn’t easy. My parents love me, but I felt like I was in high school all over again, only this time with a baby. I appreciated their help, but I felt like I was losing all the independence I’d gained when I went to school. I was just really lucky to get this house. It belongs to Cam’s parents and they let me live here for less than they would charge anyone else. I feel bad about that, but not bad enough to move back home or into an apartment in a bad neighborhood because it was all I could afford.”

  His gut clenched thinking of her living in some of the lower income areas he’d been to. He was aware of the desperate circumstances people were forced to live in, he was just glad Oakley and Kaden weren’t in the same position.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she continued. “I’m glad he’s gone. I hate it that Kaden doesn’t have a dad in his life, but he’s better off without Wes. He wasn’t a good dad. When Kaden was a baby, Wes never wanted anything to do with him. He didn’t help. He just complained about how we’d ruined his life. I was happy to see his back when he left.”

  Chris was overwhelmed with the desire to hunt this Wes guy down and beat the ever-loving crap out of him. But he knew that wasn’t what Oakley wanted or needed. It would just make him feel better.

  “What about you?” Her brown eyes glittered in the darkness. “Tell me about your almost marriage.”

  He supposed it was only fair. He hadn’t talked about Jessica in years and he didn’t want to start now, but Oakley seemed to bring out thoughts and feelings he hadn’t had in a long time.

  He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. We dated in college and I thought we were meant to be. But she found someone better, I guess.” The winter Chris turned twenty, he grew three inches and his body changed. The coaches at the school where he played moved him from offense to defense. Apparently, defense wasn’t as sexy and Chris found Jessica in an upstairs bedroom with the quarterback at a party the night he’d planned to propose.

  “Better than you?” Oakley asked and Chris’s head swelled at the disbelief in her voice.

  “I’m not all that.” There were plenty of men better than him.

  She made a noncommittal noise in her throat that sounded an awful lot like a snort.

  He nudged her with his shoulder. “Stop.”

  She was quiet for a moment, but then she came down with a case of verbal vomit. “I can’t. Seriously, any woman would be crazy to give you up. Unless you’re hiding something truly horrible like dead bodies in your basement-”

  “I don’t have a basement,” he interrupted with a grin.

  Oakley glared, then continued. “Look at you.” She scanned her eyes over his face and body and Ch
ris felt his cheeks get warm. Good thing it was dark outside. “You’re extremely good looking. Like cover of a magazine gorgeous. And those muscles? Seriously, Cam and I have spent hours talking about those babies.”

  Chris cleared his throat, he was definitely blushing now. “You’ve spent hours talking about my muscles?”

  Oakley faced him with a serious expression. “You’ve become an honorary member of the Chris’s.”

  “What? The Chris’s?” What was this woman talking about?

  “Yeah, you know. Hemsworth. Pratt. Pine. And Evans.” She ticked the names off on her fingers. “And now there’s you.” She tapped his chest with her finger and shrugged like it was an everyday thing to compare her neighbor to four A-list Hollywood celebrities.

  Chris barked out a laugh. “Wow, that’s, I don’t even know what to say to that.” He shook his head.

  “Nothing to say. It is what it is. And that girl?” Oakley shook her head with a frown. “She was an idiot.”

  He didn’t know what to say to that, either. Instead, he changed the subject, to something a lot less embarrassing.

  “Favorite soda?”

  Oakley giggled at the abrupt change, but didn’t comment on it.

  “Dr. Pepper. You?”

  “Mountain Dew.” Not that he drank soda very often.

  She made a face. “Ew. It looks like pee.”

  Chris chuckled. “I don’t think it tastes like it, though.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I can’t drink something that is that color of yellow. Favorite candy bar?” She shot back.

  “Big Hunk,” he answered without missing a beat.

  She shot him a look. “Of course, it is.”

  “What’s yours?”

  “Milky Way.”

  It went on like that for a few minutes and then Chris yawned. He didn’t want their night to end, but it was late, or early, however you wanted to look at it since it was past midnight.

  “I should let you get some sleep.” He rose from the blanket and held out a hand to help her up.

  She stood and their bodies were so close Chris couldn’t stop his arms from going around her. For a moment he didn’t think she would hug him back, but then her arms wrapped around his waist and he breathed a sigh. What was it about her? He wished he could figure it out, but when she was near, Chris felt more whole than he ever had before.

  “Thanks for the popcorn,” she murmured against his chest making him laugh.

  “You’re welcome.” As much as he didn’t want to, he released her and bent down to pick up the blanket.

  He walked with her up to her back steps, but held back when she continued to the door. If he followed her, he’d be tempted to kiss her and tonight had been enough.

  “Goodnight, Oakley.”

  She smiled and he could just barely make it out in the dark.

  “Goodnight, Chris.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I can’t believe you’re doing all of this work on your own.” Carter walked through the debris in shoes that cost more than all the appliances Chris had just ordered for the kitchen put together.

  “It’s fun. I enjoy doing it.” Chris had been sanding trim pieces for a custom design he was working on in the master bathroom when his brother came wandering into the house uninvited, but not unwelcome. He turned off the sander and set it aside. It was getting late, anyway. Carter’s arrival gave him a good excuse to call it a day.

  Carter shook his head, the expression on his face exactly what Chris would have expected from his younger brother following his admission. But it was true, Chris did enjoy the work he was doing.

  “I have to say, it’s turning out rather nicely. Taking out that wall downstairs really opened things up. The house feels bigger.” Carter strolled around the room, taking in the fresh drywall and crown molding. Chris had updated the light fixtures and framed a walk-in closet to go with the master bath.

  “Yeah, these older homes have horrible floor plans. I opened up three walls downstairs and two up here, making it a three bedroom rather than four. But it needed a master suite.” It was nice to hear Carter’s compliments. He’d improved the house. If he wanted to sell it, he’d get considerably more than he would have before making the changes.

  “Smart.” Carter walked over to the window and looked out over the back yard. Chris hadn’t done any landscaping. He figured he’d save that for last. “Have you decided what you’re going to do with it?”

  “Donate it to some charity, probably. It’s taking longer than I thought it would, though. I was thinking of having a work day. You interested?”

  Carter turned away from the window with a half smile curving his lips. “I don’t know if I’m interested, but I’m willing. Just let me know and I’ll rearrange whatever I need to.”

  “It’ll probably be a Saturday.”

  Carter inhaled deeply then sighed. “No rest for the weary, bro. I usually work Saturdays.”

  Chris shook his head. “No amount of money is worth that, man.”

  “It’s not about money. Besides, I bet you work weekends.”

  “Yeah, but I like what I’m doing.”

  Carter shot him a crooked smile. “I do, too.”

  “Whatever.” Chris brushed their minor disagreement off. “I’ll text you and put you to real work. See if those weight machine muscles are good for anything.”

  “Hey!” Carter frowned. “Your muscles were from weight machines, too.”

  Chris laughed. “I’m just messing with you.” He flexed his bicep. “And they still are.”

  Carter shook his head at Chris’s blatant show of masculinity. “What else is going on? Have you even left this house for anything other than running to the lumber yard?”

  “Uh-huh.” Chris nodded. “I gotta eat.”

  “Funny. Any fans? Paparazzi?”

  Chris made a face. “Are you kidding me? Nobody knows I’m here. Chris Bragg is old news.”

  “Denver Thunder’s outside linebacker Chris Bragg might be out of the spotlight, but Chris Bragg, billionaire bachelor isn’t.”

  “Did you really just call me a billionaire bachelor?” Chris laughed.

  Carter frowned. “That’s what you are, man. I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay off radar, but someone is going to figure out who you really are even without the jersey.”

  Chris folded his arms over his chest. “And who exactly is that? It’s not like I frequent the social scene here or anywhere else for that matter. I leave that to you.” During the few minutes a week Carter wasn’t working, he liked to attend parties where he routinely had his picture taken with famous actresses and models. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be photographed in LA one night and New York City the next.

  “That’s all PR bull and you know it.”

  Chris raised his hands in surrender. It wasn’t worth the argument. “Whatever. Just don’t bring your PR bull anywhere near me. Actually, what car did you bring?” Chris crossed the upstairs hall to a bedroom at the front of the house and peeked out the window. “Did you drive yourself?”

  Carter scoffed, following close behind. “Of course I drove myself.”

  Chris pointed a finger at his brother. “No limos in my driveway, got it? I have a reputation to uphold. No pansy drivers here.”

  “Are you through assaulting my manhood?” Carter folded his arms across his chest. “Because I thought we might pick up some dinner.” He glanced around. “Preferably somewhere with furniture.”

  Chris shook his head. “I rest my case, pansy.” He ducked when Carter tried to deck him. “Food sounds good. I know just the place. They have chairs and everything.”

  “Lovely,” Carter replied, dryly as they made their way down the stairs and out of the house.

  “We’re taking my truck.” Dinner with Carter was just the thing to pass the time until Oakley got off work.

  “Of course, we are.”

  “See you Friday!” Oakley called out her car window to her parents who stood on their
front porch while she drove away. She’d just finished her shift. She had the next day off and then it was the weekend again and she would work Friday and Saturday.

  Kaden waved to his grandparents. He was already in his pajamas and she figured he’d be asleep before she was halfway home. She wondered if Chris would be sitting on his front porch when she pulled into the driveway, ready to help her carry him inside and tuck him into his bed like he’d been doing all week, except on the nights when she didn’t work and Kaden had fallen asleep on his broad shoulders while the three of them watched animated movies together.

  Then he’d stay. Sometimes they’d watch movies on the small television in her living room. Others they’d sit outside like they had that first night and talk about anything and everything and often, nothing. If she were being honest, those were Oakley’s favorite nights. Sure it was fun sitting beside him on her couch, flirting with light brushes of their skin as they danced around the attraction between them, but outside was different.

  Sitting on the blanket in the backyard, they’d laugh and talk for hours until she’d realize they’d somehow shifted until they laid side by side, staring at the stars. Chris hadn’t tried to kiss her, but every touch, every glance, every starry night they spent on that blanket told her he wanted to. Something was holding him back.

  She didn’t know what it was, and she didn’t care. As much as they talked, there were still so many things she didn’t know about him. She knew he had a brother named Carter who was three years younger, but she didn’t know what Carter did for a living or what Chris had done before he began working on the house next door. She knew Chris didn’t have a good relationship with his parents, but she didn’t know why. She knew he loved popcorn and peanut butter M & M’s and couldn’t stand the smell of fish, but she still didn’t know his last name. She knew he often rubbed at his left shoulder and flexed his fist at the end of the day, but she didn’t know why. She knew everyday brought him closer and closer to being finished working on his house, but she didn’t know if he would stay.