The Barnes Family Romances: (Books 1-3)

by Normandie Alleman

  "You too," I said, walking her to the door. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, clearly flirtatious, even with me, so I hated to imagine what she was like around Nick. I wasn't usually the jealous type, but this whole situation with me being so concerned about his lifestyle, and all that temptation on the road, it didn't help to see that temptation with a capital “T” also lived next door.

  I looked at the clock. Only another hour until Nick got home. I considered going for a walk, but these days walking to and from the bathroom one hundred times a day was where I got most of my exercise.

  When Nick finally came in the front door, I’d fallen asleep again on the couch watching a daytime talk show. He woke me with a kiss on the top of the head. “How are my babies?”

  I reached up to hug his neck. “Growing. How are you? I saw you won last night! Congratulations.” Unfortunately, with his new team, winning was not a regular occurrence, and therefore something to really celebrate.

  He chuckled. “We did. Miracle of miracles.”

  “And you scored thirty.”

  He plopped his big frame down next to me. “I did. If I’d had one more assist I’d have had a triple double.”

  “Ten points, ten assists, and…remind me again.”

  He tilted my chin toward him. “And ten rebounds,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “Or blocks. I got that once in college, but that’s pretty rare at this level.”

  I leaned up and touched my lips to his. His tongue brushed against mine and my heart rate quickened.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” he said when he finally pulled away.

  “Me too.” I’d been skeptical about coming, but now I was glad I had.

  “How was your flight?”

  “Tiring, but uneventful. How was yours?”

  “Fine. Did Dwayne see to everything you needed?”

  “Yes, he’s great. He went to the store and everything. Stocked up on olives and pink lemonade. I’m all good. I think he got you some protein bars and sports drinks too. And cereal. He said you love that chocolate cereal.”

  He laughed. “Lucinda would never let me eat that crap as a kid. Now I eat boxes of the crap. You’re finding out all my bad habits.”

  That brought another question to mind.

  “Hey, by the way, your neighbor stopped by.”

  “Oh yeah? Which one?”

  “Your next door neighbor.”

  I said, “Pepper” at the same time he said, “Marco.” We both laughed.

  “I didn’t get to meet Marco. She said he was in Mexico—promoting or something…what does he do exactly?”

  “Boxing. He used to be pretty big in the sport, now he’s the big money guy. Has a stable of fighters. He travels around managing them. He’s got a gym down on 5th. We work out together sometimes. He’s not bad at basketball, actually.”

  “What about her? What does she do?”

  “Hangs around. Shops. I think she used to be a model.”

  Figures. She looked like she could still be a model. “She seemed to know you pretty well,” I said, trying to keep the edge out of my voice, but apparently that didn’t succeed.

  One corner of his mouth twitched, giving him the most adorably crooked grin. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

  “Maybe a little.” I frowned. “She is beautiful, and she knew right where you kept the sparkling water.”

  He looked puzzled. “What?”

  I explained how she’d helped herself to a bottle of water from a drawer in the kitchen.

  “Oh, Marco and I cook out over here occasionally. She’s with him sometimes. There’s nothing for you to worry about, my dear. She’s my friend’s wife.”

  “So they are married?”

  “Yes, silly goose. For years and years. I promise you have nothing to be jealous of.” He pulled me close. “You’re the only woman for me, and that’s that.”

  “Your final word on the subject?” I teased.

  “Absolutely.”

  I hugged him back. If only it could be that simple.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Nick

  When I was first traded to Fresno, I wondered what my mother had to do with it. I understood Fresno wanted me, but I was always suspicious that my mother also wanted me in Fresno and that spurred along the trade more than anything else. That belief was further confirmed when I found out that my brother and sister had been booked to perform at one of the Fresno Fever home game half-time shows.

  Leo and Ivy were way more popular than any of the usual halftime shows featured at the Fever games. We usually had bouncing acrobats, young, local hip-hop dance teams, or the occasional odd juggler or magician, but these were small-time performers. For them, being seen at our halftime show was a boon for their career.

  Leo and Ivy were an international sensation. Fans lined up around the block to get tickets to see them, and that was exactly what happened for the Fever. Once word leaked that they would be the surprise guest at one of the home games, lines started wrapping around the building at least three games before they were actually scheduled to appear. A clever marketing ploy to be sure, but I couldn't help feeling that me and my brother and sister were being manipulated, and that our mother was driving the train.

  The night they were scheduled to perform, Leo and Ivy came backstage to wish me luck before the game. We stood in an underused hallway near the home dressing room. Their security detail, an army dressed in black, hung back to give us a modicum of privacy.

  Ivy gave me a hug. She was wearing a turquoise wig and some get-up that reminded me of a mermaid.

  "I can't believe Mom set you guys up for this." "

  "What do you mean?" Ivy asked.

  "This isn’t the kind of place you usually play." The twins shrugged. Leo didn't mind where he performed as long as he got to play his music, and Ivy was all about the attention. As long as there was a screaming crowd, she was happy. It frustrated me they couldn't see our mother was up to her old tricks.

  "Don't you see? She's only doing this because she wanted me in Fresno for some reason. She traded you in order to get them to trade for me. Doesn't that bother you—that she uses us like pawns in a game?”

  “She is happy to have you closer to home. Even though it is several hours away, it's closer than Austin," Ivy said, completely not getting it.

  “I feel ya, man." Leo nodded, and maybe he did. Of the four of us, Leo was the most quiet, the most serious, and probably the most talented. No doubt Lucinda found Leo rather pliable. As long as he could play his music, he was content.

  "By the way, where is Mom?" I knew she would die before she let the twins come here by themselves, plus she’d never miss an opportunity to have a word with me.

  She had sent me a few text messages since I’d relocated to Fresno, but I had taken to ignoring them.

  "Ugh, she was fussing at some guy about the sound system. She didn’t like the microphones.” Ivy fidgeted with her costume.

  “It’s always something,” Leo added. “But we’re only going to be out there for fifteen minutes tops.”

  “Yeah, and it’s not like your fans aren’t going to love every minute of it no matter how you sound,” I said.

  “Exactly.” Ivy rolled her eyes.

  “But that’s Mom for ya,” Leo said, and Ivy and I nodded in agreement.

  “Well, it’s good to see you, big brother.” Ivy stood on her tiptoes and reached up to give me another hug. Sweet. I loved my little sister with everything I had. She’d always been fiercely loyal to me. As a little girl, Ivy followed me everywhere I went. She even played basketball for a few seasons so she could be like me. As far as I was concerned, her heart was made of gold, and it pissed me off immensely to think of my mother taking advantage of her. I squeezed her until she yelped. “Good luck,” she said, releasing her grasp on my neck. “Not that you need it.”

  Leo gave me a one-arm hug. “Play hard, bro.”

  “I always do. You too.”

  “You kno
w it.”

  As they were walking away, one of the Fever players came out of the locker room and saw them just before they disappeared around the corner with their throng of security. “Hey, is that your brother and sister?” he asked.

  “It was.”

  “Damn, I should’ve gotten their autograph for my niece. She loves them. Listens to them all the time.”

  “Give me the info, and I’ll have them send her something.”

  His face lit up. “Really, man?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks.” He slapped my hand. “You know, Barnes, it might be all right having you around here after all.”

  I laughed. “You think?”

  He nodded and disappeared into the dressing room.

  Time was running out. I needed to put the family drama out of my mind and get my game face on. I took a few steps toward the dressing room, opened the door, and was about to step inside when a shrill, yet all-too-familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

  “Nick!”

  Fuck. I should have ignored her, gone on inside, left her pacing and agitated in the hallway. Instead, I turned around to face her.

  “Hello, Mother. What do you want?”

  “Well, first of all I want my son to greet me like he’s happy to see me!” Her heels clacked across the floor as she approached me and enveloped me in a smothering embrace, her too-strong perfume burning my nostrils. Great, now I was going to smell like that throughout the game. I couldn’t wait to hear the other team’s taunts. I balled my fists.

  "So, the twins tell me you've been terrorizing the event staff."

  She waved a hand as if something smelled bad. "I can't believe the equipment they think passes for a sound system. We have much higher quality microphones on the show, and that's only television. Not live performances."

  "Yeah, speaking of performances, was this part of the deal when you got me traded down here?"

  She looked at the floor before defiantly meeting my gaze. "I'm not sure what you're insinuating."

  "What the hell did you want me in Fresno for in the first place?"

  "I am simply your agent, son. I merely negotiated a contract between two teams who were interested in trading you. I'm not sure what you're accusing me of."

  "I'm accusing you of manipulating a situation in order to put me where the hell you want me. It's what you've been doing from the very beginning. And for you to act like I'm too stupid to know this only makes it more insulting."

  Lucinda did righteous indignation like she invented it, with those big innocent eyes, that horrified look on her face. "I resent that. If you do not appreciate the representation I’ve given you, you are free to look around for someone else."

  "Oh I have. I've already gotten a new agent. You won’t be slinging me all over the country anymore. I've got someone who has my best interests in mind, not his."

  “Oh yeah? Someone who cares more about you than your mother. Who is that?"

  She thought I was bluffing. I wasn’t but I didn’t have time to get into this now.

  "I have a game in five minutes. You will be hearing from him. I just don't understand what it is that you are hoping to do by getting me to Fresno. But if you were hell-bent on it breaking up me and Eden, that's not going to happen. She's pregnant."

  Lucinda remained expressionless. "She's what?"

  "Pregnant. With twins. You're going to be a grandma, and you'd better start getting used to the idea. I will not have you treating Eden badly." I held a warning finger in front of her face.

  "I think that sounds amazing. Congratulations. To you both. Is she…here?"

  "No, she's in Austin, packing. Her mother is driving her to Fresno, and she's planning to have the baby here."

  "Nick, I thought you would like Fresno. Is that not the case?" Typical Lucinda. I told her she was going to be a grandmother of twins. She said all the right words, but then it was back to business.

  "It's all right."

  "But, you are their star."

  “And that's always been more important to you than it has to me. I’ve got to go." I turned and pushed my way back into the dressing room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Eden

  "You want to deliver them now?" Panic gripped me, and I clutched tightly to the side rails of the exam table. I had come in for a routine checkup, and the doctor saw a problem on the ultrasound.

  "Yes. The umbilical cord is wrapped around baby B’s neck, and I don't like the look of it. Baby B doesn’t seem to be in distress at the moment, but I'm nervous about you going home because who knows what might happen. Those babies are moving around in there, and sometimes they find themselves in the most precarious situations. Baby A is breech. He’s got his rear end on the exit door so we’re going to have to do a C-section." Doctor Taslimi’s lined face bespoke years of experience, and there was no denying his authority. Arguing with him was not an option.

  The babies were only thirty-six weeks along. That wasn’t bad for multiples, but it was a month premature. I had counted on keeping them inside me for longer, at least a couple more weeks. It was much better for them to develop inside me than out in the world. But I couldn’t risk anything happening to them. I was a doctor myself, and I had the utmost respect for my doctor’s opinion. Doctor Taslimi was the premiere expert on high risk pregnancies in the area, and I trusted him completely.

  I shivered. The babies would be here soon. I hated to think of my baby girl choking herself with her umbilical cord. I had also hoped to deliver them naturally. The baby closest to the birth canal was always called baby A, and if baby A was in a head-down position, often multiples could be delivered vaginally no matter how baby B was positioned, but since baby A needed to come out first it would be too dangerous to try with him being breech.

  "I'd like to call my family, if that's okay."

  "It is. We will have to wait for an operating room, and since this is not currently an emergency situation there should be time. We will monitor the situation and book the surgery for tomorrow morning.”

  The nurse assigned to me came back into the room after he left. “So, we’re having a baby, huh?”

  “Two.” I laughed nervously.

  “Silly me, of course two.” Her name was Olivia, and she had that calm, caring bedside manner that you wanted in a nurse. “We’re going to get you all ready. First, I’m going to bring you a bunch of paperwork to start filling out, then we’ll have a wheelchair brought over, and we’ll get you admitted. Did you complete your pre-admission paperwork already?”

  I nodded. Dr. Taslimi’s office was in the same building as the hospital, just in a separate wing, which was convenient. Come for an ultrasound. Stay for a birth. The whole thing was surreal.

  Where was Nick today? My mind was drawing a blank. I usually knew exactly where he was every single day, but right now all I could think about were the babies, and the fact that I hadn’t even bought a single car seat yet, and I would need two. Pepper and some of her friends were throwing me a baby shower this weekend, and I hadn’t wanted to purchase them until we saw if we received one at the shower. Now it looked like the babies would be guests at their own party. I’d have to call Pepper and let her know…

  Olivia strapped a blood pressure cuff on my arm. It started to squeeze. My mind drifted back to Nick. “Could you please hand me my phone?” I asked Olivia, pointing to where it sat on the nearby counter.

  “Sure,” she said, handing it to me with a smile. She called out some numbers that must have been my blood pressure stats, but which were meaningless to me.

  “Thanks,” I said then bowed my head to focus on finding Nick.

  Open calendar. It was a travel day. He should have left Philly either last night or this morning, but they had another game tomorrow in Boston.

  I dialed his number, but his voicemail picked up. I didn't want to leave this message on his voicemail, but I also didn't want to send it in a text either so I spoke. "Nick, it's Eden. The babies are coming.
The doctor wants me to have a C-section, like right now. Call me as soon as you get this. I love you." Regretfully, I clicked the red button to end the call. I hoped he got my message. But I sent a text just in case.

  Check your voice messages. It’s important!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Nick

  I was going to be a father. Not just at some point in the future, but at any minute. Right now. Eden’s surgery could happen at any time now. My palms were sweating. I would be a father by tomorrow at the latest.

  Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten Eden’s message until I got to Boston. It was almost nine when I heard it. I'd jumped on the next commercial flight. Unfortunately, I had to make a connecting flight then take the redeye to LA, then catch another flight to Fresno. I was afraid I wouldn't make it there until after the babies were born.

  The only comfort I had was that a surgical delivery room would be a lot easier to miss than the traditional birth room in the labor and delivery suites. I had heard a few guys say that watching your wife have her belly cut open was actually more disturbing than watching your kid come out the old-fashioned way.

  But either way I really wanted to be there, to be the first person to hold my babies, to hold Eden’s hand, and share that precious moment.

  I hated that I might miss their first cry, their first moment in the world. I might not get to cut the umbilical cord. That sucked, but I was doing everything I could to get back to my family as soon as possible. As soon as we were in the air one of the flight attendants approached me and said, "We hear you are going home for a pretty big occasion. Congratulations. Is there anything we can get you?"

  I was tempted to order some champagne, but that seemed premature and also a little insensitive considering what Eden was probably going through right at this very moment, so I said, "I'd love some coffee." I had a feeling it was going to be a long night and caffeine might be the best thing for me.

  ***

  My last flight finally touched down in Fresno around nine a.m. I didn't usually use my size to push people out of my way in day-to-day life. But I made an exception on the basketball court, and when my babies were being born. I needed to get there fast.