by Leigh, Anne
Love Unmatched
Anne Leigh
This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to peoples living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, pigments, and characters are figments of the author’s imagination.
The author respectfully acknowledges all registered trademarks and owners of trademarked products that may have been included in this work of fiction.
ISBN: 9781301131907
“Writing happy stories is my personal catharsis for all the sadness in this world.”
Dedications
To S.A., the most beautiful little girl I met 13 yrs ago, I imagined what your life would have been like if leukemia didn't win and you met the sweetest boy.
To fans of Z & S, this one's for you.
To football fans, this may or may not be for you. I've created a world where all football players are hot; the games are played at the oddest times; and the football teams have the weirdest names.
To J, ALL my love.
Chapter One
“The first time I saw your face; you robbed me of my breath, my thoughts, my words.”
Zander
Sir, I love your daughter.
Sir, I want to marry her.
Sir, I got her pregnant.
If it was possible to sweat more than I did in this 75 degree room, I probably would have. I've had to change my dress shirt twice before I arrived here. Finally, I settled on a dark blue shirt tucked under my black suit.
How did one ask a father for his daughter's hand in marriage? Was there a secret rule? Was there a better way to say it than, ‘I got your daughter pregnant?’
I've been waiting here for fifteen minutes, but it felt like five hours. The time on my watch was ticking by way too slowly. Shouldn't they be here by now? Sedona and I had talked about meeting her dad, and telling him at the same time about our news. It was a day before graduation. He had arrived this morning from a travel assignment in Belize. How long did it take for Sedona to get her father settled in at her apartment and meet me here for dinner? Granted, I was early by fifteen minutes. The last text that she sent me was ten minutes ago. She said they were on their way, which meant that they'd be here in five minutes.
I kept staring at the entrance of the restaurant, willing my girlfriend to show up already. If not, I'd have to order another shot of whiskey. I hated whiskey, but I needed it to bolster up my courage. I had no problem telling her dad I loved his daughter. The problem that I had was telling him that his precious only daughter was carrying my child.
Maybe I should ask for another shot.
Before I could call the server, I saw the familiar figure of a woman wearing a knee-length, silver dress and high heels. I stood up. She was entrancing. Her face was glowing, her lips were damp from her lip gloss, and her violet eyes were shining. Her long, dark hair hung loosely over her face. She was wearing the tennis bracelet that I gave her two days ago as a graduation gift on her right wrist. It was a matching bracelet for the necklace I gave her for Christmas.
A tall, broad-shouldered, man with dark hair was matching her strides. He had a smile on his face. I wondered if he would still be smiling after what I had to say.
As they neared me my heart swelled at the woman who was so dear to me. Her waist was slightly bigger, almost imperceptible. Her breasts were fuller, her cleavage evident. God, the things I did to those twins last night. Shit. I could not get a hard-on right now.
"Hey babe," she said with a smile, reaching up to kiss my cheek. "Have you been waiting long?"
"No, about fifteen minutes," I replied, inhaling her strawberries and peaches scent.
She turned towards her dad, gesturing with her hand. "Dad, this is Zander. Zander, this is my dad, Sloane."
I reached out my right hand to her dad and her dad shook mine. He had a very firm grip, enough to break my hand in two when I tell him that his baby is having a baby— my baby.
His blue eyes crinkled. "Nice to meet you, Zander. I've heard so much about you." He had a powerful voice, one that took command. His hair was as dark as Sedona's, but that was where the similarities ended. Whereas Sedona was all delicate curves, her dad was all angles. He had a square jaw, a slightly crooked nose, and looked like a linebacker.
Sedona had no clue that I was going to ask for her hand. I had been thinking about it since we got back together. She was all I could have ever asked for. I knew that we hadn’t been together for a long time, but I believed that she was the only one who could make me feel this way. I wanted to give her everything I had. My body she claimed. My heart she owned. The only thing left was my name. Sedona Lee Zobowski. Even her middle name sounded nice with my last name.
Sitting here with her dad, who was busy chatting away about his trip, I had thought of when the best time would be to talk to him alone. I wanted to let him know about my intentions of marrying her. Sedona would raise her eyebrows if I asked for some time for privacy with her father. She was smart like that. She would definitely know that something was up – which was why I had asked Kieran to help me out.
Sedona sat to my left, leaving her dad to face us. She reached for my hand under the table; I could tell she was nervous. I gripped it tighter, trying to reassure her that it was going to be okay.
Sloane asked, "So, Zander, when are your parents flying in?"
"They're arriving tomorrow around nine. I know it's cutting it close, since grad ceremonies are in the afternoon, but my dad has some business to attend to," I replied.
He nodded and smiled. "I can't wait to meet them. I’ve heard so many great things about them from my daughter."
"You will definitely meet them, sir."
"Call me Sloane, Zander." His eyes grinned as he continued, "‘Sir’ makes me feel ten times older." He continued, smiling at the both of us. "This definitely calls for a celebration. Sedona’s graduating tomorrow with the highest honors. And you, Zander, are gaining a degree in architecture and you’re the number one draft pick. Whew! Which wine do you want to order Angel?" Sedona had mentioned that her dad often called her ‘sweetie’ and ‘angel’ ever since she was a little girl; those were his nicknames for her.
I looked over at Sedona. Her face was pale. Her hand was clutching mine under the table.
She gulped and said, "Dad, I don't feel like drinking wine tonight."
He looked surprised. "Why not? You love wine. And this definitely calls for a bottle or two." He lifted his right hand to call our server.
"Sloane, I don't think I'm in the mood for wine, either." I sucked in a breath. Sedona could definitely not have a bottle of wine.
He looked at us strangely, the server now standing by our table.
"I'd like to order a bottle of my daughter's favorite wine, Lambrusco Riunite,” he told the server. The server nodded and left.
Sedona's hand was now sweaty in mine. Her right foot was tapping uncontrollably. She was emitting loads of nervous energy. She had to calm down.
Her voice was soft as she said, "Dad, I love wine...I just can't have any right now."
"Sir...Sloane, Sedona and I have something to tell you." I took charge. She was a bundle of nerves. I had to do this for us.
He was now looking at me expectantly. "Okay, what is it? Are you sick, Angel? Is that why you can't have any wine? I'll call back our server. We can have it at another time. Maybe tomorrow, at your grad party?”
I gathered up all the courage I could and said, "Sloane, she can't have any wine for nine months. Actually, seven months now."
Her dad was grinning. "Nine months? Seven months?" Then I knew the moment he realized it, because his whole face went pale and shock was reflected in his eyes. "Are you...pregnant?"
*****
Sedona
&nb
sp; From the minute my dad arrived at the airport I could hardly concentrate on anything.
Zander and I decided that tonight was the night we were going to tell him.
I missed my dad. I hadn't seen him for almost three months. The last time I saw him was when I went to Costa Rica during the Brennan incident. Now he was here, with me. I was so happy. I just hoped that he would also be happy with our news. Actually, I just hoped he would be accepting of our news.
When we arrived at the restaurant I took in my fill of my boyfriend. He looked so handsome in his black suit. Zander in everyday clothes was hot; Zander in a suit was scorching. With his broad shoulders, freshly showered hair, and molten blue-green eyes, he could be the model on how a man was supposed to look like in a well-tailored suit.
My first glimpse of Zander was of him looking at the time. He was wearing the watch I had given him as a pre-graduation gift, with the engraving, ‘Z, my mighty one’. He laughed when he first saw the engraving. I thought it was funny too. But he really was my mighty one, in all aspects of my life. He was my strength, my life, and my love.
His eyes lit up when he saw me and my dad walking towards him. I held his hand under the table after kissing his cheek. I found myself looking for that connection all the time. He was an extension of me. Now, with our baby inside of me, he would always be a part of me.
This was the first time he was officially meeting my dad. Zander didn't show any signs of anxiety. He was excited to meet my dad. I was more nervous than he was, all because of what we had to tell him. So when my dad started talking about ordering wine my anxiety went into overdrive. Zander tried to calm me down, but my heart was beating rapidly. This was definitely not good for the baby. I needed to calm down. I needed to get some alcohol in my system. Oh, well, scratch that. Alcohol and pregnancy didn't mix.
Breathe Sedona. According to Boyle, the amount of space that gas takes up decreases as pressure is applied. The more you breathe, the lesser the pressure is. So breathe.
I heard Zander start to tell my dad that I couldn't drink any wine. My dad laughed it off, and then his face dawned with bewilderment. "Are you...pregnant?" His blue eyes were round and wide, his mouth agape.
I replied softly, "Umm, yes daddy. I’m pregnant.”
Two servers came in to deliver the chicken marsala that I ordered, the steak for Zander, and the shrimp carbonara for my dad. Plus the bottle of wine my dad had ordered. I reached for the glass of water with my trembling hands.
Zander leaned in to me, steadied my hands, and whispered, "Babe, it's going to be okay."
My dad was still in shock. He had barely moved. He didn’t even blink. Finally, he came out of his stupor to say, "How? I mean, when?"
Zander answered for me. "She's about two months along. We learned about it a few weeks back." He was covering for me. I learned about it a few weeks back after our big argument. He learned about it a week ago.
Since the bottle of wine was uncorked, my dad poured himself a glass. I mean literally, a glass. It was filled to the brim and he drank it in one gulp.
Zander glanced at me, his eyes solemn. He was giving my dad time to process the news that we had sprung on him.
My dad's eyes honed in on me. "How are you feeling?"
I breathed in. "I feel fine daddy."
He stood up and said, "Come here, angel." I stood up, stepped towards him, and he engulfed me into a hug.
Tears were now flowing from my face. Customers around the restaurant were probably wondering what was happening at our table. I saw some of them take quick glances at us before looking away.
My dad kissed my cheek and asked, "Are you happy?"
I nodded. "Yes, I am, very much." He slowly stepped back to his chair and sat back down. Now that our news was out, my body's normal functions were returning. I had the urge to pee. I excused myself from our table. I was going to leave my phone at our table, but Zander asked me to bring it. Just in case I needed him. He was so protective of me. I knew my dad was still absorbing the impact of what he just found out. He looked dazed, but from what I could tell, his breathing was returning to its normal rate; not shallow, forced breaths like before when he drank the whole glass of wine.
Before I left for the restroom I reached my hand out to him. "Daddy, I'm okay. Zander and I, we're going to be fine." My dad clasped his hands around mine.
Zander took over, his eyes brimmed with understanding. "Go, babe." He knew that I frequently had to use the restroom nowadays.
I stood up and left, carrying my cell phone with my left hand. After washing my hands in the restroom my phone started ringing. It was Kieran.
I answered on the third ring, since I had been drying my hands.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Ace. You busy?" His excited voice was loud in my ears.
I stepped out of the restroom and stood to the side.
"Kinda," I replied.
He didn't seem to hear me. "Well, you know, for tomorrow. We should meet in the field. We can take a group picture. You, me, Zander, Tanya, Nalee, Dom, Xavier, Jackson..." Seriously? He was naming every single person we knew.
"Kieran,” I said, sounding exasperated, “Zander and I are having dinner with my dad." I could call and talk to him about this later.
He continued, "What time do you think you're going to be there?"
I said tersely, "Four, so we have enough time to park and line up." I was cutting this conversation short.
Kieran was obviously having none of it. "Do you think we can all have dinner together?"
He knew we were all having dinner together. We were all going to The Pacific Hotel. We had reserved that place last week so that all of our friends and families could celebrate together.
"Kieran, yes. Of course we're all having dinner together. Have you forgotten? Did all that chlorine exposure somehow damage your brain?" I was now getting annoyed. How long have I been standing here? Zander must be getting worried. By this time he should be looking for me.
Kieran talked about trivial stuff for another ten minutes. I stood there, outside the bathroom, half-listening. He was my best friend, but he was one of my least favorite people right now.
Finally, he said, "Alright, Ace. See you tomorrow. Say hi to Mr. M for me and to Zander." He had called my dad Mr. M since we were kids. He said 'Mackenzie' was too long of a last name. Indeed, it was longer compared to his. His only had five letters - Stone.
"Okay, goodnight."
Zander didn't look like he had missed me. He and my dad seemed to be engaged in a lively conversation. My dad had a relaxed look on his face. As a matter of fact, he looked happy. Our food was cold now; the conversation at our table surpassed any thoughts about food.
My dad asked Zander about the National Football Association and how he was going to prepare himself for the upcoming season. Zander bristled with excitement and told my dad about training camp and the grueling football schedule. Zander and I also talked about our plans for our baby. When I mentioned that I was still going for my internship in New York my dad looked really surprised. As a matter of fact, I was having second thoughts about it.
Three days ago Zander had seen me browsing through the acceptance letters for the nursing internships that I had applied to. He looked at me somberly and said, "I get to have my dreams, babe. You should have yours, too. As much as I want you to stay with me, I want you to be fulfilled." I told him I was fulfilled. With him at my side, I was. He then asked me, "If you weren't carrying our baby, would you go for it?" I nodded, with this honest statement, "Only if it meant that I'd still be with you, though." I have my dreams, yes. I also loved Zander. He was first for me now.
Zander broke through my reverie and explained to my dad, "It's going to be tough, but one of the things I love about your daughter is her ambition. It’s a big part of her, and if she can do it, she should go for it."
“How long is this internship?” My dad asked.
“It’s only for three months. The hospitals are under a tight budget cr
unch. They used to have six-month new grad nursing internships, but because of financial issues they have shortened it to three months. I’m lucky, because New York State University Hospital took me in after I submitted my acceptance letter at the last minute. Zander was the one who convinced me to do it.”
“What about your board exam?” My dad queried. I’ve only talked to him about my plans from the day I knew I could make plans, which was basically since I turned 15.
“I’m going to review for the boards during the time I’ll be waiting for my internship to start. I was going to take it after my internship but it seems to me that I have enough time on my hands to study and it will be beneficial for me to have my nursing license already. And, I am not sure if I would have enough energy and time to do this once our baby’s born. If I pass, Minnesota and New York State Boards of Nursing have reciprocity so I can practice nursing on my own license in both states.” I had studied the requirements for licensing as soon as I decided I was going to take the exam.