“It was hard to see you plunged into the limelight and knew it was only a matter of time before someone took you from me.”
“I never understood why you didn’t give me more credit as a man who loved you. Why would you think it would be so easy to tuck away my feelings for you?”
Penny flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You know how hard I had to fight in high school? Every girl in the school wanted you. The cheerleading squad kidnapped you for heaven’s sake and some of those girls were my friends. How long could I expect you to resist temptation at every turn?”
“All you needed was a little faith in me.”
“I never stopped loving you, even when I was pushing you away.”
“Penny, stomping on my heart was the best thing you could have done for me. It’s in the right hands now. I don’t worry about Morgan throwing it away. I have found a sense of peace I never had with you. Nothing you can say about the past could make me derail my future.”
Penny blinked her eyes rapidly like she was trying not to cry. Seth didn’t want her to cry or to even hurt anymore about their relationship. It simply just wasn’t worth it.
“Will you continue to contribute to the clinic?” Penny said quietly.
“That clinic is the one thing we didn’t manage to screw up. Believe it or not I was proud of you when you opened it and I respect and admire what you’ve done with it. You did it. You made your dream come true. That reminds me of that little girl I used to know who wanted to save the world. That Penny Winterbourne will always be my friend.”
“My, my Seth Blake. Look at the man you turned out to be. Love does agree with you. I know you’ll be a great father.” Penny ran to Seth and hugged him.
“Thanks, Penny.”
Seth walked Penny to her car. As she drove off a sense of relief flooded him. This was the closure he had needed so many years ago.
Seth froze when he saw Morgan walking toward him. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking a nap?”
“I came down to see what was taking you so long.”
“So how much did you hear?”
“Enough.” She smiled at him.
He smiled back. “Since you won’t be riding for a while, let’s take a walk.”
Seth and Morgan held hands as they walked around the ranch. Finally, she stopped and rested in Seth’s arms under the shade of a huge oak tree not too far from the house.
Seth tucked her head under his chin. “What are you thinking about at this very moment?”
“It’s good to be back here. I like cowboy Seth. He’s very sexy.”
“Is that right?” he drawled.
“That’s right. One look at that Stetson and I’m ready to get naked.” She giggled.
“You are something else, Morgan Blake.” He kissed her.
“It’s so beautiful here. You want to move back here permanently someday. Don’t you?” She up looked at him.
“I’ve been thinking about it. Hard. I know it’s a lot to ask. But we have plenty of time to talk about it.”
“I don’t care where we live. I just want to be with you, raising our kids.” Morgan leaned into him and squeezed him.
Kids? That sparked something inside him. Seth scooped her up and carried her back to the stables. He locked the door to his office, carried Morgan over to his desk, and placed her on it, but not before he wiped it cleaned of everything, including two trophies.
“Did they break? I’m pretty sure those were important.” She looked down on the floor.
“I’ll win new ones.” He pulled off her jacket and blouse.
Seth ran his hands along her arms then slid down the straps of her bra. It didn’t matter what bra she wore, the swell of her breasts falling lusciously out of the soft fabric always sent shivers down his spine. He’d dated women who’d had surgery to look this way. But not his Morgan. She helped by wiggling out of her jeans and panties as he made a slow trek down her hips to remove them.
“You know these are going to get bigger?” she murmured.
“I’m not complaining.” He took her nipple into his mouth and suckled it while Morgan unbuttoned his shirt, but she took her sweet time with his jeans. Seth ran out of patience and pulled off his jeans, boxers, and boots all at the same time.
And there they were skin against skin, making contact and promising sensual friction. Her skin a few shades darker than his tan, he imagined the baby’s complexion being a culmination of that, and he sighed. His children were going to be the perfect mix of the two of them. He climbed on top of the desk and slid into her.
Seth stilled, barely able to contain the pleasure rippling through his body. “I’m not hurting the baby am I?”
“The baby is fine.”
Morgan wrapped her legs tight around his waist and they quickened the rhythm. It was moments before he remembered to breathe. Morgan’s moans brought him back to the matter at hand as she began to squirm and grab hold of his back. Seth buried himself deep inside her, then pulled out and plunged back into her over and over. Morgan tightened around his penis and ran her hand down to the small of his back, a particularly sensitive area of his body. As soon as her hand traveled down to his ass, he couldn’t stop the build up from erupting. He’d done a good job until then of keeping his weight off her. Seth eased onto her and laid his head on Morgan’s chest, but he didn’t pull out of her. She ran her hands through his hair.
“We have had one hell of a week,” Morgan mumbled.
“Yes, we have.” He kissed her hand.
“So how many babies do you want?” She tugged on his hair.
Seth propped himself up on his elbows, still covering her. “I was thinking…ten.”
“Ten!”
“OK, seven. Is that a better number?” Seth arched an eyebrow at her.
“No.” She shook her head.
“Seven is a good number.”
“It’s an obscene number.” She rolled her eyes.
“Let’s negotiate.” The corners of Seth’s mouth turned up.
“I’m listening.” She tried to scowl but couldn’t suppress the smile forming on her lips.
Seth ran his hand through her hair and pulled her close for a long, hot kiss. “We’ll keep making babies until we get a baby girl.”
Morgan giggled. “That may take a while.”
“Hey, I’m fully committed to doing everything I possibly can to get you a girl. If we happen to have six boys while we’re waiting, no harm, no foul.”
She opened her mouth to protest but Seth ran his tongue down the side of her neck. He started to harden inside her again.
Morgan moaned. “Deal.”
Epilogue
Time had flown faster than Seth had wanted when the season had started. The excited rush he normally felt when he suited up and went onto the field was replaced by melancholy. He was focused on the season but the comfort of waking up in the morning with his hand over Morgan’s growing belly made it more than tempting to hibernate until the baby was born. He hadn’t anticipated the connection they already had would deepen and expand. He wanted to be with her all the time and let the rest of the world fade away. Love was no longer a feeling but a state of being for him. He was happy all the time and had even forgotten to be tense and cranky about his work goals. In a matter of a year his outlook on life had changed and so had his future. Prospective fatherhood had a calming effect on him.
Each time he went away for a game and returned, Morgan seemed to blossom more into her pregnancy. Her hair grew tremendously, her skin always had a natural sheen, and she’d become very amorous. Seth didn’t complain that his wife had the hots for him on a nightly basis; he wanted to keep the momentum going so she’d be agreeable to having another baby in the near future.
* * *
Seth had orchestrated a detailed schedule of visitors at the penthouse while he was at away games. Morgan had figured out his brother Tyler’s surprise visits weren’t much of a surprise at all. She’d forgiven Tyler easily, and he’d go out and
get her a greasy cheese steak from a restaurant she liked. From that moment on Morgan didn’t mind the babysitters as long as they brought good food with them.
For Christmas, Seth surprised her with a project that began when they returned from the ranch after the banquet. For months Morgan brimmed over with curiosity as she saw contractors remodeling one of the rooms in the penthouse. Morgan burst into tears on Christmas day when she saw Seth had a new library constructed with floor to ceiling bookshelves and attached rolling ladders. The room was furnished elegantly, including a fireplace, but he’d added a special touch and placed that red beanbag from the library in the corner. He told her that she could read to the baby on the beanbag, just as her mother had done with her all those years ago. He also had a copy of the picture of her and her mom from the library made and it hung on one of the walls. Morgan wouldn’t leave the library for the entire day and even missed Christmas dinner at her dad’s house.
They bickered from time to time about how long she spent at the bookstore and working on her nonprofit organization, Reading Builds Bridges. Morgan’s fundraising had taken a strange and interesting turn. She was furious when he offered her the money to start it. She was even madder when he orchestrated a way for her to get it. Morgan caught on quick to his attempts to introduce her to people who would be able to help her. It never occurred to him that Jocelyn Fontane would be the person to mentor his wife. Jocelyn and Morgan seemed to run into each other on their own and finally the two of them began putting a plan together. He couldn’t take any credit for that and Morgan appreciated that his influence wasn’t the reason for Jocelyn’s help. Turned out Jocelyn believed in Morgan’s cause all on her own. In the end, he made her realize how much he loved her and he just wanted her to be happy. She was able to convey to him why it was important to her to do it on her own. Making sure the library had what it needed was a way for her to keep her mother’s memory alive in her heart. Seth apologized for trying to solve a problem that had a specific solution she needed to find for herself.
He took her to the ranch often, and his mother loved helping them get the house ready for the baby. He enjoyed knowing their children would have the best of both worlds: the hustle and bustle of Philadelphia living with Morgan’s family and the mellow, slow paced life on the ranch in Texas with the Blakes.
* * *
It was the fourth quarter and Seth was doing his best to keep his head in the game. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. With twenty-eight seconds on the clock, Seth threw one hell of a pass to Lamont, who caught it in the end zone and scored a touchdown. The game ended with a score of thirty-four to twenty-six.
The crowd roared. They had done it again—he had done it. The field flooded with people in celebration. Reporters swarmed the team.
“Seth Blake, you have done it again!” one of them yelled over the crowd. “Third year in a row as a Super Bowl champ and MVP! How do you feel right now?”
Seth took off his helmet and wiped the sweat from his face. Before Seth could respond someone tugged at his sleeve. His agent, Luke, whispered into his ear.
Wide-eyed, he turned back to the reporter. “It was a great game, but I gotta go. My wife is in labor.”
Seth took off toward the exit, running so fast the security detail escorting him couldn’t keep up. Someone asked if he wanted to change before he left, and he stopped for a second to give them a menacing scowl. Then he continued his trek to the front of the stadium. A limo stood waiting for him with a police escort to the hospital. He hoped he hadn’t missed it. This Super Bowl wouldn’t mean shit if he missed seeing his son born.
* * *
The limo driver made it there in record time and as soon as he pulled up to the hospital, Seth’s brothers, Tyler and Channing, stood outside waiting for him.
“Congratulations, man, she hasn’t delivered yet.” Tyler smiled at him as they ran into the lobby.
The ride up to the seventh floor was interminable. Seth paced in the small space of the elevator as it slowly went floor to floor. Seth finally remembered where he was when he caught an elderly woman looking at him like he was a Martian. Then he remembered he was still wearing his football gear.
Seth opened his mouth to explain but nothing came out. Channing ran interception.
“Ma’am, this is my brother’s first baby. So he wanted to be prepared for anything.”
The woman smiled and everyone on the elevator laughed, including Seth. Finally the elevator stopped and his whole family sat waiting just outside it. His parents, JJ, and Morgan’s family had commandeered the waiting room.
The nurse put a gown on him and led him into the delivery room.
“Morgan,” he breathed once he saw her.
Morgan smiled but spoke through clenched teeth. “We wouldn’t start without you. Did we win?”
He laughed. “I don’t think that’s important right now.”
“I told the baby to please wait until his father won the Super Bowl. Did we win?”
“Yes, we won.”
“I think I may have broken JJ’s hand. I grabbed it when I felt my first labor pain, and he screamed.” Morgan exhaled as she breathed through the passing contraction.
Seth laughed. “Probably not. I’ve seen him arm wrestle Patton.”
“Right now, I feel like I could arm wrestle Patton. They glossed over the labor part in that pregnancy book I read. This is not slight discomfort.”
“You look beautiful.” He touched one of her ponytails.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay and see the rest of the game. My water broke in the third quarter.”
“I love you so much, Morgan.” Seth kissed her senseless.
Morgan let out a blood curdling scream and gasped. “I love you too. I know you had a long day but I need the MVP to coach his son out of my belly.”
Seth looked at her for a moment, amazed at how well she was doing despite the unbelievable pain she must have been in right now. This by far, was the most magnificent thing he’d ever done in his life. Creating a life with the woman he loved. He kissed her long and hard. “You don’t know how happy you’ve made me.”
“I have an idea.” She smiled, tears falling down her cheeks.
“Morgan.” Seth touched her nose with his.
Morgan let out another cry.
* * *
Three hours later Seth Jacob Blake Jr. let a healthy scream rip as he came into the world. As the nurses took him to clean him up, Morgan grabbed Seth’s hand.
“We did it. A healthy baby boy. He’s beautiful,” she choked out as the nurse put her son in her arms. The moment Morgan saw her son, who had piercing green eyes just like his dad, she knew life would never be the same.
Seth smiled. “Of course he is. His father is handsome and his mother is gorgeous. That kid didn’t stand a chance.”
Morgan shook her head and tried not to laugh along with the nurses. She looked up at him and realized he was still wearing his uniform.
“You didn’t change?”
“I ran off the field so fast I think I broke my own yardage record. I was not missing one moment of this.”
“I knew you would get here in time. We knew it.” Morgan kissed the baby. “But we’re going to plan the next baby. No more down-to-the-wire deliveries.”
“You got it.” He laughed. “SJ’s brother will be planned from conception to birth. And delivery will be in the off season.”
“Why don’t you tell your son all about the game?” Morgan gingerly moved the baby into his arms. When Morgan handed the baby to Seth, a current of energy flowed between the three of them.
“SJ, daddy played a hell of a game today,” Seth said softly.
“Language, Blake.”
“This is from the woman who cursed like a sailor for nine months.”
“That was the baby talking. I’m normally a lady.” She flashed a cheesy smile.
“SJ, you’re momma is one of the feistiest women I’ve ever met in my life. I knew the minu
te I saw her getting off that plane that she was the one for me. One day you’re going to meet someone like her and come to me dazed and confused.”
Morgan laughed. “And what are you going to tell him?”
“Don’t ever let her go.”
Morgan smiled, thinking how much their lives had changed in such a short amount of time. Last year they were virtual strangers and now they were a family. She heard the bustle outside her hospital door, the rest of the family anxious to see the baby, but she wanted just a few more moments alone with her two most important people. She looked forward to the next chapter in their lives.
~ About the Author ~
Rhonda Laurel is a contemporary romance writer whose two great loves are writing and landscape photography. She uses both as a vehicle to convey the complexity of the human spirit and the beauty of the world around her. Her writing career has spanned two decades but has recently gained momentum in 2012 with her debut novella Ebb Tide. Contemporary, multicultural/interracial romance is her ‘thing’ in the form of short stories, novellas and novels, but the author also writes poetry, inspirational quotes, designs greeting cards and the occasional essay. Ebb Tide, For the Love of the Game and Masquerade were released in 2012. Shutter, Memories of You and Star Crossed in April 2013. California Bored and Tourism July 2013. The author is happily building her backlist.
Discover more about Rhonda Laurel here
Website: www.rhondalaurel.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorrhondalaurel
Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/rhondalaurel
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/RhondaLaurel
~ Also by Rhonda Laurel ~
For the Love of the Game
MVP Page 11