“Well, firstly, I need to talk to you, and secondly I wanted to bring you home,” Oscar said.
“Bring me home?” Kelly asked. “I’m not sure what you mean by that and I think it’s for the best if we don’t confuse April. Her mother is back so you should try to ensure she understands that her mother loves her. Your family is reunited and now your daughter can be happy with her mother.”
“My daughter is miserable,” Oscar replied. “She’s been miserable ever since you left. I’ve never had and will never have any intentions of reuniting with my ex-wife.”
“That’s not what she told me,” Kelly said.
“Well, she lied. I came home that day and you were missing. I figured you were still here with your mother and needed some time alone after, well, you know... But then you didn’t come back. I called you, stopped by to find you and no-one could tell me where you were,” he said. For a second Kelly thought she heard a bit of hurt in his voice.
“I had to leave,” Kelly said. “I thought you had got back together with her and I just wanted to get away.”
“You should have called me,” Oscar said. “I would have set your mind at ease. I would have rushed to your defence. You know how much you mean to me.”
“I’m not sure I do,” Kelly said. “And what about your ex? Is she going to be popping up regularly to mess with me?”
“Well, I sent her away. She’s not healthy for April, who luckily didn’t have to see her,” Oscar replied. “April and I were at my parents’ when she arrived. Kelly, we haven’t had much chance to talk after what happened that night, and I really wanted to talk to you about it.”
“It was a mistake. I know,” Kelly said.
Oscar reached out and touched her cheek.
“It wasn’t for me,” he said. “In fact, I’ve been wanting to do it since I saw you that first day. You are the most captivatingly beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
Kelly was silent. She had no idea what to say.
“That day when we made love, I wanted to give you an idea of what I was feeling. I wanted to know if you felt the same way,” he said.
“I thought you were using me,” Kelly said. “You can have almost any woman you want. Why would you even waste your time with me?”
“I don’t want just any woman,” Oscar replied. “I want you. You’re beautiful, smart and kind, and from everything I’ve observed with you and my daughter, you’re the best thing that could have happened to her, and by extension to me. It’s hard to find a person who will love and care for your child with as much passion and enthusiasm as you have done with my April.”
“She’s easy to love,” Kelly said. “But what does that mean for us?”
“It means that I want you to be a part of my family in more ways than one. I know the age difference might be a bit much, but for now we can just start off dating and see where it goes from there,” he said.
“You want us to date?” Kelly asked.
“Yes,” Oscar replied, reaching over to pull her onto his lap. “Now, back to what I’ve actually been thinking about doing for the past six weeks,” he said, before pulling her in for a kiss. His lips were firm but gentle. Kelly wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever, but she was all too aware of her mother lingering behind the door.
“How did you know I was home, anyway?” she asked.
“Your mother called me to tell me you were holed up in your room like a hermit,” he joked.
“That sounds like something she would say,” Kelly replied.
“I’m glad I came,” he said.
“I have something to tell you,” Kelly said, as he held her in his arms.
“What’s that?” Oscar asked, nuzzling her neck.
“I’m pregnant.”
Oscar’s motion stopped and, for a minute, the whole room was quiet.
“I swear, I’m not trying to trap you. I wouldn’t even have told you if you hadn’t told me April’s mother was out of your life.”
Oscar tilted her body so that she was looking right at him. Kelly was surprised by what she saw. She had expected anger, disappointment, regret even, but the look of love on his face surprised her.
“You’re pregnant?” he whispered reverently.
“Yes,” Kelly replied.
“I have no idea what to say,” Oscar said, reaching in front of her and touching her belly.
“Say anything,” Kelly told him.
“I’m glad,” he said. “Now you’re a solid member of my family.”
This made Kelly laugh. While it was not a confession of love, it was more than she had even dared to hope for. They sat there for a few minutes as Oscar gently rubbed her belly.
“We should go,” she told Oscar. “My mother is likely standing at the door listening to our conversation.”
Just as she had predicted, Kelly walked out of her room and found her mother lingering at the door.
“Everything alright?” her mother asked, smiling.
“Yes, mom, everything has been cleared up. Turns out it was all a misunderstanding, and now I can go back to work.”
Kelly did her best to avoid her mother’s prying questions as she packed her case and left. Oscar took her home and walked her to her room, then said goodnight. Before she closed the door, she saw April walking towards her room.
“You came back,” April said, with a smile. Kelly was surprised at how drastically she seemed to have changed in the short space of time.
Kelly could see that the little girl had been crying, so she picked her up and took her into the room.
“Why were you crying?” she asked.
“I missed you,” April said, hugging her.
Kelly felt as if her heart would burst from her chest. She had no idea how anyone could resist such a pure love.
“I missed you too,” Kelly said, before placing her on the bed and laying down beside her.
That night she slept peacefully, dreaming of what lay ahead. She was relieved she wasn’t losing her new found family, but she was also anxious to see what would become of her relationship with Oscar now that he knew she was pregnant with his child.
***
Four months later, Kelly walked into the house after finishing her final exam. She had spent the last two weeks in her room away from everyone so that she could study. Maggie had mercifully helped her to take care of April, and Oscar had been surprisingly absent. For the past four months, he had wined and dined her in every possible way, from fancy gala dinners to the burger shop nearby. She had done her best to hide her pregnancy from the public eye, which had been easier than she had thought it would be. Her mother had cried when she had told her about the baby, but somehow knowing that Oscar was the father had made it easier for her mother to accept it with less worry. Aside from all that, she had fallen hopelessly for Oscar and she knew he knew it. Now, as she stepped into the house, all she wanted to do was see him and tell him how happy he had made her. She had grown a lot while dating Oscar, which had come as a surprise. He had introduced her to another world. It had been scary at first, but now it motivated her and she felt as if she could conquer anything.
She looked around the house and noticed that there was no one there. She wondered where everyone had gone and why Oscar wasn't there to greet her after being away for two weeks. She turned the corner to the kitchen and saw a single candle on the floor with a slip of paper underneath it. She picked it up and read the note.
“We’re out back,” it read. She left her bag on the kitchen counter and went into the backyard. The garden was decorated with candles and flowers everywhere. At first she didn’t see anyone, but then Oscar stepped into the center of the yard, smiling at her. She made her way towards him and was about to ask him what was happening when he dropped down onto one knee. Kelly’s heart went into her throat, but what brought the tears was when April came and knelt beside her father. They both looked up at her with searching eyes.
“What are you doing?” Kelly asked, as Oscar reach
ed into his jacket pocket and pulled out a velvet box.
“What I should have done the moment we met,” he said. “Kelly, will you marry me and be my wife and the mother of my beautiful baby girl and our newest bundle of joy?” he asked.
Kelly could hardly breathe as she tried to look at him through the tears. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Yes,” she answered, stretching her hand out so that he could put the ring on it.
“Thank God, I was worried you would say no,” Oscar said, standing and pulling her into a hug.
“I love you two so much,” Kelly said, unable to contain her happiness. She had found love, and the best part was that it was everything she had hoped for and more.
*****
THE END
Hit by the Football Player
Description
An inexperienced nerdy girl PLUS a bad boy football player PLUS an indecent payment proposal!
Margie Wilson is happy being a nerd. It means she always tops her class and is headed towards a high-paying job. Now that college is nearing its end, her life is turning out as she planned it. What she hadn’t planned on, however, was Lance Healy.
Dreamy eyed Lance Healy is known around campus as the bad boy. He is a football star on the college team, flexes his muscles as often as he breathes and has more women throwing themselves at him than Margie even knew existed. Lance needs her help, though. He isn’t prepared for the upcoming tests that’ll decide whether he gets to keep his sports scholarship or gets chucked out of college and loses his shot at making National League.
Margie agrees to tutor him. Who wouldn’t? She never thought she’d ever meet him face-to-face, let alone spend so much time so close to him.
Lance, however, seems to believe in give and take. He owes Margie a favor now and believes she deserves payment. There is only one way he knows to repay favors to girls, but Margie has never gone that far with anybody before. It’s certainly not what she signed up for. But how can she resist Lance Healy? Especially when she doesn’t know his plans.
Chapter One
Margie was the last one in the library again, for the third evening in a row. She looked around her and saw Mrs. Brown, the librarian, glaring at her from over the top of her small, square spectacles. Margie mouthed the word ‘sorry’, then quickly collected all the books from the table and deposited them into her backpack before standing up. She knew she was going to ace the exam, but she had nothing else to do.
“I promise I’ll keep an eye on the clock tomorrow,” Margie said, with the widest smile she could manage, as she headed out past Mrs. Brown.
The corridors of the building were all empty as Margie walked down towards the large front doors. She could hear the rubber soles of her canvas shoes squeak as she walked. Dinner was on her mind, although she hadn’t even realized she was hungry until now.
Her hands were on the door when it was suddenly pushed towards her, and she felt a tall, hard body slam into her. Margie’s backpack, which she was carrying on one shoulder, went flying and she felt a rough thud as her back hit the wall.
“Oh, shit!” She heard a voice as she blinked her eyes open.
“Are you okay? Shit, shit.” The voice continued. Rough hands pulled her back up and her eyes finally adjusted to normal vision. Her own hands were placed on Lance Healy’s chest. She had unknowingly placed them there for support, but now she pulled them away in fright.
“Hey. Are you okay?” he asked her again, and Margie managed to nod this time. She watched tongue-tied as he bent forward to pick up her bag from the floor and then stretched out his arm towards her. She noticed the way the muscles on his arms, peeping out from underneath the cotton half-sleeves of his T-shirt, flexed. She had never seen him this close before.
“Is the library still open?” he asked, seemingly unaware of the physical effect he had on Margie. She couldn’t find her voice, her throat had closed up. She shook her head while watching him, studying him closely so she could embed that image of him in her brain. The sharp clean jaw, thick pink lips, the way his chocolate-brown hair fell over his forehead and eyelashes.
“Aw, damn!” Lance cursed some more, his hands flying to his hair. He was running his fingers through it and Margie could feel herself going weak in the knees.
“Why? What do you need?” she heard herself ask, surprising even herself by the sudden voice she had found. Lance looked at her, his large green eyes focusing on her face as he spoke.
“I needed some books for a test. I’m so not prepared for it.” He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“The economics test coming up next week?” Margie asked, in a low squeaky voice, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. She couldn’t look at him directly; her gaze kept falling to the ground.
“Yeah, exactly. Are you in my class?” Lance’s eyes lit up and Margie blushed. She was instantly embarrassed by the fact that he didn’t even know she existed. She nodded nonetheless and he stretched out his hand again.
“Lance,” he said, with a grin that showed his straight line of perfectly white teeth.
“Margie,” she said, blushing a bright red. She shook his hand nervously, noticing his grip, which was strong and tight. His hands felt rough and soft at the same time, sending tingles down her spine. She nearly giggled.
“Hi, Margie. I’m such a doofus. I don’t know what I’m going to do for the test.” Lance was grinning still as he shook her hand. He was the one who eventually pulled his hand away. Margie didn’t know when to stop shaking it. She knew she was blushing still.
“I have a few books here with me if you want to borrow them?” She started unzipping her bag and pulling out some of the books, which she already knew by heart. She started handing them over to Lance one at a time. He was laughing.
“You just carry these books around in your backpack all day?” he asked, and Margie blushed again. She wasn’t sure if he was making fun of her or just being friendly. He didn’t sound unfriendly, which was a very strange experience for her. Usually, Lance Healy, when he wasn’t winning football games for the college team, was attending frat parties and missing classes. It was no surprise that he didn't know who she was.
“So, you seem to be well prepared for the test already,” he added, cluelessly looking through the pages of some of the books in his hands. Margie was smiling silently at him, her confidence in looking at him directly growing.
“I’ve been studying for it for a while now,” she said, noticing now the way the thin material of his T-shirt stretched across the vast expanse of his chest. She couldn’t believe she had touched it. Lance Healy’s chest!
“Jeez. I haven’t even started yet. Do you mind if I borrow some of these books?” he asked, and Margie nodded.
“Go ahead. I don’t need them anymore. You can keep them for as long as you like.” She was smiling widely, still in a sort of daze.
“I wouldn’t know where to start. But thanks anyway,” he said, staring blankly at the books in his hands. Margie hesitated before she said anything, looking for the right words. Her fingers kept knotting themselves together, and she could feel her stomach churning. She had to get it right.
“I could help you out if you like. With the tutoring. I mean, I could help you to get started. To study. For the test.” She wasn’t sure what she was saying, or if any of it even made sense. But the look of confusion on Lance’s face gave way to delight. His face lit up again, the same boyish grin returning. How could his face possibly be this perfect?
“That’ll be great, Margie. Are you sure you have the time?” He had a polite, courteous voice and Margie could feel her knees going weak. She had never expected to speak to Lance, let alone for him to speak to her this way. She bit down on her lip and nodded again.
“Of course, yes sure. We can get started whenever you want.” Margie could feel herself bursting to giggle again. She had to take short, quick, deep breaths to calm herself whenever he looked away from her.
“Tomorro
w? This looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.” Lance sighed, looking back at the books, but smiled at her nonetheless.
“Cool. We can meet in the library tomorrow at five?” Her mind was racing as she spoke. She couldn’t believe any of this was happening. Whatever the instigation behind him planning on meeting her the next day, there were plans being made! How many girls would kill to be in her position?
“That sounds good to me. Tomorrow at five.” Lance stretched the books back towards her and Margie stared at them, confused.
“Trust me. I won’t be flipping through one page by myself. They’re better left with you. You are responsible for my tutoring now,” he said with a wink, and Margie couldn’t help it anymore. She laughed loudly, a sharp, loud giggle. She couldn’t believe any of it. That he had told her she was responsible for him. That he had winked. That they had plans to meet the next day.
“Wow. You have an interesting laugh,” Lance said and grinned at her again. Margie instantly felt self-conscious at that. She covered her mouth with a hand and used the other to take back the books from him.
“Sorry. Yes, I’ll keep them safe for you,” she said.
“Until tomorrow,” Lance added, and she stared back at him, a little shocked. The information still hadn’t sunk in.
“Bye, Margie,” he said suddenly and interrupted her thoughts. She was dumbfounded again.
“Erm…bye,” she managed to squeak, as Lance began to walk away. He winked at her again, threw her a grin and then pushed open the doors and walked out.
Margie remained standing where she was, blinking at the closed doors in front of her and still clutching the books in her hands. What had just happened? Did she just secure a date with the hottest guy in college? Did he wink at her? Twice?!
She hurriedly put the books back in her bag and ran out of the building. He wasn’t anywhere in sight. It had started to grow dark, and Margie rushed towards her dorm building.
Daddy's Best Friend: An Older Man Younger Woman Box Set Page 37