He tugged her into his body. “I missed you, Sommer. Of course I’d come back.”
“I missed you too.” She laid her head against his chest. “Did you come back to see Arielle’s twins?”
He pressed a kiss against her lips and then led her towards the car. “Partly. I want to talk to you. Do you have time to go out to Flatwoods?”
She nodded and they hopped in the car, reaching the park less than two miles away from the café in under five minutes. Walking to a picnic bench in the middle of the grassy clearing, Austin pulled Sommer into his lap and for a moment, they sat in silence, both realizing that life, at that moment, couldn’t have been anymore perfect.
“The twins are beautiful,” he finally spoke. “And so small. It’s been such a long time since I’ve held a newborn that I forgot how weightless they can be.”
He felt her stiffen at the word “newborn.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve even been around a baby, too,” she added. “They’ll come popping out next spring though. Stella’s always busy in March and April.”
A pair of headlights filtered through the leaves of a massive willow oak that the town had fought to preserve years ago when developers had come in to redesign the park. At first, the mayor had been on board with tearing it down, claiming that a more open space would be a better attraction for town residents, but nearly everyone in the town signed a petition stating otherwise. In the end, the tree stayed and he was ousted from office the next election season.
“You can stop by Ma’s and see the twins,” Austin suggested. “I talked to Arielle when she was in the hospital and she told me that she missed you.”
She found his eyes. “How did my name come up?”
“She told me that she ran into you.”
“Did she say where?”
“Yes.”
She stood and put a few feet of distance between them, biting her nails as she paced in the grass. “What else did she tell you?”
“She told me something else that she thinks, but isn’t sure about. That’s the other reason that I’m here.”
Instinctively, her hands went to her stomach and just as quickly, she dropped them to her sides.
“Sommer,” he began, “Arielle told me that you’re pregnant.”
She clenched her fists, held them tight for a second, and then released them with a breath. Tears filled her eyes and he walked towards her, only for her to take a few steps out of his reach.
“Is it true?” he asked.
She released another breath. “Yes. It’s true. I’m nine-weeks pregnant.”
He took a step closer and again she backed away.
“Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “To find out who the father is?”
Austin narrowed his brows. “No. I know who the father is. I just wanted to hear it from you that you’re pregnant with our child.”
Her surprise brought on the tears, and she finally let him get close enough to thumb the moisture away from her cheeks.
“I was so afraid that you’d be upset,” she confessed. “That you would think I was trying to trap you for your money.”
He bellowed out a laugh. “Sommer, if you were trying to trap me, I gave you all the ammunition you needed that weekend. But no, I’m not upset. I’m…there are no words to describe how I feel, so ‘happy’ will have to do.”
More tears streamed down her cheeks, but he could tell that these were tears of happiness. Although he had no tears of his own, his heart swelled with elation. Years ago, when Sommer was just an unrequited crush, he’d never expected that they would be standing in the middle of a park discussing the child that they were going to have together. Even when he used to envision them together back then, the real world would always infiltrate and dismantle their happiness. But that had just been in his imagination. His father was gone and he had the world at his fingertips. Everything would be perfect for Sommer and their baby. He was going to make sure of it.
He reached out and placed a hand against her stomach. “This is so crazy, Sommer. We’re having a baby.”
“I know.” She grinned. “I can’t believe it either.”
“Does your mother know?”
“Before I even told her. And Austin, I don’t know how she knew. She even knows that it’s your baby.”
His eyes widened. “How do mothers know these things?”
“I don’t know,” she answered with a shrug. “Does Ms. Emma know?”
He spun her around and pulled her back into his chest before returning his hand to her stomach. “Not yet, but we’ll tell her on our own time. Now, you come to Texas with me.”
Sommer tried to release herself from his grasp, just like he knew she would, but he held her firmly against his chest. One day, she would realize how serious he’d been when he told her that he would never let her run away from him.
“Mom somewhat suggested the same thing,” she revealed. “She said that she’s moving in with Uncle Reese and Marcie, but I can’t leave her here like this. Not when she’s so sick. If I left now, I wouldn’t be any different than my Dad.”
Austin turned her to face him. “Your father left with another woman without ever intending to come back. That’s not the case here. We’re starting a family, and I want to be there for the entire pregnancy. From the morning sickness, to the crankiness and foot massages. I want to see you swell up.”
She playfully elbowed him in the stomach.
“Okay then. Let me rephrase. I want to see how your body changes as he grows inside of you.”
“Much better,” she replied. “He?”
“Yes, we’re having a boy.”
She burst out laughing. “And I love how serious your face was when you said that.”
“It’s because I know. Fathers know.”
He’d assumed calling himself a “father” would feel unusual, but the word fit right into place.
“Uh huh, fathers know,” she teased, looping an arm behind his neck and bringing him in for a kiss.
“So, yes to Texas?”
“Let me think about it, Austin. I’ll need to talk to Mom about it too. I don’t think she was thinking straight when she suggested that I move in with you.”
He nodded, scooped her up into his arms, and headed for the rental car. “Well, we only have the weekend, so how about we go talk to Ms. Caroline right now?”
“Austin…”
“That sounds like a yes to me.” He set her back on her feet when they reached the passenger door. “I really meant what I said back there about missing you. Even if you weren’t pregnant, I wasn’t sure how much longer it would be before I said eff her plans and came right back to see this face.”
He waited for the eye roll but she caught him off-guard by smiling. “You and those corny lines, Austin Riley.”
He stole a quick peck. “Austin Riley Sr.”
Pulling open the door, Sommer slid inside the car. “Austin Riley Sr.?”
“Yep. You have a problem with that?”
When he took the seat across from her, she reached over and ran her fingers over his scruffy cheek. “I have lots of problems with that. First of all, I liked the name Solomon Grundy Riley if it’s a boy, and Blanche Rose Dorothy Sophia Riley if it’s a girl.”
He tossed back his head and laughed so delightedly that Sommer couldn’t help but break out into laughter herself.
“Damn, I’ve missed you,” he told her. “I don’t care what your mother says, your beautiful butt is flying back to Texas with me. And, as soon as we get there, I’m going to do things to you.”
Sommer clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, what kinds of things?”
“Filthy things. Dastardly things. And I’m just letting you know now that some of them might be illegal in some states.”
She laughed again and he sped off in the direction of Cherry Avenue, ready to use whatever charm he’d had left to persuade Sommer’s mother to convince her to come to Texas with him. Even if she agreed to a short stay,
he’d try his damndest to get her to fall in love with him and eventually agree to stay forever.
As they drove up to the house, Sommer spotted a silver, luxury convertible in the driveway and immediately knew who was inside.
“Who does your mother know that drives a Bentley convertible?” Austin asked, parking on the curb. Although he also had a few expensive models of his own back in Texas, anyone who drove a Bentley into Yearwood was only trying to be a big fish in a small pond.
“It’s Kyle,” she replied. “I’ve never seen this car before, but whenever you see six-figure cars rolling around Yearwood, it’s usually him.”
Sommer led the way to the front door and sucked in a breath before walking inside. Kyle was sitting in the loveseat across from her mother and when he looked up and saw her, he flashed her a grin. However, when Austin appeared, the grin was replaced by a brief scowl which Austin caught before it disappeared.
“My goodness, Austin, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Caroline greeted. She attempted to stand, but Austin took a seat next to her in the sofa instead, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and placed a kiss against her cheek at which she blushed.
“It’s like every time you leave and come back, you’re even more handsome,” she said with a squeeze. “Kyle and I were just talking about that.”
Austin’s eyes fell on Kyle. “You were talking about how handsome I am?”
“You know what she meant,” Kyle snapped. “We were talking about you finally coming home after a decade and how, all of a sudden, you and Sommer are the best of friends.”
Sommer sat on the sofa arm. “Kyle, I was hoping that I could have some time to talk to my mother in private.”
He shook his head. “You’re not going to get rid of me just yet. Where are the two of you coming from?”
Austin began to respond, but Sommer cut him off.
“Austin brought me home after work.”
Kyle glanced at his watch. “Didn’t you close up at seven? It’s over an hour later. What were you doing all that time? The café’s barely ten minutes from here.”
Austin’s jaw clenched. “You’re asking an awful lot of questions.”
“They’re valid questions,” Kyle shot back.
“Valid for who?”
“I’m just asking about what Sommer was doing, for an entire hour, with you?”
Caroline felt the muscle flex in Austin’s forearm. “Kyle brought me some herbal tea,” she intervened before the tension got any higher.
“It’s green tea,” Kyle added. “It’s got antioxidants and a whole other host of compounds in it that’s supposed to be good for the immune system.” He touched the space next to him. “Sommer, you look uncomfortable. You should come over here and sit next to me.”
Caroline felt another muscle constrict in Austin’s arm and found it surprising that he was still able to restrain himself with the amount of power she felt coursing through his body.
“Actually, take my seat, baby,” Caroline suggested as she moved to the empty space next to Kyle. Sommer slid next to Austin, their thighs grazing, and although Kyle’s expression remained stale, he was seething inside at their closeness.
“It’s a good thing you two aren’t in Texas,” he spoke up. “With the way Dallas loves them some Austin Riley, if they saw you together this much, the media would be all over it saying that the two of you were seeing each other.”
Sommer froze. “The media?”
“Yep.” His expression changed from stale to smug. “I mean, it’s different out here because this is Yearwood- population: five. But if you two were back in Dallas spending all of this time together like you’re doing now, you’d be front page news.”
He squared his gaze on Sommer’s face with a sly smirk.
“Even if Sommer and I were dating in Dallas, I don’t think that would be a problem,” Austin argued.
Kyle’s eyes darted between the two of them. “Dating?”
“Hypothetically,” Sommer added. Kyle still looked less than pleased. He’d already guessed that something was going on between them, but had assumed that it was just sex. Sex, he could handle. But if he found out that Sommer had actually been dumb enough to start catching feelings for Austin, then there would be a problem.
“Don’t lie to her, Austin,” he accused. “I mean, in Texas, I’m sure people even want to know what color your piss is.”
Caroline cleared her throat. “Language, Kyle.”
“I’m sorry, Mama Hayes. But it’s true.” He leaned closer to Sommer. “He’s got his face on billboards, he’s in commercials, and he’s got some of the biggest endorsement deals in the league. You two in Dallas? The media would crucify you.”
Sommer tapped her fingers on the sofa. “Why do you think that? You don’t think that they would like us together?”
Kyle leaned back, feeling triumphant. He’d managed to instill doubt in her mind about a future with Austin, which was all he’d really need.
“No, I don’t think so. With guys like Austin, people expect supermodels and actresses to be on his arm. Women that they know. Women that have been in the public eye. Women with long, blonde hair and peaches and cream complexions. And you know I’d never lie to you, baby girl—”
“Yeah, Kyle, you can go ahead and leave now,” Austin’s voice sliced in.
“This isn’t your house, Riley.”
Caroline gently touched Kyle on the shoulder. “Sweetie, why don’t you come see me again tomorrow?”
Kyle’s eyes darted around the room before they settled on Caroline. “Okay, Mama Hayes. I’ll stop by to see you before I head back out.”
He squeezed her hand and then leaned towards Sommer for a hug, but she moved out of his reach.
“Really, Sommer? It’s like that?”
When Sommer didn’t respond, he shook his head in disgust and left through the front door. The room remained silent until the sound of his engine disappeared down the street, and Austin turned towards Sommer and wondered if it was too late to undo whatever damage Kyle had already caused.
“What did you want to talk to me about, Sommer?” Caroline asked. “Did you tell Austin about the baby?”
Sommer’s head shot up. “I did, but I know you did that on purpose to try to force my hand, just in case I didn’t.”
Caroline smiled as Austin wrapped an arm around her daughter’s waist. She only hoped that Sommer could see, as clear as day, how much the man sitting next to her loved her.
“But what I wanted to talk to you about is your moving in with Marcie and Uncle Reese. You can’t.”
Surprised, Austin met Sommer’s eyes. “So, you’ve decided that you’re not coming back to Texas with me, after all? All because of what Kyle said?”
“Was he wrong?” She felt tears stinging the back of her eyelids. So far, hormones were her least favorite part of her new pregnancy.
“I’m not saying that he was wrong about the media circus that’s my life,” Austin explained, “But he was definitely wrong about them having a problem with me dating you.”
“We’re not dating,” she accused.
Austin groaned and ran a hand over his face. He refused to fight with her over this again.
“Honey,” Caroline began, “You need to be with Austin right now.”
“I need to be with you, Mom. In case you haven’t noticed, you have cancer.”
“But I’m not dead,” Caroline replied, louder than intended. She closed her eyes and touched a hand to the base of her throat. “Yes, I have cancer, but it’s not a death sentence. You need to be focused on what’s best for you and the baby.”
“I’m not moving to Texas,” Sommer stubbornly declared. “I’m not leaving you.”
Caroline studied her hardheaded daughter’s face. “Sommer, what have you done for your own good, lately? You left having your own place and a job you loved in New York to come here and take care of me.”
“Which wasn’t a problem, Mom.”
�
�I’m not saying that it was.”
“How is moving to Texas any different? It’s the same thing, my making a decision for someone other than myself.”
Austin and Caroline exchanged exasperated looks. “Sommer, do you want to come with me?” Austin asked. “If we considered nothing else, do you actually want to come with me? Because if you don’t, I will stop asking right now. We can make arrangements for me to fly out for appointments, pay for any and everything you might want or need, and schedule times for me to be with you and the baby.”
Sommer bit her bottom lip. At the end of the day, going with Austin was exactly what she wanted. The truth was screaming inside of her so loudly that she had to lie out loud just to deny it. But her mother’s prognosis was still uncertain and with this battle being her second time around, the oncologist had stressed that it was possible that it could be more difficult for remission.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Then go,” Caroline urged. “How about this? Go for a few weeks so you two can get your heads wrapped around the fact that you’re going to be parents. At least figure that part out and go from there.”
Austin pressed a kiss against Sommer’s temple and her heart fluttered at the hopefulness in his eyes. He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her lips this time, and her lids lowered in embarrassment. Caroline, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to make the same mistake that she did and settle for a man that didn’t offer her true, passionate, and shared love.
“Fine,” Sommer conceded with a small smile. “But I’m still worried about the media thing, Austin.”
“Which I get, but what do you want to do about it?”
“Why don’t you take separate cars?” Caroline suggested. “You can be on the same flight, but drive to Austin’s in separate cars.”
Austin resisted the urge to slip his hand into Sommer’s shirt. Something about her agreeing to come with him had set him off, and he tried to think about something other than laying her on his bed and peeling her clothes away from her body.
“You won’t have to drive anywhere,” he reassured. “I’ll have a car pick you up, drop you off at my building, and take your stuff upstairs. I’ll have to make a stop before I go home so,” he reached into his back pocket, “I made you a key.”
The Game of Love: (BWWM Romance) Page 9