by B. B. Hamel
“Well, I hope so. According to what I’ve heard it is, at least.”
“You’ve done well, son,” he said. “Real well. I’m proud of you no matter what.”
“Thanks, Coach.” Gibson grinned. I reached over and took Jax back from him.
The reporters all flocked back over. Cameras and lights booted up, pointing at Gibson, Jax, and me.
It felt weird to be on live TV, but I did my best to pretend like we weren’t being watched.
A man walked up to the podium. He opened up a card.
“And the Philadelphia Eagles, with the second pick in the draft, choose Gibson Evans, quarterback.”
The room erupted in cheers. Someone shoved an Eagles hat on Gibson. He hugged me, kissed Jax, and then hugged Coach Taylor.
I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. We had known it was probably going to happen, but there were never any guarantees with this sort of thing.
I felt so light and happy. Gibson had made it. This was his chance to play at the highest level, to make his dream come true. He was finally going to do what he’d always wanted to do, and all the while he’d take care of me and Jax.
Because he could. Gibson was a man, stronger than other men, better. He made me feel right whenever he was around.
The reporters swarmed for the next half hour. Gibson answered questions, smiled for pictures, and did the whole media thing. Coach Taylor stayed by his side, and I took care of Jax, watching and feeling so incredibly proud.
Eventually, though, the frenzy died down. The reporters began to pack up, getting ready to leave. It was official, and the story was over.
Though not quite.
I was standing in the kitchen, rocking Jax, when Gibson came up behind me.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself, big football player.”
He grinned at me. “You’re good with Philadelphia, right?”
“I’m good with anywhere, so long as it’s with you.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He kissed my lips softly. I felt a thrill run through me.
“Today was a good day,” I said.
“I want to make it better.”
“How could you possibly do that?”
He dropped down to one knee. The room was suddenly very, very still.
“Avery Carpenter, love of my damn life, I want you to marry me.” He opened a small black box and showed me the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen in my life.
I took a step back. Jax giggled in my arms.
“Is this real?” I asked him.
Everyone in the room laughed, including Gibson. “It’s real. Be my wife.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding. “Okay, yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” He slipped the ring on my finger and then stood. We kissed for a long time as the room clapped and cheered.
Once the kiss was over, he kissed little Jax and then shook hands with everyone.
I stared down at my finger. The ring was enormous and beautiful. I had no clue where it had come from or how he had afforded it, but it was perfect.
That was the right word for this moment: perfect. I was going to be Gibson’s wife, and he was going to be a professional football player. Our son was handsome and healthy and things were right.
We were moving forward. There was nowhere else to go but forward, and that didn’t seem so scary with Gibson by my side.
I was right and I was good, and I had Gibson to keep making me feel perfect.
I couldn’t want anything else. I had my man and my baby.
THANK YOU!
Want more steamy bad boy action? Sign up for my no-spam newsletter and claim your FREE copy of TAUGHT: A Bad Boy Romance today!
Click Here To Sign Up!
You can also join my Street Team and get access to early review copies and much, much more!
Click Here To Sign Up!
Thanks so much for reading this bad boy romance! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving me a review. That really is the best way you can help new readers find my work, and I would seriously appreciate it.
I want to hear from you! Check out my website at www.bbhamel.com or message me any time: [email protected].
Like my Facebook page! Click here! I post there all the time, so stop by and say hi!
Love alpha SEALs? Try One Night SEAL, my latest steamy bad boy!
He took me from the mob, and now he’s going to keep me.
Travis Rock is rough, ripped, and so deadly. He’s a bad boy Navy SEAL, and he wants to save me.
When the economy went bad, my father took a loan from the mafia to keep our farm running. Now they want their money back, and they expect me to sell my body to the highest bidder.
That’s how I first met Travis. He took me from the mob and offered me his protection.
It was supposed to last just one night. I’d let him have his way and then we’d be done.
But now the mafia wants us both dead, and he’s playing a dangerous game. I don’t want to be owned by another man, but Travis isn’t letting me get away.
I need him to keep me safe, but he might destroy me in the process. I’m afraid that if I give in to his intense body, I’ll be completely lost forever.
Click here to read it now on Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited!
In the mood for another bad boy?
Check out the next Barone Crime Family book, Kissing the Killer: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance
The killer took me, but I won’t be his.
He came in the night, killed my abusive father, and carried me away.
Brooks is an arrogant mafia hitman, all ripped muscles and dark tattoos. He kills for a living, and he doesn’t get close to anyone or anything.
But he spared my life that night. He should have shot me, but instead he took me home and kept me safe.
Now we’re on the run. If the mafia finds out what he did, we’ll both be finished.
Killer, protector, cocky jerk. I need him, but I hate that I want him.
He destroys everything in his path. I know if I let him, he’ll ruin me too.
But I have to give myself over to him, or we both might end up dead.
Click here to read it now on Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited!
Love badass alpha mobsters? Try Bastard’s Baby, another exciting installment in the Barone Crime Family series!
I had that bastard’s baby and now I need his help.
Vince Mori is my enemy. He’s an infamous Italian mobster, all ripped muscles and dangerous tattoos. He’s a cocky a**hole, and for just one night that was exactly what I was looking for. He was a wild ride, a way to rebel against my strict family.
And he doesn’t know that he’s the father of my baby.
I’m the daughter of one of the most feared Russian mob bosses in the city. When I give birth to my baby boy Alexei, my father wants to tear my child away from me.
I won’t let that happen. They may be my family, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my baby.
The Russians are at war with the Italians, but I know Vince is my only chance. When I run away from home and ask him for help, I’m risking my life to save my son.
Vince is everything I’m supposed to hate, but secretly can’t get enough of. He’s only interested in teasing me mercilessly with his dirty mouth and frustrating grin.
Now I’m trapped in the Italian mob’s mansion, living next door to my baby’s father. I need their protection, but the war is escalating faster every day.
If the cocky jerk Vince Mori can’t learn what it means to be a father, I might be totally screwed.
Click here to read it now on Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited!
Smash: An MMA Stepbrother Romance
1
Alexa
It all started with a mistake.
A big, stupid mistake, but I couldn’t help myself. Not when he grabbed me by the hips and steered me through the doorway, whispering, Come on, be my fake bride. I want to
consummate this trip until you can’t stop screaming my name. I was powerless when it came to him, and he knew it. We barely knew each other, but I’d learned enough over the last few days to know that he got what he wanted. I didn’t even bother saying no anymore, because I knew that saying yes would feel so much better. He had deep blue eyes, a perpetual five o’clock shadow, tattoos all over his body, and muscles that just didn’t quit.
Frankly, he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen, let alone touched, and he definitely knew it. Cole was cocky, too cocky, but he had the swagger to back it up.
Come here, girl, he whispered in my ear. You’re going to be my bride of paradise. I’m going to sink my cock deep into that pretty little pussy of yours, right after we say these words.
We didn’t understand what was really happening. The staff didn’t either, but what did they care? They didn’t know what we really were to each other. We were just some stupid tourists, a little drunk on wine, a little drunk on each other. When we asked for the deluxe ceremony, they figured we understood what we were really getting.
They figured we really wanted to be married. Legally married, not just as some stupid joke.
We stood there in front of the priest as he spoke in Thai, a language neither of us knew. The air was thick and humid, even at night, and Cole held my hand the whole time, his eyes drilling holes in mine. We were in paradise, one of the best vacations of my life, even if my best friend had ditched me on the second day for some lawyer she’d just met. I wasn’t going to let it ruin my good time.
It was all fun and games until I met Cole. Then it was much, much more.
Later, much later, his strong body pressed up against mine in the cool white expanse of my bed, our bodies sweating, pleasure rushing through my skull. Is that how you like it, little wife? he whispered into my ear.
Yes. Please.
His fingers moved down between my thighs and did things I’d never felt before.
“Are you kidding me?” Lacey said, exasperated. “Your dad got married again?”
“Yeah, and this time he didn’t even bother telling me about it.”
I stood with Lacey in line at Starbucks, my backpack heavy from my last day of class. Finals were over and done with, which meant I was headed back home for the summer.
Junior year was finished. I was pretty sure I already had senioritis.
“Typical Frank. Always thinking with his dick.”
“Gross,” I said, laughing. “He’s still my dad, you know.”
“Sorry, but it’s the truth. Your dad is the biggest horndog I’ve ever met.”
“Okay, that’s enough.”
“I know it’s hard to hear, Alex, but it’s the truth. Your father is a grade-A player.”
I sighed, shaking my head. Nobody likes hearing about their parent’s sex life, but unfortunately, in this instance, everything she was saying was the truth. My dad, Frank Miller, was on his third marriage, plus however many girlfriends he’d had over the years. He seemed to constantly go from one “true love” to the next with no real regard for anyone else around him. He insisted that it was different this time, that things were going to last for a long time, but he almost always said that.
I was pretty used to it, though. These new women appeared in my life like a hurricane, trying to be my friend, sometimes trying to be my mom, but they never lasted long. Frank didn’t have “commitment” or “monogamy” anywhere in his vocab, no matter how hard he tried otherwise.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t even met this one yet,” I said.
“Seriously? He got married again and didn’t even invite you to the wedding?”
“Supposedly it was a low-key thing. She’s this high-powered CEO of the company that just bought him out.”
We got to the front of the line and ordered our coffee. As we moved over to wait for the drinks, Lacey gave me a look.
“Her company bought his, and now they’re married? Seems pretty weird.”
I sighed, nodding. “Yeah. It’s some big scandal in the business community or something.”
“Classic Frank.”
“What I don’t understand is why this woman would want to go through all this for him. Don’t get me wrong,” I said quickly, “I love my dad. But who’s worth that much trouble?”
“What a cynic.”
“Like father, like daughter, I guess.”
Lacey laughed as our names were called. We gathered up our caffeine-and-sugar beverages and headed out into the warm afternoon.
I really wasn’t looking forward to going home for the first time in a long time. In years past, going back to my dad’s house in San Francisco was usually pretty great, but for some reason I was dreading meeting his new wife.
I’d heard bad things about her. They were both CEOs of up-and-coming tech firms, and Cindy was supposedly something of a hard ass. Everything I knew about her was either from the mouth of a PR firm or from some gossip rag online, but so far nothing seemed to really paint her in a flattering light.
And yet when Dad called me to tell me about the nuptials, he sounded really happy. For the last few years, his life had been all about work and more work, with the occasional girlfriend of course. But that never seemed to make him happy, just more and more stressed. He needed something in his life to brighten up his days, and if Cindy was doing that for him, well, then I couldn’t get in the way of it.
Still, I didn’t have to be excited to meet another woman that was going to want to be my replacement mother. Or maybe this one was going to want to be my best friend instead. You could never tell until you met them which direction they’d take.
“You’ll be home this summer, right?” I asked her.
“Of course. What else would I do, pay rent?”
I laughed. “Solid point.”
“Between prostituting myself for cash and living with my parents for a few months, I choose parents.”
“Not an easy choice, though.”
“Not at all.” She paused, looking thoughtful. “You get to make your own hours as a hoe. On the flip side, free food is a big bonus.”
We both laughed, and I shook my head at her. I was pretty sure she was genuinely considering becoming a prostitute to avoid going home.
Lacey and I had been best friends all through high school. I moved around a lot when I was younger, because my dad got jobs all over the country. Eventually, though, he wound up at his company Blingo, and we stayed put in San Francisco. I met Lacey my second day of school, and we had been inseparable ever since.
“Well, you know where to find me if you ever need to escape the oppression,” I said.
“Please. You’ll come crawling to me first I bet.”
“How long before I’m knocking on your door? A day?”
“Four hours. Tops.”
The University of California at Berkeley’s campus was more or less empty by the end of the school year, and we didn’t have any trouble finding a prime spot to sit down and watch what few students were left walk by.
“You know,” Lacey said after a few minutes of relaxing silence, “you haven’t mentioned your little problem recently.”
I frowned, sipping my coffee. I hadn’t mentioned it because I was sick of thinking about him. Even though I hadn’t seen him since we’d gotten back from vacation, he hadn’t been too far from my mind at pretty much at all times. Cole the fighter, the cocky asshole, the gorgeous stranger.
And my husband, of course.
Technically, at least.
“Wish I had an update for you,” I said. “Just counting the days until I can legally pronounce him dead.”
“Seriously?”
“No. I wish. I can just push the divorce through without his consent at that point.”
“How long?”
“End of the summer.”
“Have you told your dad yet?”
I snorted. “Yeah, right. And disappoint him? No, thanks.”
“Still, he could probably help you. I bet he has con
tacts and stuff like that.”
“Maybe, but at this point, why bother? It’s almost over.”
Lacey nudged me, grinning. “You sure you want to divorce him? I mean, I remember what he looked like.”
I thought for a second. Flashes of Cole’s body as he walked from the ocean, dripping salt water, his eyes looking at me both playfully and intensely.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said, not sure at all.
“What a shame. Waste of prime real estate, if you ask me.”
“Who knows if it’s a waste? He’s gone and I’ll never see him again.”
Which was exactly how it was supposed to be. But one stupid night, half drunk on wine and half drunk on each other, we had stumbled into this Vegas-style marriage chapel. Normally, the marriages were just for fun, a kind of fake ceremony to make couples feel good about themselves.
But we ordered the “deluxe” package. Cole said that if we were getting married, then we were doing it right, and how could I argue with him?
What we didn’t know, of course, was that the Deluxe Package meant we were marrying legally. The staff probably did try to explain that at one point, but we were either too giddy to listen or just too stupid.
And so when I got home and tried to register to vote, I got a nice little surprise. In the field for “Marital Status” in the official records website I was browsing, I saw a nice big fat “M.” After a bunch of phone calls, and at least two total meltdowns, I found out that I had been legally married in Thailand to one Mister Cole Redson.