Crosby groaned. “A pain in my ass. She’s so pregnant, she can’t even put on her shoes by herself anymore. Don’t get married and don’t have kids. That’s all I can say. Learn from my mistakes.”
“I got off lucky. Karla doesn’t believe in marriage, thinks it takes away from the romance of it all, and the pill is a glorious invention.”
“I can drink to that.” We clanked our brown bottles together right as my phone started lighting up with a call from Karla.
“Yeah, babe?” I answered.
“I know you’re having drinks and relaxing, but I really need you to come to my place.”
The nervousness in her tone was freaking me out. I started to get up from my stool. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I am fine. We just need to talk about something really important.”
“I will head over right now.”
I waved over to the bartender, pulling my card out of my wallet. Crosby put his hand on my shoulder. “Go man, I got this.”
“Thanks.”
I was out the door and hailing a cab within seconds.
Karla
I sat on the edge of my bathtub staring at the digital pregnancy stick. “How can I be pregnant?” I said under my breath to no one.
“Karla?” Brayden’s husky voice boomed through the apartment.
“In here,” I called to him, hiding the white pee stick in my hands as best as I could.
He opened the door, peeking his head in. “Can I come in?”
“Please.” I was fighting back tears, and I wasn’t sure if they were happy or sad yet—a lot of that depended on how Brayden took the news.
I took a deep breath and he sat down on the bathmat in front of me. “What’s going on babe? You had me worried sick.”
“Here.” I shoved the positive test into his hands, tears now rolling down my face.
He stared at it for what felt like a lifetime. Then all of a sudden he leapt to his feet, pulling me up into his arms. “This is the best news I could have ever gotten. You’re pregnant!” The elation in his voice jumped through the air, crashing into me as happy tears started to make me sob even more.
“I am so thankful you aren’t upset. I was so scared,” I admitted.
“How could I ever be upset about something as amazing as the fact that we’re going to have a baby? I am going to be a father! This is incredible!” He twirled me around, carrying me into my bedroom and throwing us both onto the bed. “I have to call Myla!”
I grabbed his cellphone right out of his hand. “No. No one can know right now.”
Confusion washed over him as the saddest look ever took away all of his giddiness. “But…?” He gave me his best attempt at a puppy-dog face.
“It’s too early, something could happen.” I put my hand on his cheek. “But, don’t worry. I am a nurse, so this little peanut is going to get the best care possible. I promise we will be able to tell everyone soon, ok?”
He nodded. “Fine.” His excitement rushed back as he grabbed my shoulders, kissing me hard. “God, I fucking love you so much!”
“I love you too, Daddy.” The word felt weird and amazing rolling off my tongue as it started to settle in: we were going to be parents.
“That has a nice ring to it.” Brayden’s tone shifted to lustful as his eyes narrowed. “Does this mean I am going to have to go easy on you?” He started to pull at my clothes and then his own.
I nipped at his neck. “I don’t think you’ll be tying me up or pulling the whips out any time soon, but we can still have sex. I’m not injured or anything.”
In the months, we had been together, we had come a long way from that first night we slept together. Slowly, Brayden had shown me just how much of a dominator he actually was. In doing that, we learned together, learned what worked and didn’t work for each other. The power and control we gave and took was simply beautiful in the rawest of forms.
“Tell me what you want, babe,” Brayden whispered in my ear.
“You’re going to lick my cunt until I come and use my wetness to lube yourself up then get behind me and fuck me in the ass.” Saying the commands out loud sent shivers down my spine.
“Yes, ma’am.” Brayden got off the bed, pulling my legs over the edge. Getting onto his knees, his lips kissed from my knee all the way to my tender flesh. He flattened his tongue, stroking my clit slowly. His nails dug into my thighs as he worked my throbbing bud perfectly. Softly sucking on my clit, he teased my opening with his thumb. “God, Karla, you’re so wet already.” He groaned.
My stomach started to knot up. “Oh fuck!” I cried, but not in a good way—in an I am going to hurl kind of way.
I rushed for the bathroom, practically running Brayden over to make it to the toilet in time.
As I hurled, Brayden sat down next to me, putting a cold wash cloth on the back of my neck. “Can I do anything to help?”
I glanced over at him, hoping the heaving was over. “Sorry.” I rested my head on the toilet seat.
Brayden sweetly rolled the back of his fingers over my cheek. “For what?”
I forced a laugh. “How sexy is this?”
He scooted closer to me, kissing my forehead. “Sweetheart, you’re pregnant. Doesn’t getting sick kind of come with the territory?”
“Yeah, but still.” I pulled the cool compress from behind my neck, holding it against my forehead.
“How about I order us a pizza and we sit on the couch all night watching anything you want?”
“Really? Anything?” Man, he really must be happy about this baby. Brayden was the master of the remote. It wasn’t like he didn’t let me pick things to watch, but he had total veto power if he thought something was too girly or sappy.
“Yes. Anything.” He helped me up from the floor and wrapped me in my favorite pink fluffy robe. “You just have to brush your teeth first.” He stuck his tongue out at me before heading back into my room to get dressed.
Chapter 15
Karla
Riding in the elevator up to the penthouse that was Gavin Hayes’ home was more than just a little nerve-racking. It didn’t have too much to do with Gavin himself, but rather the fact that I was about to walk into a party with wall-to-wall professional athletes and their dates. It was also going to be the first night I got to meet Brayden’s teammates.
I felt like all eyes were on me as I walked into the crowded space. Within seconds, Brayden was scooping me into his arms, giving me a quick kiss.
“Hey, you.” He beamed down at me. “How was your shift?”
I laced our fingers together as he led me into the party. “Nothing too crazy, nothing to write home about.”
We took seats at the wet bar. A sweet woman with the most adorable pixie haircut and bubbly personality threw a bar napkin down in front of me. “What’ll it be, sweetie?” She shot me a toothy grin.
“Just a ginger ale, please.”
“Coming right up.” She opened a can of Canadian Dry and poured it into a cup over ice. “Here you go. I’m Jordan by the way.”
I shook her hand from across the bar. “I’m Karla. It’s nice to meet you.”
Brayden was chatting with a guy to his left then turned back around to get my attention. “Babe, I want you to meet Simon.”
Brayden leaned back so I could see Myla’s best friend. “Simon.” I took his hand in mine. “I have been dying to meet you for a while now.”
Simon kissed the back of my hand. “You are even more stunning than Myla told me. It’s such a pleasure.”
Simon, Brayden, and I sat chatting away for a while. Every so often, different players came up and Brayden would introduce me to them. It was nice to see how excited he got to finally have me meet the guys he spent most of his time with.
Gavin made his way over to us, getting a whiskey ginger from Jordan. He slapped Brayden on the shoulder. “Hey, man. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your lady?”
Brayden turned around without missing a beat. “Karla, may I present
to you the Gavin Hayes.”
He gave me a half hug before taking his drink from Jordan. “Thanks for coming tonight.”
“Of course! It’s great to finally meet you. Brayden has told me so much about you.” I shot Bray a quick glance as he squeezed my knee gently.
“I’m sure he has.” Gavin chuckled. “I am not as big of a douche as he claims I am.”
Brayden elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Oh, come on now, Hayes, you know I don’t lie.”
“Ouch,” Gavin teased as his eyes snapped to the door. A woman with long blonde hair and an unhealthy amount of makeup on was looking around like she was lost. “Excuse me.” He bee-lined it right for her, ushering her into the hallway.
Gavin wasn’t the only one who noticed the latecomer. It felt like the entire party froze and everyone awkwardly stared at the front door.
Brayden got up from his seat, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I think I need to go get Myla.”
I pointed at her as she started to come out of the back hallway and Brayden walked over to her. Jordan stood in silence, eye fixed on the door like almost everyone else.
“I must be missing the punch line,” I said to no one in particular.
Simon looked over at me. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”
Jordan leaned over and whispered just loud enough that only Simon and I could hear. “That was Gavin’s ex-fiancée. She left him at the altar years ago.”
Simon and I both gasped in unison.
I tapped my finger to my mouth. “You know, I think I saw something about that on the news.”
“Saw what?” Brayden asked as he wrapped his arms around my middle from behind.
“That was Gavin’s ex, Marsheila,” Jordan blurted out before I could answer.
Brayden stiffened up a little. “I should go out there.”
I grabbed his hands, not letting him let go of me. “You need to let them handle this. Gavin and Myla are fine.”
Jordan poured Brayden another drink. “Listen to your woman. Gavin will take care of that wretched bitch as fast as he can.”
Before I could ask for more juicy details about how wretched the bitch of an ex actually was, Myla and Gavin were walking back in hand in hand, acting like everything was normal. They came back over to us and Myla wrapped me up in a huge hug.
“I am so excited you’re here!” She kissed me on the cheek. “Do you like my eyes?” She batted her baby blues dramatically.
“You look marvelous, darling.” I couldn’t help but notice that our birthday girl was just about two sheets to the wind.
She grabbed her big brother, pulling him into her side. “Can you believe he was able to keep this whole thing a secret from me?”
I smiled at them, sipping my soda. “I know, it was so hard for him.”
Brayden looked down at his sister. “Hey, I can keep a secret when I need to.” He raised his eyebrow at me and I couldn’t help but smile a huge goofy grin. Thankfully, Myla was too far gone to pick up on our subtle cues.
“Babe!” she yelled, and Gavin spun on his heels to face us.
“My lady?” He reached his hand out to her, pulling her into his side.
“Have you met Brayden’s girlfriend? Isn’t she pretty?” It was the first time I had heard someone call me his girlfriend before; it was so surreal. I was Brayden Cox’s girlfriend and I was pregnant with his baby. It still hadn’t all sunk in yet.
“I have.” Gavin kissed the top of Myla’s hand. “And yes, she is very pretty.”
Right then, out of the corner of my eye, I recognized someone. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I shot up from the barstool and rushed over to a kind-looking man, hoping I was not just seeing a doppelgänger.
“Excuse me?” I interrupted his conversation with a voluptuous redhead who had the most killer smile I had ever seen.
“Karla? Oh, my God!” He wrapped me in a hug.
“Sean Whistler, as I live and breathe. How the heck do you know these guys?”
Brayden came up behind me, putting his hand on my hip with one hand and slapping Sean’s shoulder with the other. “Trying to get fresh with my girl?” Brayden joked.
“Remember the cop I told you helped me with all the crap with my ex?” Brayden nodded and I gestured to Sean. “Well, meet my knight in shining blue.”
Brayden grabbed Sean’s hand. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.
Sean’s face turned red. “I was just doing my job. I’m just glad I was able to help.” He turned, pulling the woman into the conversation. “I have a new partner now. This is Jessica McBee.”
Brayden took a few steps back. “Wait.” He tapped his finger to his lips. “This is crazy.”
“What?” I poked his ribs. “You can’t say stuff like that and not explain.”
“Sean was one of the first responders in Myla’s accident and you were her nurse in the hospital, right around the same time he was helping you with your abusive ex.”
Myla cleared her throat behind us, gripping Gavin’s hand as she leaned on him a bit. Her eyes were watery as her mouth fell open. “I just can’t believe all this.”
Gavin pulled her closer to him and had the biggest grin on his face. “Wow. The world really is small after all.”
“Serendipity at its finest,” I remarked.
“For fucking sure.” Brayden gave me a quick little peck on the lips.
The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful other than Jordan almost dropping one of the flaming liquor bottles while she did one last trick for the night.
Brayden was wiping down the bar while Jordan was packing up a bunch of liquor bottles and mixers.
“Want some more ginger ale?” she asked, holding an open can.
I pushed my glass closer to her. “Only a little bit. I have to drive.”
She started to laugh-snort. “You’re funny. Brayden…” She waited until he was looking at her to continue. “I like her, she’s funny. Keep her around.”
He cocked his head to the side, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lower lip. “That’s the plan, Jordan. As long as she will have me.”
After Gavin convinced Myla to go to bed, he came back over to us.
Brayden looked over at him. “Did the birthday girl go down without a fight?”
“Brayden, can I have a minute?” Gavin asked as he waved his hand toward the balcony.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be right back.” He glanced over at me and I just nodded my head.
I kept looking out the glass doors, trying to figure out why Brayden was pacing around the balcony looking like he was going to puke.
“I wonder what is going on out there.” Simon followed my gaze.
Jordan chimed in. “Beats me, and I am one of Gavin’s best friends. He usually gets drunk at my bar and spills the beans about secrets to me long before anyone ever knows about them.”
Gavin and Brayden finally did one of those manly half hug things and made their way back into the apartment.
“Ready to head out?” Brayden asked me like nothing had just happened.
I grabbed my coat, pulling my gloves out of my purse. “Sure. Everything ok?”
He helped me get my coat on. “I’ll tell you later.”
We said our goodbyes to Jordan, Gavin, and Simon and made our way to the lobby.
After Brayden asked the doorman to get us a cab, he wrapped his arms around me. “How’re you feeling?”
“Other than dying to know what happened on that balcony, I am perfectly fine.”
He spun me around so I was looking at him. “Gavin is going to ask Myla to marry him.”
I gasped. “That is incredible!”
Brayden pulled his head back in shock. “You think so?”
I shrugged. “Just because I don’t want to get married doesn’t mean I think other couples shouldn’t. It’s just not for me.”
“Have I ever told you how incredible you are?”
The cab pulled up to the curb and we made our way out into the
chilly night air as I replied, “Within the last twenty-four hours, I think you have only told me one hundred times. You’re slacking, Cox.”
Chapter 16
Brayden
“What time are they going to get here?” I asked, glancing down at my watch before I started to stir the pasta.
Karla popped her head around the corner, holding a broom in her hand. “Any minute.”
I was starting to get nervous. I was so excited to tell my sister about the baby but I was worried that she would think that we were rushing things. I mean, we didn’t plan for this to happen, but birth control is obviously not one-hundred percent reliable.
The doorbell rang and my heart started pounding in my ears.
“Showtime,” Karla sang, while rushing over to the door to let our guests in.
All four of our guests piled into Karla’s tiny apartment, as I tossed the noodles in pesto and started to slice the baked chicken.
“He even cooks?” I heard Gavin’s snarky tone tease from the living room.
I put the dinner out onto the dining room table and Karla introduced Martha and Kari to Gavin and Myla.
“It’s so nice to finally get to meet you, Myla. Karla has told us so much about you!” Kari pulled my sister into a hug, before they all took seats.
After grabbing everyone a beverage, I took my place at the head of the table. “A toast.” I raise my wine glass into the air. “To new family.”
“Here, here.” Myla cheered as she smiled sweetly at me. “This is really nice. Thanks for having us over tonight.”
“Of course. I am so thrilled to have all of you together, finally.” Karla squeezed my hand as she cleared her throat. “And we have some news to share with you.”
She looked over at me, waiting for me to spill the beans. My throat was dry, my heart racing, my palms clammy, my face blazing hot. “We’re going to have a baby.” I shouted out.
You could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s mouths were hanging open.
“Someone say something.” Karla’s face was twisting as she started to fight back tears.
Cross Checked (Shots on Goal #2) Page 8