Playing for Keeps

by Rhonda Laurel

  Even though Derek had only been out of town a couple of days, it seemed like an eternity. It was crazy, but their huge, new mega apartment seemed small and empty when he wasn’t there.

  To fight off that emptiness, she’d had dinner with her cousin Trina the other night, called her other cousin Morgan to see how everyone was doing in Texas, and decided on the color scheme for one of the spare bedrooms. She was even able to get her brother Trevor on the line. Since he’d come back into their lives, her brother had been pretty good about keeping in touch. He was currently in Prague supposedly taking photos for a travel magazine. At least, that’s what he told her. She’d always found his travel adventures fascinating, but lately she’d been thinking there was something more to his profession. Whenever she mentioned it to Derek, he’d tell her she was imagining things and not to worry. She knew Trevor was a grown man who could take care of himself. But no matter what her precocious brother was doing at those exotic locales, she worried that his globetrotting was getting in the way of finding someone to love.

  An alert popped up on her cell phone reminding her of an important consult she had next week. She’d be meeting with a law firm who wanted to revamp their reception area and conference rooms. She’d compiled a list of things she could do, which included buying some pricey artwork. The office manager, who was impressed by the work Charisma had done for a doctor’s office that was featured in a magazine, said the sky was the limit. So she brainstormed with fervor and came up with ideas to present what she was sure would impress their big-money clients.

  She enjoyed the concept stage of her projects. There were always so many creative ideas floating about, waiting to take shape. Once she got an understanding of the client’s needs, she ran with what Jared said—there were no small ideas and attention to detail was key. She’d learned so much from him since he began mentoring her. He’d kept his promise and took her under his wing, and they worked well together. Before she knew it, she was handling design projects on her own. When he offered to make her a partner in the firm, she was ecstatic. Reed Interiors was now a subsidiary of Reed Designs. Jared’s trust in her meant everything to her.

  She moved her sketchpad and found a note she’d written to remind herself to e-mail Jared about a client who dropped by with the changes they wanted to make. That meant Jared would have to come back to Philadelphia sooner than he’d planned. As she began typing the e-mail, her eyes focused on the picture of her and Derek. She picked it up and ran her thumb across the glass. It had been taken the night the Pirates won the big game. She never got tired of looking at his handsome face, dark features, and devastatingly blue eyes. His six-foot-three, all-muscle frame was perfect for playing hockey, although the rough sport scared the daylights out of her. She was so excited for him winning again. He’d played hard the past season, and the victory was well-deserved, but his body had taken a beating. He was still in great shape, but her heart sank every time she saw him sporting an ice pack on his shoulder or she watched his intense workout routine. He was in the prime of his career, he should have been considering downshifting, but she knew that wasn’t his style. Playing it safe wasn’t going to win championships. He’d been talking a lot about his future lately and what he might want to do after his hockey career was done. It reminded her of what Morgan had said about Seth getting more pensive as he wound down his football career. She couldn’t imagine Derek not playing the rough-and-tumble sport he loved so much, but she knew he couldn’t do it forever.

  If he were preoccupied now, she could only imagine what he was going to do when she told him the big news. A trip to the doctor the day he left for New York had indeed confirmed that she was ten weeks pregnant. Deep down she knew the nausea, bloating, and mood swings could only mean one thing, but it was nice to have confirmation. The second she heard the news she wanted to faint, but she was having too good a hair day for that.

  Reality set in hours later as she ate double chocolate fudge cookies and chocolate chip ice cream in bed. They were going to be parents. It hadn’t been planned, but it wasn’t unexpected either. She wanted to call Derek, but decided this news was so big, she needed to tell him in person. She’d do that when he returned home. Some soft music and an excellent meal over candlelight was the perfect setting to tell someone life-changing news.

  Even though she was in a time crunch, she paused a second, rubbed her stomach, and sighed. A baby. Each time she said it to herself, it sounded unbelievable. What would a baby mean for them? What they had right now was nice and comfortable. This was definitely going to change things, hopefully for the better. She hoped it meant he would be delighted to be a dad. He was an awesome uncle. Whether it was Chloe and Noah or the Blake brood, he was great with kids. Living together had been a pretty big step, but now they would be parents. They’d made tremendous progress in their relationship since they’d been together. He was patient with her as she continued her quest to be a better person. He knew her, the real her, and he loved her unconditionally.

  But still…she was worried. She didn’t want to see anything but joy in his eyes when she told him the news. Anything else would crush her.

  Her stomach rumbled a little; she hadn’t eaten much for lunch. She thought she was in the clear when the nausea subsided mid-morning, but when she got her favorite crab salad from the deli down the street, it hadn’t seemed like a good idea to take chances. Especially because she was so worried about telling Derek about the baby.

  She snapped her fingers. She pulled out the graham crackers that she’d stashed in her desk and nibbled. According to the pregnancy book she’d bought, the nausea phase was beginning to set in. She felt odd going to a bookstore other than Reed Bradley Books to buy it, but the last thing she needed was for her cousin Dana, who’d been working there, to blab to the family. She wanted time with Derek to process the news before the family came rushing onto the scene.

  The phone ringing brought her out of her daydream. She looked down at the desk phone’s display to see it was coming from the reception area. She hit the button and answered.

  “Hey, Itza. What’s up?” She munched on a graham cracker.

  “Your mom’s on the line,” Itza said into the phone, her voice bubbly.

  “Did she say what she wanted?” She cringed as soon as she said the words. That was a dumb question. Mothers didn’t usually need a reason to call their daughters. But luckily the office staff was used to her unorthodox call screening, especially if it was from someone in the family.

  “Uh, no. But she did say it was important.”

  “Everything is important to her. She probably got a new car. Tell her I’m in a meeting and that I’ll call her later.”

  “OK.”

  She’d canceled her lunch date with her mom two weeks in a row. They’d put in a lot of effort to mend their strained relationship the past few years and it seemed like they were in a better place. It had all been going great until she’d told her she was moving in with Derek. The family loved Derek, but her mom Debra, not so much. She wasted no time in voicing her opinion that it was a bad idea and Derek was fine to date short term, but he was the wrong choice for her in the long haul. She rambled on about how Derek didn’t have to buy the cow because he was getting the milk for free. She ignored that missive because first off, she didn’t like being compared to a cow, not even figuratively. Second, it was funny how she rallied for her to live with that crazy ass wide receiver Lamont and he’d caused her nothing but trouble and pain.

  Once she’d started making choices that made her happy instead of famous, she’d felt a thousand times better about herself. She’d put in the work and had repaired many broken relationships with her family, especially Morgan. She’d never thought in a thousand years they’d be civil or even close after all the stunts she’d pulled on her cousin over the years. The sheer jealousy she’d felt about her all their lives came to a head that night Lamont grabbed her at Seth’s retirement party. Morgan stepped in and protected her and that kicked off a craz
y chain of events. But there was light at the end of that dark tunnel. It took a lot of time and effort, but they were now in a good place. In fact, Morgan was one of her best friends.

  She’d turned her life around. She had a successful career and had taken a chance on love. Despite her mother’s reservations, she felt blessed to have supportive women like her Grandma Reed and her Aunt Sydney in her life to encourage her to be in a healthy relationship for once. It saddened her to think her mom thought of the man she loved as some temporary fixture in her life.

  She rubbed her temples, thinking about her complicated relationship with her mother always brought about an avalanche-sized migraine. She stood and began packing her briefcase. It couldn’t hurt to browse a few boutiques for maternity clothes before she went home. The shopping would give her time to contemplate what she was going to tell Derek when he got home tomorrow night. The news was going to change their lives forever. She hoped he would be happy about it.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Derek checked his appearance in the reflection in the glass pane on the door, ran his hand through his hair, then rang the doorbell. Whenever he had needed counsel on Charisma, he went to the one person who knew her the best, Grandma Reed. Over the years he’d formed a strong bond with her, and she treated him like a grandson. She fussed over him and cooked him good food and he doted on her with great affection. She was a wise woman who had an endless supply of love and compassion for her family. She’d always steered them in the right direction and was adamant that they love and respect each other. She also taught him to have patience with her strong-willed granddaughter.

  “Derek.” Grandma Reed gave him a big hug and a kiss as she ushered him into the house. “Why on earth are you ringing the bell? Don’t you have your key?”

  He kissed her cheek. “You told everyone at Sunday dinner to stop barging in here like they owned the place.”

  “Oh.” She waved a hand at him. “That jab was meant for family members who come here pretending to visit but actually eat me out of house and home and watch my flat screen all day. They don’t even have the decency to bring a coffee cake with them.”

  “Ah.” He glanced down at his hands, which had no coffee cake in them. “I could go get a coffee cake real quick—”

  “Nonsense. I won’t hear another word on it,” she said, giving him a warm smile. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll get you something to eat. I still have some triple chocolate cake left.”

  His stomach growled as he followed her. Grandma Reed made tasty baked goods. “How did you manage to have a slice of that chocolate heaven left over?”

  “I had to hide it from Curtis and Marcus. They have such a sweet tooth. Always did, ever since they were little kids.”

  He took a seat while Grandma Reed plated a piece of the cake and sat it and a big glass of milk in front of him. After cutting a slice for herself, she sat down at the table too.

  He put a forkful of cake into his mouth and smiled. “This is delicious.”

  “Does Charisma bake at your new place?”

  “Does instant cornbread mix count?”

  “No.” She squinted at him. “I should take her over my knee for making instant cornbread.”

  “She has the recipe for your pound cake on the fridge. I think she’s working up the nerve to make it for the upcoming church bake sale. We got one of those fancy stand mixers as a housewarming present.”

  “So that girl has no excuse not to bake now, does she? That reminds me, how was your trip to New York?”

  “I did a couple of print and television interviews. Swung by my agent’s office to discuss some business.”

  “Did you do another one of those sexy magazine covers?”

  He laughed. “I will be shirtless on the fitness mag cover, but I assure you it’s tastefully done.”

  “Don’t be modest. The Sexiest Man in the NHL deserves a cover worthy of the title.” She giggled.

  “Well, it doesn’t sit well with my teammates.”

  “They’re just jealous.”

  “The reason I came by…well…” Derek nervously dug into his pocket and pulled out the ring box. “I stopped by the jewelers to pick up something special.”

  “Is that what I think it is?” Grandma grinned.

  “I’d like your blessing to marry your granddaughter.” He opened the box to show her the ring he’d chosen.

  “Derek, of course you have my blessing.” Grandma got up and hugged him.

  “You don’t know how much that means to me.” He squeezed back.

  “This ring is gorgeous.” She carefully took it and held it up to the light. “The clarity of the diamonds are wonderful, and the princess setting is perfect for Charisma’s hand. She’s going to be delighted.”

  “I know I should be asking her parents, but given the circumstances.” He sighed. There was no easy way to say it. Charisma’s mother Debra hated his guts. “Let’s just say I didn’t want to give her mother a chance to reaffirm that she thinks I’m wrong for her daughter.”

  “Don’t you worry.” Grandma Reed patted his hand. “The rest of the family loves you.”

  “I am grateful for that.” He grinned. “I saw something else at the jewelers that I thought you’d like.” He dug into his other pocket and put another velvet box on the table.

  “Derek, you shouldn’t have.”

  He took the necklace with a diamond cross charm out of the box and fastened it around her neck. “I thought you could wear it to the Women’s Day event they’re having at the church next month.”

  “It’s so beautiful I almost don’t want to wear it out of the house.” She touched the cross. “You don’t have to keep giving me such extravagant gifts.”

  “I like spoiling you.” He kissed her hand. “You are my babushka.”

  “When are you going to pop the question?”

  “Tonight. I’m going to surprise her. She isn’t expecting me back in town until tomorrow.”

  “Well I for one wish you both all the happiness in the world.”

  He scarfed down the rest of the cake while Grandma Reed filled him in on the family gossip. There was always something going on in the family, and soon he’d officially be a part of it too. If someone had told him a couple of years ago that he’d fall in love with Morgan’s cousin and end up related to Seth, he would have called them crazy. It was funny how it had all worked out that way. He and Seth had been friends for years and hadn’t realized that they had similar tastes in women. Their women were both beautiful, courageous, fiercely independent, and had big hearts. Both of them took after the woman who insisted he eat another piece of cake before he left to settle his stomach for what was sure to be a big night. Once he’d finally finished, he kissed Grandma Reed goodnight and headed home. He had a date with destiny tonight.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Derek looked at his handiwork and checked his watch for what seemed like the tenth time in five minutes. Charisma should have been home by now, but calling her would tip her off that something was up, and he really wanted the evening to be a surprise.

  The scene was set perfectly. The candles were lit, soft music was playing on the stereo system, the ring was in his pocket, and the hotdogs were plated. Now all he had to do was calm his nerves. He fumbled with the bottle of champagne and almost dropped it twice. He wanted to use the new china that they’d spent all day picking out one Saturday, but he was afraid he’d drop those too.

  Also, it seemed he wasn’t the only one with a surprise. There was a big red bow on the doors leading to his game room.

  When he heard the distinctive beep of the key fob deactivating the lock, he hurried for the door to greet her.

  “Hey, baby,” he said, trying to keep his voice smooth and calm…as if he wasn’t about to ask her to be by his side for the rest of their lives.

  Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. She looked amazing. Today she was wearing a form-fitting white dress with a detailed, hand-painted colorful design on the skirt. I
t sparkled against her brown skin. Today she’d styled her hair in a way that showed more of her face and those stunning, almond-shaped Reed-brown eyes.

  “You’re home a day early.” She smiled nervously as she dropped her shopping bags by the door.

  “I hated being away from you.” He went over and gave her a kiss. “So I wrapped things up in record time. I even stopped at our favorite hotdog hut and picked up a couple dozen dogs.”

  “You did?” Charisma stepped back and put her hand over her mouth.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Oh. No.” She smoothed her hair. “I went a little overboard with the shopping today. I went to that boutique that had a little red dress in the window and I caved. It was so expensive, and I thought I had to have it at the time. I felt bad as soon as I left the store and now I’m downright sick about it. You know I have strict rules about splurging.”

  “You should keep it. It’s my treat. I’ll even take you for a night out on the town. You can model it for me later.” He took her by the hand and led her into the living room.

  Charisma looked around. “What a nice surprise. Everything looks beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you like it. We’re overdue for some quiet time. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately.”

  “You’re forgiven. Winning the Stanley Cup is kind of a big deal.” She giggled. “Did you go into the game room?”

  “No, it has a big red bow on the doors. I learned my lesson on Christmas about peeking when I’m not supposed to.”

  “Good.” She grabbed his hand and led him over to the door. “Close your eyes.”

  “Can we do this later? I—”

  She put her hand on her hip. “Close your eyes.”

  “If you insist.” He covered them with his hand. He could hear her messing with the big bow and heard the sliding, frosted glass double doors opening. “Need any help?”

  “No. Keep in mind I was going to put a few extra touches on it, but you came home early.”