Kickoff for Love

by Amelia Whitmore

  I laughed. "I was nervous," I exclaimed. Andy picked me up and swung me around. "Baby, we're having another baby!" He said loudly.

  "Hush, you'll wake Noah up!" I told him, trying to quiet my giggles. He set me gently back on my feet and brought his lips to mine, making me melt into him.

  "I love you, Ashley, thank you for giving me a family," he murmured against my mouth.

  I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck, tugging my hands into his mop of curls.

  Seven months later, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Rhett Nicole. She's got her daddy's dark hair and my gray eyes.

  THE END

  Game Changer

  Chapter 1

  Last year while my sister, Erica, was in Mexico she found her Mr. Right. She said the last thing she ever expected was to meet the love of her life while she was on spring break.

  “Love just has a way of finding you when you aren’t expecting it,” she said.

  Of course that’s really funny coming from my sister, considering I don’t ever recall a time in our lives that she’d ever really been single. She was one of those girls who always had to be in a relationship.

  So now I was stuck. I had to fly to Cancún and take part in her destination wedding.

  In most families, the baby was the spoiled one. But not in mine. In my family that honor fell to my older sister Erica, the beautiful one, the family princess.

  I’m the smart one. The good ole’ dependable, always do the right thing, smart one. But apparently, not smart enough to get out of Erica’s spur of the moment, destination wedding in Cancún.

  My brother, Ethan, and I made our way through the terminal at the busy Houston airport. With barely a minute to spare, we got on the plane. I looked down at my ticket and then at the assigned seat numbers. It turned out, we weren’t sitting together. He was going to be sitting in the row in front of me.

  "Are you freaking kidding me?"

  He laughed and rubbed my head before moving to his seat. At least we both got to sit by the window. I slid into my seat and took a deep breath. I wasn’t exactly afraid of flying, but I was a nervous flyer. That’s why I wanted to sit next to my brother in the first place. It helped to have him as a distraction.

  "You'll be fine Emm Emm," Ethan taunted from his seat in front of me.

  "Do you have a piece of paper?" He asked, turning around to look at me, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout.

  Sometimes I seriously wondered how he could possibly be the older of us two.

  I rolled my eyes and bent down to grab the bag I'd brought with me. "Here, use this." I handed him my Android tablet.

  "Thanks Emi," he grinned before facing forward. I scrunched my nose at him. He knew I hated when he called me that. My name was Emily, not Emi, Emm Emm or Eminem!

  Before I had the chance to kick his seat, I felt the presence of somebody sit down next to me. I turned to look at them and almost stopped breathing. The man standing before me had shaggy brown hair, and ice blue eyes. He was tall, really tall and extremely well built. I had to look up to see his beautiful face and as I did he glanced at me and smiled kindly.

  "Hey, I'm Aiden." He put his hand out and I shook it.

  "I'm Emily." I smiled, hoping I didn’t sound too uneasy.

  "Nice to meet you."

  I nodded. "You too."

  Ethan spun around, looking like an over-excited child on Christmas. "Emi, I wrote you a letter!" He waved the tablet in my face and I smacked his hand away, grabbing the tablet at the same time.

  "Thank you," I said pointedly. "Now sit back down dork."

  I shook my head and glanced down at the note he wrote on my tablet.

  Was that a giggle I just heard?! He must be hot. I'm going to check him out for you when I turn around. It's been a while since you got some. You really need to get some sis, seriously...

  I scoffed as I read his letter to me. Ethan was never a normal brother to me. He was more of a charismatic best friend, but sometimes he didn’t know when to quit.

  "You're such a loser," I said lightheartedly, not letting him know that his comments embarrassed me. If he knew that he would never let up.

  I handed the tablet back to him and sat back in my chair, crossing my right leg over the left and bobbing my leg, something I did when I was anxious.

  "You okay?" Aiden asked.

  I looked quickly at my hands, which I had subconsciously begun twisting, and back up towards him.

  "Just a little nervous, I suppose."

  "What about?"

  I scoffed, not at the question, but at all of the possible answers. "Well, my brother ended up sitting in front of me, instead of beside me, no offense." I said quickly, realizing that he had the seat my brother would have had.

  "So that's your brother, not your boyfriend?"

  I heard Ethan start laughing, but he tried to cover it with a cough.

  "Oh hell no. I have way better taste than that."

  Ethan spun around. "Yeah, she digs the more masculine type. You know, somebody like you actually," he said to Aiden.

  My eyes got wide and I felt my cheeks burning before I slammed my foot into the back of his seat.

  "Don't mind him, he was dropped on his head as a baby."

  I couldn't believe how badly I was blushing.

  Aiden smirked. "So you think I'm hot?"

  I scoffed, refusing to admit to anything. The plane finally took off as Aiden and I fell into a comfortable conversation.

  "So, why are you going to Cancún?" He asked.

  "My sister is getting married and apparently needs to prove that she's a pretty, pretty princess and wants her moment in the spotlight," I growled, then grinned in slight embarrassment.

  "Sorry. In case you didn't notice, I'm not overly excited about going to Mexico for this wedding."

  He laughed. "Come on, it's Cancún, shouldn't you be thinking about the beautiful beaches and getting a tan?"

  I scoffed. "I don't do beaches or tanning."

  Ethan cut in. "Yeah, Emi thinks she's too fat to walk around in her swimsuit, despite how many of my friends hit on her."

  "Ethan, if you don't turn around right now, I'm going to tell the flight attendant, who you're trying to hook up with, that the last man you slept with gave you herpes."

  I glared at him and he started pouting.

  "Emi? Why so mean?"

  He always freaking did this to me, made me feel bad the one time I put my foot down.

  "Just turn around Ethan." I sighed. He did as he was told and I turned my attention back to Aiden.

  "Sorry about that," I said, embarrassed at the maturity level of my brother.

  "He wasn't serious, was he?"

  I shrugged and looked out the window. "He may have exaggerated a bit."

  "Seriously?" Aiden asked in astonishment.

  Ethan turned around again. "I know, right? I mean, obviously I'm her brother so there isn't any attraction there, but I know enough to give credit where credit is due. She thinks that because she's not a size zero that she's not beautiful."

  "Ethan Scott Smith, if you don't sit forward this instant, I'm never talking to you again and you're going to be stuck with Erica all week," I warned, knowing that Erica, our sister, drove him as crazy as she drove me.

  "Emi, you just need to admit that you're hot and move on. And you didn't need to use my full name." He glared at me before flopping back down in his seat like an insolent child.

  "You really think that about your body?" Aiden asked softly.

  I sighed and looked at him. "If you saw my sister, you'd understand."

  "God damn it Emily!" Ethan hissed.

  He hated it when I compared myself to Erica. She was barely five foot tall, and had a tiny body without an ounce of fat. She had long flowing auburn hair and beautiful amber colored eyes. She also had milky skin that seemed to make men fall over themselves just to please her.

  "Not another word," I warned him.

  I looked back at Aiden. "I
mean, I know that I'm not ugly by any means, but I also know I have flaws," I told him, not wanting to tell a practical stranger that I hated various parts of my body like my way too curvy hips and my fat ass. Okay, it wasn’t exactly in the Kim Kardashian realm, but it wasn’t tiny and perky like a Brazilian supermodel either.

  I also hated that I was tall, well, for a girl. I guess compared to Aiden I was a dwarf. How tall was he anyway? He had to be six foot five if not more. On him it was hot but being tall as a girl just sucked. It made me stand out and not in a good way. Girls are supposed to be short and petite, not tall and curvaceous. Growing up, it always made me feel like a freak.

  "I don't see any flaws." Aiden whispered so Ethan couldn't hear him. I blushed scarlet.

  "That's really nice of you to say, but..." He cut me off.

  "I wasn't being polite." I blushed even harder, forcing myself not to giggle and to just keep breathing.

  "Thank you," I said, not sure how else to respond.

  "Anyways, what brings you to Cancún?" I asked, desperate for a change to the current topic.

  "An old teammate of mine is tying the knot with the girl of his dreams, and for some ridiculous reason, wanted me to be one of his groomsmen."

  I smiled.

  "Guess Cancún is a popular place for weddings.”

  “It would seem so.”

  “What do you mean, 'teammate'?"

  He paused for just a moment, as though he was debating whether or not to tell me. "I play for Houston."

  My eyes got wide.

  "You play football for Houston? As in the NFL?"

  He nodded and I giggled. I’ve never met a professional football player before. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve watched many games in my life, but to see one up close and personal was something else.

  "So tell me more about yourself, I mean besides the whole football thing."

  He took a deep breath. "Well, I was born and raised in Wisconsin. I got drafted into the NFL about five years ago, that was for Oakland. Then I got traded to Houston the next year, where I’ve been ever since. I don't really know what else to say."

  "How old are you?" I asked. I knew he was older than me, but I wondered just how much.

  "Twenty-six, and you?"

  I smiled. I couldn’t help it. Twenty-six was older than me, but still not so old that it would be a big problem.

  "Nineteen, almost twenty."

  He nodded, then smirked. "Your turn."

  "I was born and raised in a small town in West Texas. When I was ten we moved to Houston and it was the end of the world." I smiled fondly, remembering how dramatic everything was back then.

  “Actually we live in The Woodlands, just north of the city but I guess you know that. I’m taking some classes at Lone Star College. I’m not really studying anything in particular. I got my associates in liberal arts last year and now I’m just taking a few business classes, and I don’t really even know why. It’s not like I have some overwhelming desire to do anything in particular in the business world, but it just sounded like a good idea and I wasn’t sure what else I wanted to study."

  I couldn’t think of anything thrilling to share with him and I caught myself beginning to ramble so I decided it would be best to just shut up.

  "The exciting life of an average teenager," he teased.

  "Ha, I'm not average and I’m not exactly a teenager anymore either."

  I heard Ethan snicker in front of us so I nudged the back of his seat. He ignored that and turned to entertain the little boy sitting next to him.

  "Oh really? Why's that? What makes you not so average?" Aiden asked with a curious, flirting, grin.

  I scoffed. "I can't just label everything that makes me not average."

  "Why not? I can. I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches." I wrinkled my nose, but refused to interrupt him. "I hate to untie my shoes, I prefer to just slip them off. If I hear somebody laugh, I smile like an idiot, which gets awkward when you're in a group of strangers."

  I chuckled. "Okay, okay, I get it. I love to dance in the rain. I love eating pickles for breakfast. I think like a man."

  He interrupted. "What does that mean?"

  Ethan spun towards us, making it obvious that he'd been eavesdropping. "She's the most perverted person ever. She doesn't get insulted by the things other girls are insulted or offended by,” Ethan said proudly.

  I rolled my eyes and then turned my attention back to Aiden.

  "I'm not sure what else though." I said.

  "Did you know that you're currently sitting next to the girl who got the highest SAT score ever, in the history of our high school? She even graduated a year early."

  I blushed. "He makes it sound way more impressive than it is." I said, rolling my eyes.

  Aiden looked surprised. "That’s incredible."

  "So is being a professional football player," I countered.

  "Wait, you play football?" Ethan asked. Of course he would have missed that part of the conversation.

  Aiden nodded bashfully. "Oh my god, you're Aiden Swift, aren't you?" Ethan exclaimed. Aiden looked fairly uncomfortable.

  "Ethan, sit back down and stop making a fool of yourself." I scolded. He sat down awkwardly, with an uncomfortable smile on his face.

  "Sorry about that. My brother just gets over excited sometimes."

  "It's not a problem, I'm used to it," Aiden assured me.

  The captain's voice filled the plane and soon enough, we were bouncing down the runway. I couldn’t believe two hours had already passed. Talking with Aiden made time just fly by.

  "It was really great to meet you."

  "You too Emily," he said before following me off the plane. Outside of the terminal, Ethan was waiting for me and I took one fleeting look at Aiden before he walked away and into the unknown.

  "Why did you let him walk away?" Ethan asked me, like I was crazy or something.

  "Because I've only known him for a few hours."

  "Like that matters. I've had sex with women I've known for less time and you couldn't even ask him for his number." Ethan tasked at me.

  "Shut up you horn dog." I punched him playfully in the arm. “Let’s go find our luggage.”

  Just One Kiss

  Chapter One

  Family, Carnivals, and Best Friends

  My bedroom has always been something of a sanctuary to me. It’s where I go to escape from the real world. Where I can swim in my own thoughts, listen to music, do my homework, read . . . anything really. It’s decorated perfectly for my tastes too. Which is good considering that I started redecorating three years ago, when I turned fifteen. I began going to swap meets, antique shops, yard sales, Goodwill, and other secondhand stores. My family is only middle class, so, although we aren’t too tight for money, redecorating a room would be pushing it.

  After years of hard work, I’ve finally turned a space that was once filled with pink and butterflies into a bedroom any eighteen-year-old would be proud to call her own. The walls are a dusty, pale gray-blue. The floor is the same white wood it’s always been. A shaggy rug that matches the walls lies by my bed. The white, cushioned headboard is tall enough for me to lean against it comfortably and my sheets are white with a green quilt on top. A purple crocheted blanket that Mom made for me while she was pregnant goes over the quilt. When I get cold, there’s a white and gray patterned duvet that is folded at the end of my bed until I kick it to the ground at night. Beside my bed, there’s a green nightstand that matches my quilt, and on it sit flowers I replace every week, a candle, and a clock. A lamp hangs down over the nightstand like a chandelier. My room is simple but pretty. I love it. Another thing I absolutely adore about my room is the slanted ceiling. The wall across from my bed, where my dresser and desk rest, goes up about three-fifths of the way before tilting inward. It makes my rather spacious and empty room look cozy.

  I’m lying on my stomach, reading a book for English class and listening to my iPod, when I feel somebody tap my foot. I jump and sc
ream, turning to see who just tried to scare me to death. It’s my older sister, Lena. She’s nineteen and goes to a local art college. Even though it irritates me, I can’t even be mad at her when she starts laughing hysterically. I know how ridiculous I just made myself look, but I’ve never been good at handling surprises.

  I sigh impatiently when she doesn’t stop laughing. “Did you come here for a reason, or were you just trying to scare me?” I ask, pulling out my headphones.

  Once she can breathe properly again, Lena says, “Mom and Dad want us in the living room. I think it’s time for the carnival again.” I nod and follow her downstairs.

  Mom works at an elementary school teaching third grade. Every autumn they have a Fall Fun Fest and Mom always volunteers us kids to help. We’re usually happy to, until Mom gets anxious under the pressure, goes crazy, and acts like the carnival will fail if any of us are even a minute late. But eventually she cools off and realizes how insane she is.

  “Hey, guys.” I say, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch from my brother, Matthew. He’s fifteen, almost sixteen, and thinks he’s way too cool to have me as a sister. He’s probably right, but I don’t care that much.

  “Hey, Anna.” Matt murmurs, concentrating on the TV. There’s some sports event on. Football, I think, but I’m not sure if it’s college or professional. Does actual football even start in October? I wasn’t built to be athletic, so I wouldn’t know.

  Mom walks into the room with a few sheets of paper and hands them to us. They’re consent forms, basically telling the school that if we get injured, we won’t file a lawsuit against them. Everyone that works the carnival has to sign one.

  “Okay, guys. The carnival is next weekend so I need to know what booths you’re planning to work on.”

  “Well, Smith and I really liked working the ring toss last year,” Lena says. Her boyfriend, Smith, helped her last year. The stand has about two hundred two-liter bottles of soda laid out on the floor, and children use swimming rings to try to catch a bottle around the nozzle. If they hook one, they get to take it. The game is a big hit for little kids.