by Amy Brent
She hurt all over, but it was a good hurt as she blinked a few times trying her best to clear her eyes and take in the room around her. At some point she had been resting and simply fallen asleep from exhaustion. She felt the space next to her, but he was gone, and she felt the tears spring to her eyes once more, causing her to bite her lip in frustration. She sat up carefully, grabbing her towel once more that she had been wrapped in, carefully tying the belt at her waist before walking down the long hall and back towards the kitchen.
She squashed the tiny hope she had been forming when she instantly took in the room around her. He was gone… there was no doubt about that. She padded her way to the fridge to get a drink and that’s when she saw the note on the countertop.
Lacey, going out for groceries, be back in 30 min or so. Need to finish what we started.
She felt her heart beat fast reading his words. He was gone… but he was coming back. She knew he wanted to tell her things… things about Rachel. She settled into the overstuffed chair and waited. She took a deep breath, smiling to herself and the new found confidence she was showing. She had to share some things of her own.
True to his word he came back and this time she heard the rumble of his bike. She waited for him to come in, more determined now than ever to tell him the truth. He walked in his face a smile and sat down across from her after sitting the bag on the counter.
“I don’t want to drag this out Lacey so I am just going to tell you everything quickly… then maybe we can go on with our night, is that ok?”
She nodded at him, bracing herself once more.
“Last time I started with the unimportant stuff so this time I’m going to try something a little different. I love you Lacey, I came home to say goodbye to dad and what I found was this incredible woman who I have known and loved my whole life. I love you differently now, but the foundation is still there and the goodness in you is there just as it always has been. Rachel cheated lied and stole money, likely trying to get me shot at as we speak but I don’t care about any of that anymore. I just want to be with you, settle down and have something good.”
She felt the tears fall freely as he spoke.
“What we share, that is something amazing that most people don’t find in their lives. In fact, it’s so good that I had to question if I was losing my mind or just remembering how you felt in my mind blowing it out of proportion. But I wasn’t, this between us is a good thing… a right thing. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Lacey.”
She smiled at him as he finished. She wiped the tears that ran down from her eyes.
He moved to hold her hands in his, wiping at the tears himself. “What do you have to tell me Lacey, whatever it is we will be ok?”
She smiled into his eyes, slowly moving his hand over to her stomach. “You were right, Rafe, what we share is special because form the very first moment we shared together we created something even more beautiful than just “us”, we created a life.”
He looked up at her, his eyes widening as he took it all in. “Oh my... are you serious Lacey?”
She nodded happily as he wrapped his arms around her, dropping kisses on her stomach. She knew then she would never have to worry again about her size, or about being pushed around by anyone. She was one of the lucky ones, she had found real love. It was good and true and she knew she would hold on to that for as long as she was alive.
The months passed quickly and the two of them found themselves enjoying a new life together. As her stomach grew, she would glance at the man who would soon be her husband and she would think about the extra room in the house where they enjoyed each other so very much. There is something new around every corner, and she knew they were just getting started on exploring as much of that as they could. She caught his eye and he gave her a wink, no doubt remembering the way he had made love to her that afternoon. She was a lucky woman, and she knew there was no doubt about what was to come.
PREGNANT BY THE BALLER
Jessie
Jessie Randolph liked to get his way. More importantly, he liked that other people knew it, and would be accommodating. Even now, tipping back a beer in the field by Havertown, he scanned the crowd for something, or someone exciting.
Maybe he was getting older, and things didn’t excite him as much as they used to. At 28 he was getting to the point where his football career was at its peak, but he was also getting more and more banged up every game they played. He had been given the gift of insight and he used that to his advantage. He nodded his head at a few girls that passed by him, both laughing to each other. He could vaguely recall having sex with one of them… or was it both? He wasn’t really sure. It didn’t matter, with his blonde hair and blue eyes he never had a hard time finding a willing and warm woman to keep him company.
Perhaps that was the issue, things were too predictable. He used to love these after game parties. The team would get family and friends together, and along came the typical bunch of girls who just wanted to say they had slept with a football player. There was no game, no challenge anymore. One thing was certain, he wanted to find more than just this.
Crushing the can in his hand he set out looking for his friends. He found them quickly enough all standing by a bonfire and laughing. He joined in and noticed a few players from the rival team on the outskirts of the party. He swore to himself and set out to give them a good beating.
“Hey man what the hell are you doing here?” He should have just asked but instinct took over and he knocked the beer out of the guy’s hand and noticeably pushed him.
“Dude, what the hell man. We just wanted to have a little fun too. What’s the problem?” The guy picked himself up and immediately pushed him back.
He knew enough about himself to know that when there was a situation, and he was touched he was all in. He heard his friends sigh right before he jumped the other guy, landing on top on him in the grass. The fight seemed to go on forever, but it had only been a few minutes when they pulled him off of the other guy. His chest was heaving, and he knew he could have hurt the guy bad.
He jerked his arms free. “Let me go man I’m good. I’m good.”
The other guy wiped at the blood on his lip. “You have some serious anger issues man, get that shit looked at.” He turned and gestured to his teammates to follow, leaving the party altogether.
Jessie took a moment to get his labored breathing under control. Maybe the guy was right but it didn’t really matter. He was who he was and nothing could change that. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to smile at his buddies who were giving him a knowing look. The reality of the situation was simply that he didn’t like to play nice with the other teams. In fact, he liked having things done his way at all times. He laughed at a joke his friend Bobby told and then catching the eye of a brunette across from him he gestured for her to follow him. He may have gotten into a fight but he was going to end the night on a high note at least.
She was a pretty girl; exactly what standards would dictate that he should be sleeping with. He pulled her into the trees surrounding the party, his hands roughly pulling her to him in a kiss. As usual she was willing to do whatever he wanted and he had expected no less. He cupped her large breasts in his hands, roughly pulling on her nipples and rolled his eyes at her exaggerated sighs. He felt her hands on him too, and he allowed her access to him, sighing in pleasure as she put her mouth on him. She was good at this, and that would have to be enough for now. He took what he wanted from her, and she walked away smiling from it. He felt empty about the whole thing, almost like something wasn’t quite right. He made his way into the night and to his bike. Maybe what he needed was some sleep.
Lynne
She looked herself over in the mirror, sighing as she did. There had to be something more to life than just working harder and harder to lose weight that seemed to be a part of her. She had everything else she could want. She had a great career as a writer, a nice home and her boyfriend was definitely way out of her le
ague, but her struggle with her weight was the one thing she had to fight about.
Brad was a good guy, even if he could be hurtful sometimes. She understood where he was coming from. He was a professional football player, and if she was going to be on his arm, she needed to look her best. She knew that their relationship had started just before his career had taken off, and he was changing a little more each day, leaving her behind in everything. She loved him though, especially when he was good to her. They had days when they could just enjoy watching television together or enjoy time with family. He had days, however, when he seemed to take her weight issue to the extreme.
For her birthday he had bought her a treadmill. The gesture alone would have been bad enough had he not done it in front of her family. She felt the sting of humiliation and it had taken her a long time to get past it. He had explained it to her, his concern for her health etc. and she had let it go. Even now she was trying to fit into a new dress that he wanted her to wear to the gala tonight, but it was no use. It was a good two sizes too small. She knew he would be furious about it. She slid on a different dress and with a deep breath she made her way into the living room where he waited.
On the phone he held up a finger to her to wait a second. She grabbed her bag and slipped into her shoes while she waited. She heard him sing and turned to face him.
“Lynn… what happened to the dress?” He held his hands out, gesturing to what she was wearing.
“I couldn’t wear it Brad, it was just not a good fit.” She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a smile.
He gave her a one over and she felt her cheeks turn pink. Why did he always have to do that?
“Well I guess we don’t have much choice, let’s get going. This gala is the only way to secure my next contract.”
He gave her a half smile and held the door open for her to leave. She couldn’t help but be a little hurt. She had lost ten pounds since the last party he had taken her to. Plus, the time she spent on her makeup and hair alone would have at least given him a reason to say something nice… anything at all.
They entered the party arm in arm. As was his usual style he found their table and casually left her alone to go schmooze with other players. She toyed with the fork at her place setting, lost in thought. He always had the uncanny ability to find a way to get what he needed. She looked around the room, once more feeling inferior. The room was full of football players and beautiful women. She felt the pressure of it all at once. Standing she made her way outside to an alcove where she could breathe easier. The coolness of the evening air helped her to calm down some.
“I see you found the best places to hide and avoid just like I do.” A dark voice said from the shadows.
She immediately straightened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was out here.” She started to leave.
“Don’t leave on my behalf. There is plenty of room for us to just hide from all of them.”
He was still hidden in the shadows, and she couldn’t see him, she paused and turn back to the railing.
“I’m not hiding, not really.” She whispered the last part.
“Yes you are sweetheart, I know hiding and you are just that.” He moved out of the shadows now and she looked up at him.
He was more than good looking, he reeked of sex and power. She felt something stir deep down and she hated herself for it. She loved Brad, and this guy was obviously very much in love with himself. That was the type of guy she couldn’t stand. She looked back out at the night in front of her, once more thinking about Brad. He was a good guy he just wanted her to be her best.
She could tell he expected more of a response from her, but she failed to give him what he was looking for. He was likely used to getting every girl to look his way, but she wouldn’t be one of them.
He stuck out his hand to her. “I’m Jessie, Jessie Randolph.” He waited and she slowly turned to shake his hand. “You know the football player.” He said it jokingly, but she didn’t smile.
“Nice to meet you Jessie Randolph.” She moved again, this time straightening her dress so that she could go back inside.
He moved in front of her, and she blinked twice as she looked up at him.
“I introduced myself, it seems only fair that you do the same.”
She could almost feel the heat off of him, the way he peered down at her making her heart beat a little faster, though she hated herself for it.
“Lynne Alexander, that is. You know the writer?”
He smiled at his small victory, and she rolled her eyes. He waited a mere second before he spoke what was on his mind.
“You don’t like me very much do you Lynn?” He gave her a dark smile and she was surprised at his bluntness.
“I would think that you would give one care in the world what I think about you, but since you asked. No, typically I don’t like your type. You are almost always spoiled, self-involved and selfish. I know you half expected me to fall over dreamy-eyed because you spoke to me but you’re just a guy.” She paused. “That being said, I would never really say any of those things to you, since the fact of the matter is that I don’t really know you, so I have no right to assume any of that.”
She watched a few different emotions cross his face before he laughed loudly. “I can tell you sweetheart, almost all of that is accurate. I am self-involved, but I’m not spoilt. I fought hard to get where I am and that’s the truth. As for being selfish your right… I want what I want, and I always get it. In my mind that makes me confident.” He smiled down at her.
She made a very unladylike noise. “Hardly.” Which brought on another round of laughter from him.
Without thinking he crushed his mouth to hers, melding the two and making her knees feel weak. She barely had enough time to recover when he let her go once more.
“So Lynn…” He tested out her name on his tongue. “What do you write?” He was casual about the entire situation, not once breaking stride to kiss her.
“I do a column for The Times. Nothing sports related though. What the hell was that about?”
“You are beautiful.” He blurted it out, and she blushed.
He smiled at her. “Tell me something else about you then, since you seem to already know so much about me.”
“One thing she can tell you is that she is here with me, and you need to stay the hell away from her.” They both turned to see Brad standing in the doorway, scowling.
She felt the tension in the air go up a notch as she watched the two of them size each other up. She could only hope he had missed the kiss.
“Lynn, now that we are friends please tell me you don’t know this piece of…” He trailed off as Brad stepped towards him, causing her to jump into action.
“Whoa whoa, ok you two enough.” She turned her back to Jessie, and focused on Brad.
“Let’s just go Brad, let’s just go home.” She moved to walk towards the door, jumping as she went.
As they settled into the car she knew he was angry. It’s not as if she had done anything wrong, at least nothing she could think of. She waited, knowing he would tell her when he was ready to. She felt her face flaming, mainly because when her back was turned to him, Jessie had taken the opportunity to let his fingers grace her exposed back, causing her to jump.
“Lynn, that guy is a piece of work, and he is no good. Remember the fight I had two weeks ago?” He waited for her nod. “Well he is the ass who jumped me… out of the blue and for no reason at all except I was in the same general area that he was in.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Stay away from him Lynne, he is bad news. What the hell were you doing with him out there anyway?”
She felt the burn of anger rise up slowly from her stomach. “Jessie, really? I went out there to get some air and he was there. I didn’t want to talk to him tonight but I didn’t have much choice did I. Besides, maybe you are overreacting just a little.”
Some part of her knew that was going to make it worse. Instead of responding, he simply pulled i
nto her apartment letting her out. No goodbye he spun out and left her standing outside.
“Gee thanks for making sure I got in ok.” She whispered it to herself, hating the way the tears sprang to her eyes.
Jessie
He couldn’t help shake the feeling he had about her. Not his usual type, not even close, but she was still beautiful. Everything about her seemed different, certainly not like any of the women he was attracted to. Perhaps it was the cat and mouse game, or her indifference to him that made him want to see her again. Whatever it was he found it very interesting. Maybe it was the kiss, something he rarely did so spontaneously. The only bad thing in the whole mix was Brad Falcor. He was a sonofabitch who had a squeaky clean demeanor and perfect image on the outside but Jessie knew him differently, he knew of the black hole in his chest he called a heart.
He shook his head doing his best to not focus on him. It would only piss him off, and then he would do something stupid, like go to his house. After the falling out years ago he knew better than to let Brad get under his skin, if for any other reason than to not give him the satisfaction of ruining his career.
She was definitely too good for him. What man would just leave his date alone to fend for themselves anyway? He frowned thinking about how he had learned to avoid that situation entirely by never bringing anyone with him to those events. She had looked a little lost out there, standing alone and something made him want to reach out and pull the pin out of her hair and let it all fall around her.
He sat up with a star. “What the hell is wrong with me?” He spoke it aloud, shaking off whatever path he had been traveling down with that train of thought. She was just a girl, and not one he should be messing with anyway. Not because of any reason other than her boyfriend. He had to wonder just how serious they were though.
The afternoon sped by and he found himself immersed in the strategy for the next game. It was a full time thing, always trying to improve yourself, and always doing your best to keep the fans happy. He had a game with Brad’s team on Friday, and it was a rivalry that was outmatched. It was also his favorite game of the year. Nothing felt better than beating the rival team. They were about evenly matched but his grudge with Brad always pushed him to be on top of his game.