The Quarterback's Love Child (A Secret Baby Sports Romance Book 1) Read online

  My heart ached every day from how much I missed him, but as time passed, the pain lessened. Eventually, I stopped pining for him. I knew that I had to get on with my life. What choice did I have?

  Chapter Eleven

  We should have been more careful. Thought about that night, but I didn’t want to think about anything else but being with Giles. It came at a high price when I went home that weekend. I started working at Walmart trying to get some money before I went to college.

  But then I became distracted. Giles was supposed to be going to summer camp to teach lacrosse to kids; he loved the sport so much and had gone to college on a scholarship for it. He was in sunny Florida, and I wished that I was there with him.

  I went home that night, tired from my shift. I just wasn’t in the mood. Brandy had stopped talking to me since that night. We used to talk all the time, yet she knew that I was lying to her.

  “How was work?”

  I laughed as I sat down in the kitchen; I should have noticed it then but I was too busy thinking about Giles. Wondering if I should send him a message.

  I was lonely.

  No best friend.

  No Giles.

  If only we weren’t stepbrother and sister, things would be so much easier.

  “Dad I pack bags all day. How do you think work is?”

  Sure, I shouldn’t have been sarcastic or rude, but I needed to fix things and I just couldn’t think how to do it.

  Dad sat next to me on the breakfast table and handed me a tub of B&J. It was almost as if he could read my mind, until I saw that he was eating one too.

  “Dad are you trying to replace Brandy?”

  Now, I really missed her. I needed to make things right.

  Dad continued to eat. “Angela and I are getting divorced. She says that she’s in love with someone else.”

  I stopped to look at him. His spiky grey hair and square-rimmed glasses all of a sudden made him appear so old. I had never noticed it before.

  “I rushed into this marriage, thinking that it was what I wanted. But ever since then, I’ve known that it’s not what I need.”

  I didn’t get his analogy or where the conversation was headed, but I had a feeling that it had something to do with Giles.

  “I see the way that you look at each other. When he went to camp it was as if your heart was broken. That was when it hit me.”

  I knew what he was going to say. “That Giles and I are in love?”

  He nodded and said, “Now, you’re not going to be brother and sister anymore. Maybe there’s hope for you guys?”

  He made it sound so easy. One minute, Giles had said that he couldn’t live without me. Then he’d fucked me and left. He’d never said goodbye properly and, to make matters worse, I suddenly couldn’t remember the last time I’d had my period.

  That was the real thing that was on my mind. I’d bought pregnancy tests at work, all ready to pee on a stick that night. I should have been going to the bathroom, but instead I’d headed to the kitchen for some comfort food, before finding out the truth. It had been six weeks since that night in the cabin. Connecting with Dad felt good and I could tell that he needed comforting, and right now I just wanted a friend.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Brandy, can we talk?”

  There was hesitation on the other end of the line. I had to speak to her; maybe I was being selfish only thinking of what I wanted, but we were best friends. I was sure she missed me too.

  “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

  She was so cold, I felt a chill down the phone.

  “Not, like this face-to-face. Can we meet at our hang out in about an hour or are you busy?”

  Unlike me, Brandy’s parents could afford to send her to college. They only had her and both her parents were lawyers yet Brandy was so down-to-earth considering her family were one of the most prestigious in school. The other girls were just snobs.

  We’d become best friends, because we had one thing in common: we both loved ice-cream and cakes. We ate too much of it and always had a couple in our lunch boxes. We always managed to end up swapping.

  Then we supported each other whenever things got bad. I always thought that she was rich, so she had no problems. She used to tell me about having a different nanny every year, that her parents were hardly at home. They were always working, unlike mine who seemed to be always fighting; Mom had left me with Dad and still managed to take most of his money. Either way, we were happy with what we had and I was happy with him.

  I went to the coffee shop early. I was always late and I knew that Brandy would be late, just because that was one of her famous traits.

  Lateness.

  But, I couldn’t believe it as I saw her sitting by the window. Playing with her braids, the same thing she always did when she was nervous. This time she had them with blond highlights, but the other thing that I noticed, that I couldn’t believe, was her weight loss. It was like half of her was meeting me tonight.

  I knocked on the window pointing to her and asking where the rest of her was, she laughed and waved for me to come inside.

  We ordered and laughed and joked as if we had only seen each other yesterday. The whole thing was surreal.

  “I still don’t get why you lied about seeing him?”

  This time I couldn’t help but tell her the truth. “I’ve loved him since...”

  She finished my sentence, “The first day you laid eyes on him.” I put my hot coco on the table, wondering if everyone could read me like an open book, or if it was just her.

  “I’ve known you for how long? I know you better then you know yourself.” she smiled, which was comforting.

  “Anyway, you’re not the only one that has met someone. I kind of have too, when I went to fat camp.”

  I couldn’t believe it. She went to fat camp. “But, you weren’t even that big.”

  She laughed, “Please, girlfriend. You can keep telling yourself that. I feel alive now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I wasn’t happy, but I was restricted. Now, I can run up the street and don’t get tired. I don’t feel self-conscious when someone says come and sit on a chair. I used to get paranoid at times and just stand, scared the damn thing would break.”

  I knew that feeling too well. Especially now.

  “Maybe next year you can come with me.”

  That was subtle. I had to tell her the truth. So, I just spat out, “I may not be able to.” I nodded my head. Waited for her to make the connection.

  She raised an eyebrow, confused by my statement, and then it was as if a dark cloud hung over her as she said, “Please tell me you used protection?”

  The look on my face said it all.

  “How far gone are you?”

  I whispered as if everyone in the coffee shop was now listening to our conversation, “I don’t know. I haven’t taken the test.”

  She grabbed my hand, leaving the rest of my coco and her empty coffee cup on the table saying, “There’s no time like the present. Let’s go and find out.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I couldn’t stop crying, the tears were rolling out of my eyes as if there was a water fountain in my eyes that I just couldn’t switch off.

  “Brandy. Brandy.”

  I kept repeating over and over again as I looked at the two stripes. I kept reading the instructions in case they had changed since I last read them.

  “So two stripes definitely means pregnant. Maybe it means something different. ..”

  Brandy sighed as she sat with me on my bed in my room. “There’s no getting around it. You’re pregnant. I know it’s not what you want to hear. But…”

  There was a but, I just didn’t know what to do.

  “Would you stay with me tonight? I just don’t want to be alone?”

  She smiled as she put her arms around me. There were no more talks about what to do next; it was clear that I had to tell Dad, my family and, last but certainly not least, Giles.

  We talked
about the adventures of fat camp and as crazy, expensive as it is, Brandy couldn’t help but tell me about it. “It’s not about just losing weight. It’s a lifestyle, something that you need to invest in for the rest of your life.”

  It sounded intense. But maybe not as intense as raising a baby.

  Was that my only option?

  I shook my head, no there needed to be more.

  As she kissed me and told me that she would be in touch, I felt happy, knowing that my best friend was no longer my enemy.

  I remember the day like yesterday. It was two in the afternoon. Brandy’s grandma was in town and she was going to take her out. I was just saying bye to Brandy at my front door when I saw him pull up. It was almost as if he could read my mind.

  My whole street caught a glimpse of my Mikey Mouse PJs, but I didn't care. I’d missed him so much and only a couple of days ago I had been missing not only Brandy but Giles too, but now I had made up with one of them. I had to do it with two of them.

  I had to tell him, let him know that this was a life changing opportunity that was going to happen to me and it affected not only me, but him too.

  As he parked his car and walked up to my front door, all he said was, “I told you that I can’t live without you, and I meant it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  If I didn’t have a secret to tell then I would have been moved by him sweeping me off my feet and carrying me up to my room. I knew the pregnancy tests were on the table and he would easily see it once we got in there.

  I stroked his hair. Pressed my lips against his and savored the moment.

  “Giles,” I kept repeating his name over and over again. Making sure that it wasn’t a dream and that he was really here with me.

  “My mom and your dad are getting divorced.”

  I nodded. Part of me was curious and wanted to know when he first found out. But it all fell apart the moment he took me up the stairs. That was when his mood changed; no longer did he feel romantic. No longer did he want to make passionate love to me.

  The only thing he wanted to do was talk.

  “Is this yours or Brandy’s?”

  I tried not to look at him. Tried not to fall under his spell, but as I sat down and slumped on the bed I had no choice. I had to tell him. I had gone from being on a complete high to a complete low in a few minutes and I didn’t feel like doing anything.

  He sat next to me. “I see.”

  He was so calm and collected, I couldn’t believe it. It was almost as if this was another guy.

  “You’re not going to say anything?” I asked, too afraid to look into his eyes. We’d had one special night, one that I’d never forget.

  “Do you regret it? That night? Us?”

  He was shooting questions at me, ones that I’d never expected. We’d just found out that I was having a baby, his baby, and all he was worried about was that night.

  “I’m having a baby.”

  He nodded, “I know that. I can see by the pregnancy test on your table. But that wasn’t what I asked. Knowing what you know now, knowing that you’re having my baby. Do you regret it?”

  I shook my head with no hesitation, “No.”

  He stood up and held me in his arms. “We’ll make this work. Plenty of teenage couples get through it. We’ll do the same. Okay?” He stroked my chin.

  I held him so tight. I felt so safe. Warm, as if I belonged, and I knew that I did belong with him.

  Epilogue

  Angela went crazy, she’d wanted a divorce with no lasting links to the family. The last thing she wanted was a constant reminder of my dad. She had moved on a bit too quickly in my eyes. A new guy, new car, new house. It was almost as if she had never loved my dad, but she wasn’t the only one that had moved on. He had too.

  As for Giles and I?

  Well, what can I say? Not only did I have the worst birth in history, which resulted in needing a C-section, I never went to college as planned. Instead, I became a Midfielder’s girlfriend.

  Me, the ambitious one.

  The one who didn’t understand the meaning of housewife, had become one without the ring.

  “When’s the next game?” I asked Giles as he got ready to go to another match.

  “Well, its not for another couple of weeks, so we have time.”

  I shook my head, because I had no idea what he meant by time. Our little toddler, Jenny, was sleeping and I could really have done with a nap. As I said, being a house wife was not exactly fun - especially when you have another one on the way.

  “To get married.”

  Wow, that must be the least romantic proposal in history.

  “Really, you couldn’t do better then that? Who asks their wife-to-be who is sitting in front of the tv getting ready to have a nap, six months pregnant, if she wants to get married?” I stood up slowly, feeling as if I had two babies inside of me, not one.

  He got down on his knee and produced the biggest diamond that I had ever seen. Did that make up for it? Not really, but maybe a little bit.

  “Will you, Cherise Armstrong, agree to be my lawfully wedded wife?”

  I didn't know what to say. Our lifestyle had been far from romantic. I’d always envisaged going to college, meeting the man of my dreams, and having a career that all women would be jealous of.

  Instead, I was six months pregnant, had a three year old toddler who thought she ruled the house and was constantly feeling the need to sleep.

  He turned off the tv and said, not moving from his position on the floor, “It doesn’t matter if it’s romantic. I just know that, before our next baby is born, I want you to be more then just my girlfriend. I told you that you were my life and I meant it.”

  I smiled and said, “I would.”

  There were cheers from behind the living room door. My dad with his new girlfriend, Kate, and Brandy and her boyfriend. It was a complete set-up and, as everyone started cheering and congratulating us, I thought about how I’d imagined my life to be, and realized that the reality was so much better than the fantasy.

  ###The End###

  About Stephanie Brother

  Stephanie Brother writes scintillating stories with step-siblings as their main romantic focus. She's always been curious about the forbidden, and this is her way of exploring such complex relationships that threaten to keep her couples apart. As she writes her way to her dream job, Ms. Brother hopes that her readers will enjoy the full emotional and romantic experience as much as she's enjoyed writing them.

  Also By Stephanie Brother

  Trouble

  He’s bad.

  She’s good.

  They f*** a lot, because bad boys like to f*** all the time.

  Especially one that's just come out of the joint.

  This book is hot.

  Like steamy, wet your panties hot!

  Because, this bad boy is nothing but trouble!

  Click here to purchase your copy and remember it is free in Kindleunlimited!

  Check out the Huge Series..

  Huge

  I didn’t mean to see it.

  It’s his fault for leaving his door open while he was getting changed.

  I've seen my stepbrothers gorgeous, ripped body before, and have been half in love with him since he moved into my house. He’s cocky and sexy and when he calls me princess I want to punch him in the mouth.

  But I’ve never seen a d*ck that big, and now that I have I can’t seem to think of anything else.

  I want him, but crossing the line could risk the happiness of our new home.

  Harrison would never make the first move, so I guess I’m going to have to find a way.

  And the masked Halloween party at his best friend’s house seems like too good an opportunity to pass up.

  Click here to purchase your copy and remember it is free in Kindleunlimited!

  Huge *2

  There are rumors going around about my twin stepbrothers.

  HUGE rumors.

  I try to ignore gossi
p, but it’s easier said than done when it involves crazy sex stuff and verified reports about the size of things that a stepsister should know nothing about.

  Ethan and Nathan are the identically gorgeous hunks of man flesh that have just moved into my house. I could barely look at them before the rumors, with their ridiculously twinkly blue eyes, and smiles that turn me into a mindless puddle of goo.

  We’re supposed to be family and I’m trying my hardest to be a welcoming stepsister. But then I overhear them talking about things I am definitely not supposed to know, and suddenly I realize I’m in double trouble.

  HUGE X2 is the story of a girl’s realization that the best things in life come in extra-large, twin packs. HEA guaranteed!

  Click here to purchase your copy and remember it is free in Kindleunlimited!

  Huge *3

  Imagine getting a chance to live out your filthiest fantasies.

  Would you take it?

  I dream about twins; four hands, two mouths and two other things HUGE enough to blow my mind. So when a set of deliciously sexy identical brothers suddenly appear in my small town nightclub, I don’t know what to do.

  Should I take the gift that fate is offering?

  They look like Bryan; the man I’ve been secretly in love with for years. Maybe that's why I end up blindfolded in their pool house, discovering reality is a whole lot more stimulating than fantasy.

  It's only later, when I'm doing the walk of shame, I realize that the likeness wasn't just coincidence.