Infamous: A Bad Boy Sports Romance Novel (16 page)

The car pulled away from the curb and I decided to pass the ten minutes with texting.

For a minute, I seriously thought you might just run away without a good-bye.

I hit send and waited, keeping the screen light on and watching the message box like a hawk. Two minutes later, the bubble appeared.

I wouldn’t have. I talked my way into this trip for a reason.

A hundred possible responses popped into my head.

Because you miss me? Because you need me? Because you’re hopelessly in love with me and want to find a new employer so we can be together?

I blinked numerous times, opting not to use any of those responses. They gave away far too much. I just couldn’t do it.

Not through text.

This shit might all be new to me, but I wasn’t a fucking coward.

At the same time, I didn’t have it in me to send her a cocky or sarcastic remark. I just wanted to see her smile when I arrived, not give me a dry look and an eye roll.

I’m on my way, princess.

After the message was sent, I slid my phone back into my pocket and stared out the car window all the while repeating the same four words over and over again in my head.

Don’t fuck this up.

I
’m on my way
, princess.

“Shit!” I hissed as I rushed around the room getting ready.

It seemed like such a good idea to message him the room number right after my shower, but only because I had assumed he was still at the field. Now, I was in a panic to get dressed and at least halfway decent looking before he showed up.

Oh no
, I thought as a wave of nauseous hit.
No, no, no.

There was no way I had managed to keep my stomach ironclad through the entire damn flight only to fall victim to it now. Absolutely not. I refused.

Until I glanced at the clock and realized I had five minutes left. With a grimace, I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet before leaning back against the wall of the bathroom and taking a moment to breathe before I dragged myself over to the sink to brush my teeth.

I could only hope that getting everything out now meant that my stomach would be fine while Jared was here. At least long enough for me to break the news to him.

I was rinsing with mouthwash when I heard the knock at the door. I spit and swished with water, mumbling a curse before spitting again and rushing out.

“Hey,” I greeted, my breathlessness making him frown.

“Hey, princess. You okay?” he asked as he stepped forward and closed the door behind him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just... not feeling a hundred percent today, you know? But I mean—overall I’m good. No complaints or anything. How are you?”

During my ramble, the expression on his face had twisted from worried to downright incredulous. His eyebrows knit together tightly and he shook his head.

“No, really. What’s going on? You look like you’re panicking.”

“For good reason,” I mumbled. “We need to talk. I wanted to do it face to face.”

Shockingly, his face lit up at that. Jared beamed as he stepped closer and softly said, “I’ve been wanting to talk with you, too. I didn’t have your number or I would have called.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t. I’ve just—”

“Been busy with work? It’s okay, I get it,” Jared said with a small smile before he guided me to the bed by the small of my back. “Sit down, princess. You look pale.”

I let out a humorless chuckle, staring deep into his eyes as he crouched down in front of me.

“What did you want to tell me?” he softly questioned.

“I... Actually, I wanted to ask you something first.”

“Hit me.”

Now or never.

“Do you remember that time we had sex in the shower?”

The smile on his face was fond as he said, “Of course.”

“Is there any chance that the condom broke?”

There was a brief moment of startled pause before the smile dropped off his face and he slowly raised himself back to standing position. The look on his face said it all, but he elaborated anyway.

“I thought it might have, but I couldn’t really tell.”

“I figured as much,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Jared, I’m pregnant.”

His face was blank and staring past me at the wall. After a long moment, he shook his head in denial.

“April, you’re on the pill.”

“I know, but I—”

“You’re just stressed about work, princess. It’s only been what—five weeks? Give it a little more time.”

Somehow, I had expected this kind of reaction. I held up a single finger and waited for him to nod before I went into the bathroom and pulled out the fresh pregnancy test sticks.

I had intended to bring the ones I had taken on Wednesday with me, but apparently they had a shelf life. Still, I was really glad I thought to do this. I needed to pull him out of the denial stage. I laid a cloth on the bed then spread out the three tests.

Tic-tac-toe. Three positives in a row.

When I turned my head up to look at Jared, he was staring blankly down at the sticks. His frown had deepened, but unfortunately, it wasn’t with confusion.

“How do you know it’s mine?” he demanded, the softness of his tone from before completely gone.

“You are the fourth person I’ve ever slept with, Jared,” I admitted slowly, watching his eyes widen. “I don’t
do
casual sex—I never have until you. And you were the one and only exception.”

There was some disbelief in his gaze, but it quickly disappeared as he numbly nodded. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “So you... You haven’t been with anyone else since me?”

I was puzzled by his tone, but answered honestly. “No.”

Jared nodded again, his eyes moving back to the sticks as he muttered, “Me neither.”

It was my turn to be shocked, but I didn’t have time to speak on it. Jared abruptly turned and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly against his chest as he whispered, “I’m so sorry, princess.”

Sorry?

Jared Moore was apologizing for knocking me up and trying to comfort me? Was I dreaming?

“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“I’m going to keep it.”

I felt Jared nodding slowly before he leaned over far enough to rest his forehead on my shoulder.

“Fuck, princess. I don’t know what to say.”

My biggest fear was looming in my mind, forcing me to ask the question that I really wasn’t looking forward to.

“You
do
believe me, right? I-I’d be willing to take a DNA test—not that I expect anything just because it’s yours—but the timing is just... horrid. I know that.”

He tugged me back so he could look into my eyes, his mouth briefly pressing into a thin line before he nodded.

“You wouldn’t lie about something like this. I know you.”

“Do you?” I asked, that familiar drunken feeling of being so close to him returning full-force.

“Yeah. I do.”

I saw the kiss coming, but it still took me by surprise. I inhaled sharply before relaxing into his embrace and kissing him back. We stayed like that for what felt like an hour, just lazily moving our lips together.

I couldn’t even begin to describe how much I had missed it.

“Can I stay?” he asked with wide, hopeful eyes. Although I wanted him as badly as ever, I was too damn exhausted to even
think
about sex. It must have shown in my eyes because he quickly added, “Just to sleep. We’ll talk some more in the morning before you leave.”

“All right,” I agreed, following his lead when he guided me around the side of the bed and lifted the covers. “I’m not broken, Jared. I don’t really need you to—”

“Shut up, April,” he grunted, pushing me gently on the shoulder in an attempt to get me to lie down. “Let me do something nice for you since you’re carrying my fucking child.”

Well. Can’t really argue with that.

He didn’t undress me, but he did strip down to his boxers before tossing his clothes on a nearby chair and moving over to turn off the light.

When the room became dark, the last remaining bits of energy I had melted away. I let my eyes fall shut when I felt him slide into bed and pull me back against his chest.

The last things I registered before I drifted off were the soothing sound of his breathing and the feel of his warm hand splaying across my stomach.

U
nfortunately
, the experience of having a woman tell me she was pregnant wasn’t new to me. It was the only reason I met April in the first place.

But this
was
the first time I’d had it happen and instinctively known that the words were true.

April was really carrying my baby.

While the majority of my emotions were panicking, there was something deep in my chest that felt entirely calm.
Too
calm. Like something in my heart firmly believed that this was fate.

I realized I loved this girl and wanted her more than I ever wanted anyone else. The universe had brought her back to me.

We could be a family.

While April slept in my arms, I toyed with the idea of coming home to her and a child every night. Of what it’d be like to have my family at my games cheering me on. I thought about what holidays would be like—about how my mom would react to being a grandmother.

Darker thoughts also swirled around in my head. How would April keep the father a secret from Lauren? It seemed impossible to do unless she wanted me to have nothing to do with her and the baby—which wasn’t going to fucking fly.

Would she still hate me if she lost her job given the situation?

Then there were my own problems. No matter when the news came out, the tabloids were going to find a way to turn this into a massive scandal.

I was just... lost. I had a million questions to ask April, but no idea where to start.

Hell, I had no idea what to
do
. Or what I
could
do.

In the back of my mind, my mother’s voice whispered,
‘Just be there for her. Be the gentleman I
know
you are. Make me proud.’

My arms instinctively tightened and April let out an annoyed grumble in her sleep, the sound tugging the corners of my lips up into a smile despite the severity of the thoughts going through my head.

I could do it. I could be there for her in whatever capacity she needed. I could be a father. Maybe one day a husband.

Fuck, I might have well have been a husband already considering I hadn’t felt a damn lick of interest in any other women since I met April.

It was fairly sobering to think that the girl in my arms was ‘
it
’ for me, but the biggest surprise was just how okay I was with the thought. I might not have known it before, but maybe this was what I wanted all along.

Or if not wanted, then what I
needed
.

It took a long while before the restless energy that her news had given me wore off, but I eventually managed to fall asleep—my hand still protectively guarding April’s stomach.

* * *

T
he next morning
, I was woken by the sound of a short groan. My eyes flew open as April rolled out of my arms and practically leaped off the bed before making a mad dash to the bathroom. I followed suit and stood up, my panic rising as I chased her.

I froze in the spot when I heard her gagging, unsure of whether or not she would welcome any attempt at comfort. From my own experiences with drinking—I knew that I preferred to be left the hell alone to vomit in peace.

But my mother’s voice telling me to just be there for her seemed to echo in my ears. I pushed open the bathroom door and crouched beside her before gently taking hold of the hair she was holding in one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

When she flushed the toilet and scrambled to quickly brush her teeth, I stood back and watched with a frown.

“Isn’t it too early for morning sickness?’ I asked when she finally spun around and met my eyes.

She shrugged. “No idea. Is it?”

“Well you’ve got to be about five or six weeks. Is that normal?”

“How the hell should I know?”

The mutual cluelessness might have been humorous if it was happening to anyone else besides me.

“Well, what
do
you know? Have you seen a doctor? Started taking the vitamins or whatever? When can they see if it’s a boy or girl? Oh and should we—”

“Stop!” April snapped, holding up her palms in front of her and shooting me a look filled with rage. “I just woke up and finished puking, Jared. Can you please give me a minute?”

“All right,” I said with a nod, shuffling my weight on my feet as I stared at her.

Her eyes flickered from me back to the toilet before she dryly said, “I need to pee.”

Understanding dawned on me and I stepped back, giving her what I hoped was an apologetic smile before closing the door. I knew she wouldn’t be thrilled about it, but I stood right outside and waited for her to come out.

Judging by the look on her face when she opened the door and found me standing directly in front of it, I had guessed right. She
really
wasn’t happy about that. But I distracted her before she had a chance to ream me.

“So tell me everything you know.”

She huffed and pushed her way by me, going back toward the bedroom area to dig through her bag for an outfit. I looked away when she began changing, knowing damn well that if I saw her naked, we wouldn’t be finishing this conversation.

“I don’t know any more than you do. I know I’m pregnant and I’m pretty sure of which time was the one that did it.”

I frowned. “Are you going to see a doctor soon?”

“I have an appointment scheduled for next week.”

“Should I...” I started, trailing off as I reconsidered how to phrase my question. “Can I come with you?”

April sighed and walked around in front of me, now fully dressed with the exception of shoes. She put her hands on my shoulders and I let her lead me to the bed, quirking a corner of my mouth up when she pushed me to sit down. Once I was looking up at her, she let out a long sigh and shook her head.

“Look, I didn’t come here and tell you this because I expected you to be involved. It’s really not necessary. I just—It felt wrong to tell you over the phone. I saw the opportunity to do it face-to-face and I took it. But I can take care of everything.”

“And why would you think that I wouldn’t want to be involved?” I asked incredulously. “April, it’s my
child
.”

“Who are you trying to kid? You’re practically a giant man-child yourself! I can’t even
imagine
a reason why you would want to tie yourself down to be a father.”

I growled as her voice raised and stood up, gripping her shoulders when she tried to back away. “Well it’s not exactly great timing, but things are different now.”

“
Bullshit
,” she hissed, reaching up to slap my hands. “Nothing has changed and the moment I start to show, I’m going to lose my job. If you really want to help out then you can pay child support until I find a new job.”

“I wouldn’t have to pay child support if you moved in with me.”

I thought the suggestion was sound and, dare I say, a little romantic, but April obviously disagreed. Her eyes widened with a mixture of shock and rage as her mouth opened and closed multiple times. Finally, she found the words she was searching for.

“You won’t even date women and you want me to move in with you? What the hell is your problem?” she shouted.

Fucking hell. I had no idea how I managed to fuck up so badly with only a few simply words, but April ranted and raged on as I tried to block out the insults she was slinging. I was hoping that since she was far enough along for morning sickness, that perhaps her reaction was a result of hormones. It was a far more pleasant thought than to think this was all April.

“Are you even listening to me?!”

“
Jesus
,” I hissed as her voice abruptly rose by five volume levels. “I definitely am now.”

She was fuming, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she heatedly said, “You have no idea how much I want to hit you right now. I have
never
met a man so fucking infuriating.”

“So you’ve said. Let’s hope that trait doesn’t get passed down to the baby, am I right?” I asked with a chuckle.

April blinked, staring up at me with surprise for a long moment before she finally started to laugh. I slowly released the breath I was holding, relieved that her ripping into me was just a mood swing and mentally patting myself on the back for handling it like a champ.

Well, I thought I had handled it well anyway.

“Jared... We can’t do this,” April said softly after the laughter finally died down. “
I
can’t do this. I’m twenty-three years old. None of my friends have kids yet and everything I know about them, I learned from television. What the hell am I going to do?”

The rapid change from pissed to laughing to sad was throwing me for a loop, but I followed my gut instinct and stepped forward to hold her. I tried to keep a little distance between us in case the tides changed again, but she burrowed herself closer and pressed her face against my chest.

“We can do it, princess. We’ll learn.”

“You don’t—”

“Have to be involved, yeah, I got it,” I finished for her, rolling my eyes at the absurdity. “But I
want
to be. A hell of a lot more than you know.”

She pulled back to look at me and I frowned as I wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks. When she leaned into my touch, I cupped her cheek for a moment before bending down to kiss her.

“So what do you say?” I asked, our lips brushing together. “Can I come to the appointment with you?”

She hesitated for a long moment and I thought I had succeeded, but then she shook her head and she stepped back. My heart dropped into my stomach as she curled her arms across her stomach, looking like she was trying to comfort both herself and the baby.

“Not now. If you really want to be involved, then you can be. But we need to keep this on the down low until I figure out what I’m going to tell Lauren. Is that okay with you?”

“Are you giving me a choice or is that just how it’s going to be?”

April’s eyes met mine and she let out a small laugh. “It’s how it’s going to be.”

“Then I’ll live with it. As long as you agree to answer my calls and texts when I harass you about how you’re doing.”

She rolled her eyes, but there wasn’t any malice behind them. “I suppose I can accept those terms.”

“Good,” I said as I pulled her back to me and smiled. “Because I’m not giving you a choice on that. Just remember that if you ignore me… I know where you live.”

April laughed loudly, but the sound was cut off when I kissed her again.

This time, I let out some of the aggressive need I’d been harboring for her during the past five weeks and before I even realized it, I was pushing her back to the bed and crawling between her legs.

Which was,
of course
, when the hotel phone rang.

With a pained groan, I let April up so she could scramble over and lift the receiver. I listened to her quiet ‘
yes, thank you
’ and instinctively knew what was about to happen.

Not yet. Please, not yet.

“The car is downstairs, I have to go.”

Fuck.

“Let me know when you land, all right?” I asked, backing myself off the bed and moving to give her the tight hug I wanted to do last time we parted. After I felt her nod, I bent down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“And for fuck’s sake, April. Promise me that if you need
anything
—whether it’s money or someone to bring you some goddamn doughnuts—that you’ll call me. I’ll be on the next flight out.”

April giggled a little and nodded again. When she craned her neck back to look up at me, her eyes were lit up with happiness and it made my stomach tighten.

“I promise.”

“Good girl.”

She shivered at the words as I let her go. I offered to carry her bag down but she declined, asking me to stay behind for a few minutes so we wouldn’t be spotted leaving together.

So I stood outside the elevator and stared hard at the girl I was in love with as the doors slid shut.

The moment she was out of my sight, all I could think about was when I’d get to see her again.