University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (66 page)

“Typically, it passes through the female,”
the doctor informed her.

“Whew.” Delaney leaned against the
counter behind her. “I don’t think my body could handle carrying twins.”

I nudged her. “You never know.”

“I’m not getting pregnant any time
soon.” She crossed her arms. “If ever.”

“I said the same thing,” I pointed to
the screen, “and look what happened. Not one, but two.”

“I’d die.” Delaney shook her head.

The doctor moved the instrument to the
other side of my stomach, examining the other baby. She pressed a few buttons,
capturing different positions and talking to the nurse in a code that made no
sense to me.

“This baby is measuring larger than the
other one, but everything looks good.”

“Maybe it’s a boy!” Delaney voice
escalated in excitement.

The doctor laughed. “It’s a little early
to tell. When Lexi comes come back in six weeks, we should be able to tell the
babies’ gender. As long as they are cooperating, that is.”

“Hopefully, they will be.” I kept my
eyes on the screen, part of me hoping I was having a girl and a boy.

“Oh, wow.” Delaney leaned forward. “That
one has Raven’s profile.”

The baby was turned to the side, giving
us a perfect glimpse of a tiny straight nose and square jaw. It was a mini
version of Raven. I reached toward the screen, eager to touch my unborn child.
To let him know how much I loved and needed him. My eyes stung and I blinked
rapidly, trying to prevent any more crying, but it was no use. Tears streamed
from my eyes, spilling into my hair. The baby looked exactly like its daddy.
Too bad Raven wasn’t here to see it.

“Can I please get a few pictures?” I
wiped my eyes.

“Yes, of course. I’ve been capturing
several different angles for you.” The nurse handed me a tissue.

“Thank you.” I wiped my nose. “I’ve been
so emotional lately.”

“That’s perfectly normal. You’re
hormones are in flux, hopefully they’ll start settling down a bit.”

“I hope so.” I honestly didn’t know how
much more I could take.

Delaney reached for my hand and I
latched onto it. At least I had my friend to help support me, along with my
parents. But could I really do this without him? Did I really want our babies
to grow up not knowing their father? Raven didn’t know his father, and look
what that did to him. I didn’t want that for my children…our children. My
selfishness wasn’t fair to them.

“Are you ready to hear the heartbeats?”
The doctor asked, her finger hovering over a button.

“Yes.” I cleared my throat.

A loud whishing sound, ten times louder
than the first time I’d heard it, filled the room.

“Why is it so fast?” My ears followed
the waves, taking in the incredible sound that gave even more confirmation of
the lives growing inside of me.

“Babies’ heartbeats are naturally fast.
Usually one-hundred and forty to one-hundred and sixty beats per minute.”

Delaney’s mouth dropped open. “That’s
amazing.”

“It’s unbelievable.”

The doctor switched off the volume after
a minute or so. I wished I could have recorded it, just so I could listen to it
every night. Hearing the strength behind those beats gave me the willpower to go
on. My heart would survive for them, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to go on
without Raven.

Would I ever feel right without him?

What if he never said goodnight to his
babies?

Could I live with myself knowing that I
had kept this from him? It wasn’t right and I knew it. He needed to know and I
had to tell him. Regardless of what that meant for us. For our babies’ sake, he
had to know.

Σ

The next morning, I got up and packed my
bags. I’d stayed up most of the night thinking about Raven and me. The time we
had spent together. The loved we shared. Most of all, the lives we created that
were growing inside of me. Maybe it took a while for my heart to align with my
head, but when it finally did, a huge spark ignited. Whatever it was, I knew I
had to tell him.

Not only that, I had to see if I could
pull him out of the pits. It wasn’t over for his football career. When I called
Shawn to tell him I was telling Raven, he was glad. He also told me about the
supplemental draft that was nearing. Even though Raven had missed the filing
date for the regular draft, he still had a shot at getting picked up. The least
I could do was encourage him to consider it.

“You’re up early.” Luke stood in the
kitchen, wearing only his boxer briefs as he made a bowl of cereal. His hair
was sticking up in all directions, appearing as if Delaney had her hands
splayed through it the entire night.

“Will you carry this to the car for me?”
I set my duffle bag on the floor.

He did a double take, still pouring his
milk. “Shit.” He quickly lifted the carton, spilling some in the process.
Eyeing my bag, he said, “You’re going to go tell him, aren’t you?”

I nodded. “Yes. It’s only right.”

Walking over to me, he placed his hand
on my shoulder. “Do you want me to take you? I will.”

“Are we going somewhere?” Delaney
shuffled out of her bedroom, her hair a matted mess and black smeared around
her eyes. I didn’t say anything, taking in my options. It took a few seconds
for it to register with her. “You decided to tell him.” A huge smile morphed. “It’s
about damn time.”

“He needs to know.” I held onto the
straps of my purse and fished out my keys. “And I need to go alone.”

“Do you know where he is?” Luke leaned
against the counter, crossing his arms.

“Yes. I talked to Trish and confirmed
that he’s still staying with his grandmother in New Orleans.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “You’re driving to
New Orleans…by yourself?”

“Yes.” I shifted my weight. “I can make
the drive.”

“It’s like eight hours, or ten, if you
consider how many times you’re going to stop to pee. Why not just call and tell
him?” Leave it to Luke to remind me of the inconveniences I endured on a daily
basis.

“His phone doesn’t work and I didn’t ask
for her mother’s number.” Even if reaching him over the phone was an option, I
didn’t want to do that. I had to tell him in person. He had to see me, so that
he would know that I was telling the truth.

“It’s a little over an hour if you fly.”
Delaney’s fingers worked furious, typing information into to her phone. “And
you can catch a flight in two hours from DFW Airport.”

“And what do I do once I get there? Take
a taxi or rent a car?”

“Yes. It’s safer,” Luke tried to reason
with me, “not to mention, quicker. If you leave right now,” Luke counted on his
fingers, “you won’t get there until seven or eight o’clock tonight. And that’s
if you don’t stop to take a nap.” He winked.

He had a point. It was a long drive and
going alone was sort of dangerous. I turned to Delaney. “How much is that
flight?”

An hour later, Luke and Delaney dropped
me off in front of American Airlines gate 23D. The security line was short and
since I only had two bags, it made it easy for me to get through. I grabbed a
sandwich and chips at the Chili’s To Go stand along with a bottle of water and
sat down in the waiting area. I ate my sandwich as I waited for my flight to
board. After I finished, I took out my phone and dialed my mom’s number. I
needed to tell my parents where I was going. Worrying about me was the last
thing I wanted.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mom.”

“Lexi.” Her voice sounded a little
winded. I hoped I hadn’t interrupted anything. “Just a second.” I heard some
female voices in the background and noises that confirmed that she was probably
outside. “Sorry, sweetie. I was playing tennis with my friends. We were just wrapping
up because it’s getting hot. Is everything okay?”

June was already promising to be a
scorcher. I was glad that my last months of pregnancy would be in the winter.

 “Yes, I just wanted to let you and Dad
know that I’m about to catch a plane to New Orleans.” I had told my parents
that Raven had moved there to stay with his grandmother. Reflecting on the
situation, it made sense why he left, but I still needed to hear it from him.

Silence filled the other side of the
line. “I respect your decision and hope it goes well. I’m not going to tell
what to do, but if you need anything, just give us a call.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’m not sure what’s going
to happen. I…I just want to tell him. I’ll start from there and see how it goes.”
I quickly swiped an escaping tear. I had to be strong. I couldn’t let Raven see
me cry.

“How long will you be there?” she
pressed, as if ready to tell me not to go. But nothing was going to stop me. I
had to do this. Besides, this wasn’t about her. It was about me, Raven, and our
babies.

“I don’t know. Maybe a few hours, maybe
a day. I really don’t know.”

A heavy sigh filtered through and the
disappointment was evident. “Just promise me you’ll call or send us a text to
let us know you’re okay.”

“I promise.”

“Look, Lexi, I may —”

“Flight 302 to New Orleans is now
boarding. Advantage and Platinum members, you may start boarding,” the flight
attendant announced.

“Mom, I have to go. They’re boarding.”

“I love you, Lexi.” Mom’s voice
squeaked.

“I love you, too. Talk to you soon.” I
hung up, grabbed my bags, and got in line.

 Within fifteen minutes, I was onboard
and buckled up, ready to test my fate once again. I pulled out my laptop and
decided to finish editing the last few chapters of Christensen’s book. I never
realized how much I enjoyed editing fiction stories. It was definitely more
interesting than essay and non-fiction papers.

The flight was short. Before I knew it,
the flight attendant had ordered for all electronics to be stored away. As the
plane cleared the clouds and approached the outskirts of New Orleans, my heart
raced. I was scared. What the heck was I going to tell Raven? How would I break
it to him?

Hi. Shawn told me to tell you that you
should try out for the supplemental draft. Oh, and by the way, thought you
should know you’re going to be a daddy. Not of one child, but two. So, take
care. Bye.

No. That wouldn’t work. I had to break
it to him gently. I also had to encourage him to give his football career one
more chance. The last thing I wanted was for him to freak over my pregnancy, or
be mad because I was telling him what to do with his life. I had faith in his
football abilities and I had to help him see that, but on the flipside, my
heart couldn’t forget what he had said.

Me, pregnant, would be a bad thing.

The nick he carved in my heart by his
debilitating words was enough pain to last a lifetime, especially since it had
come true. I had no idea how he would react.

All these thoughts had kept me from him
— kept me from telling him that I was pregnant. A voice inside told me that it
was just as easy to keep it that way. That he wouldn’t want to be a part of the
babies’ lives. That he wouldn’t care about the supplement draft or even try. That
he wouldn’t fight for me. It hurt. I had been here one too many times. I was
tired of it. Yet, I was going back to it.

The plane landed on the runway of Louis
Armstrong International Airport and I thought about staying onboard and flying
back to Fort Worth, but I couldn’t do that. Despite the nick he caused and the
pain I had endured, I still loved him. Not only did I need him, but he needed
me — our children needed him.

A man helped me grab my duffle bag from
the overhead storage unit and I headed down the narrow aisle, leaving all
negative thoughts behind me. I walked through the jet bridge and the mugginess
of the Louisiana swampland hit me. It was worse than Texas. I was glad I had
decided to wear shorts and a loose tank top. I walked through the airport,
keeping my thoughts focused on the task at hand.

I could do this.

I wanted to do this.

There was no turning back.

Exiting the airport, I headed toward the
taxi line. I didn’t feel like going through the painstaking process of renting
a car and trying to find my way around the city. Besides, according to Google Maps,
Raven’s grandmother’s house was only fifteen minutes away. I just hoped he was
there.

I got in the taxi and shut the door.
“Where to, Miss?”

Glancing at my phone, I read the address
Trish had given me.

“You’ve got it.” He nodded at me through
the rearview mirror and headed down the street. “You don’t sound like you’re
from around here.” He smiled, his chubby cheeks spreading across his face.

“I’m not. I’m from Texas,” I said,
trying to be cordial. All I wanted to do was get my conversation straight in my
head. The words kept jumbling and this guy wasn’t making it any easier.

“I should’ve known. Pretty girls like
you are always from Texas.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure.” He pulled on his Fedora and I
turned my attention to the street, hoping he wouldn’t ask me any more questions
or make any comments.

As the taxi drove through an old
neighborhood, I imagined what it had been like for Raven when Hurricane Katrina
hit. I tried to envision what he endured at twelve years of age as he watched
his house get washed away. Framed houses, stacked neatly on top of each other,
lined the streets and I couldn’t help but wonder just how many people had lost
their homes. Not to mention, loved ones.

Holding my phone, I watched the icon
move along the streets, inching closer to Raven. With each block we passed, I
felt water rushing over me, just like a hurricane, sweeping away the demons
that told me I didn’t need to give him another chance. That I had no business
being there. That he wouldn’t want to see me. That he wouldn’t care whether I
was pregnant.

In reality, I wasn’t ready to take him
back. But as the car turned from left to right, that familiar tug in the center
of my chest awoke inside of me. The flame that burned inside of me still
existed. It hadn’t gone out. It had been turned on low, ready to ignite at a
moment’s notice.

The fire we had created was like no
other. A wildfire that burned hot and crazy, ready to tear down everything in
its path. And just like that, I was willing to do whatever it took. If only I
could turn back the hands of time and make everything right. If I could have
him hold me like he used to. Kiss me and make love to me without ever ceasing.

Damn, there was no getting away from The
Raven’s trap.

“4517 45th Street,” the driver announced
as he pulled up to a neatly manicured lawn. Standing with his back facing the
street was Raven. He was trimming the hedges in front of the house. The muscle
shirt he wore was drenched in sweat and his head was neatly shaved — his
beautiful brown hair gone.

The driver told me the balance and I
handed him my credit card, my hand shaking as reality hit.

I was there.

“Could you wait here? What will it
cost?” I gathered my purse, but decided to leave my bag in the taxi.

The driver looked at his watch. “You’re
in luck. I need to take my lunch and I brought my food.” He held up a metal box
with characters on the front, like the ones Luke used to have in elementary
school.

“Awesome.” Maybe being from Texas was
working in my favor. “Hopefully it won’t be too long.”

“I can wait thirty minutes. After that,
I have to charge.” He handed me back my card.

“Okay. Can you honk, so I’ll know?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

I opened the door and got out of the
vehicle. As soon as I shut it, Raven turned around. He did a double take and
his body stiffened. I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say.

The draft. I need to mention the
supplemental draft. Get him on board with saving his career before telling him
I’m pregnant.

I took a step forward but stopped when
the wind pressed against my clothes, causing my protruding belly to stick out.
I wasn’t sure if I could hide twelve weeks of pregnancy from him. Surely, he’d
notice.

He dropped the hedge trimmers in his
hand and darted toward me, but his stride wasn’t one that indicated he was
dying to see me. It was quite the opposite. “What are you doing here?” He
leveled me with a harsh stare and I reached for the taxi door handle, but
stopped.

I’m a strong woman. I can do this.

I let go and turned around to face him.
“I need to tell you something.”

He eyed me suspiciously and I quickly
shifted my purse over my stomach. “Why didn’t you just call?”