University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (68 page)

The taxi driver drove like a bat out of
hell and had me in front of Raven’s grandmother’s house in less than five
minutes. “Thank you, just a minute and I’ll get my wallet.”

“It’s okay,” he waved for me to get out
of his vehicle, “it’s on the house. I’ll just say you were in labor. No
charge.” He smiled.

“Thank you.” I grabbed my other bags and
got out of the car.

As soon as I shut the door, the taxi
hauled ass, tires spinning and smoke curling as he raced out of sight. I looked
for Raven, but he was nowhere to be seen. Dropping my bag, I hurried to the
front door as fast as I could with my little belly before I changed my mind. As
I raised my hand to bang on the door, it swung open and I plunged forward.

“Lexi! Thank, God.” Raven caught me in
his arms. “Why did you leave? I was so worried about you.” He smothered me in
kisses, catching me totally off guard.

My hands flew to his clean shaven face
as I tried to capture his lips. But they were all over me. I could barely catch
my breath, let alone his lips. “I thought you didn’t care.” I held him steady
until he pressed his forehead to mine.

“No, baby. I was in shock, that’s all.
I’m so sorry.” Raven’s eyes connected with mine and that familiar gaze in his
beautiful green eyes reemerged, capturing my heart once more and pulling the
pieces back together until they formed that perfect shape.

“I’m sorry, too.” I didn’t think twice
about accepting his apology.

“I love you. I love you so damn much it
hurts.” The pain behind his voice broke me quickly, sucking me right back into
that familiar trap. But I didn’t care. I needed to be in his trap forever.

“I love you, too, Raven.” I pressed my
lips to his, savoring every bit of his taste. I missed it so damn much. I
didn’t ever want to be without it again. “Not one day has passed that I didn’t
think of you. Of us. Of our babies. I never stopped loving you.”

“Oh, baby, I was wrong. So wrong to
leave you.” His hands traveled up and down my arms, caressing me and filling
the void that had plagued me for the past twelve weeks. Not only did I need his
magnetic touch, I needed to feel that warmth more than he knew. “I feel
terrible that you’ve been facing this on your own. When did you find out?”

“Four weeks ago,” I said in a hushed
voice.

“And you had no way of telling me.” His
eyes closed for a moment as he pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m such an
idiot.”

I cupped his cheek and held his face
tenderly in the palm of my hand. “Well, you’re my idiot.” I sniffed, relieved
that his love had truly come back to me. His hand covered mine, warmth wrapping
around me, causing every tense muscle to finally relax.

“Will you ever forgive me?” he asked
against my lips. His words peeled away the hurt, the torment, the pain, until
they found their way to the center of my chest. They implanted themselves,
ready to seal all the pieces that had just come together. All I had to do was
accept it.

“It’s not that easy, Raven. I don’t want
you to take me back just because I’m pregnant. I need to know that you love me,
regardless. That you want to be with me, no matter what.” I lifted his chin,
reconnecting our gazes. “I can’t keep going through this. You’re breaking my
heart and I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

“I promise I won’t hurt you again,” he pleaded
with so much emotion, my heart was ready to be sealed. “I’ll do whatever it
takes, baby. Please, just say you’ll take me back.”

“I want to, Raven, but—”

“But what?”

I hesitated for a moment before deciding
that I needed to tell him. Today was all about being open and honest. I had
nothing to lose. “I’m scared that the next time something bad happens, you’ll
walk out that door and not only leave me, but our children.”

He shook his head. “No, Lexi. I could
never do that to you — to them.” His hand dropped to my stomach and his eyes
closed. Tears rolled off his cheeks and onto my stomach. My throat tightened
and my own tears released, but I pressed forward, being totally transparent
with him.

“But you have, Raven. That’s just it.”

“Then I’m going to have to prove you
wrong.” With the pads of his thumbs, he wiped my sorrow away. “These past few
months have been hell. And I’ve realized how much I need you… how much I love
you.”

 “And I need you just as much. Our children
need you. But you’ll have to work really hard to prove that to me. Twenty
minutes ago, you didn’t want to hear about other kinds of work and now you’re
ready to do whatever it takes.” I searched his eyes deeply and they were just
as transparent as I had been. Had Raven learned to finally let me in? Bring
down the walls and allow me to truly see him?

“I know it sounds crazy, but when I saw
you get in that taxi and leave, I never thought I’d see you again. See my
children.” His hand rested on my stomach. “I could never live with myself
knowing that I abandoned you and them. So, yes, I’ll do whatever you want me to
do. As long as I can be with you and the babies, I’ll do it.” Raven seemed
eager to prove his love for me, but I knew words were just words. I needed to
see action behind those words in order to believe him.

With a firm voice, I said, “I want you
to continue the counseling sessions.” He let out a soft sigh, but I didn’t
stop. “When you were seeing Dr. Galen, you were doing so much better. You were
healing, recovering.”

“I know.” His chin dipped.

“You need that, Raven.” I lowered my
head, trying to see his face. “Our relationship needs it. But most of all, our
children are going to need a daddy that can show them what it takes to be
strong, to fight back, to persevere through the darkest times.” Silence filled
the space between us. His forehead tightened as his eyebrows drew together. “Do
you think you can do that, Raven?”

Slowly, he lifted his head. “As long as
I’m with you, I can do anything, Lexi.” He laced his fingers through mine and
dropped to his knees. His green eyes filled with guilt, apologies, and most of
all, remorse. “Please tell me you’ll still be my wife. There’s no one else in
the world that I’d rather be a husband to.” He placed our hands on my stomach
and smoothed my shirt over my round belly. “Hi. It’s your long lost dad. But
I’m here now and I’m going to take care of you and your mom. I promise to
always be there for you, no matter what.” He rested his face against my stomach,
keeping our hands steady on my bump. Tears flowed down my cheeks and I felt the
wetness from his eyes seep through my shirt.

My stomach quivered and the babies
turned. “Oh, they heard you,” I giggled, ecstatic that he had that effect on
them.

Raven’s lips turned upward in a big
smile as tears dripped from his eyes. “That’s because they know who their daddy
is.”

“I love you, Raven.” I wrapped my arms
around him and held him close.

“I promise to love you forever, Lexi.
Just give me one more chance. Please.”

“Only if you really want my heart. I’m
done letting you borrow it. If you really want it, you’re going to have work
for it and once you have it, you’re going to be stuck with it for the rest of
your life.”

“Good, because it’s the only heart I
want, aside for our children.” His eyes widened as he stood up. “Damn, we’re
having twins.”

I laughed. “Yes, in twenty-eight weeks.”

“Do we know what they are?” He continued
to caress my stomach, as if he couldn’t wait to hold them.

“Not yet. But at the next appointment,
we should know.”

He grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

I snorted. “Uh, we’ll see. Luke and I
were terrible when we were little.”

“I guess that means one thing.” His expression
turned serious.

“What’s that?” I sniffed.

“You’ll be the one disciplining them.”

I shook my head. “Oh, no, we’re doing it
together.”

“And that’s what I love about you.” His
hand spread under my jaw and he cupped my cheek. “I can honestly tell you that
there wasn’t a single day that passed where I didn’t think of you. I never stopped
loving you.”

“And I never stopped loving you, Raven.”

“So, you’ll still marry me?” He wasn’t
giving up.

“Let’s just take this slow, okay? Like I
said, you have a lot of proving to do.”

He nodded. “I know. And I will. It was
wrong of me to walk out on you like that. I feel terrible. I was so selfish.
Not being there for you.” He caressed my stomach. “For our babies.” “Please,
Lexi. Just tell me you’ll marry me.” His eyes glazed over once more. “I promise
you won’t be disappointed. I’ll be everything you need and more. I’ll do
whatever it takes to earn your trust and show that I can support us. Just,
please, don’t leave me. I need to know you’re on my side.”

I wiped the tears from his cheeks.
“Raven, there’s only side I want to be on.”

With hopeful eyes, he asked, “What side
is that?”

 “The winning side,” I said with a huge
smile.

The
End

One Year Later

“You look gorgeous, Lexi.” Mom kissed my
cheek. “Radiant as ever.” Tears stained her bright pink cheeks.

“Stop crying, Mom. You’re messing up
your makeup.” I handed her a tissue. I was glad we had started getting along
and that she had finally accepted that I was marrying Raven.

“I know, I’m sorry.” She blotted the
area under her eyes.

“And if you don’t stop, you’re going to
make me cry.” I blinked a few times, warding off the impending threat.

She shook her head. “No, crying. Its bad
luck.”

I waved off her comment. “No, it’s not.
That’s just some stupid old wives tale.” My phone chimed and I glanced at the reminder.
My mother was right; caring for two babies wasn’t easy and I used my phone to
keep me on track with everything. “Who has the babies? Where’s Mimi?”

“Relax,” Delaney said, shutting the
door. “I just checked on them. Mimi and Trish have them and they’re doing
fine.” Raven’s grandmother, Mimi, had been a life saver; practically moving in
with us to help care for the twins. I didn’t protest. I needed all the help I
could get.

“Okay.” I took a breath and tried to
relax. I was a little nervous. Raven and I were headed to the Caribbean for a
week without them. Jonah and Nevara had barely turned six months old and I knew
Mimi and Trish would have their hands full. My mom and dad had offered to stay
at our house in New Orleans, but I didn’t want to inconvenience them.

“Yes, everything is going to be fine,”
Delaney assured me, pinning a strand of hair that kept falling in front of my
face with a bobby pin. “You and Raven are going to have a wonderful honeymoon.
Time alone, which you both need.” She squeezed me in a hug and I smiled.

“I know. It’s just hard not to think
about the twins. They’re still so little.” I adjusted the bobby pin one more
time. Jordan had twisted my hair into a fishbone braid on top and swept it to
the side, giving it a slightly messy, but sexy look. After graduation, she
decided to get her cosmetology license and open her own salon in Dallas. I
hired her to do our hair and makeup and she had done a spectacular job. Tiny
rhinestones sparkled as I checked the back of my hair with a mirror.

“Don’t mess with it.” Delaney pulled my
hand away. “It looks great.”

“Do you think Raven will like it?” I set
the mirror down on the counter.

Delaney laced her fingers through mine
and took a step back, taking in my strapless, beaded ball gown with chiffon
ruffling along the full skirt. It was fairytale-like and everything I had wanted
in a wedding dress. And I got it because Raven bought it for me. “He’s going to
freak when he sees you walking down the aisle.”

“Good. I want him to be totally in awe.”

She nodded. “Believe me, he will.”

“And what about Luke?” I eyed her long,
purple, strapless dress that made her boobs pop out more than intended. “Did he
like the dress?”

She rolled her eyes. “You brother loves
me in anything.” Then she leaned forward, and whispered, “But mainly he likes
me wearing nothing.”

I playfully slapped her arm. “TMI,
Delaney.”

My mom eyed us suspiciously and we both
laughed.

A knock came at the door. “Lexi, it’s
time.”

My heart rate kicked up a notch and I
took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

My dad opened the door and butterflies
swirled inside of me.

“You truly are a princess, Lexi.” Dad
gathered me in his arms and I hugged him tightly. “Raven is one lucky man.”
Dad’s eyes misted and he gave me a quick kiss. Clearing his throat, he said,
“And I couldn’t be happier to walk you down that aisle and give you away.”

“Awe, Dad.” I cupped his cheek. “I love
you. Thank you for everything.”

“I just want you to be happy, Princess.
That’s all.” I turned to Mom and motioned for her to join us. She wrapped an
arm around me and Dad, embracing us both. “I’m happy that we’re a family
again.”

“And what about me?” Ashely quickly
interjected. My sister had apologized to me for everything — for her behavior
and for being jealous of me for so many years. I wasn’t sure what she was
jealous about because she was Mom’s favorite, but I accepted her apology, eager
to put the past behind us. Part of me wondered if she still had an ulterior
motive, but only time would tell. For now, I would do my part and love her
since she was my sister.

I looked over Dad’s arm. “Yes, that
means you, too, Ashley.” I waved for her to join us.

“I better not be left out.” She rolled
her eyes and strutted toward us, pulling Mom and Dad’s arms apart so she could
join our circle.

“All we’re missing is Luke,” Mom said,
tears filling her eyes.

“Did someone say my name?” Luke burst
through the door.

 “Shut it! Before someone sees,” we all
shouted.

“Relax.” He closed the door with a flick
of his wrist. “Everyone is seated.” He twisted his lips to the side and shook
his head. “Are y’all done hugging and crying? Raven is already at the front
waiting for you.”

“Oh, we better go.” I started to break
free, but stopped. “Come here, Luke.” I reached for his hand and pulled him into
our family hug.

“Seriously?” His shoulders slumped
forward as he resisted for a second. Then he jumped in, wrapping his arms around
us in a tight bear hug.

“Careful, you’re going to mess up my
dress.”

“Ugh. Stop complaining,” he taunted.
“You wanted me in, now you have to take it.”

We laughed and smiled as Delaney snapped
a few picture of us. It was a great family hug.

I straightened my dress and did one last
check in the mirror. I was ready to walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Raven
Davenport.

Dad laced my arm around his. “You
ready?”

“Yes.” My cheeks hurt from smiling so
much. Raven had captured my heart for good.

Lifting the layers of my dress, we
walked out of the Marshall’s guest bedroom and down the hallway. When Raven and
I announced we were getting married, they offered their house and we agreed.
Twice the size of my sister’s house, sitting on a few acres, and overlooking a
beautiful lake, it was the perfect venue. Raven spared no expense, giving us
the wedding of my dreams. But in all honestly, there was only one thing I
wanted.

Him.

The fine crystal and china didn’t
matter.

The thousands of white roses and purple
hydrangeas didn’t matter.

The white tent cloaked in thousands of
tiny white lights that made the ambiance fairytale-like didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that I had him in
my trap. And my trap was one without a revolving door — it was where he
belonged.

The back door opened and the music
started. Delaney, Shelby, Ashely, and my cousin, Kenzie, who had recently
returned home after graduating from college in California, proceeded before me.
My niece tossed the petals along the white strip that lead directly to where my
heart belonged.

Raven’s arms.

“Easy now. Don’t trip.” Dad helped me
down the steps that led to the backyard transformed into the most breathtaking
place for a ceremony. Fragrant flowers were interspersed along the patio area,
hanging elegantly from posts wrapped in white and purple organza material. Our
family and friends filled the white wooden chairs and my heart raced with an
excitement that only Raven could create.

I immediately spotted Trish and Mimi
with the twins. I nearly broke out in tears when they lifted them in the air
for me to see. Even though things had been tough, I absolutely had no regrets.
I’d stuck by Raven’s side, did what I had to do for our children, and in the
end, I was rewarded with a man that loved me unconditionally.

Cameras flashed and people awed as I walked
down the aisle, one step at a time. Standing underneath a massive arch of roses
and trailing flowers, was Raven. Dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, he looked
like he was ready for a photo shoot with GQ magazine.

Damn, my man is freakin’ hot.

And I’m marrying him!

Josh stood behind him, along with Shawn,
Luke, and his brother, Trey. Our gazes connected as I marched to the beat of
the music directly toward him. I was so happy. I was finally going to be his
wife and I couldn’t wait. It had been an eventful year, but Raven had proven
himself to me by doing exactly what he said he was going to do. Seeing the
counselor on a regular basis, learning to let go of all of his demons, and
providing for us, just like he promised. The best part was that he had earned
my trust, which allowed me to love him unconditionally in return.

Two weeks after we had returned to Fort
Worth, Raven had announced that he would be a free agent. A few days later, he
got a call from the coach in New Orleans. They invited him to a private
practice session and he willingly obliged. By the end of the week, Raven had
signed a contract with them, earning him a hefty salary and bypassing the
supplemental draft altogether. Because of that, I decided to put grad school on
hold, devoting my time to editing for indie writers and preparing for the twins
to arrive instead.

Raven started practice the following
week and we moved in with his grandmother until we could find a house. Right
before the first game of the season, Raven purchased our first home,
strengthening our relationship even more. Everything had happened so fast, but
I knew it was meant to be. A true blessing from God.

“Take good care of my princess.” Dad
smiled and winked his left eye before placing my hand in Raven’s.

“Always,” he said, with a firm nod.

Dad gave him an approving smile and then
slipped away. Raven stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes sweeping over me
in a full and deliberate notion. “Damn, Lexi, you look exceptionally
beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I eyed him for a moment.
“And you look damn sexy in that tuxedo.”

“Wait until you see what’s underneath.”
He winked.

I giggled and then we turned to face to
the preacher.

“Family and friends, we are gathered
here today to celebrate the union of Lexi Ann Thompson and Raven Renee
Davenport.” Tiny awes filtered through the crowd and the twins babbled.
Everyone laughed and we turned around to admire our wondrous creations. Nevara
had her daddy’s personality, but looked exactly like me, where Jonah was
definitely more calm and subtle like me, but favored his dad. I knew I’d have
my hands full with both of them.

The preacher continued, reciting the
traditional marriage ceremony. Raven and I agreed that it would be too nerve wracking
to come up with our own vows; keeping it simple was exactly what we wanted. We
exchanged vows, pledging our love to one another in sickness and in health for
all eternity. Raven slipped the ring on my finger and I placed a band on his.
With our hands interlocked, we turned to face the crowd.

“Family and friends, I’m happy to introduce
to you, Mr. and Mrs. Davenport.” Everyone clapped and I heard Nevara start
crying. Raven and I both shook our heads. Our little girl was definitely a
drama queen. “You may now kiss your bride.”

“I never thought this day would come.”
Raven gathered me in his arms and dipped me, planting a deliciously enticing
kiss on my lips. More yells and whistles flooded the air and I laughed.

After we took pictures with our family
and friends, we entered the large tent located behind the swimming pool. The
tent was absolutely exquisite, like the kind you see in movies or magazines for
the rich and famous. But we were far from that. Round tables decorated with
tall vases overflowing with white and purple flowers, took my breath away.
Thousands of twinkling lights shimmered underneath the purple organza draped
from floor to ceiling. Hanging in the center of the tent was a huge crystal
chandelier that cast a myriad of colorful prisms all over the room. The bride
and groom’s cakes were divine; I dreaded cutting into them.

“It’s beautiful, Raven.” I kissed him on
the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, baby.”

The music lowered and the DJ said, “The
bride and groom have arrived. If they can please take the dance floor.”

“May I have this dance?” Raven held out
his hand in true gentlemanly fashion.

“Of course.” I placed my hand in his and
he led me to the center of the room. Raven slid his arm around my waist and
pulled me close, wearing a dashing grin. “Are you happy?”

“More than you’ll ever know.” His eyes
lit up. “The most beautiful woman in the world is now my wife, I have a son and
a daughter, and I’m living my dream, playing football for a living. What more
could I ask for?”

“I love seeing you happy.” I stared deep
into his eyes. “It shows me how much you’ve healed.”

“You’re right, baby. I’ve come a long
way.” His gaze traveled past mine, recounting the dark moments in his life. His
neck tensed and he took a hard swallow. “Thank you for standing by my side. I
know it wasn’t easy.”