Page 2 of Touchdowns and Temptations

“So, tell me,” I ask her. “How's Caleb? How's the move going?”

Caleb is Marina's fiancé and a complete jerk, in my opinion, but my best friend loves him. He's a lawyer, and they met at a Boston Foxes game when Marina was my +1. As soon as he opened his mouth, I knew he wasn't going to make her happy. However, two years have passed, and he has put a ring on her finger. My hopes that she would find someone who was really right for her are pretty much shattered.

“Well,” my best friend says, “it’s not going fast enough.”

I raise my eyebrows and look at her questioningly. I wasn’t expecting such a cryptic answer. Especially since she's grinning at me like something's up. Without a word, Marina pushes a photo across the table. Surprised, I grab it. My best friend grins even wider and when I pick it up, my breath catches in my throat. It's an ultrasound with her name on it and the caption: ‘Will you be my godmother?’

I scream happily, causing the guests at the next table to look over at us. But I don't care.

“Oh my God!” Still completely stunned, I slap my hand over my mouth. “You... you're pregnant.”

“Yes.” She sniffles and tears come to her eyes. “I wanted to tell you in person. The baby is due in mid-February.”

My best friend is going to have her first baby. Wow! It's unbelievable and I'm so happy for Marina. She's always wanted to be a mother at a young age. And even though I don't particularly like Caleb, she has everything it takes to start a family.

Marina is a year older than me, and Caleb is twenty-six. They're the perfect age to start a family. He also comes from an influential family in Boston and can offer her a good life.

“You're having a baby. I can't believe it. And we can't even celebrate properly,” I grumble.

Marina giggles. “You wouldn't believe how hard it was to keep this a secret. Caleb and I have been to so many receptions and weddings this summer,” she says.

I've never met anyone who acts so serious but has such little impact on society like Caleb does. No matter how well off his family is. They're not a part of the upper class of Boston, and secretly, of course, he knows that. Caleb is an arrogant guy and tells everyone, and I mean everyone, that his future wife is the best friend of Cara Corse, the daughter of Boston Foxes’ legend Michael Corse. Whether the person wants to know it or not. If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd rather fuck me than Marina.

I shake off my thoughts about this idiot and ask Marina all kinds of questions about her pregnancy. I want to know everything. When and how she found out, how she told Caleb and how he reacted. I also ask about the reaction of her parents and her future in-laws.

“Don't turn around,” she says out of the blue and looks at me mysteriously. Of course I want to turn around. Marina grabs my hand to get my attention. “Cara, I’m serious, don’t.”

“Why?” I ask impatiently.

“There are two guys at the bar,” she explains. “One has dark hair, and the other is blond. And I think the blond one is interested in you. He keeps looking over. They look familiar...”

Now I really want to turn around and see.

“Are you sure?” I ask Marina and she nods.

“From the look of it, the dark-haired guy is trying to convince the other one to come and talk to you.”

“And why wouldn't he be interested in you and not me, uh?” I ask, sipping at my water. My throat is suddenly dry. Marina is a beautiful woman. Her long blonde hair, her full lips and her constant good mood attract a lot of men. “It's not necessarily obvious that you're pregnant and engaged.”

Marina rolls her eyes and points to her overly flashy engagement ring. Okay ... this bling is actually visible from several miles away. She loves it but I think it’s a bit much. It's like Caleb has to constantly brag about how much money he has. Which isn’t actually his since he's an heir, just like me.

“I think my ring says it all,” she says, looking at it for a few seconds. “I’m telling you; the blonde guy is into you.”

“You’re probably imagining it,” I chuckle. “But, okay. Let's say he wants me...” I can't believe I'm going along with this. “That doesn't mean I want him too, does it?”

“Why?” asks Marina. “Don't be so uptight all the time, Cara. I'm not saying you should marry him. I'm talking about sex. Amazing sex.”

“I'm not uptight,” I contradict her immediately. “I'm just not into that sort of thing. I never have been.”

“I know,” she reassures me. “But I think he really would be worth an exception. Oh my God, he's getting up.”

Marina is making it sound like it’s a rom-com, and we’re the love interests. She screams almost as loudly as I did when I saw the ultrasound. While it was an appropriate reaction for me, her hormones seem to have taken over. She is completely crazy.

“Maybe he needs to go to the bathroom?” I think.

“No,” Marina says. “The bathroom is on the other way.”

I don't feel like talking about the guy anymore, so I push the thoughts about him out of my head.

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