Page 36 of Baller's Surprise Baby

“Yes, she’s knocked up, and now she doesn’t fit in her dress!” But Talitha’s still watching me, waiting, until I finally nod my head and then a warm smile spreads over her features like a sunrise and she steps forward to gently wrap me in her arms. When she steps back a few seconds later, she holds both of my hands in hers and says reverently, “Congratulations, Everly. This is a blessing.”

And for the second time tonight I feel ready to collapse into tears. It seems all of my fears are being voiced today, and I quickly swipe at my face in an effort to keep anything from getting on the dress. And then suddenly we’re back to the flurry of questions and squeals and jokes and I find myself spilling the story just like I did to Rachel not that long ago, but this time I don’t just tell how it happened.

This time I tell the story of my mom, and Aunt Sharon, and of everything in me that feels so un-mom-like.

“I just thought I would take care of Aunt Sharon, you know? I owe her everything, and I feel like I’m restarting my whole career after taking two years off to care for her. As much as I’m crazy about Ryder, building a family was the last thing on my mind. I guess I’ve been in survival mode for a while now, and raising a child…I don’t know, I just…I don’t want to repeat my mom’s mistakes, you know?”

I stare at the three sets of eyes all turned my way. I’ll be the first of us to birth a baby, and I can tell I’m not the only one who finds the idea daunting.

“I’m just so unprepared! My mind shies away from everything “baby” right now because it’s so overwhelming.” Talitha and Jenna each take one of my hands, and Talitha rubs my back with her free hand when she answers.

“Everly, all the things that make you scared are the very things that mean you’re already an amazing mother. You’ve never met this child, never held them in your arms, and here you are trying to figure out how to make them safe and give them a family, and that’s exactly what a mother does. She thinks about her baby, and sometimes she’s terrified, and sometimes she worries.” I watch as Talitha straightens up and quirks her lips in humor. “Take it from me. I’ve got four younger siblings and the best mom in the world. You’re going to be just fine.” And with that, she pats me on the leg and then turns her attention to the more immediate problem.

“Now, about this dress. Rachel, you got any favors you can call in?”

Twelve hours later I stand in the bridal suite at the church while a fashion designer makes last-minute adjustments to my gown. It was originally designed to hang straight to the ankle, and somehow my dress now has a slit up the left leg while the fabric is gathered up and shaped to my belly with a cascading effect going down my right side.

There’s no hiding the fact that I’m pregnant, but on the other hand, it looks incredible, like the dress was made for me, which now it kind of is. When all the hair and makeup and everything else in between is finally in place I find myself standing behind the main doors to the sanctuary, my escorting groomsman somewhere nearby and my bouquet in hand. I turn to Rachel.

“What a weekend, huh? First Aunt Sharon with the great news and my little sob fest, then my dress fiasco and spilling the beans to Jenna and Talitha, followed by new mom counselling and more tears. I’m starting to think the pregnancy hormones are doing something to me, because I can’t remember ever crying this much in twenty-four hours. What an emotional roller coaster.” I shift in my heels and glance around the room as I talk until my eyes fall back on Rachel again.

“Is something wrong?” I ask. She stares at me with weirdly big eyes and a tense mouth before answering rather tersely.

“Did I mention that I invited Ryder to come out to the wedding?”

“What?”

“Um, he just texted that he’s here.” She says and then bites her lip and gives me a “don’t freak out” look. For a second, I don’t move, but then slowly I leak the air out of my lungs and drop my eyes to my baby bump.

“How am I going to hid this?”

27

Ryder

Isettle into my seat on the bride’s side of the church, close to the wall. When you’re tall and famous, you learn early on to avoid sitting in the front or in the middle. A surreptitious glance around reveals that Everly isn’t here, and I tap my foot in agitation. Where is she?

Twisting, I survey the room but then remind myself bridesmaids are in the ceremony, so she’s likely with the others lined up somewhere outside of a door. Seconds later I hear the opening notes to “What a Wonderful World” and the groom begins escorting his grandmother in. It looks like I arrived just in time.

Four months! She’s more than four months pregnant…and she didn’t tell me. I clench my fists and resist the urge to vocalize my frustration. Honestly, I’m almost as mad at myself for not piecing it together sooner. I’m crazy about Everly. She has become my world, and all I can think about is building a life with her. And I didn’t notice!

I feel like such an idiot. Why didn’t I check the condom when I took it off? Did it break? I shake my head. There’s no telling now.

We’ve had two nights together. Two over the moon, heavenly nights of sheer bliss together. I shake my head. This is nuts. After the Clippers game, I was so hyped about the win and having her back in my arms that I couldn’t have cared less that she’d thickened. I’d noticed, but let’s be honest, the woman is insanely beautiful, and I couldn’t care less. I only hope now that I wasn’t too rough…

Looking to the front, I see a pair of brown eyes staring at me. I squint back at the curly-haired toddler peeking over his mom’s shoulder and, despite a fair amount of irritation, find myself cracking a grin at the sticky-cheeked dude. He’s got half a cracker left in his hand, and crumbs dot not only his mouth but for some reason his hair as well.

When he twists around to plop himself down on his mother’s lap, I focus on relaxing my fingers one by one and lowering my shoulders. I know for a fact that Everly was single all summer, so unless she found someone else after our night in Phoenix, that baby is mine. How long does it take a woman to realize she’s pregnant? I’ve heard stories about girls who went through an entire pregnancy without knowing what was going on, but Everly’s not a naïve kid. I don’t know when, but I’m willing to bet good money she’s known for a while now. Where is she?! I twist in my seat again, and finally the doors at the back swing wide.

Rachel stands at the front of the line with one arm entwined with that of a groomsman. The music changes, and then they’re walking. A few seconds later, another bridesmaid steps through the doorway with a second groomsman, and then after what feels like an eternity, the one I’ve been waiting for finally appears.

There are no words to describe what the sight of her does to me. I see her, and somehow all the noise quiets inside. Chaotic emotions and jumbling thoughts fall into order because there’s a new priority in front of them all. I search her face, wishing I could hear her thoughts, wishing I was the one beside her, touching her.

She’s walking in on the arm of the last groomsman, and she’s holding herself stiffly, her bouquet gripped close in front. I know it means nothing, but I’m not fond of seeing her on another man’s arm looking like they’re some kind of couple. I suppress a subconscious growl. She hasn’t seen me yet, but her eyes are wide, and she looks pale. That bastard had better not have said anything to upset her.

She’s almost to the front of the room when she spots me, and the look on her face is so panicked it’s almost comical. An initial look of trepidation is quickly followed by a wince, a wave, and a small smile. I’ve never seen her like this. Something is off, and I’m torn between worry about her condition, anger at the fact that she’s been walking around with my baby and hasn’t said a word to me about it, and the urge to laugh.

The ceremony begins, and I sit there staring at her back and plotting. She’s so close! I pieced it together two nights ago, and the moment I realized she was pregnant I became desperate to see her.

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