Page 95 of Beautiful Storm

“Yep. But she found a decent athlete. I’ve yet to believe they exist, my sister’s fiancé aside.”

“What about your brother?”

“He’s okay, but he can be a grumpy asshole at times and—”

“Easton,” I whisper-yell a little too excitedly. The grumpy asshole gave it away. “Your brother is Easton.”

“Shhh.” Keeley laughs. “And yes, you caught me. As I’m sure you can guess, the decision to keep it a secret was all him.”

“I’ll bet.” I subtly glance at Easton to find him talking to Dylan and his wife, Summer, with their kids playing on the grass by their feet. “Did Easton come alone?”

“Yep.” She frowns. “His girlfriend doesn’t like coming to these things, and she doesn’t let him bring their son.”

“That’s hard.” I’d love to ask if they get along because I can sense some tension, but I leave it alone. I don’t want her to think I’m trying to seek out information for the show.

“It is hard. She’s nice and all, but they’ve been drifting since their son, Isaac, was born.”

“Oh, that’s sad.” A pit forms in my stomach, and I have to fight myself not to focus on my situation with Luke.

“I’m sure they’ll work it out; it’s all new to them. They’re still navigating what it’s like. Isaac's two and a half and he wasn’t—” She cuts herself off but I can guess what she was going to say.

“He wasn’t planned?”

“No. He wasn’t. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Why? I won’t tell anyone. This is all off-the-record.”

“No, I mean…” She glances down at my stomach, and I laugh nervously.

“You noticed.”

“I did, and I wasn’t going to say anything, but I didn’t want you to think I was suggesting unplanned pregnancies cause issues.”

“How do you know mine was unplanned?”

“Because you told me you were getting divorced.”

Oh, right. I did tell her that. “What gave me away?”

“Nothing major. A few subtle hand touches to your stomach. Baggier clothing.”

“Oh. Shit.”

“And Coach Pierce accidentally mentioned it.” My eyes widen before she quickly clarifies. “He thought I knew and he hasn’t told anyone else. But you know you don’t need to hide it?”

“I know. I’m just not ready yet. I’d like to get through a few more weeks of filming before people start treating me differently. And since it’s winter, I figure I can wear big coats. Sort of.” I laugh, opening my coat to show her. It’s technically not needed, but I’m happy to pretend I’m one of those people that feel the cold.

“Do you really think you’ll be treated differently?” Keeley asks with genuine intrigue.

“I know I will.” It might be coming from a good place—asking me if I need a break or checking if I’m okay. But it’s still different.

I just have to hope that when it all comes out, I’m strong enough to handle whatever’s thrown my way.

When the sun fades, and the moon joins the party, the crowd gets a little rowdier. I consider sticking around, butI’m ready to go. In fact, I’ve been ready to go for a while. I turn to search for Hayley when I lock eyes with Luke across the yard. He’s deep in conversation, but when he sees me, the most beautiful smile graces his lips, making my traitorous heart skip a beat.What is going on here?

I keep watching as he says something to his teammate before jogging over to me, his smile never wavering.

“Are you ready to leave?”

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