Page 16 of Fumbled Love

“Are you doing okay?” His concerned gaze did a quick sweep across my face. “I know this is a lot to handle.”

No one has asked me that. Sure, they asked if I missed playing or if I knew when I’d be back, but he was the first person to ask how I was feeling. Morris and I played at the same level. He understood the pressure I was under.

“I’m good.” I patted his shoulder. “Thanks for the talk, Mo. I appreciate it.”

We made our way back to the table. The windows gave us a clear view of the dance floor below. There were women in every shape, size, and color, but not one of them piqued my interest. I found myself staring off into space, wishing I was somewhere else. My thoughts kept drifting back to Ivy.

I couldn’t lie. It felt great being with a woman who wasn’t the slightest bit impressed that I was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. I laughed because I was pretty sure she didn’t even like me very much. She was a bundle of blond hair and blue eyes wrapped up in a mystery. Too bad the only woman that had grabbed my attention was someone I’d never see again.

CHAPTER6

KINLEY

The two pinklines on the white stick taunted me as I paced the length of my living room. It’s been thirty minutes since those lines appeared, and I’ve spent the entire time hoping they would fade away. I walked over to the window, pulled up the sash, and stuck my head outside. I let the cool air hit my face for a long minute before shoving the window shut.

This felt like a bad dream. Maverick was the last man I would ever want to knock me up. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true, but I had a baby to think about, and I didn’t have the first clue how to handle this. My mind began to play out every possible scenario. And no matter how I tried to spin it, the result was the same. My life was changed forever.

My laptop pinged from the coffee table, alerting me of a new email. What was I going to do about my job? One of the reasons why I accepted a position with Vitalmed was because I was young and single. I’ve been telling myself that if I was going to make a name for myself in the marketing industry, now was the time to do it. I had the rest of my life to settle down and start a family. Getting pregnant was definitely not part of my five-year plan.

I started pacing my apartment, taking in a few calming breaths, but it wasn’t helping me relax. What did this mean? I worked ten-to-twelve-hour days to get ahead. Would I have to hire a nanny? What if the baby got sick? Who the hell would I call when there was a problem? My eyes stung with tears; never in my life had I ever felt so alone.

I sighed and picked up my phone to call Taylor. I needed to tell someone before I went crazy.

* * *

I was curled up in my favorite chair when a knock sounded on my door. I wiped my eyes and threw my soft blanket on the couch. “Come in,” I hollered, not bothering to get up.

Taylor came strolling in, took her boots off on the mat, and unzipped her coat. “What was so important that I needed to come over right away?” she asked, dropping her purse in the chair.

“You might want to sit down for this one.”

She perched herself down on the edge of the table in front of me. I probably looked like a mess. “Is everything okay?”

I swung my legs off the couch and walked over to the window. I wanted to believe I could get through this, but honestly, I wasn’t sure I could. A voice in my head told me I needed to accept this, but the change this would bring to my life terrified me.

I closed my eyes, knowing there was only one choice for me, and while I might not have planned for this to happen, it was my reality. Admitting it out loud would be the first step toward accepting the truth.

“I’m pregnant.” I sighed, and tugged on my hair, something I did when I was upset.

“Who’s the baby daddy?”

I snapped my head in her direction. “Who do you think?”

“Oh no!” Her eyes widened in recognition. “The quarterback you sacked at Thanksgiving?”

“His name is Maverick, Taylor.”

She scratched the back of her neck. “Are you sure you’re pregnant? It’s only been a few weeks since you slept together. Isn’t it a little early to tell?”

“Not for me. I’ve never missed a period in my life.”

My cycle came every month like clockwork. I started to panic when I realized I was a couple of days late. By day five, I was about ready to crack. I finally bought a test and prayed that only one line would appear—no such luck.

“Damn. What are you going to do?” She leaned forward and waited for me to fill in the blank. Wasn’t that the million-dollar question?

“I don’t know.” I looked down at my stomach in disbelief. This news was a lot to process.

She gave me a look of sympathy. “Do you think you’ll keep it?”

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