Page 59 of Second-Rate Superstar

“Unreal,” I uttered in amazement.

This family was a walking list of romance tropes! You had royalty, sports, accidental pregnancy, marriage of convenience, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, secret baby, and forbidden romance. I could easily write five or six books from inspiration gathered in the last fifteen minutes.

That begged the question. What trope would Braxton and I be? Obviously, sports, but it had to be more than that.

Virgin, you dummy.

I nearly groaned as the realization hit me. Braxton had been so patient with me, but I wondered if that might be the strawthat finally broke the camel’s back. As an athlete, surely, he had experience, and if the road took us down that path, would my naiveté prove to be too much for him to handle? Watching loads of porn was enough to write super-hot sex scenes, but I was fairly certain it wouldn’t overcome practical inexperience. I mean, how many men went down the porn rabbit hole and were still terrible lovers?

Before I could fall too deep into the depths of despair regarding a relationship I wasn’t even sure would come to pass, a woman with silver hair pulled back into an elegant French twist entered the room, a black-haired baby held in her arms, which she promptly eased into Liam’s open arms.

Nodding in her direction, I asked, “And her?”

“Liam and Lucy’s mom, Crown Princess Adelaide. In informal settings, she goes by Addy. She’s been here visiting since the boys were born, but she’ll have to return home soon.”

Natalie had mentioned she was close with her ex-mother-in-law the last time I visited. I couldn’t even begin to imagine. As soon as my dad left, we never heard from his family again. How you could throw away blood like that, I would never understand. In the end, I was probably better off, as they were no better than fair-weather fans, only sticking around when times were good.

This family had no idea how lucky they were to have each other.

Max began to fuss in Benji’s arms, and he jumped up, joking, “That’s the alarm signaling it’s time to pass him back off to his parents.”

Everyone laughed, including Natalie, who cradled her baby boy close to her chest, shushing him gently. Peering down at the infant held in her arms, she mused, “I still can’t believe how much he and Nate look alike. They’re not even related but could pass for twins.”

Hannah snickered. “Nate looks like he ate his twin.”

Cal tickled her side as a low rumble came from deep within Liam’s chest in warning. Braxton wasn’t kidding when he said that man was protective; he couldn’t even take what was clearly a joke.

Undeterred, Hannah kept going. “Seriously. I give him a month before he’s bigger than Hazy.”

Lucy fed into it, lifting Hazy next to where Liam held Nate. The baby boy wasn’t far off. He was a hefty little thing for being only a month old.

Cuddling her daughter, Lucy looked down at her nephew. “I think you’re right, Nat. All three of these little munchkins bear a resemblance.”

Amy placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “I think their black hair is making everyone think that. Liam was disappointed when Nate didn’t come out with red hair.”

Hannah chimed in. “What did you expect? We all know how strong those Remington genes are.”

The lighthearted atmosphere shifted, and a ripple of unease rolled through the room at those words. It was so palpable that I couldn’t suppress a shudder.

What the hell just happened?

Turning to Braxton, his face reflected my own confusion. Hannah leaned over from our right, whispering, “Did you feel that, too?” When I nodded in confirmation, she smirked. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.

Straightening up on Cal’s lap, I watched on in fascination as a wicked gleam entered her eyes and her lips curled into a grin.

Oh, this is going to be good.

Taking a deep breath, Hannah declared, “At least he escaped becoming a member of the Fire Crotch Club.”

Liam nearly forgot he held a baby as he lunged for her, and Hannah squealed, placing Cal’s body in front of her own like a shield.

Snarling, Liam’s nostrils flared. “You’ve taken it too far this time, Hannah.”

Peeking out from behind Cal’s back, she replied, “Tell me how well that situation worked out for Amy.”

“Okay! Everyone back down.” Amy stepped up to her husband, tugging on his arm. When he didn’t budge, she said softly, “Honey, you know she loves to rile you up. It’s Hannah. She doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. It’s all shock factor.”

Hannah held her hands up. “You make it so easy, Liam. Chill out once in a while, and I might target someone else.”

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