Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,19

in abject horror, but the offensive line was the first to give a riotous cheer. Just the introduction to the team I wanted.

“Jesus, Doc. Are you okay?” Jude pulled me into his arms. It was the second time I couldn’t breathe.

I might have melted into him…had I not dissolved into panic instead.

“Did I do it right?” Jude’s voice echoed over the cafeteria. “Please tell me I didn’t Heimlich out the baby!”

4

Jude

I’d fucked up.

I didn’t even have a concussion to blame it on—just the sheer panic of squeezing a pregnant woman around the middle so hard it’d dislodge an apple stuck in her throat.

But it wasn’t the fruit that was forbidden this time—it was the truth.

“Holy shit.” Jack helped Rory into a chair. “Are you pregnant?”

If the cafeteria hadn’t silenced before, now the team’s testicles zipped into their bellies. Nothing like a rogue mother-to-be to make half the guys question their life choices and count the days since their last hook-up.

The trainers rushed into the cafeteria, but the commotion summoned even more of an audience. Rory waved away any medical help, but she stared as Coach Thompson rushed through the doorway.

And he’d brought another doctor.

I’d already forgotten his name, but I remembered his position. He was the head of the fellowship program

Rory’s boss.

Fuck me.

“I’m fine.” Rory stood, more embarrassed than harmed. “Thank you all for…watching.”

The red-headed trainer—Louisa?—offered her a bottle of water. “Maybe you should sit down?”

Rory’s hand fell to her tummy. Did she realize she rubbed little Genie again? At least it seemed to relieve her.

And me.

Louisa took her pulse. “That was a lot of stress.”

“I’m fine.”

“But the baby—”

Rory gritted her teeth. “Is fine. I promise. I should be getting back to work.”

No one moved. Coach Thompson guided his guest into the cafeteria and grinned at Rory.

“Well, that was quite a scare you gave us, Doctor Merriweather!”

“Sorry, Coach Thompson…Clayton. I don’t even like apples.” She smiled, but her voice cooled as she greeted her boss. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene.”

That scene should have wrapped up by now. I nodded to Lachlan and Jack. They took the hint and gestured for everyone to return to their lunch. A wave of disappointment crashed over the team—partly because their entertainment was over, but mostly because the horny bastards realized they couldn’t score with a pregnant woman.

Coach Thompson frowned, though he tip-toed around the conversation. “So, Doctor Merriweather, will this…condition interfere with your work?”

Rory didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely not. The pregnancy has nothing to do with the fellowship. Right, Doctor Frolla?”

Coach Thompson tilted his head. Disappointed?

Lecherous old man.

“I didn’t know you were married,” he said.

Not a time for old-school values, but Rory didn’t react. “Not that it’s important, but I am not married. Yes, I’m pregnant, but this will not impact my job in any way.”

Clayton apparently disagreed, but the bastard had the decency to stay cordial. Like he had any idea how much stress she was under.

“I hope you’re right, Doctor Merriweather,” Clayton said. “These are the sorts of complications which should have been discussed during our interview.”

“I didn’t feel that it was relevant.”

“I trusted you with this responsibility. This fellowship is a highly competitive opportunity. I denied many qualified applicants to give you this chance.”

“And you made the right decision. You won’t even know I’m pregnant. I can handle the fellowship.”

“Alone?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Clayton scowled. “Every doctor participating in this fellowship is my concern, especially when one foolish decision might impact everyone’s reputation.”

That son of a bitch. No one spoke to Rory that way.

And no one was going to take this opportunity away from her. Not when she’d finally made it, earned her rightful degree, and found a respectable job in a career she’d prepared for all her life.

If Clayton was this much of an asshole now, I could only imagine how insufferable he’d become when she started to show, if she had any complications, or if she needed help. He’d fire her, and he’d replace her with another doctor.

Someone who wasn’t as sympathetic to my injuries.

Someone who wasn’t naïve enough to believe me when I said I was healthy.

Screw it. I couldn’t let him ruin both of our lives.

I stepped forward and took Rory’s hand.

“You don’t need to worry about Doctor Merriweather,” I said. “I’m taking care of her.”

Training camp had officially been open for a week, but this would be the gossip of the summer. Rory stared at me, wide-eyed, as the team quieted for the newest revelation of the hour.

She’d thank me for this.

One day.

If she ever