Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,81

Jesus, Doc, remind me not to do a tongue twister unless my face is in your pussy.”

“You aren’t taking this seriously.”

“And you’re looking for problems that aren’t there. Say it, Doc. Why are you hellbent on punishing me for a headache?”

“Punishing you?”

“Yes, I’ve had injuries. Yes, I’ve recovered from them. Of course I’ll have some issues. So why are you so overprotective?”

Because I was in love with him.

I should have said it.

Should have yelled it.

Should have told him years ago when I first realized it.

But what I felt now was more than puppy-love infatuation from high school. More than any crush or attraction that had dazzled me in college.

I was in love with him.

Honest. True. Stricken love.

And I feared for a future with him that I had no right sharing.

I was pregnant. I carried another man’s baby. I’d already intruded enough in his life and his bed.

I loved him. And I wanted to keep him safe. How was I supposed to tell him?

Could I even admit it?

“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” I said. “We’ll take it one week at a time. We’ll sit you on Sunday and reassess as the week progresses.”

Jude groaned. “Is it the hormones? Is that why you’re acting so crazy?”

“It is not hormones!” My words might have been more forceful with a shirt on, a bra that fit, and less vinegar splashed over me. “I’m acting like a doctor.”

“Maybe I need you to act like Rory until the season is over.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means helping me out. Just like I helped you.”

My stomach flipped. The baby did the flop.

The world fell away.

Was that why he had helped with the pregnancy? Had he taken me in, pretended to be my boyfriend, offered me sweet words and warm nights together…

So I’d clear him to play?

I hoped when my heart shattered, the broken fragments wouldn’t hit Genie. I’d need her to stay whole for me.

She was all I had left.

I didn’t know what to say. “Once you get this championship, if you win it, then what? The baby is coming in less than eight weeks, my fellowship will be over, and I’ll be gone. What happens when I’m not there to turn off the oven or give you directions when you forget where you’re driving? You need to think about what happens after this season.”

Jude was silent for a long moment, but the hardness in his voice scared me. “I won’t have anything after this season, Rory. This is it. I want my win, and I’m going to get it. You’re not going to stop me.”

“It isn’t just me. You don’t want my diagnosis? Fine. Go to another doctor. Any doctor. They’ll tell you the same thing I will.”

“A second opinion?”

“You’ll never find one who will tell you what you want to hear.”

Jude twisted the keys in his hand. “The Rivets are counting on me, Rory. They need me. They actually want me. The team is all I have. I’m not letting them down.”

“Jude—”

“I’m getting you a burrito.” He gave me a cold smile. “Huh. I remembered.”

“Please, wait.”

He didn’t. The door slammed behind him, but my tears didn’t come.

He had more than the team.

He had me.

If he wanted me. If I could confess everything to him.

I touched my tummy. Genie had granted my every wish so far, but no magic spell or wishing star would fix what I had broken.

I was in love with Jude, but I couldn’t watch him do this to himself.

And the only way to protect him would hurt him more than any concussion.

18

Jude

I didn’t want a second opinion.

I wanted Rory.

And I should’ve known better. I should have realized what would happen after she had the baby, once the fellowship was over, and she didn’t need me anymore.

If I had nothing else to my name, to my legacy, to my life, at least I’d have a winning season and a championship. It’d be hard to forget that.

Harder to forget her.

And the baby? Why the hell did I park the crib and all the toys, supplies, blankets, and clothes in the guest room? I inadvertently created a nursery. I’d stared at the empty crib as much as Rory did.

Worse…I was starting to imagine the little girl who’d sleep in it. Dark-skinned. Dark eyed. A smile like her mother’s.

Genie would absolutely break hearts.

Hell, she wasn’t even born yet, and she’d already broken mine.

I waited in Doctor Clayton Frolla’s practice. It seemed the most logical place for a second opinion. I found someone in the sports