Once Upon A Half-Time: A Sports Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,98

was one of Piper and Leah’s initiatives.

Piper huffed though, marching into Lachlan’s shoot with a finger pointed to his face. “If you don’t take this picture before I have to go nurse my infant son, so help me God, Lachlan Reed—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Lachlan backed away, nearly taking the green screen and half of the lights with him. “Easy! I’m sorry!”

I loved that the one person Lachlan feared was Piper Hawthorne.

She loved it too.

“Yeah. I’ll go. Take it.” He snapped his fingers towards the league photographer. “Hurry, man!”

I grinned, shooting a couple behind-the-scene shots that would entertain the rather large female fan base Lachlan had coveted. He posed with the football as the back doors opened.

“Jude!” Piper greeted him with a wide smile. “I knew I could count on you!”

Jude Owens wore a sharp, black suit, matching his long dark hair, intense brow, and stern, perpetually tensed jaw. The running back currently had no home in the league, recently released. Rumor was he contemplated retirement.

He’d never do it.

Not in a million years.

Jude might have had the fancy suit, the killer car, the panty-melting smile, but he didn’t have that championship ring.

And the future Hall of Famer deserved a ring.

He greeted Piper with a polite nod.

“Change of plans.” Piper pointed to his suit. “You’re doing a photo set as the league’s most eligible bachelor.”

“I can hook you up.” I aimed the camera. “Work it, Jude.”

Lachlan held his arms out. “I’m right here!”

“Take your pictures, honey,” I teased.

“You’re carrying my baby.”

“Just one picture of the sexiest man in the room?”

Lachlan’s expression fell—the sad, kicked puppy dog look. I winked and snapped a picture of my husband. He grinned.

“You’re trouble, woman,” Lachlan said.

“Take your pictures. Jude’s already here.”

The photographer surrendered and abandoned his post. “Forget it. We’re done. I’ll find something salvageable.” He shook his head as he passed me, his words bewildered. “And you’re having his child.”

An adventure to be sure.

“Jude Owens!” Lachlan hurried to my side, but Jude’s presence distracted him. He grinned like he met one of his idols. “I’m Lachlan Reed. Dude, I watched you every Sunday. You’re amazing.”

Jude seemed to keep his thoughts, as well as his smiles, to himself. “Thank you.”

“I mean, after Cole Hawthorne drilled you—”

Piper tried to hush him. “Lachlan—”

“It was like...no one even knew if you’d walk again.”

She covered her face. “Which I’m sure Jude doesn’t want to talk about.”

“But you came back,” Lachlan said. “He nearly killed you. You spent what? Two weeks in the hospital?”

Jude stiffened. “I…uh, don’t really remember. The doctors said it was eighteen days.”

“Damn, dude. And you’re back on the field! No problem. That’s amazing.”

Jude curled a fist. I pretended like I didn’t see the tremor. Or how he avoided the bright lights. Or that peeking from his pant leg was one black sock…and one navy.

Fortunately, that could be photoshopped. I wasn’t so sure the rest of him could be so easily fixed.

“You gonna play this season?” Lachlan asked.

“I have a couple prospects I’m checking out. Gotta see what’s offered.”

“Did the doctors clear you to play?”

He cleared his throat. “They should. Soon.”

The photographer called for Jude. Lachlan extended his hand again.

“Great to meet you, Jude.”

Jude smiled, but it faded, crumbling into a pained expression. “Good to meet you too…uh…”

Piper and I exchanged a worried glance. My charmer took it in stride.

“Lachlan.”

“Right.” Jude nodded. “Of course. Lachlan.”

Lachlan didn’t seem to notice anything strange, but I cradled my belly on the drive home. The worry didn’t go away, even once we picked up Bast to help us plan out the nursery.

My boys picked a manly blue. Something fitting the next Reed man to enter the world. Little Nicholas would love it, no matter the color.

Bast darted between us, helping to fluff the football pillows and grinning just like Lachlan.

“I’m gonna be the best uncle.” He touched my belly, trying to feel for the baby. “Don’t worry, Elle. I know how the world works. I’ll take care of him.”

“That’s a relief, Sebastian.”

He made a face. “Call me Bast.”

Lachlan nearly did a dance around the nursery. “You mean it, little man?”

“Yep. I like Bast now.”

And that was the wrong thing to say to Lachlan.

“Well, then Sebastian, I should probably honor that.”

Bast groaned, and both boys tore up the nursery, tossing pillows and blankets and toys at each other. I chased Bast from the room with promises of popsicles in the freezer. I grabbed Lachlan before he followed, bellowing his preference for orange.

“Not so fast,” I said.

He never missed a chance to hold me.