Page 58 of Breakaway

“Dayton O’Rourke!” Andi scolds, the back of her hand smacking my chest with a lot more oomph than I anticipated. “Did you just use me as your scapegoat to get out of a date?!” Her indignant tone is teasing, but the way her eyes have tightened around the edges makes me wonder if she’s questioning the kind of man I am.

“I have never been on a date with that woman, and even if I weren’t spoken for, I’d have no interest in taking her out in the future,” I state firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

“Dayton,” Andi sighs, likely gearing up to, once again, regale me with all the reasons she thinks that she and I can’t happen. But the strangest thing happens, completely stealing my focus. A tiny thump against my palm causes my breath to hitch, and I stare at the place my hand is still resting on Andi’s stomach.

“Was that…” I trail off, in awe of what I just felt. “The baby just kicked, right?” I question excitedly, twisting around so I’m facing Andi. I place Hudson on his feet, making sure to hold his hand. Another pulsing sensation flutters across her abdomen, causing a shocked laugh to tumble out of me. “You like the sound of my voice, huh?” I grin, knowing deep down that this baby is going to absolutely wreck my heart. I’m already in love.

“Yes.” Andi laughs, the tinkling sound music to my ears after hearing her distressed voice over the phone for seven months straight. “It feels gross, actually.” Her grin is in opposition to her words, because she looks just as besotted as I do.

“Ms. Andi!” A gaggle of my players quickly surrounds us, their eyes flaring wide when they get a closer look at the intimate position we’re in. “Holy shit! Coach D is having a baby!” Andi sputters, looking to me in hopes that I’ll correct their assumption, but she’ll be waiting an eternity before that happens.

“Alright, alright!” I yell over the cacophony of voices assaulting us from every direction. “Two laps, boys. Get to movin’!” I lift Hudson off the ground, afraid all the commotion is going to upset him. A few of them grumble complaints, but they eventually shuffle off to do as they’re told.

I drop a kiss to the top of Andi’s head and leave the two of them to their own devices. As much as I’d love to spend every second by her side, I have obligations I can’t afford to slack on. A lot of these kids are just like I was, desperate for a way out of small-town life and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure they have the best shot possible of making that a reality. We run through several stamina drills before moving on to agility, and after what feels like the hundredth complaint about the frigid temperature, I finally call it. Andi and Hudson are watching from the sideline bench, and even from here I can see the tip of her nose has turned pink.

The guys start tossing around a football, suddenly in no hurry to leave, edging closer and closer to my woman. Teenage boys are far worse than girls when it comes to gossip. I’m sure half the school will have heard I’m a father-to-be by the end of the day, and surprisingly, the idea doesn’t incite an ounce of panic. It feels right.

“Baw!” The foreign, tiny voice causes my spine to snap straight, my gaze flying to Andi’s for confirmation that I’m not hearing things. Her eyes are wide, staring at Hudson in complete disbelief. “Baw,” he repeats, pointing at the football bouncing across the turf.

“Holy shit, Dayton!” she screeches, standing so quickly she nearly loses her balance. I rush forward, dropping to my knees in front of Hudson and gripping Andi’s hip to help steady her.

“Yeah, buddy, that’s a ball,” I confirm, smiling so wide it hurts. “Carter!” I shout, signaling for him to join us. “Let me see that.” I snag the football from his hands and give it to Hudson, his eager little fingers outstretched. “Is this what you want?”

“Baw!” he squeals again. I glance at my girl, knowing the riot of emotions she’s likely experiencing. Her eyes are glassy, but her smile is so bright it’s blinding.

“Yeah, baby. It’s a ball,” she answers, a watery laugh escaping her.

“Fuck yeah, it is!” Dunley, one of our safeties who lacks a filter, chimes in.

“Language,” I scold.

Before I know it, half the team surrounds us, chanting ball for no other reason than it causes Hudson to keep saying it, which in turn makes Andi incredibly happy. I climb to my feet and tug her against me, watching in wonder as a group of teenagers take the time to make a little boy’s day. They gently toss the football with him, which elicits the sweetest giggle I’ve ever heard. Andi shoves her face against my chest, needing a moment to break without making a spectacle of herself. I can only imagine how intense her relief is, the kind that saps your energy from how forcefully it rushes through you. I take the brunt of her weight, happy to keep the world at bay until she’s taken as long as she needs to regroup.

Suddenly, the rest of my day doesn’t feel as daunting as it did when I first woke up this morning. I don’t give a shit that I’m behind on grading, because that’s the effect of being in Andi’s orbit. She makes my mountains seem climbable. Like I’m capable of doing anything, as long as I know I’ll be coming home to her at the end of the day. I’m not an idiot. I know the four of us are pining after the same woman, but I also know that she’s become an integral part of my being, and I can’t imagine doing life without her. I think it’s time we act like the adults we are and have an actual conversation about where this is headed, because I don’t see any of them backing off either. But it scares the hell out of me that I might lose her if I push too hard.

34

Andilyn

Aseries of loud banging noises startles me awake. My legs are tangled with Briggs’, the covers twisted around us so tightly it takes me several minutes to get myself free. Out of breath, I shove the tangled mess of my hair out of my face and stomp towards the front door. Yanking it open, prepared to chew one of the guys a new asshole if Hudson gets woken up from their incessant knocking, I stop short when I find a beautiful woman standing on the other side. Standing several inches taller than me, her onyx-colored hair is styled in a sleek bob, and her skin is flawlessly bronzed. I tug the hem of my sleep shirt down, feeling woefully underdressed in comparison to her skin-tight pantsuit.

“Who the hell are you?” she questions bluntly, cocking a hip to the side while eyeing me up and down. I raise an eyebrow at her forwardness, painfully aware that her hostility doesn’t bode well for me in regard to who she is to Raiden.

“I’m Andi,” I respond politely. “And you are?” My tone is even, contradicting the knot in my stomach.

“Mia.” Oh, fuck. Of course she is.

“One second.” I hold a finger up, then spin on my heel, not giving her a chance to question me further. I make a hasty retreat to the bedroom and close the door behind me. Rushing to the nightstand, I unplug my phone and press call on Raiden’s contact. It rings for several seconds before his groggy voice finally answers.

“Minha luz?” he drawls, his sleep-roughened tone making his accent more pronounced and far too sexy. “Is everything okay?”

“We have a situation.” I get straight to the point, sensing that time is of the essence. “There’s a woman named Mia at the front door, and she doesn’t seem very happy to have found me here instead of you.”

“Fuck,” he swears, the sound of shuffling echoing through the line as he rushes to throw some clothes on. “I’ll be right there.” He ends the call without another word.

I pace the floor in front of the bed, resorting to biting the partially healed skin around my thumbnail. Colsen and Raiden have been great about redirecting the habit, but neither of them is here right now, and my anxiety is through the roof. Briggs starts to stir, mumbling in his sleep about penguins, of all fucking things. I kick his foot, needing some moral support.

“Angel,” he grumbles. “Come back to bed. The sun’s not even up yet, so why the hell are you?” He rolls over to check the video feed on the baby monitor, double-checking that Hudson is still sleeping. My heart warms at how seamlessly he’s gone from being flaky and detached to this incredibly sweet and thoughtful man.