Romance: Sports Romance: ON SIDE (Secret Baby Pregnancy Football Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Fiction) by Raven Monet Read Free Book Online Page B

carefully, just waiting for Deacon to come out and continue our fight in the street. That was the old Deacon, at least. That's how he would have handled the situation. The new one was probably drowning his sorrows in whiskey, licking his wounds and cursing me out. Because no girl ever left Deacon Walker. He was proud of that when we'd first gotten together. He always left them. They got too needy, he said. They were too jealous, too controlling. But I was different, he'd said. Yeah, only because I didn't know any better.
    I backed out of the parking spot and drove home in silence. When I pulled up outside my house, I pulled out a mirror and made sure to wipe away any stray mascara. Didn't want to look like I'd been crying.
    I'd have to tell him. One way or another, I had to tell him about Deacon. But I couldn't let him see me cry. I couldn't let him know it affected me or hit me as hard as it had. Though even I was surprised it had affected me at all. My tears were mostly anger mixed with some past hurt that would take a long ass time to go away. But I didn't want to explain that to him.
    Before going inside, I slipped the ring back on my finger. Staring down at the brilliant diamond – a full karat, princess cut solitaire – I couldn't help but smile. I didn't wear the ring at work since not wearing it was helpful in collecting a little more in tips. They said it was better for business to pretend you were single. Let the drunk fools think they stood a chance.
    The living room light was on, which meant he was still up. Waiting up for me. No matter how early he had to be up for work, he always tried to stay up and wait for me to get home.
    It was the little things that made me appreciate my new life.
    The front door opened and there he stood, checking on me since it was taking me awhile to come inside. I exited the car and rushed toward him, ready to feel his arms around me again. And as soon as we were together, he wrapped me in a bear hug, pulling me close and kissing me.
    “How was it tonight?” he asked, stroking my cheek. His dark eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Everything okay, baby?”
    “Everything is fine,” I said, catching myself in a lie. “Well, maybe not everything. But let's go inside and talk, okay Micah?”
    “Of course,” he said, ushering me inside the house. He'd moved in with me about two months ago. The house my mama left me when she'd passed. It was larger than his place and had more room for a nursery. Or several nurseries as he liked to joke. As soon as we were inside and the door was closed, he pulled me close.
    “Talk to me, sweetie.”
    “Deacon is in town,” I blurted out, feeling it best to get it out in the open.
    His body tensed up and his expression grew grim. I looked up at those familiar dark eyes, stroking the stubble on his chin. I knew the news would bother him. It always bothered him when his brother was in town.
    “Does he still hate me?” he asked sarcastically. We both knew the answer to that.
    “I'm sure he does,” I laughed. “He will never forgive you for not following in the family footsteps.”
    “Well, he can just deal with it. That's not me,” he said, turning those beautiful dark eyes to me. “And how about you, Lucy? Did he upset you at all?”
    Sighing, I nodded, admitting the truth. “Only because he insists this child is his.”
    Micah tensed up again, but this time, his fists were balled up at his side.
    “I told him it wasn't.”
    “Does he know whose it is yet?”
    “Not yet. He doesn't know about us. but God, when he finds out...” tears burned my eyes and there was a knot in my belly.
    Last time, Micah had gotten Deacon pretty good. But Deacon was wasted, not expecting it – especially not from his twin brother. Micah had always been the softer, gentler of the two. The one who usually chose non-violent tactics to solve problems. Deacon had underestimated Micah and paid for it. But I highly doubted he'd make the same mistake again.
    “Shhh,