SPORTS BABY (A Secret Baby Romance) Read online

  Contents

  TITLE: SPORTSBABY

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  BONUS #1 - SCORE

  ALYSSA

  BLAKE

  ALYSSA

  BLAKE

  ALYSSA

  BLAKE

  ALYSSA

  BLAKE

  ALYSSA

  BLAKE

  ALYSSA

  BONUS #2 - CHANCE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CONNECT!

  SPORTS

  BABY

  (A Secret Baby

  Romance)

  By

  Mia Carson

  COPYRIGHT © 2016

  All Rights Reserved

  CHAPTER 1

  Danny had never been much of a girlie-girl, so this little adventure with her mom was seriously pushing it. She had been excited to spend time with her mom over spring break. What she hadn’t expected was pink nails and toes to match.

  “I love that color on you, sweetie, and your hair! The boys are going to be tripping over themselves to get to you,” Danny’s mom, Karen, said. Her eyes grew watery, and her daughter fought the urge to roll her eyes at the overdramatic response. “You’ve grown up into a beautiful woman.”

  “Yeah, I knew that before you decided to torture me all day long.”

  “It’s your eighteenth birthday,” Karen said, sniffing hard and wiping her nose with a tissue the manicurist offered her. She sat at a table across from her daughter and told the other women how Danny was having a full day of pampering to show off just how wonderful she was.

  Danny knew what she looked like, but growing up with her dad had turned her into more of a tomboy, something her mother had never liked. Not that she had been around enough to help with that. As far as Danny was concerned, she didn’t get the right to care.

  “Danielle, what do you think about highlights? Blonde? Or maybe a darker shade of red?”

  Danny groaned as the woman continued to work on her nails. “Mom, my hair is fine, really.”

  “No, it’s not. You only turn eighteen once. Time for something different, something fun.”

  “Not everyone wants to be like you, Mom,” Danny muttered and sank lower into her chair. “Really, the nails are enough.”

  “Nonsense. Your hair and makeup, and then we’re going shopping. New clothes are in order.”

  Too much… It was always too much, but that was what her mom did every time the two of them were together. Danny’s parents had been divorced for over ten years, and her dad had custody, partly because Karen never had a stable job and partly because Danny was sure her mom hadn’t wanted to raise her while she gallivanted around the world with a new boyfriend every other month. She saw her mom three times a year, maybe, and every time was like this, though usually not this bad. Her eighteenth birthday had been the day before, so Karen was going overboard—on everything. Danny couldn’t wait for the week to be over so she could go back to her own life. A few more months, and she’d be out of hell-school and on to college somewhere far, far away, earning that photography career she dreamed of.

  “Pick a color. Your hair is next,” Karen said, and the look on her face said it wasn’t up for debate.

  Danny didn’t say another word while the woman finished her nails and she was moved to the stylist’s chair. Eight hours later, when they finally made it back to her mom’s town home, Danny’s feet hurt, she was cranky as hell, and she was ready to strangle her mom with one of the new scarves they’d bought.

  “I just don’t understand why you don’t have a boyfriend yet,” Karen muttered as she laid her bags on the kitchen table. “I mean, really, Danny, have you even kissed a boy yet?”

  “Wow, can we not get into this right now? It’s bad enough I’m dressed up in a skirt and heels. I really don’t need a lecture on my love life. I’m a teenager!”

  “No, you are eighteen, which means you are a young woman. You’re leaving for college soon, and if you don’t have any experience with boys by then, I’m worried… I’m worried you’ll end up…”

  “Like you and Dad?”

  Karen’s face fell, and Danny’s annoyance at her mom slipped a little. Her mom had found out she was pregnant at eighteen. Her dad had tried to make things work, but they hadn’t. Her mom had given up and blamed her father for putting her in the situation with no other options. She’d yelled at him over and over about how he had manipulated her into thinking he cared about her and thinking they could make it work. Danny’s dad, Rick, loved Karen still, no matter what she thought of him. He told Danny every day he wished he could’ve made life better for them, but his hands had been tied.

  And now her mom was warning her not to make the same mistakes she did.

  “Dad didn’t manipulate you, Mom. You fell in love. It happens,” Danny commented.

  “What would you know about love, Danny? You’re so young.”

  “I watched Dad’s face when you left him. Kind of hard to miss when he’s crying as you walked out the door,” she said and rolled her eyes.

  “Stop, Danny. It’s over between your dad and me, all right? Stop talking about it,” she said and took a deep breath, her hands twisting in her jacket. “Just do me a favor and be careful who you give your heart to.”

  Danny couldn’t stand to see either of her parents hurt, so she wrapped her mom in a firm hug. “I will, Mom, promise.”

  “And for God’s sake, use protection if you have sex.”

  “Jesus, really?” She dropped her arms and stepped back.

  “Yes, really. You might not think it’ll happen anytime soon, but you never know.” Karen’s eyes brightened as she looked at her daughter, and Danny knew at that moment, she looked like the girl her mom always wanted her to be. Not a tomboy, but a young woman showing off creamy skin that was somehow acne-free for the last two years, shapely eyebrows over dark blue eyes, and full lips. Usually, Danny hid her face with her long, dark red curls, but her mom had them pulled back and highlights added to lighten them. That, and the makeup piled on, made her feel like a whole new person.

  Danny carried her bags of clothes upstairs as her mom picked up the phone to order takeout. She never had learned to cook. Danny dumped the bags on her bed and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and flipping on the lights.

  “Oh, dear God,” she whispered when she saw her reflection.

  At the salon, she’d seen her appearance but hadn’t looked too hard. Now, without her mom oohing and ahhing over her shoulder, she was able to get a good look. It was a good thing she was mostly a loner, or her friends would have given her a hard time about not being recognizable. Hell, she almost didn’t recognize herself.

  She wiped some of the makeup off and messed up her hair to cover her face again. Danny knew she was pretty, but she didn’t like the attention. She had never fit in well at school. She and her dad had been at the lower end of the income bracket, which hadn’t put her with the rich kids, but kids like her acted like hard-asses. They walked around, bitter all the
time, hating everyone. Danny avoided everyone and stuck to what she knew—being herself and focusing on her studies. Her camera was her shield, used to distance her from the world so she could get through, day by day.

  A few more months and one more summer with her dad. College waited in New York, and she was more than ready to go. She refused to live in New Orleans, where her mom was for the moment, and she was tired of being stuck in the same old small town with her dad. Everybody knew everybody, and it got boring after a while.

  “Danny! Food’s on its way!”

  “Right, Mom, I’m coming!” She washed off the rest of the makeup, knowing she’d get a lecture for it, and traipsed back downstairs.

  ***

  On the first morning back to school after spring break, Jack was eager to see his friends and more eager to start classes again, only so they could officially be over. He was ready for the big time—hitting college campuses and making a name for himself on the football team. As the best running back in the district, he had been noticed by the scouts. He had been given a scholarship and was ready to go. High school was over for him, and all he wanted to do was get out and away.

  “Dude! There he is,” Tom yelled down the hall, and Jack groaned.

  “Man, we’ve been looking for you! You’ve got to check out the new girl. She’s smoking hot, man, and I mean smoking,” Brent added, giving Jack a good-natured slap. “You need someone after your breakup with Wendy.”

  Jack shuddered at the mention of her name. Wendy had been his girlfriend for most of high school—until four months ago, when he’d caught her cheating on him with a college guy. He’d broken it off, but she was still trying to get him back. Typical.

  “Nah, guys, I’m good. Besides, year’s almost over. I don’t want to start anything.”

  “Just come see her,” Brent nudged. “Just one look and you can go back to being a monk.”

  Jack knew they weren’t going to let up, so he followed them down the hall to the courtyard. The air was chilly despite being late spring, and goose bumps shot up his muscled arms. The sky was overcast, usual for this time of year in Montana. He glanced around and shrugged.

  “Right, where’s the new girl?”

  “There, man, the redhead,” Tom pointed discreetly. “Man, I might ask her out. I can’t help it.”

  Jack’s eyes landed on the dark red, curly hair with blonde highlights and the lean legs sticking out of the knee-length black skirt. When she turned, he was graced with a view of cleavage under a white blouse. His eyes lifted, and he saw her face. His mouth went dry and he frowned. It couldn’t be her… But he knew that face. Everyone did, except he knew it without the makeup highlighting her cheekbones and smooth complexion.

  “Guys, she’s not new. That’s Danny O’Donnelly.”

  Tom and Brent stopped laughing and squinted. “No, it’s not,” Brent said. “She never wears skirts or makeup. That is not Danny.”

  “Yeah, it is,” he said quietly, unable to pull his gaze away.

  Danny was pretty, and not too long ago, they’d been friends, but she kept to herself and had changed over the past few years. The Danny he knew never dressed in anything but jeans and t-shirts. Now, dressed like that, showing curves he hadn’t realized she had, Jack felt the urge to talk to her. Whatever she’d done over spring break had changed her. Maybe she’d actually reply in complete sentences.

  Without telling his friends what he was up to, he walked across the courtyard, lost in a daze as he stepped up beside her. “Hey, Danny,” he said, and she jumped, dropping an armful of books. “Damn… Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She frowned and bent to pick them up, but he beat her to it. “Thanks, and you didn’t,” she said, taking a step backwards. “Did you need something?”

  “No, just wanted to say hi. How was your spring break?”

  Danny’s eyes darted around them, and Jack vaguely realized half the school had stopped to stare at their star running back talking to the loner. “It was fine. Saw my mom. Yours?”

  “Boring. Not much to do.”

  “Why would a rich person ever have anything to do?” she muttered rudely, and her face instantly turned red. She scuffed her boot on the concrete. “I’m sorry, that was rude. I didn’t mean to say that.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s okay. I didn’t realize it bothered you.”

  “It doesn’t. I just had a shitty morning,” she muttered. “Look, I have to get to class. Can we do this later?”

  He grinned. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  “What? No,” she huffed. “I mean… No, that’s not what I said—”

  “Great, it’s a date then,” he interrupted. “I’ll pick you up around seven tonight.”

  “It’s a Monday. What the hell are we going to do on a Monday night?”

  “I’m sure I’ll think of something. See you tonight,” he said and stepped aside so she could pass.

  Danny tucked her books higher in her arms and walked away, glancing back every few seconds to stare at him with narrowed eyes and thinned lips.

  A minute later, Brent and Tom appeared beside him. “Dude, what just happened?” Brent asked.

  “I asked her out on a date.”

  “Danny? You asked Danny, the loner redhead, on a date? Why?”

  Jack shrugged one shoulder, hoisting his backpack up on his other. “I haven’t a clue. See you guys later, though,” he said and hurried to his first class as the warning bell rang.

  Why had he asked her out? Was it really because she looked hotter than he’d ever seen her before? Was he that shallow? But when he’d started talking to her, he’d felt like they were back in middle school. Once upon a time, when they were younger, they’d been friends. Then her parents had divorced, and she’d turned inward. By the end of middle school, she was bitter about her mom leaving her dad on his own and had stopped talking to Jack altogether. His family was rich and pretty much owned the whole town.

  He’d stopped trying to befriend her after that. Until today. Her face had been bright and open, instead of closed off and pissed at the world, almost like old times. Jack hoped whatever she had gone through over break had been for the best and maybe he’d get a chance to get her to open up again.

  And maybe I can kiss those beautiful lips.

  The thought crossed his mind fast, and several more followed. She’d grown into a damn fine woman, better than most at the school. She wasn’t skinny, but well-toned with curves he itched to put his hands on. Jack didn’t care about his classes at all that day. He had a date and was ready for it.

  ***

  Danny had no idea what she was doing. She’d gone home around three, dropped off her stuff, grabbed a sandwich, and stood in front of her closet, just staring. A date. She’d never been on a damn date. And it was with the one person in the school she never thought she’d talk to again.

  “Hey hon, what are you doing?” her dad asked.

  “I don’t know exactly,” she said.

  “Want to tell me why you look panicked?”

  Danny turned to her dad, her eyes wide like a deer’s, and muttered, “I’m going on a date.”

  He cracked a smile and chuckled. “You’re going on a date, and you’re worried? Who’s it with?”

  “Jack Pearson.”

  Rick’s smile fell, and his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “Oh, well then. That changes things. I understand the panic.” He looked away from her face, then back again, his eyes shining with mischief, just like Danny’s did when she wasn’t panicking. “What time is he coming to get you?”

  “Seven. Why?”

  “Well, it’s quarter ‘til.”

  “What! Oh, my God… Dad, you have to stall him! He’s going to be here any second!” she shrieked.

  “You have fifteen minutes, Danny. Just throw something on.”

  Her mouth fell open, and she felt something she’d never felt before—true panic at being seen out in public. “Go, please… stall or some
thing? I’ll be down soon.”

  Rick chuckled and told her he would do his best. He left her to dig through the closet. Danny had clothes from her visit with her mom, but she had no idea what was a good choice for a Monday night date. She didn’t even know what they were going to do! See a movie maybe? Or dinner? Nothing looked good to her, but the doorbell rang and then it was too late.

  She grabbed the first thing her hand fell on and dressed quickly. Rick let Jack in, but she couldn’t hear what they said to each other as she dressed in the denim skirt, which hugged her butt and hips, and the long-sleeved, black peasant blouse with a black cardigan that laced up the back. She slipped into knee-high black boots and checked her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed, and a smile curled her full lips. She was excited to be going on a date.

  When had that happened? Danny didn’t even know why she was doing this. Because you’re lonely, you idiot. You’ve never been on a date before, so just shut up and do it!

  Jack was pretty hot, and years ago, they’d been friends. Time changed people—mostly her—but he had stuck to his crowd of rich, popular kids throughout high school. There’d never been a chance for her to step back into his life, even if she had wanted to. Yet here he was, standing in her house and ready to take her on a date.

  She grabbed her purse, tried to push her mom’s words about not having any experience with boys out of her mind, and darted downstairs.

  “There you are,” her dad said. “I was just asking Jack what you two were up to on a Monday night.”

  Danny’s boots clicked across the hardwood floor, and she stopped at the sight of Jack wearing tight jeans, a tight black t-shirt to match, and a smile that touched his grey eyes. “Yeah,” she forced the word out. “What are we doing tonight?”

  “That music festival is still going on at the park,” he said. “I have tickets.”

  Danny bit back the retort she wanted to throw at him and nodded. “Sounds good to me. Dad, I’ll be home around ten.”

  “You’re eighteen,” he told her. “I trust you to know when you need to be home.” He kissed her cheek and gently shoved her towards the door. “Have fun, kids.”