Dragon Romance: Dragon Fire (Paranormal Shapeshifter Hero Protector Firefighter Romance) (Fantasy Shifter Werewolf BBW Pregnancy Women’s Fiction Short Stories) (39 page)

“You’ve just ruined me woman,” I said and she giggled then pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

“Good, then you’ll never be anywhere else,” she said and I hugged her tighter against me and we made out like a couple of teenagers.

* * *

We spent every day together until Tuesday, locked up in her apartment. Neither of us minded one bit. Come Wednesday though, we both had to get back to work and reality. I honestly didn’t want to share her with the world yet. I had stopped by her condo after getting dressed at my place. She smiled when she opened the door and I had grown to recognize the smile as especially for me.

“What are you doing back here? You should be getting ready for the game and at the arena already,” she said, pulling me inside. I bent down to give her a few kisses more than necessary.

“I know, but I wanted to see you before the game just in case you were busy during,” she rolled her eyes at me and laughed.

“You have to be focused on the game, not looking for me in the crowd okay? We’ll see each other after the game anyways,” she reminded me and I nodded before I kissed her again. We hadn’t left her foyer and I was content in keeping her in the cozy bubble we’ve just created for ourselves.

“Fine, we’ll ride to the game together. Wait here while I get my bag,” she said and I of course followed her up to her bedroom. “I said to wait for a reason!” Tiffany said as I picked her up and went to plop her down on the bed.

“We have time, we have time…the game doesn’t start for another two hours,” I said and lowered my mouth to her neck. We made love.

*****

Tiffany

The last couple of weeks have been spent with Anthony and little else. We were infatuated with each other. I loved spending time with him and he hardly allowed much time to go by without our being together. The news of our relationship could hardly be kept a secret because of that, and soon it was all over the tabloids: Anthony Rhodes was dating the New York Reds PR director Tiffany Lincoln.

Meanwhile, a big game was coming up for the Reds. It would guarantee whether they made it into the playoffs or not.

Anthony was uncharacteristically nervous about the game and he had been spending more and more time at practice. I didn’t mind though because it afforded me time to get actual work done and to take care of myself a little. I had just come home from the gym and jogged up to my bathroom for a shower. I had run out of body wash and reached into the cabinet under the sink to grab the extra. My hand brushed against the pink cardboard box of tampons, I paused and then pulled the box out from under the sink as well.

“When was the last time I had my period…?” I said to myself. I counted back the weeks and double counted. I was two weeks late.

My veins infused with ice and my heart sped up before I dropped what I was holding onto the vanity counter and bolted out to get a home pregnancy test. I jogged to the nearest drug store and stood in the feminine care aisle for what felt like hours staring at an array of pregnancy tests I could take.

“How late are you?” The voice startled me out of my daze and I turned to see a little motherly old lady standing next to me with a cart full of stuff to stock shelves. She wore a blue vest and a name tag that read ‘Nancy’. Her white hair was pulled into a bun and her brown eyes seemed kind.

“About two weeks,” I said and she grabbed a pink box and handed it to me. Then reached for another one.

“Just to be sure darling. Good luck,” she said before she continued on down the aisle. I didn’t even get to thank her before she disappeared around the corner. I went to pay for the pregnancy tests and then hurried back to my place. There was a game in about an hour and Anthony really wanted me there since they’d be playing their rival Miami again, and we had met at a Miami game. He’d know something was up if I was late, and he had the uncanny ability to see right through me if I told even a white lie. I went back to the bathroom and read the instructions on the back of the box and googled how to take as accurate a home pregnancy test as possible. I went back downstairs to get a disposable plastic cup and then went to do my business. After I had a decent enough sample I dipped the two differing pregnancy tests into the cup and then set them down at the edge of the sink before I got rid of the cup.

To try and calm my nerves, I took a shower and went to get dressed for the game before the timer went off for me to check them. My heart literally stopped beating in my chest for two whole seconds. Both tested positive. The room kind of started to spin around me and I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do next. I was…I was
pregnant
. With Anthony’s baby no less. How was I going to tell him? What would he think? Negative thoughts started coming. What if he thought I did it on purpose, that I wanted to trap him into a relationship or something? I paced around the bathroom and started to freak out a little bit.

Then my phone rang and I lifted my hand and saw it was Anthony. I answered on the third ring and I could hear sounds of the arena in the background.

“Hey baby, did you get in yet?” he asked and I had to clear my throat before responding.

“Uh no my workout ran a little over and I’m just about to leave my place now,” I said. Someone in the background called Anthony’s name.

“Okay baby, I gotta go, but I’ll see you when you get here,” he said and I nodded before the line went dead. What was I thinking?
Tell
Anthony? He had his career to worry about, he was two games away from the biggest of his career that season. I couldn’t throw him off balance by telling him that I was pregnant.

I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and then I cleaned up the bathroom before I went to the arena to watch Anthony play.

*****

Anthony

I had just left Tiffany’s place and she seemed a bit weird. She’d been acting strange ever since the Miami game and I wondered if it was because I was spending more time practicing and training. She kept assuring me that I was fine and urging me to focus on the game more, but I knew
something
was up. I had to nearly beg her to come to tonight’s game. Yeah it was important that we win, but I wanted her there for when we did win. When we had a moment alone later, I would put my foot down and ask what was wrong.

I pushed worry about Tiffany to the side as I got to the arena and focused on the game. I hurried and changed into uniform and then went out onto the court to do pre-game warm ups and stretches and exercises. I noticed Tiffany get to her seat right behind mine on the bench and flashed her a smile. She gave me a weak one in return and I was about to go and see if she was okay when the coach called the team off the court. Tip-off was about to start. I kept my eyes on her and she mouthed at me to focus and gave me two thumbs up. I relaxed a little when she started acting like herself and I focused on what the coach was saying.

“Anthony, you’re gonna be in and out of the game
every
quarter, stay hydrated, guys this is just another W we’re gonna get, don’t let anything get to your heads…” the coach gave his pep talk and then the other team was being announced onto the court. After the National Anthem was sung I jogged out onto the court with the other four starters and soon the ball was tipped. I boxed out my defender and caught the ball. The crowd cheered, reaching new deafening levels and I tuned them out to focus on the court.

The first half of the game was good. We kept up the pace and moved the ball constantly I was always open for making a bucket. By the time half time came around we were twelve points up in the game.

“We gotta keep the momentum going, don’t lose your heads now boys!” Dawson was keyed up and shouting nonsense as he paced around the locker room at half time. “We’re doing great guys, don’t take those easy shots for granted and only shoot for threes if you
know
you’re going to get them. That’s how we get behind is trying to show off. Keep up the pace; they’re ten steps behind us and we want to keep them that way.”

The guys were all pumped up for the second half and we had a good comradery walking back out onto the court after half time. 

Before half time was over I got to give Tiffany a kiss and she whispered in my ear, “Good luck baby,” before I was yelled at to keep my head in the game. The second half of the game was a bit tough as the other team got it together and matched our pace. They were slowly, but steadily closing the lead as their defense worked overtime. I had to beg the coach to put me in the game so I could help the team keep a decent lead.

It was the fourth quarter and there was only a minute left on the clock which was entirely too much time. The other team was only down by five points. All they needed was a three and to get fouled and we’d either go into overtime or depending on where they picked up the foul they could win by a point in free throws. Everyone was looking to me to further our lead, but I wasn’t feeling my three point shot that night.

“Come on Anthony, shoot the three!” Dawson passed me the ball and I shook my opponent and created space for myself to shoot, I stepped behind the three-point line and let the ball go. It felt as if the entire arena quieted until we heard the swoosh of the ball passing through the net. The crowd went wild, but we still had a whole thirty seconds to keep playing. The other team called time out and our coach put the rookie Rogers in the game.

The other team had possession of the ball, but just as they were passing it to their point guard Rogers stole the ball and powered it down the court, I ran alongside him, happy as hell and he tossed the ball up for an alley-oop. I dunked it into the net just as the final buzzer went off. The crowd went nuts. We had secured our spot in the playoffs. I hugged Rogers tight and the team ran onto the court as we celebrated. Just as everyone ran away from the bench though I had an unhindered sight to Tiffany. She was holding a bottle of water and dropped it just as her legs gave out and she passed out and fell to the floor.

“Tiffany!” I yelled over the crowd. A few of the guys registered the horror on my face. I didn’t know what to think.

“Oh shit, go get her man!” A few of the guys who noticed ran over with me and a couple of the medics on the court moved us out of the way so they could examine her.

“We gotta get her to the hospital, she has a pulse, it just seems like she fainted,” they were saying and I stood and watched while an ambulance stretcher was brought out and Tiffany was loaded onto it. Her eyes were still closed and her chest was only moving a little.

“What hospital are you taking her to?” I asked one of the paramedics and they told me they would take her to NY Memorial. Then they rushed her out of the arena. I barely saw or heard anyone as I hurried into the locker room to get my stuff and then went to my car to speed to the hospital, still sweaty and in my uniform and all. I wondered if she had something going on with her medically and didn’t want to tell me to worry me. Maybe that’s what was wrong with her all along.

As I drove, I thought I was an idiot for not paying closer attention to her. Of course she’s been acting strangely. Sometimes I’d catch her pressing a hand to her temple or holding onto a chair after standing. She’d complained about feeling faint twice and then she’s quickly brushed it off when I asked her about it.

When I got to the hospital I quickly parked in the parking garage and ignored all the stares and people recognizing me as I followed signs through the hospital to the emergency room.

“Y—you’re Anthony Rhodes!” said the guard who sat in front of the visitor’s desk, next to an orderly. I nodded impatiently. “I was just watching you on TV man! Great game.”

I sighed and then turned my attention to the orderly who thankfully was attentive as I gave her Tiffany’s name.

“I need to see her, is there any way you can get me back there miss?” I asked. Thankfully the orderly, a short, middle-aged woman, sympathized with me. She told the guard that she was going to show me back to where Tiffany was.

“If anyone asks, just say she has no other family in the city and you are her fiancé.”

The orderly led me to a small room at the end of a corridor. The glass door was closed and the curtain drawn. The nurse slid open the door a fraction so I could step inside and when I did it took me a moment to realize what I was seeing.

Tiffany was awake and relief spread through me like cooling water. Tiffany was on the bed with her belly exposed. A female doctor was using an ultrasound scanner on Tiffany’s belly. Neither Tiffany nor the doctor had noticed I was standing there yet because they both were focused on the ultrasound monitor.

“See there? Those two little dots like little beans? Those are your babies, and they look perfectly fine.”

Babies
? Tiffany was pregnant? My eyebrows furrowed and I looked at the screen again, I saw them, the two little round specks really.

“I can’t tell…” Tiffany said with a waver to her voice. There was a lot of static noise on the screen but I could make out the part that was her uterus and the two little white dots inside.

“They’re right there…” I said softly and the doctor turned just as Tiffany registered my voice and her eyes met mine.

“I am guessing…this is the father?” the doctor said and Tiffany nodded weakly while her eyes filled up with tears.