The Game of Love: (BWWM Romance) (18 page)

Jessica tossed the phone to the floor and let her head fall into her hands. How could she have let this happen? Austin had been the perfect man: he was considerate, kind, loving, and faithful. He’d doted on her without so much as a complaint when she’d fractured her ankle trying out a short-lived “jogging in heels” fad that she’d heard about in Los Angeles. Even when he’d found out about her occasional cocaine habit, all he’d done was make her promise that she’d stop using and had worked on a meal plan with her chef as an alternative way for her to keep her slim figure. But greedily, she’d wanted more. Walter
Remos, with his seven-figure diamond-encrusted watch collection, luxury yacht, Gulfstream jet, and private island had dazzled her, and she let the dollar signs drag her into the arms of a man too old and peculiar for her tastes. His oddities she might have even been able to put up with if he’d at least been interested in marriage, but what good was an old billionaire if there was no wedding, thus no will to inherit money?

Then, as if the world was going to remain on hold just for her, she’d waltzed back in expecting to fall right back into Austin’s good graces. She’d noticed that there was something different about him at Chloe’s birthday party, but she would have never guessed that it was another woman. And one he grew up with? That made it even worse! It was like a fairy tale. Friends turned lovers. And she’d been the impetus. The force that had put their entire romance into motion.

Rising, she strode across the floor towards the balcony and ignored Marcus holding up his hand indicating yet another person that she needed to speak to. Now just wasn’t the right time.

“
Mizz
Costa?”

As he poked his head through the glass balcony doors, she realized that he obviously wasn’t well-versed in reading body language.

“Not now, Marcus.”

“But it’s Kyle Stallworth.” He jutted the phone towards her. “You told me to make sure to give you the phone if he called.”

Kyle Stallworth was the last person that she wanted to hear from at that moment as he was just another product of the small town in North Carolina where Austin was born, but she took the phone anyhow.

“Kyle.”

“Jessica.”

Even though he couldn’t see her, he could sense that she was frowning. “Something wrong, Jess? You sound upset. You and Austin had a fight?”

She cackled a laugh. “Austin and I will never ever be again, Kyle.”

“And why do you say that?”

She dabbed at her eyes. “Because he’s having a baby.”

All of a sudden, Kyle got a sinking feeling in the depths of his stomach. “What? With who?”

“I don’t know her. Maybe you might. Apparently, they grew up together.”

He hesitated as though he was thinking. “She’s from Yearwood?”

“Apparently. Drina and Trent went to their little baby shower get-together thing tonight. You didn’t go?”

He ignored the question. “Did she tell you how far along the woman was?”

“No.”

“Well, what does she look like? Did she say anything about that?”

“No.” Marcus reappeared and before he had a chance to relay his message, she waved him away. “All I know is that she is some gorgeous Black woman from his hometown who is so beautiful that she doesn’t need makeup.” She forced back more tears that threatened. “Oh, and that her name is Sommer.”

She felt Kyle’s change in emotion all the way through the phone.

“Sommer?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. It’s a pretty name. I would remember.”

A deep, guttural noise escaped from the back of his throat. “Jess, can I call you back?”

His abrupt need to end the call was suspicious, but Jessica wasn’t in the mood to pry.

“Yes, you can. I’m flying out to Australia tomorrow for a photo shoot. I will be there for a week.”

“Ok, no problem.”

As she ended the call, Marcus reappeared again.

“What is it now?”
she demanded.

“It’s Lorenzo. He’s calling with some specifics about your shoot in Sydney.”

Sighing, she followed him inside. It was time to throw herself back into her work as it was the only alternative that she currently had. She and Austin were no longer an option, and never in a million years would she have ever thought that knowing their relationship was officially over could hurt this much.

Picking up the phone, she inhaled to collect herself and plastered on a fake smile.

“Lorenzo. Hi.”

*****

Kyle had never understood the expression of “seeing red” until that moment as he sat in a brown leather club chair in the middle of his den. So, Sommer had gone to Texas after all. And even worse, she’d been stupid enough to let Austin knock her up.

The dark head of hair down near his thighs stopped moving.

“Something wrong?” The woman asked, looking up. He scowled down at her, stood, and trudged to his study. Jerking open a drawer, he rummaged through an assortment of papers before pulling out a business card. The woman reappeared in the doorway.

“Kyle?”

While he would normally be instantly aroused by a naked silhouette in his doorframe, he was so upset that he could barely see straight.

“I’m fine, Gina—”

“Tina,” she corrected.

“Dammit, you know your name.” He pointed to the ceiling. “Go upstairs and wait for me. I have business to take care of.”

It took all of his patience not to run over and shove her into motion with the slowness it took her to exit, but once she was gone, he went back to the den to grab his phone. After several tries, he finally got the number punched in.

“Luke
Maisley,” the person answered.

“Luke,
its Kyle Stallworth.”

Luke stretched his foot onto his desk. “Kyle, I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“That’s because I haven’t needed you to write any pieces about me for a while.”

Luke angled his head. “True. I’m assuming you have one now?”

Kyle took a series of deep breaths as his anger threatened to send him into a fit of dizziness. He couldn’t believe that Sommer would do this.
His
Sommer. The same Sommer that in high school, after lunch, would go outside to sit and read a book while the other girls giggled incessantly and flipped through gossip magazines. The same Sommer that had stupidly swooned over Austin Riley every single chance she got without ever knowing who Austin truly was, what he truthfully held in his heart, and what he was a product of.

“I do,” Kyle answered. “Four words: Montgomery, Alabama. William Riley.”

Chapter Eight

At 8:41am on the most perfect Tuesday morning that either Austin or
Sommer had ever witnessed, outside the hospital window, the bay glittered as the sun’s rays reflected off of its glass-like surface. For a millisecond, the hospital room fell completely still…until a shrill cry broke through the silence and resonated throughout the entire ward.

As the cry resounded, time slowed. Leaning forward, Austin peered into her eyes for the first time. His daughter. His little girl. So perfect with her ten toes, ten fingers, and pouty mouth
. She made her grand entrance by screaming at the top of her lungs to let everyone know that she was here and that she was well.

He looked over at
Sommer, whose eyes were already locked with his. Tired and breathtakingly beautiful, her face flushed before she mouthed, “Is she okay?”

All he could do was nod and take a step back to create a pathway for the nurse to place their perfect little girl in her mother’s arms. Immediately he was at
Sommer’s side pressing kisses to her temple, telling her how happy he was to have her, how much he loved her, and fumbling to find the right words to explain the complete elation he felt whenever he looked at their daughter.

Olivia.

He placed his finger in the small hand jutting out from the pink blanket, amazed at how tiny the grasp was on his finger, but how strong it felt wrapped around his heart. Even six weeks early, she weighed in at a solid six pounds and was eighteen-inches long.

“Austin.”

He looked at the woman who undoubtedly was going to be his wife one day.
Soon
.

“Hold her.”

Just as he’d done with his nephew, he cradled the blanket between his arms. Both his sister and mother had been right. There were absolutely no words to describe the mixture of pride, protectiveness, and love that was pumping through his veins. The feeling magnified when Olivia opened her eyes and looked up at him, her golden amber orbs glimmering as if they were his own reflection.

The word, “Wow,” seemed to rush uncontrollably from his mouth and
Sommer touched his arm.

“Yeah,” she added. “Wow.”

The door opened and Emma walked in with Caroline following behind. Austin swallowed a lump down the back of his throat at the sight of tears rushing from his mother’s eyes. She walked over and gently pulled the blanket away from Olivia’s face.

“
Sei bellissima
,” she said between tears. “Austin, Sommer, she is magnificent.”

Caroline, grasping a tissue in her hand, was speechless. With
Sommer as her only child, the first time she was diagnosed with cancer, one of her biggest fears had been that she would never see her daughter grow up, graduate from college, get married, or have children. When she’d gone into remission, she’d felt grateful for the extra time to be able to see her daughter grow and develop. But when the second wave hit, she never thought that she would ever get the chance that she was now granted. The chance to meet her grandbaby.

More tears surged forth.

“Sommer. My baby,” she managed to squeeze out. She tried a smile, but her face contorted as more tears of joy formed rivulets down her cheeks. Maneuvering around the bed, she opened her arms and Sommer squeezed herself into them. Both women cried as they silently reflected on all the past year had brought them, and that they couldn’t think of a better culmination to what had been the most trying period of both their lives.

“Ms. Caroline?” Austin called. “Ready to hold your granddaughter?”

She nodded and he tenderly placed the adorable little girl into her arms. It was just like holding Sommer again, from the tiny body and small face, to the outpouring of love.

“What did you two name her?” Emma asked, dabbing at the corners of his eyes.

“Olivia,” Sommer answered.

“Olivia Camden Riley,” Austin added.

Emma chuckled. “First Arielle names Antonio after my father, and now you two give Olivia my mother’s name.”

She wrapped an arm around Austin’s waist and he leaned down as she touched a kiss to his cheek. Then, she turned him to face her. Although he’d done a good job of keeping his composure up until that point, she knew that what she was about to tell him might unravel him completely.

As if he sensed it, he reluctantly met her eyes.

“Don’t doubt yourself,” she told him.

“Ma—”

“I’m serious, Austin.”

His gaze finally settled on hers, the brilliant orbs shining even brighter than before.

“Don’t doubt yourself, Austin,” she repeated. “You will never be to that little girl what he was to you. You’ll never do to that little girl
what he did to you. Regardless of what happened in the past, the man I see standing here today has surpassed all of that.”

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

“Honey, I need you to look at me,” she urged.

He took a deep breath and pulled back his lids to reveal the mist that now coated his eyes. “Ma,” he began, clearing his throat. “I never thought that I could know this. That I would know this. When I think about the fact that he tried to keep me from it, from her…”

He cleared his throat again.

“Ma, I
love
Sommer. I mean, I really
love
Sommer. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. And, Ma, she loves me. I don’t even have to think twice about it. And now, we have Olivia…”

His voice broke
, and then he hung his head and squeezed the space between his eyes. Emma nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. She’d watched from the sidelines as Austin had tried, countless amounts of times, to please a father that was just never going to be satisfied with who his son was. But, regardless of anything that had occurred in the past, this was Austin’s time and she knew that as long as he stayed true to the woman that he loved, and the child that they’d brought into the world together, he would be perfectly fine.

She pulled him into her
arms and held him close. It was years since she’d last held him like this and just like back then, he’d fought the tears that wanted to flow as if their existence threatened his manhood. But even without them streaming down his cheeks as they’d done when he was a little boy, she saw the emotion glittering across his face.