“Why did you insist on meeting me at the hotel?” I’m referencing Florida way back.
He tries to suppress his boyish grin, but his dimples appearing give him away. “It can be fun to follow the whirlwind path of attraction. But I think… there can be a bolt of lightning between two people, and it simply can’t be ignored… so I took the initiative.”
I like his answer, but I’m just not sure what to do with it. “Well… a whirlwind path of surprise obstacles we have followed.”
“Obstacles, hmm.” His eyes drop down then fly up. “Last night… right.” His T is sharp before he gives me a faint smile and leaves me for the shower.
Inside me, fear swirls again, in case we just ruined any chance to make the co-parenting thing work. Then realization hits me that it’s not that; I’m scared it won’t work between us as two people in a relationship.
* * *
A few days later,I’m sitting with my brother in the living room on the couch.
“You’re really doing it then, leaving for Seattle?” I am sad about it, but Briggs is right that I’ll still see him, especially during the summer.
“It’s for the best. Besides, it means the dynamic between Vaughn and I can be strictly somewhat… I don’t know… but you bind us.” He struggles to form an explanation.
“You’re not leaving because of him, right?”
Briggs waves me off. “Nah, I was already in discussions before he graced us with his presence, I told you that.”
I touch his arm. “Good. If you’re happy then I’m happy.” It’s a lie, I’ll miss him.
Briggs ended up living in Lake Spark for the Spinners, and it just so happened that I found a job too. We’ve always been around one another, not only as siblings but also friends. Now part of my family will be away.
I begin to rub circles on my belly when a weird feeling hits me, one that I’ve been having all day, but it’s not a cause for alarm.
He groans a sound. “Dare I ask if Vaughn is stepping up?”
I shake my head. “You have to accept all of this. Plus…” I splay my hands out to display the house. “Do you not see that he is providing?”
Briggs snickers. “It takes more than that to be a father. A good father, I mean.”
“I need to give him a chance and so should you.” I wince and a strained breath hits me.
My brother notices. “You okay?”
“Totally. How about a fresh round of drinks?”
He begins to stand. “I’ll get it.”
I grab his arm. “No, I need to keep moving, and this can be my exercise.”
Briggs listens and lets me stand and walk in the direction of the kitchen. However, the moment I’m next to the kitchen island, I take hold of the counter when I feel an unusual sensation, and I swear I hear a pop.
My eyes draw a line down to my dress, and then I see water trickling down my bare leg.
“Oh no.” Panic hits me.
Briggs is up on his feet and racing toward me in no time. “What is it?”
“I think my water just broke.”
19
VAUGHN
Sitting on Declan’s plane back to Lake Spark, the coaching and management staff study the schedule for our new players as Declan and I sit next together a good distance from everyone. The new players we drafted are very young, and we quickly need to get them settled in their new surroundings, while they also tackle development training and full-on marketing appearances.
