University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (64 page)

“What have you been through?” Mom
questioned, as if I didn’t know what I was talking about. “You have no idea
what it’s like to be pregnant with twins, deliver them, and raise them.”

“Not yet, but if I haven’t lost them by
now, then it’s meant to be.”

Mom and Dad looked confused and I knew
I’d said too much. Why couldn’t I just keep it simple? I knew there wasn’t an
easy way out of this one.

“Let me explain.” My shoulders dropped
as all my energy drained from me. Arguing with my mom sucked the life out of
me. “I had an IUD and got pregnant with it, so they had to remove it. The
doctor said there was a twenty-five percent chance I could lose the babies.”

“Oh, Lexi.” Dad placed his hand on my
back, giving me a gentle rub. “I’m sorry.”

“So, yes, I was being responsible, but
it didn’t work. So there you have it. I’m pregnant with twins, so I could
really use your support. I need to see a doctor and, if possible, stay on your
insurance until I figure out what the hell I’m going to do.”

“How are you going to go to grad school?”
Mom still wasn’t getting it.

“I don’t know. I have the summer to
think about it.”

Mom fell back against the couch. With
her hand on her forehead, she looked just as spent as me. “My God, Lexi. You
graduate on Saturday and you’re just telling us.”

“I found out a few days ago. What did
you want me to do? Call you the second I left the health center?”

Mom rubbed her head. “I need an aspirin.
Travis, will you please—”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got it.” Dad went to
the kitchen to fetch mom her copout, like always.

Dad returned with her aspirin and a
glass of water. “Thank you, hon.”

“I think you should seriously consider
moving back home. Having two babies at once is a lot of work.” He handed me a
glass of water.

“Thanks, Dad.” After taking a few gulps,
I said, “I know and I probably will, but give me some time to get my head
straight, please.”

“Does Raven know?” Mom pressed the cold
glass of water to her forehead, as if she were the one pregnant and facing a
life changing event.

“Not yet.”

“Are you going to tell him? Because I
think he has a right to know,” Dad chimed in.

“I know. It just that…” I closed my
eyes, trying to fight the emotions tugging at my heart and stirring the babies
in my belly. Would I ever be okay without Raven? I wanted him to be a part of
the babies’ lives. It was only right.

Dad kneeled next to me. Taking my hands
in his, he said, “It’s okay, Lexi. You’ve got plenty of time to decide what you
want to do. And whatever you decide, we will be here to help you. You can count
on that.”

Tears dripped from my eyes. “Thanks,
Dad. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

“I love you, princess” He rose up and
kissed me on the forehead.

“And I love you, too, sweetie.” Mom
joined us, wrapping an arm around me. “This won’t be easy, but I’ll help you,
if you want.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

We hugged and cried. It was the best
family hug I’d ever had in the whole twenty-one years I’d been alive. Why did
it take something so drastic to bring us together?

***

“Thank God,” Luke muttered as the last
row of graduates approached the stage.

“Tell me about it. I’m dying over here.”
I shifted and stretched in my chair. The Texas sun was directly overhead and
being outside in the middle of May on the football field wasn’t exactly fun. I
had no idea how Raven played in the heat while wearing so much equipment. My
cheeks flushed just thinking about it. “You have to stop somewhere before we
head to Ashley’s. I’m starving to death.”

Luke shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”

Saturday had arrived before I knew it
and we were at the end of our three hour graduation ceremony. Excitement was
definitely in the air and I struggled with my emotions once again. Luckily,
Luke and I were sitting side by side, since we shared a last name, and I had
him for support. The pangs of pregnancy hunger and sleep called to me. I had no
idea how I’d made it this far. Maybe it was because I knew I was closing one
chapter in my life and getting ready for the next.

“Graduates, please stand,” the dean of
admissions announced.

We stood, donning our purple robes and
square graduation caps, proud of our accomplishments. Whistles echoed throughout
the crowd and a few whoops followed. Laughter spread throughout and I smiled,
even though part of me was a little sad. It was supposed to be a joyous day and
it was, but something was missing. And that something was Raven. Being on the
field he’d played on for three years didn’t seem right. Especially since I was
carrying his babies. Without warning, the waterworks released and I blotted my
eyes for the umpteenth time.

“Graduates, if you will take your
tassels and flip them to the left.” The dean demonstrated on his own tassel and
we followed. Silly string sprayed through the air, covering us in a web of
purple and white. More tears fell and I couldn’t help but feel excited. I had
finally earned my degree. “Parents and friends, I’m happy to introduce the
graduates of Park Hill University!” The dean of admissions spread his arms and
the crowd erupted into a loud cheer. Confetti shot out, covering us in a
rainbow of colors. Luke took out a bullhorn and squeezed it several times.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to have that.”
I pushed his arm down, hoping no one saw, but he didn’t care, doing it three
more times.

“We did it, Sis! We did it!” Luke threw
his arms around me, picking me up.

I squealed. “Yes, we did!”

After we hugged some of our friends and
wished them well, the field filled with families and friends. Everyone darted
in different directions as they searched for their loved ones. Luke held my
hand as we searched through the crowd, hearing a familiar voice.

“Luke! Lexi!” Delaney jumped up and
down, waving at us.

“Laney!” Luke ran to her and picked her
up, spinning her around as he kissed her repeatedly. Never had I seen my
brother display that much emotion. Delaney had definitely changed him. Maybe
for the better.

“We did it!” they said in unison as they
hugged.

“Lexi, come here.” Delaney waved for me
to join them. “We graduated!” She threw her arms around my neck and my brother
encased his arms around both of us. No doubt, it was a great day, but I just
couldn’t seem to get as excited as they were. Something was wrong with me.

“Selfie, selfie.” Delaney held up her
phone and snapped a pic of us. “Damn, I wish I had my camera.”

“Make sure you bring it tonight,” Luke
told her.

“I will.” Delaney’s head darted to the
side. “Look, there’s Jordan and Forbes.” She waved at them and they shuffled
toward us.

“Oh my God, we’re graduates!” Jordan
jumped up and down, screaming at the top of her lungs. Forbes looked equally
excited as he yelled and hooted. Everyone had their special someone to
celebrate with, except for me. Out of the corner of my eye, huddled with a few
other baseball players, was Collin. I ducked my head in the crowd and hoped he
hadn’t seen me. He was the last person I wanted to see. As I turned and headed
in the opposite direction, I slammed right into someone.

“Lexi?”

I looked up, my eyes traveling along a
large frame. “Shawn? Hey.”

“Congrats, girl!” He pulled me into a
tight bear hug, nearly squeezing the air out of my lungs. “We’re PHU grads!”

A painful smile emerged as I begged for
release. “Can’t… breathe.”

“Oh, shit.” His arms loosened and I took
a deep breath. “Sorry. You alright?” He glanced at my stomach.

I nodded and straightened my graduation
cap. “Yeah, I’m okay.” I gave him a smile and patted my belly. “They’re fine,
too.”

“Good.” He grinned and shot me a wink.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just that,” he let out a roar, “it’s such a
freakin’ awesome day.” He pumped a fist in the air and Josh jumped him from
behind. I took several steps back, keeping a safe distance as I laughed
outwardly. Inwardly, I wanted to cry. I was going to miss seeing these guys
have fun. What hurt the most was not seeing Raven here to celebrate his
friend’s accomplishments, but even more, mine.

“Lexi, we finished.” Shelby locked hands
with mine and raised our arms high above our heads as she danced around. “We’re
graduates!”

“Yes, we did.” I followed her lead,
trying to keep up with her. The girl was a bundle of energy — energy I was
dying to have.

“I can’t believe it.” Tears streamed
down her face and I struggled to keep my emotions in check.

“Lex, come here, girl.” Josh hugged
Shelby and me at the same time. “I’m so proud of you.”

Shawn slipped under our tight huddle.
“I’m going to miss you guys.”

“We’ll still see each other,” I said,
trying to keep the mood high, because I was quickly falling into the pits of
sadness once again.

“You’re coming over to my parent’s house
tonight, right?” Josh asked, while a few of the other football players high fived
him.

“I wish I could, but my sister is having
a barbecue at her house for us.”

“Oh, damn,” Josh said, his head bobbing
between me and his other friends.

Shelby pouted. “You and Luke should come
by later, if you can.”

“We’ll try.” I spotted Luke and Delaney
with my parents. “I better go. I’ll message you.”

“Yes, don’t forget.” Shelby gave me a
quick kiss on the cheek.

“See ya, Shawn, Josh,” I told them bye
and they waved back.

I pushed my way through the crowd,
darting bursts of silly string along the way.

“There you are, sweetie.” Mom placed an
arm around my waist and gave me a gentle kiss. “Sorry.” She rubbed her lipstick
off my cheek. “I’m so happy for you and Luke.” Her eyes watered and she quickly
swiped them away. “Luke, baby.” She motioned for him to join us.

Luke threw his arm around my mom and let
out a “Woo hoo!”

“I’m so proud of my twins.” Mom smiled
as we both kissed her on the cheek. Delaney snapped a picture of us and we
laughed. “Travis, get in the picture,” she said, motioning for my dad. Delaney
took a few pictures of us with our parents and all of us together.

“There are my parents.” Delaney stood on
the tips of her toes, flapping her arms in the air.

“Luke, we’re going to head to your
sister’s. We’ll see you there shortly,” Dad said, holding my mom’s hand.

“Okay. See ya there,” Luke replied as
Delaney dragged him with her.

“Do you want to come with us or go with
Luke?” Mom continued to rub my lipstick stained cheek.

“I’ll wait. Delaney is coming with us.”
I wasn’t sure if my parents knew about them, but I figured they knew something.

“Okay.” She smiled. “See you in a little
while.”

I walked to where Delaney’s parents were
standing. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dukahkis.”

“Lexi, it’s so good to see you.”
Delaney’s mom squeezed my hand. “Are you doing okay?”

Delaney told me she’d told her mom,
asking for advice since she had suffered multiple miscarriages in her life,
which brought them to adopt her. “Good.” I nodded as my lips started to quiver.
Would the tears ever stop?

“Congratulations, Lexi. Thanks for
keeping our daughter in check.” Mr. Dukahkis winked as he rubbed my arm.

“Sure.” I sniffed and swallowed a few
times. “We’ve kept each other in check.” I winked as I cast a side glare to
Delaney. I had met her parents over a year ago when I went to the farm with
Delaney. They were really nice country folk, as most Texans would say. After a
brief conversation, I stepped away, allowing Luke to talk to them — it was his
first time meeting them.

I looked up and down the field. It
brought back so many memories. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop
thinking of Raven. When he snuck me into the stadium and took me to the
Marshall’s suite to have my first beer — not to mention, tried to kiss me — and
when I sat in the bleachers, wearing his jersey as he played one hell of a
game. I cradled my body and closed my eyes, allowing the sweet memories to take
over me. My life would never be the same without him.

Σ

“Lexi, we’re here.” Delaney shook me and
I blinked a few times.

“Damn, I fell asleep.” I yawned and
tried to focus. Unmarked white vans and luxury cars parked along the large
circular drive told me we were at my sister’s house.

“Girl, that’s all you do,” Luke teased
as he helped me out of the car.

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” I
straightened the maxi dress Mom had bought me, hoping it hid my baby bump. The
last thing I needed was Aunt May or Uncle Fred rubbing on me. Mom promised that
she wasn’t going to tell a soul — not until I told her it was okay to spread
the word. Hopefully, she kept to her promise.

We entered my sister and
brother-in-law’s stately house and I immediately felt out of place. Wait staff
shuffled around, bringing in folded white chairs and round tables. The dining room,
where we had most of our family Thanksgivings on the twenty-foot wood table,
was set up with a buffet fit for a king. Flowers in purple and white decorated
the table with tiny steel dragons embedded in the vases.

“What the hell?” Luke twisted his mouth
to the side. “Looks like a freakin’ wedding. Not a backyard barbecue.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s Ashley for
you.”

“Speaking of the devil, here she comes.”

“Yes, and put that over there. No, I
didn’t want cubed ice.” She shoved a glass in a guy’s hand. “I asked for soft
ice pellets. You’ve got one hour to get thirty pounds here. Now get to it.”

“You’re shittin’ me.” Delaney looked at
both us. “I don’t think I’m dressed right for this party.” She kicked out her
leg from under her purple, off-the-shoulder dress, showing her brown cowboy
boots that had PHU on the side.

“Relax. You’re fine.” Luke showed us his
square-toed boots under the pant leg of his jeans.

“Luke, Lexi. Everyone, the graduates are
here!” Ashley held out her arms and motioned for everyone to clap.

A few of our distant cousins, aunts,
uncles, and people I didn’t know, cheered for us.

“Your sister is a freak,” Delaney
whispered and I laughed.

“Tell me about it.” I plastered a smile
on my face as I nodded in thanks.

“Play nice.” Luke nudged me and then
threw an arm around Ashley’s neck. “Great set up. Who’s getting married?”

Ashely shot him one of her big, fake
smiles as she wrapped her claws around his hand, pulling his arm away from her.
“Stop it, you ungrateful S.O.B.,” she gritted through her teeth.

“Thank you for the party.” I leaned over
and hugged her.

“It was nothing.” She waved her hand in
the air, showing off her sparkling diamonds.

“You really didn’t have to do all of
this for us.” I did a quick sweep of the room and stopped at the dragon ice
sculpture. “It’s really too much.”

“Nonsense.” My brother-in-law, Ryan,
walked up. “You only graduate from undergrad once.” He shrugged. “Why not go
all out?”

“Thanks, man.” Luke shook his hand. “We
appreciate it.”

“Yes, thanks, Ryan,” I added before they
turned and walked away.

“She didn’t do it for us. It’s all about
them. Showing off everything they have,” Luke whispered in my ear as he
shuffled us through the house and out toward the back. “Let’s get some air.
It’s too stuffy in here.”

“Tell me about it,” Delaney sighed.

Outside was a huge white tent with
tables lining a makeshift dance floor overlooking a lagoon-type swimming pool.
Interspersed along the lawn were more round tables and long buffet style tables
on each side, allowing guests an easy access to food, including me.

 On the other side of the pool, there
was a band setting up. “Shit. I hope she hired someone decent.” Luke lifted his
chin, scoping out the scene.

“Knowing her, it’s probably someone
famous.”

“That would be awesome.” Delaney took a
few steps closer, as though trying to see who was in the band.

“You’re right. This does look like a wedding.”
I opened a shiny stainless steel covered pan and stole a couple of appetizers.

“A little too pretentious for me, but
shit, I’m going to party it up with buddies.” He spotted a bar and headed
straight for it.

Delaney and I followed him, trekking through
the thick, carpet-like grass. “What buddies?” I pulled Luke by the arm.

“My baseball buddies, who else? Besides,
I’ve got some celebrating to do.”

I eyed him. Last night, Luke found out
he got the job as a trainer for the PHU baseball team. He was sitting on cloud
nine. I was happy for him, but he just made life a little more difficult for
me. I didn’t need complicated. I needed easy — especially tonight.

“What did you want me to do? Not invite
him? I’ve known him my entire life.”

“I know. It’s just that…” I stopped.
Luke was right. He and Collin had been friends since middle school. Things were
over between us. There was no reason for me to avoid him. “Nevermind. It’s
fine.”

“Look, I’m sorry, Sis.” Luke placed a
hand on my shoulder. “If you don’t want him here, I’ll tell him.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay, really.”

“Thanks.” Luke smiled. “I also invited
several guys from the team.”

“Like who?” Delaney’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t invite Winston or
Riley,” he huffed and then turned toward the bartender. “What type of beer do
you have?”

Delaney sighed in relief. After what
happened that night at the bowling alley, they were still at odds with each
other, and I was sure it had to do with Delaney.

“Here are your choices, sir.” The guy
pointed to a neatly printed menu on the bar.

“Hell, what’s not on this list?” Luke
scanned through the menu. “Um…give me a Blue Nun.”

“Right away.” The bartender popped the
top off the bottle and handed it to Luke. “We also have Fireball shots this
evening, if any of—”

“Oh, hell no.” Luke shuddered.

“No, thanks.” I took a step back.

The bartender laughed. “Too many bad
memories with it?” He wiped the countertop with a neatly folded white cloth.

 “No, too many good ones.” Luke lifted
his beer and took a drink.

The bartender looked in my direction.
“It was our twenty-first birthday.”

“Oh.” The bartender smiled. “Anything
for you ladies?”

“A bottle of water, please.”

“And you?” His eyes darted to Delaney.

“Um, I’ll take…” she started and then
paused, “I guess I better wait. Your parents are walking this way.”

“Oh, great.” I hid behind Luke. “Here’s
comes Aunt May and Uncle Fred with them.”

“Nope,” he laughed. “You have to tell
them hi.” He urged me toward them and I cringed. “If I have to play
For He’s
a Jolly Good Fellow
one more time, I’m going to scream.”

“Ashley and Ryan’s piano will be
waiting.” Luke held up his beer. “Uncle Fred, Aunt May. We were just talking
about what a great time we had on New Year’s Eve and how—” I sucker punched
Luke in the back. “Ow.”

Luke introduced Delaney to our aunt and
uncle and we talked with them for a while. In turn, they introduced us to some
of our cousins that Dad had mentioned over time. It was nice to meet our
extended family, but I was glad when Luke saw Forbes and Jordan walk in with a
few of his friends. It gave us a great excuse to part ways.

“Excuse me, but I see some of our
friends,” I informed my cousins and they nodded. “Hey, Jordan.” I waved to her
and a couple of people in the crowd turned to see who I was flagging.

“Lexi, Delaney.” Jordan flapped her
hands in the air, indicating she had spotted us.  

“Glad you could make it.” I gave her a
hug.

Delaney placed her drink in Shelby’s
hand. “Taste this.”

“Okay.” She took a quick sip. “Hey,
that’s good.” She lifted the cup and continued drinking until Delaney motioned
for her to hand it back. “Sorry, we’re late,” she licked her lips, “but we got
some great news!” She bounced on the balls of her feet, elation pouring out of
her body.  “Forbes got picked up by a minor league team in Cincinnati!”

“Oh my God! That’s freakin’ awesome!”
Delaney screamed and they embraced, jumping up and down.

Forbes walked up with Luke, wearing a
huge smile. Luke had a smile, equally as big.

 “Congratulations, Forbes. You must be
very excited.” I gave him a pat on the back.

“Thanks, Lexi.” He squeezed me in a hug.
“It’s a start. I’ll see how it goes.”

“I’m sure you’ll do well.” I looked up
at him, realizing for the first time how tall he was, then again I was wearing
flats so maybe I was just really short.

“What about you?” His look turned
serious. “You doin’ alright?”

“Yeah, sorry to hear about… well, ya
know.” Jordan lips turned into a lopsided smile.

“It’s okay.” I blinked the tears away,
hating that every time someone mentioned what had happened between Raven and me
sent me into a tailspin of overflowing emotions.

“I love this song! Let’s go dance.”
Jordan grabbed my hand and Delaney’s, pulling us to the dance floor. I started
to protest, but figured I’d try to make the best of the night.

I moved slowly; nothing like the way I
had on Spring Break or at frat parties. I didn’t want to take the chance, but
at the same time, I didn’t want to seem like something was wrong with me. Even
though Ashely hadn’t hired a famous singer, the band played everything. After
two songs, I sat down and watched everyone dance. And all it did was remind me
of Raven. In fact, every song practically reminded me of him. And it sucked.
Especially since I loved music so much.

For the next few hours, I chatted with
family and friends, trying to convince myself that I just needed to shake it
off, like the song said, and move on. I could do this without him. I had a
degree. I would be able to provide from my children and myself. As long as my
parents were helping, I could handle it. I’d be just fine without him.

Delaney pulled me to the dance floor and
after a short dance, I headed into the house for the tenth time to use the
restroom.
Another lovely inconvenience of pregnancy.
Would it ever get
better? After spotting a small line for the bathroom near the front entrance, I
remembered there was one in the study. I entered the lightly dimmed room,
surrounded by books from floor to ceiling, and ran right into the last person I
wanted to see.

“Collin.” My palms pressed against his
firm chest and I stumbled back. “I-I didn’t see you.”

“Lexi.” His expression seemed equally as
surprised as mine. “H-how are you?” His warm hands wrapped around my arms,
keeping me from losing my balance while holding me inches from his face. I
froze, completely taken by surprise with the way his sparkling green eyes
appraised me.

I took a step back and managed to speak.
“Fine.” I hated when my voice sounded like a mouse.

He released his gentle grip and slid one
hand into the pocket of his twill shorts. The muscles in his chest flexed
underneath the smooth cotton of his polo-style shirt and I caught myself
staring more than I should’ve been. “Sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was
going.” His eyes darted around the room. “I was taking in this beautiful library.”

I waved off his comment and brought my
eyes back under my control. “It’s okay. I wasn’t paying attention either.”

With a partial smile, he said, “Good to
see you.” He stepped to the side and headed for the door.

Without much thought, I reached for his
hand. “Collin?”

“Yes?” He turned around, keeping his
fingers wrapped around mine. I wanted to pull away, but it felt too good, even
though I didn’t want it to.

“Congratulations.” I released the air
lodged in my lungs and took a steady breath. There was no reason for me to
freak out or panic. I was an adult, I would handle this as such. “Luke told me
you signed with St. Louis to be their pitcher.”

A huge grin spread from ear to ear and
he rubbed his beard, which was a little thicker than normal. “Yes, I did.”

“That’s wonderful. You deserve it!” I
smiled at him. “You’ve worked so hard for this and never gave up.” Casually, I
slipped my hand from his before he got the wrong impression.

He ran a hand through his sandy blond
hair and it fell perfectly to the side. With that simple movement, all the
memories rushed in without warning. This wasn’t good. “I guess all my hard work
paid off.”

 “It did, and you should be proud.” His
gaze fell to my midsection and I crossed my arms over my body. “So, when do you
leave?” I asked in an attempt to distract his attention away from my pooch.

“Monday morning.”

“So soon?” My breath hitched in my
throat and I cleared it a few times.

“Yeah, I have to report to practice on
Tuesday. My first game is on Friday.”