Released: MC Secret Baby Romance (New Adult Contemporary Biker Romance) (7 page)

Amongst the litter and debris that laid strewn all over the large table, lie a single $20 bill.

“Did you at least get a good tip?” A voice from behind me called. The voice belonged to Ashley, and it wasn’t long before she joined me considering the debris left behind. Without saying a word, I flashed the $20 in her direction before stuffing the bill in my apron pocket.

Ashley winced. “Ouch.”

“At least, they are gone,” I said, sighing. Picking up my plastic bin, I set to work collecting the dishes and returning them to the kitchen.

“I’m taking a break," I called to the front of the house, after finally clearing the table. The diner was quiet now. The early dinner rush was over, and now the punters would come in a steady stream. Checking the time on my phone, I could see several missed calls and messages lighting up the display.
Christina
, I thought to myself,
that girl would not take a hint
. Opening the conversation, I could see reams and reams of unread messages, which I had ignored over the last few months.

Hey babe, I’m back in town now getting ready for my big day on Saturday. That’s right, Skye, I'm getting married!!! Of course, you will be there, right?

Call me.

Made reservations for tomorrow, lunch time at La Trevia, 1 PM. See you then.

Switching off my phone and stuffing it back into my apron pocket, I took a swig from my lemonade and thought back to the last time I had seen Christina. It was a few weeks after graduation before we had both gone our separate ways. Christina had headed straight to L.A., determined to become a famous actress, and I was ready to pack my bags and guitar and head straight for Nashville to a prestigious music school. I knew Christina, and if I didn’t turn up tomorrow, she would come looking for me, and that was something I was keen to avoid.

The bell tinkled as I shut the diner door behind me and walked out into the night. The night was quiet as I waited for the bus that would carry me home. I didn’t have to wait long to reach home, my feet aching after a long, double shift. Fishing the keys out of my pocket, I pushed open the door and headed into my apartment.

“Becky?” I called through the din of the apartment. The radio blared and in the small space, the sound of banging pots and pans echoed as if I was in a studio listening to a rock concert. A head popped around the corner, sweat and dirt streaked across her face, smiling when she saw me.

“Look who’s home!” she announced excitedly.

“Mommy!” At the sound of my daughter’s voice, all the worries of the day simply melted away, as she catapulted herself through the kitchen door and into my waiting arms. Her own blonde hair and bright face were marred with dirt and sweat. Licking my thumb, I tried to wipe away the dirt from her face as she giggled, trying to escape my frantic cleaning.

“Having fun, Emmy?” Her bright blue eyes danced as she rattled off the adventures that she had that day. Straightening up, I turned my attention back to Becky who stood leaning against the door of the kitchen.

“We had the best day. We went to the park, came home for a bath, but somehow, we ended up making music with the pots and pans. Sorry about the mess,” she said, nodding back toward what I was sure was an Emmy whirlwind in the kitchen. I shrugged. All I cared about was Emmy’s happiness and safety, not having a neat and tidy house to come home to each evening.

“As long as she’s happy,” I said with a smile. Fishing out a handful of notes that I had earned with today’s tips, I gave Becky her wages. She didn’t count them, just simply slid them in her shorts pocket and shrugged on her satchel.

“Same time tomorrow?” Becky asked as she crossed the small apartment toward the front door.

“Yes, please,” I said gratefully. Becky waved her hand goodbye and shut the door quietly, leaving Emmy and I alone in the apartment.

“Well, kiddo, looks like it’s just us again,” I said, ruffling her hair as Emmy hugged my legs tightly.

The pot bubbled away on the stove, aromas of beef and tomatoes filling the air. Emmy sat coloring at the table, scrawling furiously across a picture of Elsa and Olaf, ignoring the suggested lines and creating her own new ones.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, leaning down and kissing her hair softly.

“For you, Mommy!” Emmy exclaimed proudly, shoving her picture in my face so that I could get a better look. I took it from her and pinned it to the fridge, Emmy beamed proudly before turning her attention back to yet another picture. Stirring the Bolognese, I couldn’t get the thoughts of Christina out of my head, and with thoughts of Christina came thoughts of Luke.

Damn it
, I thought to myself,
Luke will be in town for the wedding
. The thought hadn’t occurred to me before now, and it would be the first time we had all been back in town since graduation.

Crossing the apartment, I reached up for a small, black photo album that I kept tucked away. It contained all the photos that I had of the three of us, from elementary school to graduation. My fingers traced the faces that I saw in the photos as if trying to memorize the person that I once was. Loose in the back of the album was a photo that I kept only for me. In it were a boy and a girl with large smiles on their faces, as the boy wrapped his arms around the girl, holding her tight.

Luke
, I thought, my heart hammering in my chest. His gorgeous, blond hair gleamed in the sun as we sat down by the lake on the night of our graduation. Luke had come back to see his little sister graduate, and we had reconnected. Everything changed that night, sending my life on a different path than the one I had planned.

“Who’s dat?” Emmy asked, her attention turning to the photo I held in my hand.

“That’s Mommy,” I said, pointing to the girl in the photo. Emmy’s fat fingers poked at the photo while she gazed up at me.

“Like mine!” Emmy exclaimed, pointing at the hair of the boy in the photo.

“Yes, like yours, Emmy,” I said in a whisper, an unbearable sadness rushing over me. Emmy watched me for a moment, sensing a change in mood from her mom before turning back to her picture and the innocence of childhood.

I sat beside Emmy watching her sleep, her chest rising in a rhythmic pattern. For the first time in my life, I felt doubt – doubt that I had made the right choice for me and Emmy. I shook my head sadly, rising from my position at the end of the bed.

There had been no choice
, I scolded myself as I headed into the lounge to spend yet another night alone in front of the TV. As the sound from the TV flooded the room, I settled back onto the sofa, my feet tucked under me, flicking through the channels until I found Monday Night Football.

“And Luke Wallace makes yet another excellent pass,” the announcer screamed excitedly. They played a replay of Luke taking the snap and dropping back, eyes scanning the field until he sees an open receiver, and hitting his man in stride for a long touchdown pass.

My heart beat faster at the sight of Luke. Watching football was the only way I could still be part of his life. It had been four years since I had last seen him, and so much had changed, but the hammering in my chest every time I heard his name hadn’t. The school girl that had a crazy crush on Luke was still there, and there had been no one else that had come as close in my affections as he had. Images and feelings came flooding back to the time I had last seen Luke the night of graduation; of Luke’s hand in mine as we lay side by side down by the river, the only sound was the gentle lapping of the water on the shore. I could still feel the softness of his lips on mine, as he kissed me softly, and the fluttering in my belly at his touch. There was no escaping it – I was still madly in love with Luke Wallace.

Chapter Two

The rustle of movement beside me pulled me from my dreams and into the morning. Or was it afternoon? Slowly opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was yet another naked brunette woman whose name I could no longer remember, nor cared to know. The sun streaming through the windows hurt my eyes and my head pounded, letting me know that I had, once again, had too much to drink.

Where had I met this one
? I thought to myself, as the memories of last night came flooding back. She had been waiting for me outside the locker room, and it was her pretty face and rocking body that had caught my attention.

“Damn groupies,” I moaned. At first, this had all seemed so glamorous – the parties, the fame, the women. But now, a different girl each night was becoming nothing but a headache.

This is what you wanted
, I reminded myself and this is what I had spent my entire life working toward: playing professional ball in the NFL. Lifting myself onto an elbow, I checked the clock, which read 1:30 PM. Great, my plane leaves in three hours, I still hadn’t packed, and I definitely needed a shower. Throwing back the thin sheet, my feet sunk into the soft carpet as I pulled a t-shirt over my head.

“Where are you going, baby?” the woman beside me stirred, woken by my movement, her eyes following me as I moved about the room.

“Georgia.”

“Come back to bed. I can promise you it will be more fun than going back to Georgia,” she purred, her tone suggestive. I hesitated as I considered it. It would definitely be better to climb in next to her and not go home.

“As much fun as that sounds, I can’t. It’s my sister’s wedding in two days.” I had already delayed going home, full of excuses that wouldn’t fly for much longer. Reaching under the bed, I pulled out the suitcase that I had stashed there when I arrived two days ago. My stuff was strewn about the room, still laying where it had fallen. Dread filled me; a small knot of anger forming in the pit of my belly as I gathered my clothes and began to throw them into the suitcase, not bothering to fold them neatly or pack properly.

“Aw, that’s sweet, going home for your sister’s wedding,” her accent was thick, a strong, southern drawl evident. I tried to recall her name, but I wasn’t sure I had even asked her name in the first place. She rolled toward me, the sheet slipping, revealing her large breasts, and I felt my cock twitch as I stared down at her.

“Going back to small town Georgia ain’t my idea of a fun time. Hell, I live in a town of barely five thousand people. It’s boring as all hell. I would much rather stay here with you.” My lips found hers, and she responded eagerly, her body warm under my hands. Reluctantly, I pulled away and sat watching her for a moment. The way her hair lay splayed all around her, her slim, naked body shrouded in the sheets, there was something familiar about her, something I had tried to push out of my mind.

She lay naked looking up at me, her eyes shining. The way she looked at me was the way I had seen other people look at me – with adoration, like I was the person that could make all their dreams come true. Except she wasn’t looking at me like all the others did, trying to figure out how their friendship with Luke Wallace was going to benefit them. She was looking at me as if she knew who the real Luke was. How had I known this girl all my life, and not realized before how perfect she was.

Skye
. I had pushed all thoughts of Skye out of my head a long time ago. Not since she broke up with me and we went our separate ways, flying out to Colorado to begin my new career as a professional quarterback, and Skye to Nashville to study music. Thinking of Skye brought me nothing but pain. She was the only girl I had ever thought possible to love, and she had done nothing but break my heart.

“I can’t do this anymore, Luke” her words cutting through me like a knife. “I can’t betray Christina. She’s like a sister to me and, if she found out about us, it would kill her.”

“Skye–” I tried to reason with her.

“Luke, I am sorry.” She sobbed, disconnecting and leaving me with nothing but silence.

“Baby?” the sound of the woman’s voice cut through my daydream.

“I’m sorry, but you’ve gotta go,” I said, picking up her clothes and handing it to her, hurt flashing across her face. “It’s been fun,” I added, before heading into the bathroom and shutting the door firmly behind me. I listened for the click of the front door of the motel room closing before turning the shower on and letting the warm water wash over me, firmly pushing all thoughts of Skye out of my mind.

Chapter Three

The sleek, red mustang parked in front of La Trevia could only have belonged to one person: Christina. It was so out of place in a town of pick-up trucks and small, broken down cars. Butterflies danced across my belly and the palm of my hands were clammy as I crossed the street and headed into the restaurant. La Trevia had been my favorite place as a kid. Its chic, white interior and beautiful paintings of the Amalfi Coast fascinated me. I had always vowed that, one day, I would visit southern Italy and see this beautiful coast for myself, but life had a way of kicking me in the ass.

“Skye!” A voice called out through the restaurant, and I looked up to see Christina waving furiously at me. Shock flashed across my face and it wasn’t lost on Christina.

“I look a bit different these days,” she boasted, as she pulled me into her arms, kissing me on the cheek. I couldn’t believe that the woman standing in front of me was Christina.

She had lost weight and was now slim and toned. Her once straight, mousy hair now bounced around her face, full of shine and volume. Something that felt like jealousy fluttered at the edge of my subconscious, but I pushed it furiously to the side. I was happy for Christina. She had made her dreams come true and had gotten out of this small town. “I was so happy to hear you were back in town! What a coincidence: the two of us being here at the same time.” A cough from behind her interrupted her chatter, “Oh! I’m sorry, Skye. I would like you to meet my fiancé, Max Sheldon.”