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  “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  25

  “What am I doing here? What the fuck is she doing here?” David muscles his way into the room, knocking shoulders with Levi and practically plowing over him in the process. His eyes are stormy, his deep scowl promising retribution, and the impeccable way he’s dressed—a full suit and tie with his raven hair slicked back off his forehead—makes him intimidating as hell.

  And by the murderous glow in his eyes as he levels his hateful look on me tells me exactly who he’s gunning for.

  I feel myself shrink back, wishing I could disappear. This is so not how I saw the morning going. Especially after such a wonderful and passionate start. But whatever resplendent feelings Levi and I conjured up have been obliterated by David’s intrusion.

  “Hey!” Levi shouts, his voice dark and edgy. “You can’t just walk in here. This is my room.”

  David doesn’t bother acknowledging him. His focus riveted on me, he takes in my state of undress with hard steel in his eyes. Jabbing one long finger at me, he says with an ominous calm, “You have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day I married your bitch of a gold digging mother. I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he sneers. “At least have some class and get the fuck out of that bed and get dressed.”

  Authority rings loud and clear in his voice and like a small child, I clutch the sheet to my body and scramble to do as he says.

  “Don’t you get out of that bed,” Levi commands. I pause with my feet on the floor, unsure of how to proceed.

  Father and son stare each other down. They’re nearly identical in height and appearance, making them look like deadly predators facing off. My body vibrates with nerves. I want the hell out of here, to get away from these two because this is bound to end badly, but all my muscles are frozen.

  “I want you out of here. Now,” Levi snarls. I notice his hands are balled into fists at his sides, and his body is coiled tight, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Would he really attack his own father?

  “Have you lost your damn mind? Do you forget who I am?” David rages, his face mottled red. “Don’t you talk to me like that, you disrespectful little shit!”

  “I’ll talk to you however the fuck I want. You don’t own me!”

  “There’s where you’re wrong. You forget that I’m the one who secures your contracts. I’m the one who makes sure you get from A to B. I run your entire life and if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be Levi-fucking-Black. You wouldn’t own a shelf full of trophies. And you sure as hell wouldn’t be stirring up the media frenzy that’s sweeping through the nation right now!”

  My spine stiffens and I sit up straight. What the hell is he talking about? What media frenzy?

  Levi’s jaw pulses, his eyes narrowed in hostility. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he growls.

  A smug smile laced with pure animosity spreads across David’s face as he reaches inside his jacket and pulls a folded up newspaper from the inner breast pocket. With a snap of his wrist, he extends it to Levi.

  “While you two are up here screwing around,” he clips, “every newspaper and magazine across the country has been chomping at the bit over what happened out on that field yesterday.”

  My heart pounds frantically in my chest. My gaze falls on Levi, studying his reaction. Which is grim at best. His expression slowly morphs into deep irritation followed by disbelief and…maybe regret. I don’t have to be the one reading that paper to know what’s in it.

  “They’re calling it The Kiss Heard ‘Round the World,” David says, his upper lip curling up in distaste. He flicks me an equally powerful look that shrivels my insides and turns them into dust. “Congratulations, you two. You’re famous! The only thing that could possibly make this situation any worse is if you knocked her up.”

  Levi’s shoulder stiffen and I feel my eyes shoot wide. David takes in my obvious alarm, and his expression slowly morphs, turning bright red with fury.

  “You stupid son of a bitch. You knocked her up?”

  “Well, it wasn’t exactly on my list of goals,” Levi smarts off.

  “Do you know what this means?” David snarls?

  “Paternity leave?”

  “Dammit, stop being such a shit!” David bellows. “Do you ever take anything seriously? For Christ-fucking-sake, Levi. You’ve really put your foot in it now.”

  “Well, that wasn’t exactly the body part that was used—”

  David’s finger stabs out, his tone threatening, as he cuts him off. “Shut your goddamn mouth. You’ve royally fucked everything now. There’s no coming back from this.”

  With that, David strides across the room toward the door. Thank God he’s leaving. But of course it can’t be that simple. Before he goes, he stops and turns back to us. Levi’s back is turned toward his father, so he doesn’t see the spiteful look in his eyes that I do. It’s enough to make me sick. What reason, aside from the obvious, could Levi have possibly given him to harbor so much contempt for his own son? I used to think he was an alright guy, but now I have nothing but hatred for this man.

  “You’ve been an embarrassment to me for the last time,” he says to Levi’s back. “Consider this the final straw. I’m cancelling all contracts that involve me and my company. I may not be able to stop being your father, but I refuse to risk mine and my company’s reputation for this sick affair you two have going on.”

  Levi huffs a humorless laugh. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve grown used to not having a father, so you can continue to rest easy.”

  Tossing the paper down on the end of the bed, Levi rakes his hands through his hair and squeezes his eyes shut in frustration.

  Curious what’s in there, I pick up the paper. My eyes widen as they land on the enormous black and white image of Levi and me locked in a heated kiss. Then I read the headline and my heart sinks. Soccer’s Sweethearts…Brother and Sister?

  “As for you,” David continues on, directing his hostility toward me. “I don’t care what your mother says or does, you’ll never see another penny from me.”

  Seriously? Offended, I glare back at him. “I don’t want your money, David. I think I made that perfectly clear when I told you to keep your checks.”

  As soon as the first check arrived, I knew that I didn’t want to start my life indebted to a man I had lost all respect for. Levi had told me things about him that hadn’t set right, but it wasn’t until that night at the hotel, the night that I left Levi, that I formed my own opinion of him. I decided then never to take a cent from him.

  “That may be, but I know how you women are when it comes to money. And now that you’ve successfully trapped my son with your bastard, I just want you to know that mine is one pocketbook you will not tap into.”

  My stomach clenches and pressure builds in my head in both shame and outrage. Shame because anyone would consider me a gold digger, and outrage that he just called my child a bastard. But I don’t need to say a thing, because Levi beats me to the punch.

  Having reached his limit, Levi spins around and shouts, “Are you still fucking here? Get the fuck out!”

  “Why, because you can’t take hearing the truth? The sooner you open your eyes and realize what an epic mistake this little tryst between you two is, the sooner you can correct it, Levi. I’m only trying to protect you.”

  “Oh fuck off already,” Levi says with no small amount of disdain. David’s scowl deepens as Levi continues. “It’s one thing to treat me like shit on the bottom of your shoe, because I’ve grown used to it, but you won’t ever, ever speak to her with anything short of the utmost respect. You can think whatever you want about us and our choices, but if I ever hear you say a cross word to her or about her or my child again, I don’t care if you’re my father or the fucking pope, I will end you, old man. Got me?”

  With a measured step, Levi steps in front of his father, partially blocking him from view, but, despite their similar height, I can still see David’
s piercing eyes over his shoulder. The devastation, though held in a tight fist, as Levi delivers his next and final blow is there.

  “You may not be able to stop being my father, but I am done being your son,” Levi snarls. “I want you out of here, and don’t ever think of darkening my doorstep again.”

  David’s eyes narrow, his lips pressing into a firm line. Then, without another word, he turns and walks out the door, slamming it behind him.

  The ball of tension in the room seems to burst like a bubble. As soon as he’s gone, all the air oxygen rushes from my body and I hunch over my knees, sucking in a lungful of air.

  “What a fucking asshole,” Levi mutters to himself. “He’s got a lot of nerve coming in here like that.” I sense his movement as he begins pacing the room, his anger ratcheting higher with each step. “Telling me that he’s basically forced to be my father? Fuck him! Who ever said I wanted to be his son?” He’s yelling now, and as much as I want to go to him and tell him it will all be okay, I can’t. My ears are ringing, my thoughts are spinning out of control, and my breathing is so erratic that it’s hard to take a solid breath.

  “And the way he talked to you?” Levi continues. “He’s lucky I didn’t rip his balls off and shove them down his throat. That fucker is dead to me!” He makes another circuit past the bed, stirring the air. “I’m so done with this shit. This is exactly why I branched out on my own. He thinks he has me cornered, but the joke’s on him. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes that I don’t need him or his fucking company.”

  I stopped hearing Levi back at “Fuck him.” All I can see is the image of the two of us splashed across that page behind my closed lids. Holding my head in my hands, I wrap my fists around my hair and squeeze, hoping the pressure against my skull will relieve the throbbing ache in my brain.

  This cannot be happening. The whole world now knows about us, about what we’ve done. We’ll never live it down. We stained our reputation, and by default, our child’s, too. And what about work? Everyone will know. They’ll never look at me the same. This is my worst nightmare coming true.

  “Hey, hey,” Levi’s soft voice reaches into my head a second before I feel his firm hands clasp my knees. “Breathe, princess.”

  Lifting my eyes, I see him crouching in front of me, worry written all over his face. It’s then that I realize I’m having some sort of panic attack. My chest feels too tight, my head fuzzy, and I can’t seem to get enough oxygen.

  “It’s okay, baby, just keep breathing. That’s it. Nice and slow. There you go, princess. That’s my girl,” Levi praises as I concentrate on his voice, using it to calm me, to center me. Eventually, the fog in my head begins to recede and my heartrate slows to a more normal pace.

  Stroking my cheek, Levi leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Okay now?”

  I nod, but I’m not okay. Nothing is okay. “Levi,” I croak, my voice sounding rough and scratchy.

  “What is it, princess?” His eyes tight, Levi’s thumb tracks across my cheek, smearing wetness across my skin.

  I frown. When did I start crying? Swallowing down the lump that’s formed in my throat, I give voice to the fears running rampant through my mind. “That kiss…They know. The—” My voice chokes off on a sob.

  Levi’s expression softens. “That we love each other? Yeah, they do. Everyone knows it now. We don’t have to hide anymore.”

  What is he talking about? Doesn’t he understand what this means? For both of us?

  “But what about soccer? What about my business? They’ll ruin us!” I cry.

  Standing, Levi pulls me up and into his arms, holding me firmly against him. Beneath my ear, I hear the heavy beat of his heart thumping madly in his chest. As calm as he appears, he’s as upset about this as I am.

  “They can try, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but you, me, and our baby. Soon, the divorce will be final and all of this will be yesterday’s news.”

  Tilting my head back, I meet his turquoise stare. “Do you really think so?”

  He brushes my messy hair back over my shoulders and flashes a small smile. “Yeah, baby, I do. We just need to stay strong and stick it out. Nothing they say or do can touch us as long as we have each other. Deal?”

  I want to believe him, but I have my doubts. Who wouldn’t? Media is a scary thing. It’s a monster that lives to tear people apart. Levi and I? We’re not exactly a power couple. Even under the best of circumstances, this would be a challenge. I’m just not sure that Levi and I have what it takes to overcome this. But, God, I hope like hell that we can. We at least have to try.

  Mustering up a false smile, I tighten my hold around his waist and bury my face in his chest just beneath his chin. “Deal.”

  26

  The last few weeks have been an absolute nightmare. Levi is doing everything in his power to deflect the attention from me, but the media is a relentless bitch. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if we hadn’t had to say goodbye the next day, but we did. Levi has commitments that don’t involve sticking around in Ohio with me.

  So while he’s off doing interviews and shooting commercials and posing for photo shoots, I’m back here trying—and failing—to ignore the circus lurking outside my front door.

  The only thing I’m famous for is a stupid kiss with America’s number one bad boy, but apparently that makes me the current hot topic.

  It wouldn’t be so bad if they’d leave me alone, but I can’t walk out the door anymore without a camera shoved in my face and some asshole shouting questions at me. A problem that was made even worse when they found out about the baby. All it took was one reporter following me to the doctor’s office, and there I was, splashed across every online magazine imaginable. Under Levi’s strict instruction, I keep my head down and refuse to answer anything. Just keep walking.

  So that’s what I do. Every day I put on my bitch mask and walk out the door to a sea of chaos. I spend the next eight hours hiding inside the Center, a veritable prisoner inside my own place of business.

  But, hey, business is better than ever. People can’t wait to get a look at the girl who tamed soccer’s notorious womanizer.

  I’m just thankful that what staff I do have aren’t the judgy type. Even if they are, they certainly don’t do it while I’m around. Janey has been especially understanding and supportive. Her first words to me were, “Fuck ‘em all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being in love with your stepbrother. It’s not like you two are actually related.”

  I think I breathed my first full breath for the first time that day.

  Her words are always at the forefront of my mind now. Every time I begin to doubt myself and this relationship, I recite them to myself and then remember the deal Levi and I forged. We’re stronger together. We will get through this.

  I just wish he was actually here to do that.

  Some days it feels like I’m the only one who’s wading knee-deep in the fallout of that picture, but I know that’s not true. I’ve watched some of his interviews, read the articles, and Levi is definitely working hard to put out fires.

  “What do your parents think about your relationship?” one interviewer asked him.

  His response: “They have nothing to do with this. Once their divorce is finalized, we’ll just be two people in love.”

  When the news got out that we were expecting, another asked, “Are you afraid the baby will be deformed?”

  Levi laughed, his mocking smile bright as he looked into the camera and said a definitive “No.” He then went on to ream the interviewer, setting him straight on how bloodlines work and the impossibility of any deformities or maladies based on the fact that we shared no genetic material and were, in fact, not brother and sister as they love to tout around.

  I have never been prouder of him than I was in that moment. I was crying when he called that night, unable to hold back the waterworks as I told him how utterly amazing I thought he was.

  He’s all I can think
about, but today it’s made even worse by the fact that I have a doctor’s appointment and I’m not sure if he’s going to make it or not. When we spoke on the phone last night, he informed me that he would be in Michigan come morning for a shoot, but that he would try his best to be here.

  Since it’s an afternoon appointment, I’m crossing my fingers real hard. I want this to be a shared experience. There’s nothing lonelier than going through the birth of your first child alone. I had been willing to do it before we reconnected, but now I want him by my side for all of it. He should be, since this is his first child, too. He should be present for all the firsts.

  “You’re all set, Mrs. Piccilo,” I tell the woman laying on my table. Shifting sideways on my stool, I wipe the massage oil lacing my fingers onto a plush white hand towel.

  “I feel so relaxed,” Mrs. Piccilo says with a refreshed smile, “I hardly have the energy to leave. Wonderful job, Vista. Same time next week?”

  I nod as I stand and see her out. “Same time next week.” She heads to reception to schedule her next appointment and I head back to hand her chart off to Bethany so she can get it filed away. It’s been such a long day already, but it’s not even close to being over.

  “It’s five,” Janey reminds me.

  I glance at the clock and curse. “Time got away from me. You two will be alright here?” There’s one more hour left until closing, and I hesitate to leave even though there’s no one else on the schedule. Although, anyone in need of my skillset is required to have an appointment, so the girls and Dana, my second in command as I like to call her, are more than capable of holding down the fort. It’s just hard to relinquish control.

  Janey waves me off like I’m being ridiculous. “Yes, Mom. Go, get out of here. Shoo!”

  Snagging my purse from the locked drawer of her desk, I give her a quick hug, wish everyone a good evening, and head out.

  Levi isn’t waiting for me outside, so it’s a long and contemplative drive over in the quiet cab. The doctor’s office isn’t much better. I sign in and take a seat, making sure to leave one open just in case. Wishful thinking is now in full effect.