Dolce (Love at Center Court #2) (38 page)

“Fucking A, my girl’s good. But you don’t need to do all that shit. And the taping . . . I thought we were waiting three months before you went back to work.”

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip.

I’d come to know that look. It was the same one she got when she was doing her “secret project.” It was a cross between determination and stubbornness.

“Cate,” I growled.

“Six weeks,” she whispered into my neck. “It’ll all be good. This is big. I already have most of the research done, and I want to get two segments taped before your season starts. Next year, I plan to be there when you win the finals.”

Six weeks? Was that safe?

I knew better than to argue. I gave her belly a little tap, and she looked up at me.

“I’ll be fine, Steele, don’t you worry. Women have been doing this for centuries.”

“I know, but not my woman.”

“Please, don’t go all caveman on me.”

Her breath was warm on my face and spiked my already frazzled nerves. It was time I spoke my true feelings, and I wasn’t sure how my little feminist would take it.

It’s now or never.

I tilted her face so her gaze would meet mine. “Cate, listen, I know we said we’d be unconventional. You hated your parents’ marriage, and I never wanted to be my dad, getting married for a baby. But, shit.”

I roamed her cheek with my thumb, frustrated with myself. I was fucking this whole thing up.

“I want to marry you, Caterina. And right now, I don’t care about all your feminist crap. You’ll have your career and a baby and me and anything else you want. You can have your name or mine; it doesn’t matter.”

I slid to the floor and knelt at her feet. I kissed her belly and was rewarded with a kick in the face.

Looking up at her, I said, “I also hope we’re not having a soccer player, because that shit’s boring. So, what do you say, Cate? Make an honest man out of me?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Cate? Are you going to leave me hanging?”

“No . . .”

“No, you won’t marry me?”

I gulped air. We were having a baby, and as far as I was concerned, getting married was the best thing for all of us. Cate was mine and would be forever; there was no reason not to.

“No, I’m not going to leave you hanging. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

I reached up to wrap my hand around the back of her neck and brought her lips to mine.

“Good,” I murmured.

Almost forgetting, I tugged the ring out of my pocket and put it on her finger. It looked damn good there.

“Matches my lucky underwear,” I said, taking in the deep emerald in the center, framed by two emerald-cut diamonds.

She ran her finger over the gemstones, tracing each plane and sharp corner as she let out a little sigh. “It’s gorgeous. Our son can give it to a special woman one day.”

“Our what?”

“Oh shit.”

Cate clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at me. She’d made it this long without telling me the sex of the baby.

“Oh my God. You had me so flustered, I just went and ruined the surprise for you, babe,” she said, and I couldn’t tell whether she was laughing or crying.

“It’s a boy?”

“Yup, a boy. Maybe the soccer player you’ve dreamed of.”

“Another Southern gentleman.” I lifted her shirt and planted my lips on her smooth skin.

“I hope not right away, if what you mean is going south on a woman. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’ll be a boob man to start.”

“Now I know where your head was at, my little Cate with the dirty mind.”

Not bothering to crawl back up the couch, I squeezed Cate’s ass and she squirmed, giving me access to tug her leggings down.

“I’m hungry,” I said, working my way down her neck with kisses.

“There’s food,” she teased.

“It can wait.” I tugged her panties down, revealing a bare mound.

“Mmm.” I lowered my tongue to the top of the triangle and breathed in her scent.

And then I ate.

Three days later, Cate and I became a Twitter sensation all over again.

We’d arrived at the Magic Kingdom early in the day for a private hour in the park just for the team and their families. The guys with older kids rushed off to Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad for unlimited rides with no wait. Sarina, Sean, and I walked—and Cate waddled—to It’s A Small World, which was about all she could do.

After a boat ride through the little people, Sean begged me to take him on Space Mountain with all the other cool kids. Ri promised she’d stay with Cate by Cinderella’s Castle, and I could send Sean over with one of the other wives after the ride.

I’d done just that and then went to the back of the park for the parade, where I was greeted by Mickey and his helper.

“Good morning, Mr. Steele, right this way.” They led me to a float, and I hoisted myself up next to Chip and Dale. They were wearing sweatbands across their chipmunk heads and oversized replicas of my jersey over their furry bellies.

We started down Main Street USA as the park opened and the street flooded with people cheering and saluting us. Lance Johnstone, the center, rode behind me with Goofy, and they tossed beach balls styled to look like basketballs into the crowd.

Fans passed the balls up and down the sidewalk, and a few bounced back to me. I put on a show, pretending to dunk and sending them back out to the wave of fans until we made it up to the castle.

I spotted Sean sitting with Johnstone’s wife and kids, but where was Cate . . . and Sarina? I kept my eyes focused on Sean and when he saw me, he ran toward the float, but a Disney employee promptly blocked his way.

“Hey,” I yelled. “That’s my relative . . . my, um, nephew!”

“I have to go see Blane,” Sean yelled.

The Disney dude looked up at me, and I nodded. Sean took a running jump onto the float, and I bent down so he could whisper in my ear.

“Cate’s having the baby.”

I shook my head to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, and for the second time in seconds, shouted, “Hey!”

Disney dude hurried back and walked alongside the float, cupping his ear to hear what I had to say.

“I gotta get off this thing! I’m having a baby.”

When he nodded and spoke into his walkie-talkie, I jumped off the moving float and gestured to Sean to jump into my arms. Carrying him, I ran through the tunnel in the middle of the castle. On the other side, a Disney employee was waiting with a golf cart, which shuttled us to the rear of the park and into a waiting taxi. Apparently, Cate had already gone to the hospital by ambulance.

Sean fidgeted next to me, and I tossed him my phone. “Here, download some games or apps.”

He looked as thrilled as a pig in shit at the idea, and I grinned to myself.
I can do this parenting thing
.

At the hospital, I rushed the information counter to find where Cate was. Behind me, I could hear people murmuring, “Is that Blane Steele?” Phones clicked and people nudged each other, whispering, but I didn’t care.

The receptionist said obstetrics was on the seventh floor, and I didn’t wait for the elevator, just snagged Sean and tossed him over my shoulder as I rushed to the stairwell. I took the stairs two and three at a time, and he giggled as he bounced on my shoulder.

At the top of the stairs, I burst through the door to find Sarina pacing the hallway.

“Thank God you’re here,” she said, reaching out to take her son from me. “That girl of yours is ready to go. Seriously, fastest labor ever.”

In less than twenty minutes, Logan Sean Steele was born as Cate squeezed the shit out of my hand, calling me some very creative names.

Two days later, when we took our baby boy home wearing a miniature Orlando Magic sweatband, Cate whispered in my ear. “You better tell him to stay away from ball babies.”

No way my boy was going to be a soccer player, but he would definitely be a card-carrying member of the feminist party.

Last August

A
lthough my back was pressed against the door, my entire body surged forward, seeking him. If I’d been in a dream or
having an out-of-body experience, I would have seen my long limbs and lean torso straining to get closer to the man in front of me. My heart was beating to the most vibrant pace I’d ever experienced. I felt like I was practically coming out of my skin to get closer to the horny, hot-blooded man caging me against the door.