Page 12 of Curve Ball (The San Jose Coyotes #2)
GAEL
I sla pulled off a pretty badass gender reveal party for her and Kai.
And it’s honestly been a fantastic time.
It’s been a little over a month since I messaged Adriana and while I still think about her, I’m not losing sleep anymore and my game has improved so much.
Coach is happy with my performance and even my teammates aren’t on my nuts about me being a grumpy asshole.
Things are finally feeling better.
I’m hanging back with Andres and Jackson while Kai mingles with Isla, chatting with everyone, waiting for whoever is supposed to bring the special ball to announce if they are having a boy or a girl.
“Still think he’s having a boy?” Andres nudges Jackson, giving him a playful look.
“You know it. Kai practically oozes masculinity. If he has a girl, my bet is still good to go.” He winks.
I don’t even want to fucking know what that’s about.
Our normal team bet is pretty stacked towards him having a boy .
Call me crazy, but I think they’re having a girl.
Watching my best friend transition from the pining, lovesick stepbrother to devoted husband to now soon-to-be father has been hilarious. In the past twenty weeks, he’s gone from “Watch me fuck my stepsister in the backseat” to “What the fuck kind of diapers am I supposed to buy?”
Wild.
“She’s here!” Isla squeals and everyone’s attention is drawn to the woman jogging across the diamond, heading towards Isla and Kai with a little white box.
Adriana.
Okay, you prepared yourself for this, Gael.
If she says hello, you are to be polite and say hello back, ask how she’s been, and leave it at that.
We do not go on about how you still think about her, how you wish she had given you another chance. How life has sucked major ass since she disappeared on you.
We act like we have it together because we do.
Sort of.
They all go through the motions and everyone gets in place to watch as Brooks pitches the ball to Kai. The crack of the bat sends neon pink smoke all around us.
A girl.
Fucking called that shit.
I hang back, and when Kai finally makes it over to me and the guys, we congratulate him. “A little girl, bro. Man, we are going to be busy motherfuckers when she gets older. I can see it now.” I pull him into a hug and we both laugh.
“She’s not dating until she’s married, so we should be able to stay out of prison.” Kai chuckles and Andres gives him a look.
“Right.”
Kai shifts where he stands, looking around me, and concern flashes on his face.
“Gimme a second. I’ll be right back.” And he takes off towards the dugout.
Where Isla and a distraught Adriana are talking.
Without even thinking, I take off after him and I stand behind Kai, frozen, listening to her sob.
My heart breaks listening to her cry.
“I—I,” Adriana can’t get the words out.
“ Adri —” I say, moving from behind Kai, grabbing ahold of her arm gently and as soon as my hand touches her skin, her eyes go wide and she looks down at where I’m touching her.
“I’m sorry, I need to go.” She pulls her arm away from me and runs toward the side exit.
“Shit,” I mutter and run after her. “Adriana, stop.”
She slows down, holding onto her stomach, still sobbing.
“Despacio, mama. Háblame.” I beg, not that I meant for it to come out that way.
“Gael. I—I have to tell you something. But you have to promise to not get angry.”
She spins around and the color is gone from her face. Her bottom lip trembles and I know whatever it is, I could never get angry at her.
“ Dime, Mama. Whatever it is. Te juro que no me enojaré.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Everything stops.
Did she just say she’s pregnant?
“You’re—pre—” I lose the ability to speak. I just keep staring at her like she’s said the most terrifying yet amazing thing I’ve ever heard.
“Pregnant. The baby’s yours, Gael.”
Mine.
My baby.
Without thinking, I close the distance between us and pull her into my arms, pushing her hair from her face and press my lips to hers .
How can I be mad when the woman I’ve been dying to be with is telling me she’s pregnant with my child?
Adriana kisses me back with the same hungry passion, making up for the past few months we’ve been apart. I pull back and rest my forehead on hers. “Is this why you shut me out? You thought I wouldn’t want the baby?”
She sucks in a breath and whispers. “I thought you would end up not wanting me and the baby. I thought you would be just like someone from my past, so I got scared. And I hid from you.”
“Adri,” I press a kiss to her lips. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I met you.
Then when I got a taste of you, I became a madman.
I couldn’t get enough. When I made love to you, over and over that night, I knew you were it.
You are it for me. Both of you.” I bring my hand to her stomach and hover, not touching her. “Can I?”
She rolls her eyes and nods.
“Hey now, I didn’t ask for any attitude, Mama.” Splaying my hand where my child grows, trying my best to hold it together.
“Esa mierda es gratis, Papi.” She laughs, resting her hand on top of mine. “I have an ultrasound tomorrow morning if you want to come with me to see the baby.”
If I want to come see the baby.
“Since you’ll be staying with me tonight, it’ll be really easy for us to just go together.” I whisper, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, tilting her head up to look at me.
“Is that right?” She moans as I kiss her from her forehead to the tip of her nose and finally to her mouth, where she accepts me greedily.
“Yeah, that’s right, Mama. I have—” I pause and try to figure out how far along she is. “Four, almost five months’ worth of making love to you to catch up on.”
“Making love, huh?” She quirks her eyebrow.
“Unless you want some freaky, nasty type of fucking? I can do that too.” I smirk.
“Both. God, I’m so horny. These pregnancy hormones are killing me.”
“Whatever my woman wants, she gets. Let’s go home.”