Play Me

“Oh, shit,” Hunter said, laughter obvious in his voice.

“Exactly,” Brett responded.

My dad came walking in, holding our baby wrapped up in a towel from the tack room. Alec was flapping his arms around and giggling. It still warmed my heart to see my dad holding our son.

“Your dad and I have got this. We’ll get Alec changed in time for dinner.”

Frank came running out after Nala again.

“Oh no,” my mom called from the kitchen.

Everyone rushed in, and I sighed. This was turning into more of a disaster than I ever dreamed. The pies were all over the floor, the turkey wasn’t cooked, it appeared the creamed corn had been burning before Aubrey could grab it off the stove.

Stupid laminated schedule.

I heard Alec laugh, and I closed my eyes, focusing on the sound of his precious voice. That was what mattered. Being together. When I opened them again, Hunter was staring at me. “I’m so sorry, baby. I know how much you were looking forward to this.”

“I was, but just like our honeymoon, all I ever need is you, Hunter. This life, whatever it brings us, is all I need.”

“I love you, Kendall.”

My world was complete.

Mom and Aubrey were picking up the dessert mess. “I’m so sorry, Kendall.”

I hugged my mom and said, “Time for plan B.”

Everyone stared at me. “Hunter, grab the sandwich meat from the fridge. Mom, Aubrey, there are Twinkies in the pantry—hidden in the back. We also have Zebra Cakes.”

Hunter stopped and stared at me. “We have Twinkies and Zebra Cakes?”

Oh no. I’d stashed those in the back, hoping Hunter wouldn’t find them. Tonight, after Thanksgiving dinner, I had planned to surprise Hunter with our news. When I’d been pregnant with Alec, I’d craved those two things the entire nine months.

I froze. Think. Think. Think. “Yeah, Alec pointed to them in the store, so I got them.”

He set the sandwich meat down, the smile huge on his face as he walked toward me. He knew. I giggled and nodded. In one swift movement, Hunter picked me up and spun me around before he crushed his lips to mine. When he finally put me down, he cradled my face. “Is it true? Tell me it’s true.”

“It is.”

The dads joined us, carrying Alec, who was dressed in a Lion’s jersey. Dad loved putting Alec in his original team colors since Hunter was a Tennessee man.

“What did we miss?” Brett asked.

Aubrey said, “I’m not sure. Something about Twinkies and Zebra Cakes.”

It was then my mom gasped and tears filled her eyes. Dad asked, “What is going on? Is Kendall okay?”

I nodded. “I am, Daddy. I’m more than okay.”

Hunter gave me a look that silently asked if he could tell, and I nodded. “We’re pregnant!” he shouted.

The room erupted in cheers.

I walked over to Alec, and Dad had a huge grin on his face. “So I’m going to be a grandpa again?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Alec kicked and giggled like what we were saying was the funniest thing in the world. He reached for me. “Momma.”

I took him and held him to me, treasuring this moment. I kissed the top of his head. “You’re going to be a big brother.”

Hunter put his arms around us. “My world. My family.”

“It’s time for a toast,” Brett announced.

The parents were abuzz with excitement.

I never imagined when I drove out to this ranch to ask Hunter Owens to be a consultant to the minor league team, I would have been able to have everything I ever wanted and more.

Three months later

Alec was asleep in the house with my mom. They’d flown in for the weekend to spend some time with their grandson. Hunter and I lay on a blanket in a field, my head on his biceps while his hand rested gently on my stomach.

“I love feeling our child move.”

“She’s been really active today.”

A few weeks before, we’d found out we were having a little girl. My world was complete. Life was more laid back than I imagined it could be. Yes, I was busy with work, but my family was my focus. I never imagined I would be able to have this sort of life. And with Hunter consulting, it helped tremendously. We were a team.

I let out a contented sigh.

Hunter asked, “You happy, baby?”

“Very. I can’t wait to meet this little girl.”

Our child kept kicking, and we smiled at each other. Hunter and I had made it a point to get away once a week for a few hours just to spend time with each other. This week, we were having a picnic in the same spot where we’d had our first date.

I yawned. The sun was making me sleepy. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard him whisper, “I love you, Kendall. More than life itself.”

“Love you, too, Hunter.”

Sneak Peak of Dangerous Temptations

A sneak peek of our next collaboration novel, Dangerous Temptations.

Sydney

Home.

I was home.

Or at least the place I considered home.

As I turned off the SUV, the headlights disappeared, which left me alone in the dark of the night. The drive to Maine had been long, but I’d needed to spread Grandpa’s ashes in the place where he’d done the same with Grandma’s fifteen years earlier.

I let out a deep, tired sigh, releasing some of the stress from the last few days while I watched the glow of fireflies in the yard behind the vet clinic.

Grandpa had died two weeks earlier from a heart attack. There had been no time to say goodbye. He had simply been here one day and gone the next.

Mom had flown out here for the week before she returned to California. Now I was here… alone.

“I miss you, Grandpa.”

Every summer since I was a little girl, I’d come to Salem for six weeks from the West Coast. It was where I’d developed my love for animals and the desire to become a vet. In two days, I planned to reopen the practice since it had been closed due to Grandpa’s death.

His death.

I shook my head, unable to comprehend that he wasn’t in his apartment, waiting up for me to come through the door like I had on the countless nights when I’d been visiting from New York where I went to college.

Another deep sigh interrupted the quiet.

“I wish you were here to fulfill our dream of working together.”

In his will, he’d left everything to me—the veterinary practice and a house he’d bought a few months earlier. I’d had no idea about the property until I’d read the will.

So many of the decisions I’d made felt foolish now.

I’d wanted to make it on my own.

I’d wanted to prove my worth as a veterinarian.

I’d wanted to explore the unknown and take chances.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I shrieked as the knocks on my window interrupted my thoughts. A flashlight shone at the glass, nearly blinding me.

“Ma’am, I’m Officer Murphy.” The words were muffled with the window up. “Is everything okay?”

The deep voice silenced my cry, but I held my hand to my racing heart. “You scared me. Who are you again?”

“Officer Murphy with the Salem PD.”

Officer Murphy? The name wasn’t familiar. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the patrol car. “Ma’am, is everything okay? Would you step out of the car?”

My heart still beat rapidly in my ears. Having lived in the city for most of my life, I was leery of getting out of my car at night with a stranger. “I’m just going to verify you’re a cop first.”

“What?”

The window was still up, so I raised my voice. “I’m going to call Doug to verify you’re a cop.”

“That’s fine, ma’am.”

Ma’am? How old does he think I am?

Salem was a small town, and everyone knew everyone. I probably had nothing to worry about, but it was late at nigh

t and I’d never heard of Officer Murphy.

Though a lot could have changed in the three months since I’d visited last.

I grabbed my phone and dialed with the light of the flashlight still shining inside. Doug was the Chief of Police of Salem, and I had his number. He picked up on the first ring. “Sydney, is that you?”

“Hey, Doug. Sorry to call so late at night. I’m outside the clinic. An Officer Murphy is outside my car window. Is he part of the PD now?”