Page 38 of Room 908


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“Oh, really?” I said, not at all caring that I was coming across as rude.

“Well, hang on. Pepper’s in the car, so I’ll just bring her in.”

“She’s here?” I yelped, then I sighed. “You knew I would say yes.”

“Duh.” Pepper was the kitten abandoned at the vet clinic last fall, and after bottle feeding her, we’d all grown understandably attached. It was no surprise to anyone that Beck chose to keep her.

As he headed out to get her from the car, I stepped out onto the porch to keep Beck out. I didn’t want him to get the impression he was welcome and invite himself to stay for a cup of coffee or something. I loved my brother, and under normal circumstances, a surprise visit would be no problem at all, but I really wanted to tell Eric the news about my pregnancy privately. He deserved to know before everyone else.

Beck came back a few minutes later with a pet carrier and a bag of her things. “I switched her food because the last one was causing some stomach upset. So I need you to give her half a cup of the dry food twice a day, and you can mix in a bit of the canned wet food. She’ll complain that she’s starving between meals, but don’t buy it. She’s a master manipulator.”

“Right. Got it. No overfeeding.” I was bouncing on the balls of my feet, and I reached out to take the carrier, but instead of handing it over, he stepped around me back into the house.

“Here, I’ll just put her inside.”

“Beck, seriously,” I growled. “I know you’re my older brother, and you seem to think that gives you some kind of right to tease me or torment me or whatever, but can we do this later? I’ve kinda got something planned.”

Pretending he hadn’t heard me, he put the carrier down and headed for the kitchen. “Mm, smells good in here. You won’t mind if I grab a bite to eat, right? I’ll be heading straight to the airport, after all.”

“Beck!” I tried to grab the back of his shirt, but he evaded me and turned toward the messy cake on the counter.

“Ooh! Cake, and it—” He stopped talking, and I covered my face with my hands. He didn’t say anything for too long.

Peeking through my fingers, I saw him with a stunned look on his face, eyebrows creeping steadily higher as he read the slumped lettering.

Everything happened at once. Just as the front door opened behind me, Beck blurted, “You’re pregnant?!” and Cam ran down the hall shouting, “Papa’s home!” It was the first time he’d called him Papa.

We all froze.

I turned slowly and took in Eric’s shocked expression, jaw hanging low. There was no doubt he’d heard what Beck announced. I really hoped he wasn’t having a heart attack. “Surprise,” I said lamely, clearing my throat.

Cam took the pressure off when he ran at Eric and threw his arms around his neck. “Congrats, Papa. You’re gonna be a dad again.”

Eric dropped the grocery bags and caught Cam up in a massive hug. His eyes were turning red as he tried not to cry. “This is the best day ever,” he said, but he sounded like he was getting choked up. He reached for me, and the three—make thatfour—of us had a big group hug.

“Better than winning the Super Bowl?” I asked.

“Hands down,” he vowed, pressing salty kisses all over my face.

Beck gave us a moment before asking, “Does that mean we can eat the cake?”

22

Eric

Lifewasgood.Hell,it was better than good. It wasperfect.

A lot of ex-players resented the injuries that ended their careers, and some even had a hard time transitioning to a new way of life, but I saw it as a kind of blessing. I was lucky the injury wasn’t worse. The surgeon who did the repair did a great job, and it healed well. I’d continued with physical therapy to keep up strength and flexibility, and while it still ached from time to time, I managed to throw the ball around a little with the kids on my team, and that felt amazing. Besides how much I was enjoying my coaching job, I also got to spend more time at home now, and that was just plain bliss. I never would’ve guessed how much satisfaction I got from doing laundry, but yesterday I caught myself smiling as I folded Jasper’s underwear.

Yep. Life was good. So I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would last.

As I headed toward my car in the parking lot, I heard someone behind me shout, “Hey, Coach, heads up!” and I turned just in time to catch the ball as it came spiraling in.

“Whooo, damn,” I cursed, rubbing at my shoulder. “Manny, I’m telling you, you’re one to watch out for. You keep practicing and you’re guaranteed to get a scholarship to the university of your choice.”

He ducked his chin as his cheeks darkened with the praise. “You think so?”

“I know so.” This kid was even better than I was at his age, and without the cocky overconfidence I’d been cursed with. With a little guidance, he would make it all the way. “Have you thought about what I suggested?”

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