OLDER MAN: The Secretary's Secret Baby (Best Friend Brother Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Sport Comedy Romance) (8 page)

I was nervous about telling my family the news, mostly because I did not want them to be upset with Gina for keeping this secret. She had in fact robbed them of being grandparents to their first grandchild for three years, but I think when they viewed it from a career standpoint they would probably be grateful that Gina allowed me to pursue my dreams. However, I would not know until I told them.

It was the day of the wedding and I did not want to ruin Melissa’s wedding day with family drama, but I would wait until the end of the reception to tell them.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to go to the wedding together?” Gina said.

"Yes, I do. We are standing up together anyway so no one will think anything of it," I said. Then I continued, "Besides I want to let everyone know later at the reception, but I don't want to steal the day away from Melissa. Let's let everyone know later towards the end of the reception, or at least just my parents." I said as I thought it through more. It was a big shock to bring up to everyone so maybe we should just tell my parents and deal with that.

"Yes, OK I think that is a good idea," she said in a nervous manner as she fixed the yellow bridesmaids gown. Jessica came in to the room and helped her with the headpiece and she was going to stay with Jared, my son. She looked at us both, Gina and I and smiled. She was happy with the way things were going, and so was I. It was good to  have the sister’s blessing as she was important to this family. I watched Jared play and jump and down and I could not wait to be a family officially. I wanted to take  him out to do things and not give a damn what people said or thought. That was my son and I was damn proud of him. He was smart, funny, and had my good looks and his mother’s heart. He was the perfect child and I owed it all to Gina. She had sacrificed so much for me. Now, it was my turn to take care of her. As soon as we were married and settled in Los Angeles she was going to go back to school and pursue her dreams and I was in support of that. She had put it all on hold to raise our child and now I was going to pay for her college and all the nannies and pre-school we needed to help her do it. She would have a life of luxury and not need to work at all, but its what she wanted. Whatever Gina wanted I was going to give it to her.

We finally left to the wedding and arrived at the small church that we had grown up going to.

"Are you ready for this?” I asked Gina as I squeezed her hand.

"Yes, I am. I have been ready for it for years," she said smiling at him. A few minutes later we were walking down the aisle in the wedding ceremony and I could not help to think about us walking down the aisle as man and wife very soon. It made me very happy. Finally the Bride entered. My sister looked spectacular and I was very happy that she was happy. It was all that I wanted for everyone.

Later at the reception it was finally winding down. I found a good time to take my mother and father outside and I told them the news. They were shocked and had a million questions, but I merely quieted them down by saying, “It’s true. I am a father. Let’s talk about it more tomorrow. Gina is going to be my wife and you have a grandchild. It’s a complicated mess but a welcomed one. I am very happy. Can we all agree to put it aside until tomorrow?”

They agreed and wondered why I didn’t wait to tell them until the next day if I didn’t want to talk about it. To which I answered, “Because I was busting at the seams to tell you and I assumed I would let it slip in conversation if I did not say something. So here we are,” they both laughed and then we went on with the celebrations. They seemed genuinely happy about the situation as was I.

"It's done I did it," I said to Gina as I sat back down next to her at the table. She had a glass of champagne in her and and I thought about how not to long ago she dropped a glass when I was asking her about her son. Now I knew why, because I had essentially asked her about my son without knowing it. Wow, how much had changed. She turned to me and said,"Did what?"

"I told my parents that I am a father. I told them about Jared."

"You did what!” she said to him nearly dropping the glass again.

"I told you it would be fine. They are very happy and excited. They cannot wait to meet Jared. Of course they were shocked, but that is to be expected. They want to know more but everyone agreed that we would talk about it tomorrow and let Melissa have her day."

Gina sighed in relief and looked toward my parents who were smiling at us and my mother was crying in tears of joy. I smiled back at them and felt good about our future with my new family. In that moment, I thought about how much had changed. Before I came back to my small town I was in Los Angeles in a strange place waking up with a strange woman in bed. I was a lost soul looking around for something of meaning because being a celebrity athlete had taken so much from me even though it had given me much as well.  I had left loss Angeles a player and now I would be returning as a father with a family and the woman of my dreams. I would be returning with a sister that was now married, and parents who are now grandparents. I would be returning with a son, Who I absolutely adored and could not wait to get to know more. I could not wait to read him stories at night. I could not wait to teach them how to throw a ball. I could not wait to show him off to the world. So much has changed since I had left Los Angeles and in this moment staring at my parents crying and happiness all of that change hit me. If someone would have told me that I would be leaving Los Angeles and returning a father and future husband I would not have believed them. However I did not know that Gina had been hiding this secret for so long and suffering in silence. How could anyone have known? She went through great lengths to keep it a secret from everyone except her sister. She did a really good job of it too. I knew that I would always have some feeling of regret that I was not in Jared's life from the time he was born until now at three years old, but I would have to deal with that. I would just have to be grateful that I would be in his life now and that he was young enough to know that I was his father and to grow up with me as his father. It was all a life-changing situation and I welcome it. This is what I had been missing in life and I felt fulfilled as soon as Gina admitted to me that Jared was my son. Though anyone that looked at him would not deny that he was not because he looked exactly like me.

It is time to see the bride and groom off," Gina said as she stood up and pulled on my arm. Then she continued, "Where are they going on their honeymoon anyway? I feel so selfish that I never asked Melissa."

"They are going to Puerto Rico for two weeks courtesy of her brother," I said it with a wink.

"That is a very nice wedding gift," Gina said with a smile. "Now come on let us go send them off with love and flowers."

"Right after you future wife," I said to her with a laugh.

"Why thank you future husband, and now father of my child," she said as she laughed and moved toward the crowd. But her words got to me and I felt my heart still with happiness as she called me the father of her child. Hearing it made it feel very real and I was more than happy about it. I followed her into the crowd and everyone went outside to tell the bride and groom goodbye before sending them off on their exotic honeymoon.

We gathered and everyone line up with flowers in their hands for the final send off celebration. Everyone lined the aisle and we cheered and tossed flowers at them while they walked hand in hand from the reception hall to the black town car waiting for them. I was very happy for my sister and knew that she would be just as happy to find out that I was marrying her best friend and that we were already a family. It would be a bit of a shock to her at first, but then she would be thrilled. I couldn’t wait to see her face when I told her.

Two weeks later when the bride and groom returned to their home in New York, Matthew, Jared, and I showed up as a family to tell them the news. We wanted to tell them in person and explain the situation. Of course Matthew and I kept it on a need to know basis with everyone else, but with family we told them the whole truth. There were no secrets any more and that felt really good to me after having a secret for so long. A very big secret.

At first it shocked everyone but then they were happy for us. Melissa was especially happy.

"Now we will be sisters! "She said as she hugged me. I was glad that she was happy and that no one was upset. But most of all I was happy that Matthew was happy and that it was all going to work out. In the end this wedding turned out to be a blessing and not a cursed or meant that I had to endure. I was glad that I had said yes to being a bridesmaid because it changed my life forever and it changed Jared's life forever. I guess it also change the Matthews life forever and according to him for the better. This is what he wanted, not the celebrity indulgent life that he had been experiencing. He was burnt out on that behavior.

A couple of weeks after the fact Jared and I moved into our new home in Los Angeles. Jared at just three was still sufficiently youthful to have the capacity to change quick and effortlessly to knowing his dad. Matthew was the best father and after a month we were married in Hollywood in small ceremony. We did not have a week long wedding of events and social activities. We had a quiet wedding as we were ready to get started on our life as soon as possible.

THE END

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I was on the treadmill at Planet Exercise, hating it.  What do you do after a break-up?  You hit the gym, because you have to get back down to competition weight.  Ugh.

Competition was in the air.  I looked over at the climbing wall, at Mr. Buzzcut, he of the piercing blue eyes.  No one could miss him.  He was the loudest guy in the gym.

“Hey,” Buzzcut said.  “Twenty bucks says no one can beat me to the top.”  What a bore.  Buzzcut had the type of thick, corded forearms, and round melon shoulders, that made it seem he could ascend the wall without even using his legs.  That kind of upper body strength was hard to compete against. 

Donna reached over and yanked my earbuds out.  Oww!

“Earth to Nancy,” Donna said.  “Why don’t you go over and talk to him?”

“Who?”

“The guy you’ve been staring at the whole time we’ve been here.”

I swatted Donna’s arm.  “I haven’t been staring.”

“Yeah, right.  So, since you’re eye-raping him, why don’t you go talk to him?  It’ll help you get over Kevin.”

“Kevin who?” I said.

Donna smiled.  “
Such
a liar.”

Buzzcut sailed down from the wall on the safety rope, having handily beaten his challenger.  Now Buzzcut was trying to go double or nothing on the squat rack—most weight wins.

“A little too testosterone-y in here,” I said.  “I’m going home.”

“What about your boss’s going away party?” Donna asked.

“Not feeling it,” I replied.  Donna stuck around to watch the squat contest.  I hit the locker room, pulled off my sweat pants and tee, and then donned my Denver Nuggets uniform.  I don’t follow basketball at all, but those big shorts and roomy tank tops were comfortable as heck, plus the pale blue made my skin look more vibrant.  Just because I was in mourning over breaking up with Kevin it didn’t mean I had to look like crap.

Two swipes of deodorant later, I was out the door, gym bag over my shoulder.  I might have looked cute, but I smelled like an old sneaker that had deodorant rubbed on it.  That was fine by me.  I didn’t want anyone to get close anyway.

It was a warm evening, but the breeze was coming in off the river, and it soothed my damp skin.  I tried not to let the couples that strolled along the Riverwalk—arm in arm, happy together—remind me too much of Kevin.  Alcohol would help.

There was no liquor left in my near-empty apartment, so I popped into the local pub, Carmody’s.  I’d never been there before.  It wasn’t a couples place.

The bartender made a face when I ordered a Mint Julep.  “How ‘bout a brewski?”

“Mint Julep,” I replied.