Romance: New Adult: One Game at a Time - A College Football Romance (Bad Boy Romance) (Sports Contemporary Short Stories) (41 page)

“Violence isn’t always in the form of physical cruelty.” Her voice was almost too low for him to hear.

He shook his head. “I will not be cruel to you in any way. Please believe me, Mary Ann. I will not hurt you.”

Mary Ann didn’t reply. She prayed silently, keeping her eyes on her baby and hoping for the best.

Chapter Four

Teresa met them outside when they reached the farmhouse. It was as big as Matt had implied. She didn’t see neighbors anywhere near them. The garden was
long,
and it appeared that half of it was overgrown with weeds and old produce that had never
been reaped
.

“I wasn’t able to get it all done this season.” Matt looked embarrassed when they passed it pulling up to the front of the house. She nodded in response, her eyes on the woman standing there waiting, holding the hand of a little girl.

When Christina saw her daddy, her face lit up. Mary Ann could tell from that response that Matt was the kind of father and man he said he
was,
and her heart was comforted. The little girl jumped up and down as they got closer and clapped her hands excitedly. She could hear her calling out, “Daddy! Daddy!”

It warmed her
heart,
and she smiled at Matt.

When he saw it, he smiled back gratefully. He wanted her to be happy. He had a feeling she deserved happiness.

He took a moment to greet his daughter and sister before going back to the buggy to bring Mary Ann’s luggage to the house. Mary Ann stepped up on the porch and knelt down next to the little girl, who had recovered from her excitement of having her father return home. The little one looked at the even smaller baby, pressing her little lips together and squealing softly. “Baby!” she exclaimed. “A
little baby
!”

“Yes, her name is Annabelle.” Mary Ann
said softly
. “She’s going to be your new sister.”

Christina’s eyes opened wide. “Really? A new sister?”

Mary Ann looked up at Teresa.
“Hello,
” she said.

Teresa nodded at her. She was the spitting image of her brother. Mary Ann wondered if they were twins and her heart pounded at the thought, remembering that
she herself
had twins. “Hello. It’s good to have you here.” Although she said the words, Teresa didn’t look as pleased as Mary Ann would have liked. Her face did not give off the impression that she was impressed with her new future sister-in-law.

Mary Ann stood back up as Christina hopped
down the steps
to get to her father. She
said
“daddy” whenever she landed on a new step. Mary Ann grinned. Her daughter would be doing that soon too.

“Did you have a comfortable train ride?” Teresa asked.

“I did, thank you for asking. It wasn’t very long.”

“You must be
hungry,
though. Can I make you something to eat?”

Mary Ann looked relieved. “I would love a cup of coffee and some biscuits if you have any.”

“We have some fresh-baked cookies. And I made some small cakes yesterday. I will get you some if Matt hasn’t devoured them all.”

Both the women glanced down at Matt, who had set the luggage on the ground to pick up his daughter and give her another hug. He set her down and instructed her on how to help him carry the bags up the stairs. The little girl put in a lot of effort, lugging one of the smaller bags all by herself, letting it slam on the next step up as she dragged it. Matt looked up at Mary Ann to make sure she was not displeased with the way her luggage was
being treated
. Her look of amusement gave him a good feeling.

“Let’s get these
inside,
” he instructed. “And sit and talk for a while.”

Mary Ann nodded. “I’d like that.” She turned to follow Teresa into the house, standing back to prop the door open for Matt and Christina. He nodded his thanks as he passed her and she came in behind him. The door slammed and made her jump a little. She giggled
nervously,
and Matt smiled at her.

“It does that. Don’t
worry, it
’s just a broken spring.”

She nodded. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

“I’ve got a lot of repairs to do around the house.”

“I see.”

By the time the evening came and they were seated
around
the table eating
a special
roast and potatoes dinner that Teresa had prepared for the new family member, Mary Ann was feeling more at peace than she had in a very long time. She enjoyed listening to Matt talk. He always had a pleasant tone and a friendly look on his face. She hoped that wouldn’t change.

When the subject of her past came up, she took a deep breath. “Well,” she bit her bottom lip. “I suppose I might as well tell you now.”

Matt felt apprehension and the back of his neck tightened. He had managed to avoid
the headache
that had threatened him
earlier,
but Mary Ann’s words brought the feeling back with full force. He calmed himself and waited for her to continue.

“I…my husband, Andrew, was a cruel man. He…he didn’t want children. He was angry when I got
pregnant with
…when I got pregnant.”

“Oh no.” Teresa took her hand and looked at her sympathetically. “Was he violent with you?”

When Mary Ann nodded, Matt knew his suspicions had been correct. He sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Mary Ann.
I won’t do that to you. I won’t be mean to you.”

Mary Ann looked at Teresa when she added, “He really won’t be. He is my twin brother. I know him better than anyone. He has never been cruel to anyone in his life.”

Mary Ann looked
from
her to Matt. “You are twins?”

“Yes, can’t you tell?” Matt chuckled, framing his face with his hands briefly and then making a box in the air around his
sister’s,
though she was across the table from him. The motions made Mary Ann giggle.

“Yes, I had thought you might be. I…my little Annabelle here also was a twin.”

Both Matt and Teresa lost their smiles. “What happened?” Matt asked gently. “Did you lose her?”

Mary Ann nodded. Matt stood up and came over to put his arms around her.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
Mary Ann looked down at Annabelle, who was lying peacefully in her basket, looking up at the ceiling and all around her, as quiet as always. She wondered if the baby knew that her sister was not with her and was looking for her.

“Not in the way you
think,
” she said, quietly. “When I had the babies, Andrew…came in and…he wanted to take them both to the orphanage in town.” She felt Matt’s arm tighten around her shoulders. He pulled away slightly and looked down at her. She looked up and saw traces of anger on his face. “When I wouldn’t let him, he told me to choose between the babies but I couldn’t. So he took Rebecca and left with her.”

“Oh no!” Teresa dropped her head into her hands.

“He was killed while he was gone. I don’t know where Rebecca is now.”

Matt knelt on one knee and looked up at her. “Oh, Mary Ann. That is terrible!”

“I will think about her forever. I will always wonder what happened to her.”

“Do you think he made it to the orphanage?” Matt asked.

Mary Ann shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t know. No one knew. She wasn’t with him when they found him.”

Matt stood up. He held out one hand to
her,
and she took it, standing. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She could hear his heartbeat when she laid her head against his chest. He was warm. His strong arms around her made her feel safe for the first time in her life.

When he whispered in her ear, she felt a chill run through her.

“I’m going to take care of you, Mary Ann. I will keep you and Annabelle safe. If you want to go back to find her, I will
come,
and we will search for her.”

Her body lit up with chills as the exciting prospect ran through her mind. She looked up at him. “You would do that?”

He gazed at her, lifting one hand to run through her dark hair. “I only want to take care of you, Mary Ann. You need someone to do that, don’t you?” He took one of her hands and lifted it to his lips. “Let me do that for you.”

Without responding, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He closed his eyes and pressed his face down on her soft hair.

The train ride back felt shorter than it had
coming
over. Before she knew it, Mary Ann was stepping out into a familiar atmosphere. Matt had wanted to waste no time and had purchased tickets for them only a week after she had arrived. He wanted Mary Ann to be reunited with her lost daughter before they committed their lives to each other. He had assured her that he wasn’t about to skip out on having a family of three daughters and a loving wife. Even if two of those daughters weren’t his.

She had quickly discovered that he was nothing like Andrew and thanked God for it. From the beginning, he had been kind and gentle with her, even to the point of changing Annabelle’s diaper in the middle of the night. Teresa told her Matt had taken care of Christina the same way when she was
very small
.

“Where do we go first, Mary?” Matt asked, taking her hand as they walked away from the train station. “Do you know where we might be able to get a horse? Unless you plan to walk all over the town, which may take some time.”

“I have no idea where we can get a horse.” Mary Ann shook her head. “But we need to go to the orphanage first. If he dropped her off there, perhaps she is still there. If she is, we can get her. If she isn’t, I don’t know what we will do. My nurse warned me not to go searching
from
door to door. Not everyone in town is
nice,
and she said that my
…
Andrew made a lot of enemies.”

“What Andrew did has nothing to do with
us,
” Matt said firmly, lifting her hand to kiss it, as he had taken to doing quite frequently. She loved it and smiled up at him. “We will knock on doors if that’s what it takes. But I’m sure there’s a stable around here somewhere so we can get a horse. I’ll ask someone.”

As soon as they got in town, he went into a shop, leaving her to stand on the walkway outside, shaded from the bright sun by a
low-hanging
roof. She stood, waiting, her eyes on the door of the establishment.

“Mary Ann?” She heard her name
being called
. She turned to see Nurse Green staring at her, her eyes wide open. “Oh my God! Mary Ann!” She came running and threw her arms around her young friend.  “I can’t believe it’s you! I can’t believe it! You’ve only
been gone
for a week!”

“Yes, my new husband decided to come back and help me find Rebecca.” Mary Ann smiled wide and hugged her nurse tightly. “How have you been?”

Lila shook her head. “Never mind how I’ve been! I found Rebecca! Just a few days after you left! I was going to wait for you to write so that I would have your address and send you a letter! I found her!”

Mary Ann
was covered
in chills. “What?
You found
her? How?”

Lila was laughing excitedly just as Matt came out of the store. He stared at them both and then wondered why he would be surprised when this was Mary Ann’s original home. He smiled at Lila.

“Hello,
” He said.

“You must be Matthias!” Lila nodded at him and shook his hand when he extended it. “I was just telling Mary Ann that I found her Rebecca! How wonderful of you to come and bring her here to look for her. I must take you there right now!”

Mary Ann looked up at Matt, her smile covering her face, making her eyes sparkle. He was overwhelmed with emotions, too and she could tell. The look on his face was pure happiness. It wasn’t even his
child,
and he looked just as overjoyed as she was.

“Mary Ann! That’s
wonderful
!” He grabbed her and gave her
an excited
kiss on the lips, surprising her. His lips were incredibly soft. She had never
been kissed
like that by Andrew. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back and standing
on her tip-toes
to whisper in his ear.

“Thank you for bringing me back, Matt. Thank you for so much.”

He squeezed her to him. “I can’t help it, honey. I loved you the moment I saw you.”

*****

THE END

The Russian’s Secret Love Child – Tyra’s Story

A BWWM Billionaire Pregnancy Romance

''It's okay, Tyra, hold on to me,'' Natalie said as Tyra collapsed into her arms.

Father Smith had told me it would be like this, Tyra thought. But which of the emotions had he meant? The Grief or the guilt? Tyra was experiencing both. Two of the most powerful human emotions were wracking through her at will.

''Tyra, we're so sorry for your loss.'' Tyra lifted her head from Natalie's shoulder. It was
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Radley Samuels, Tyra's boss and his wife.

''Thank you for coming. I
really
appreciate it.'' Tyra didn't think she could speak, but the words came out somehow. Natalie handed her another tissue and for a
moment,
Tyra could see clearly again. She looked to her left and saw a line of mourners waiting to express their condolences to her.

''If only I hadn't been so selfish,'' Tyra said to Natalie as they walked up the cemetery path. It had taken an eternity to work
through
the line of those seeking to express their condolences and Tyra was exhausted. ''It was
foggy,
and I knew dad didn't want to drive that day. It was me. Me moaning that they hadn't been to see me in my new home in the city. Lord knows, I think I even suggested they weren't interested in me anymore.'' She held onto Natalie again as another insufferable wave of guilt rammed at her. ''No, I killed them. Dad would never have taken
mom
out in the car on a day like
normally
.'' Natalie didn't know how to comfort her friend. They were both just
twenty-three
and
beginning
to make their way in the world. Losing parents
wasn't
supposed to happen until later in life.

*****

Three weeks after the funeral, Tyra stood outside the jewelry store on Wes
t 47th Street and looked at it, really looked
at it, for the first time. I've been working here for seven months, and this is the first time I've properly taken the place in, she thought.
Grief-stricken
and riddled with
guilt;
she felt her senses had become sharper since the passing of her parents. It was as if someone was making her take notice of the world. Making her appreciate what can so easily be torn away from you, in an instant.

West 47th Street was full of jewelry shops, but none as grand as J.P Samuels. They might as well have called it, '
Jewelers to the rich and famous,'
she thought. For that's what it was. A place where the rich came to gorge on expensive stones. The front of the store was imposing. Between the cleanest store windows in New York, there were columns of polished black granite. The entrance was in the middle of the
store
and it
too
was surrounded by shiny black stone. The door itself
was made
of
bulletproof
, reinforced glass. What Tyra liked best about the facade was the sign. It
was made
of copper and ran the length of the store. The background was dark and the letters that had
been forged
onto
it
were
polished
and stood out better than any other letters on the street.

''Welcome back Tyra.
I'm so sorry to hear about your mom and dad,'' Leon said.
''
Thanks,
Leon. It's very brave of you to say so.'' She'd found that most people just turned away from her, not knowing what to say. Not Leon. It was his job to stand inside the door and keep out the undesirables. He was perfectly equipped to do so at six feet seven and two hundred and fifty pounds, but it involved hours standing in the same place, day after day.

''Tyra, my girl,'' Radley Samuel's said. He'd been waiting for her.
Normally,
he didn't stand in the shop.

He had others to do that for him. His job was managing the business
that
his grandfather had started. ''Come with me.''

Tyra followed him through the store. They walked past glass cabinets filled with beautiful necklaces, rings, bracelets,
earrings,
and watches. At the back of the
store
, they went through a door and down a corridor. The first door on the right led to a security room. Tyra had never been in the
room,
but she had seen inside
once
when the door had been open. It was full of monitors and the latest lock down systems. It was all
hi-tech,
and she had no idea about any of it.

Radley pushed open the first door on the left and showed her into his office. How can anyone spend hours in an office with no daylight?
she
wondered. There were pictures of his ancestors on one wall and a giant
flora
vase in the corner. What she liked most about his office was the carpet. It was
deep
red with the company crest woven into it.

''Tyra, please sit down.'' He pointed to a button backed armchair
that
stood in front of his mahogany desk. ''I want you to tell me how you are feeling. You've been through a
lot,
and I want to make sure
you’re
feeling up to working again.'' I wish I had a daughter like her, she's so graceful and kind, yet determined and motivated, he thought.

''Well, honestly speaking, I'm still feeling awful.'' You can tell him
everything;
he cares for you, she
told
herself as a moment of doubt crept into her mind. ''I weep a lot, especially in the evening and I feel guilty.
So guilty.''
She noticed how closely he was listening to her. The furrows on his forehead were
deep
with concern for
her,
and his eyes were looking directly into hers, seeking any sign that a return to work may be too early.

''There is nothing I can say to you that will make you feel better. All I can do is tell you what happened to me when my son
was killed
.'' Killed? I didn't know he'd had a son, she thought. The thought that someone close to her had also suffered such a loss made her feel better.

''My son was only nineteen. He was studying business at New York University and working here
at
the weekends.'' He stopped talking for a moment, took out a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped his forehead. Tyra knew him to be
fifty-nine
. He was quite tall and
very thin
. It was as if he was so involved in his business he forgot to eat.

He looked at her with a pained expression as he continued. ''One morning, he left home to go to college, and he never came back again. A man who had been drinking all
night
decided to get into his
car
and drive to the girlfriend he had left for dead in her apartment the previous evening. When he fell asleep at the wheel, it was my son he hit.'' Tyra noticed a crack in his voice. ''Walking down the street minding his own business.'' He took the handkerchief and blew his nose.

''Oh my God, that's awful,'' Tyra put her hand to her mouth.

He nodded. Perhaps I shouldn't have burdened her with this, he thought. ''
At first,
everything was a blur. It was only after the funeral had taken place that it
really
hit me. After the funeral, everyone seems to disappear. All the kind words and supporting arms are no longer there. You are suddenly alone.'' He ran his hand through his thinning gray hair and looked towards a photo on his desk. Tyra couldn't see who it was. She assumed his son.

''The
Undertaker
had warned me about it. A deep hole, he'd called it, and I fell into it.'' When he
paused,
Tyra thought about where she was mentally and recognized what he was describing. ''The
Undertaker
also explained that there is something called the cycle of grief. You go through stages of grief, and if you are lucky, eventually come out the other end. The last stage is called the acceptance
stage
. You stop all the blaming and come to terms with what's happened.
Of course,
you're still
sad,
but it gets easier.''

''It's very kind of you to tell me this. I had no idea. I was afraid I would have this level of pain for the rest of my life.'' Tyra looked at her hands. Her nails used to be so manicured, she thought.

''When I employed you, Tyra, I saw something in you. You are one of life's
good
people. I can see you care about people. When you talk to
clients,
you are patient, and most importantly, you listen to them. Did you know I have no relatives?''

Tyra shook her head.

''No.''

''Well, I don't. Not one, and no friends. There's only my wife and me.'' He looked at her, and wondered what he was about to say, would do to her. ''I am going to leave the business to you.'' He stared at her, not wanting to miss her reaction.

''Pardon?' Tyra said. She wasn't really in the mood for jokes.

''I am going to leave the business to you,'' he repeated.

What the hell is he
playing at
? This isn't funny, doesn't he know I've just buried my parents. She went to stand
up,
but he put up his hand and stopped her.

''For the last time, Tyra. You will inherit this business.'' Someone knocked on the
door;
it was his wife. ''Tell her Eliana, she doesn't believe me.''

''How are
you,
Tyra? We are
very worried
about you?'' she said ignoring her husband's plea for help.

''I've been better.'' What are they playing at, surely Jewish people don't give things away like this, she
thought?

''My husband, as you know, isn't given to pranks. We have decided to leave it to you.
Of course,
you are young, and you have only just started in the business, but we see you have got what it takes.'' She put her hand on Tyra's shoulder and looked her into her eyes. ''You are
intelligent,
and you have an enormous appetite for the business. We have never seen anyone with your enthusiasm. We are both sixty next year and all we have done with our lives is sit in this store.'' She looked at her husband and gave him
an assertive
nod. ''In five years time, we will retire and travel. You will take over as
manager,
and when we die, it will all be yours. Take the time between now and then to learn all you can about the business.''

''Are you okay to come back to work?'' Radley asked. Tyra looked at him and burst into tears. It was a gesture so
great
that
her
emotions overflowed.

Eliana sat on the chair arm and put her arm around her. ''You have been through a lot, but you have us, and we will help you all we can.''

*****

Tyra started up
Google
and typed in:
'The Hope Diamond'
She read: Value $350 million dollars, 45
karats
, 9.1 grams. ''Three hundred and fifty million dollars,'' she whispered under her breath.

She and Radley had agreed that she would work in the shop four days a week and spend the other two days shadowing him. He' made a list of things he had to teach her.
He
hadn't realized how long the list would prove to be. One thing he couldn't teach her was diamond cutting. While he was an expert at grading and valuing gems, he'd never enjoyed using tools. Tyra had told him that she'd go to college in her own time and learn.

''How do you like your desk?'' Radley asked as he poked his head into her new office. Tyra wondered if the room had been intended as a broom cupboard when the place
was built
, but she didn't want to complain. She was grateful it had a window and more than
grateful
that the Samuels had seen so much potential in her.

''Lovely thanks. I was just looking up information on the Hope Diamond. It
really
is quite spectacular.''

He stepped into the office and looked at the picture
with
her. ''It sure is. One of the best diamonds in the world and it's coming here. I can't quite believe it.''

''Neither can I.'' She'd never heard of the program called,
'Diamonds for All.'
It was an initiative set up by the National Association of Jewelers, with the aim of bringing famous diamonds to places where the public go and see them. Based on reputation, Radley had been asked if he would like to house the Hope Diamond when it came to New York. His store had the best security of any in the
city,
and it had
a strong
room big enough to house a large show cabinet, four security
men,
and the viewing public.