5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Shawn

I ran past the coaches, only slowing as I heard something about Marketta. I bent down to tie my shoe, listening as he said that she wasn’t feeling good again this morning and that he was worried, wondering if he should take her to the doctor.

I frowned at that.

She was sick again? That couldn’t be good. I mean, it wasn’t my concern, but I had this need to check in on her, to talk to her myself. Not that I didn’t believe her dad, but there was just a feeling I had, a desperate yearning to make sure she was okay.

I glanced around the court, trying my best to figure out how to get out of this practice today. I know Coach would have my hide, but I didn’t mind. Seeing Marketa was the top priority at this moment.

With that, I hauled ass back to the hallway, waited a few minutes, and then came back in, holding my stomach.

“What’s wrong with you?” Coach Jones asked and I shook my head, feeling like a little kid. I was a grown ass man lying to my boss all because I wanted to check on his daughter.

“Stomach bug. I heard it’s going around.”

“Get out of here, Colter. I don’t want it. Bad enough dealing with my daughter.”

“I’m going home. I’ll let you know tomorrow how I’m feeling.”

“Sure,” he told me, waving me off. I turned, grinning to myself as I left the courts and headed to the locker room to grab my bag.

Thirty-five minutes later, I pulled up to the house in the Foothills, marveling at the sheer beauty of it. It was an older Adobe style house, made for the heat of this area, with huge windows to capture the beauty of both the desert and mountains surrounding it.

I climbed out of my car, taking a deep breath as I walked up to the front door. She would probably send me away again, not wanting to catch anything she had. But at least for right now, I was going to stand at her door and talk to her, see if I needed to take her somewhere. Because a need was bubbling up to care for this woman and I couldn’t begin to understand why.

With another deep breath, I knocked on the door, surprised when she answered it just a few short moments later. She didn’t look like she was sick, but with the grubby clothes and her hair pulled back, she didn’t look alright.

However, she was still gorgeous to me.

“Shorty,” I addressed her with a grin as I leaned against the doorframe.

“Shawn,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “What are you doing here?”

“Was in the neighborhood, thought I’d stop by.”

She narrowed her eyes at me briefly before letting out a breath.

“Huh, interesting that you would say that given that you should be working right about now.” I couldn’t help but laugh, glad she was still feisty enough to give me some sass. “Do you want to come in?”

“Sure.” She stepped aside and I walked past her, admiring the interior design just as much as the outside. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m better.”

“Really? Because I overheard your dad saying that you were sick again this morning.”

“Yeah. Have a seat, Shawn. Do you want anything?”

“A water, please.” I took a spot on the couch, pushing my long legs out, and waited for her. It was a surprise to find the house as homey as it was, given that Marketa hadn’t been living with her dad. So, either her dad had this place decorated, or he had a great eye.

“My dad.” I jumped at the noise behind me, causing her to laugh. She waved her hand around, encompassing the room. “My dad did it, designed it, I mean. He loves to do things like this, but don’t you dare tell him I said that. It’s his secret hobby. If he wasn’t coaching, he’s designing. Not too bad at it, actually.”

She sat down on the couch next to me and handed me the water.

“It’s very comfortable.”

“When I got my first job with the WNBA and had to move to a whole new place, he came to my little house and set it up for me as a surprise. I loved it. I hated leaving it.”

I watched as she frowned. That was not a look I liked. And I vowed to never have her frown again if I could help it. Which was a pretty big promise to keep when I knew nothing about this woman.

“I thought you were a player.”

A smile brightened her face, and I breathed a little easier.

“What gave it away?”

“The height, actually. You’re tall for a woman and it would be wasted on any other job than basketball.”

“Is that where the cute pet name comes from?”

I leaned closer to her, giving her the best bedroom eyes I could.

“Every woman I’ve been with has been over a foot and a half shorter than me. Do you know what it was like to fuck you when you’re just a few inches shorter? To have your legs wrapped around me and I’m not straining, and neither are you?”

“I do. Because I can’t date anyone shorter than me, let alone fuck anyone like that. But I’ve never been with someone as tall as you.”

I took her hand, rubbing my thumb over the back of it.

“I want another night, Shorty.”

“My dad said no.”

“I’m not talking about your dad,” I told her, poking her side and making her squeal. “You’ve plagued my dreams, Marketa.”

“You’ve plagued mine too.” She opened her mouth to say something else and then jumped off the couch, running to the downstairs bathroom. I waited a beat or two before I followed, rubbing her back as she knelt before the toilet.

What the fuck was going on?

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, wiping her mouth with some toilet paper. She slowly stood and cleaned herself up.

“This isn’t a stomach bug, is it?”

“No,” she whispered. “I need to tell you something.”

A ball landed in my stomach at those words. Was she about to tell me she had some STD and I was going to have to get tested? I mean, it wasn’t like I had slept with anyone since her. Come to think of it, I had no urge to sleep with anyone but her.

“Am I going to be pissed?”

“You might be.” She crossed her arms over her stomach and leaned back against the bathroom counter, her eyes on me. “I’m pregnant, Shawn. And I haven’t been with anyone but you.”

The dread I was expecting never came, nor the anger. The shock was there, but I couldn’t tell if that’s because of the news or because I was subconsciously happy about what this could mean for us and a future I hadn’t pictured before.