6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Marketa

I laid the test on the counter in case he wanted to see it. But he didn’t move. Hell, he didn’t even blink. Did I break him? I mean, he was at least breathing, so there was that.

“Shawn?” Still nothing.

I was starting to get worried. I mean, I at least had a few hours to wrap my head around what was happening and how my future had changed on a dime. He had nothing. And I didn’t mean to blindside him. Not like that. Not when we were getting along.

But he also didn’t have to follow me. He should have just stayed away, thinking it was a bug. Would have been more helpful than me thinking I broke him. How did words break him?

“Shawn?” I called once more, this time breaking through the haze he was encompassed in.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Sure, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

I lifted a brow at the question, and he just shrugged, as if it wasn’t anything big.

“I landed a bomb on your lap.”

“This might sound totally strange, and I won’t blame you if you happened to kick me out on my ass, Shorty, it’s a bomb for sure, but not an unwanted bomb.”

Okay, that was the last thing I was expecting. I read the articles on most ball players and though Shawn wasn’t a player and didn’t have a woman in every port, he still had quite the fan base to choose from. A baby might just destroy that image and what man wanted that?

“Huh?” Not the best line or question, but he had me thoroughly confused. And instead of answering it, he asked another question.

“Can we sit on the couch?” I numbly nodded as I followed him back to the living room and took the seat next to him. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“For the moment I’m okay. It comes and goes though. Shawn, any man might be a little flabbergasted by having someone blurt out that they were pregnant after a one-night stand.” I cocked a brow as he winced. “Not the words to use?”

“Marketa, it might have been a one-night stand, or at least started out that way. But I’m not lying when I say you haven’t left my thoughts. I really do want to get to know you better. And, crazy as it may seem for not knowing me, I want to be part of the baby’s life. I don’t want to be an absentee father. I had one of those, that shit hurts.”

“I mean, I was never going to deny you, Shawn. I’m just saying if you wanted to back away, I was fine with that too. I understood.”

“But you don’t get to back away.”

“I….uh….no.”

“And last time I checked, it took two of us to make that baby, not just you, Marketa.”

“I’m pretty sure your dick in my pussy caused this.”

“I’m pretty sure too, Shorty. It’s not fair that I can pull the move to leave, and you can’t, not till the baby is born. I’ve always been the type of man to own up to my mistakes, to fix my faults, if I can. And this won’t be any different.”

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”

“And I’m not offering that. I’m not even staying out of obligation, so don’t throw that in my face.” I glanced down as he took my hand, and I had to swallow hard, feeling the zing from that touch race down my spine. “I honest, to God, want to be here, right by your side.”

“And my father, Shawn?”

I grinned as Shawn let out a breath before lifting a shoulder.

“I’m not sure. How long do you think you can hide being pregnant?”

I shoved his shoulder, making him laugh. I wasn’t scared of my dad finding out I had a bun in the oven. He wasn’t overly protective THAT WAY. He would be more pissed off at the fact that I slept with a ball player and then got pregnant by him than if I had just really slept with some random guy.

Fucked up mindset, I know, but what could I say to that?

Not to mention, dumb as it may seem, I looked forward to getting to have the joys that came along with a baby. First movements, kicks, turns, all of that. Wasn’t thrilled with the morning sickness, but it wasn’t the baby’s fault.

I got to experience all the fun things my mom did. And I wouldn’t be like her, having a baby grow up without a parent there. That’s the worst thing to do to a kid. So, I was glad to see that Shawn was in. After all, he did know all about it too.

Given that both of this baby’s parents were tall, I had no doubt I was going to be carrying a big one. This was going to be fun in about eight months.

“Do you mind if I go with you to everything I can?”

I couldn’t phantom how a man this sweet was alone. It amazed me. He kinda amazed me.

“I don’t mind. But don’t be mad if I tell you to meet me there rather than you picking me up. I’m so not taking on the wrath of my dad yet!”

“You think I want to. I was going to say don’t get all pissy if I tell you that.”

We shared a laugh before I let out a deep exhale. This was comfortable and oddly right.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble, either Shawn, if something happens and you have a game, or appearances. I get the job. I know what it’s like.”

He looked at me, his head tilted slightly, and I had to lift a brow. There were all kinds of explanations in that look, but I didn’t know him well enough to figure out what they all meant.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m going to let that line pass because you don’t know me, Shorty, not like you should. But I’m going to let you in on a secret. I love playing ball, I’m good at it, but it’s a job, nothing more. And when something big happens in my life that I want, nothing comes before that.

“This baby will be front and center, because it’s already very important to me. I can get fined, benched, or kicked off the team, but if my baby needs me, I will be there. Understand?”

I nodded.

Honestly, what more could I say to that? This man hadn’t even known for half an hour about the baby and instead of running for the hills, he sat here and told me it was already an important piece of his life.

Who the fuck thought that way?

“Good. Now, with that out of the way, I need to rectify something?”

“That is?”

“This whole thing of not knowing me, Marketa. I’m not happy with that. It needs to change.”

“Okay, Mr. Demanding, what did you have in mind?”

I couldn’t help the smile that went along with the tease because this man was beyond cute. Sure, demanding he was, but still cute, and sexy, and good looking. Did I mention any part of that before?

“A date.”

“Excuse me?”

“Shorty, let me take you on a date, so we can start this road properly.”

“What road?”

“The road of us being a couple.”

His smirk spoke volumes, all of which I understood.

Well, shit.