Page 21 of Unexpected Pass

“You did this for me?” I asked. I couldn’t control my shock.

“Yeah,” he said casually as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

This setup looked like what men did for the woman they loved, but I was someone’s random baby mama he’d met at a party. We hadn’t had more than maybe six conversations. I was confused.

“Kellon, this is… too much,” I protested, feeling flattered by it all and overwhelmed.

“Nah. It’s your first time here. I had to go all out. Now, go freshen up for dinner. We kind of on a schedule.”

He nudged me gently inside the bedroom before I could protest. The door shut, and a mix of emotions coursed through my body. I’d never had a man do anything remotely close to this before. Hell, I’d never actually been courted. I always seemed to run into the Netflix and chill types.

“Shower!” he shouted through the door, shaking me from my thoughts and making me scurry off to the ensuite bathroom to freshen up.

None of this was giving friends or business. If it wasn’t clear to me before now, I was confident that Kellon was interested in me, but that couldn’t happen. I wasted no time undressing and hopping into the shower. Kellon said we were on a strict time crunch, so I needed to make it quick. I took cocoa butter-scented soap and lathered it across my entire body, washing away my nearly perfect day with Kellon Barnes. It was nearly perfect because, inside my little fairytale, there was an essential piece of reality that I couldn’t avoid. I was pregnant.

As the warm water cascaded down my body, my thoughts spun out of control. What would Kellon think? Would he be shocked? Would he see me differently? It was daunting, especially after God blessed me to meet such a wonderful man. He deserved to know the truth, though. The girl he was interested in was not available. I belonged to the baby growing inside me.

The damp air clung to my skin as I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. The gorgeous silk night set Kellon had laid out for me was on the bed. It was lovely, the perfect mix of sexy and comfort. I stared at myself in the mirror. Thoughts of how Kellon made me feel flooded my brain. He made me feel seen, cherished, and respected in this short time.

“You have to tell him the truth,” I told myself. I nodded my head in agreement before stepping out of the room.

“You’re right on time,” Kellon said when I stepped out the door. He hadn’t turned to look at me yet. He was sitting by the window, gazing out at the night sky.

“The pajamas are perfect.”

He stood from the window and turned to look at me. His eyes widened and then lowered with lust.

“Damn, you look good,” he whispered, making the hairs on my arms stand.

“Thank you! So do you.” I giggled.

He had freshened up as well. Gone was his sweat suit, and in its place were silk pajamas that matched mine. We stood there for a second, taking each other in before he broke our comfortable silence.

“Come have a seat,” he said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

He grabbed my hand and walked me to a small table where dinner was being served. I couldn’t fight my smile as he pulledmy chair out and pushed me up to the table before sitting on the other side.

“This has been the most amazing day. I can’t thank you enough.” I couldn’t help but express my gratitude.

“Honestly, besides winning the Super Bowl, meeting you has been one of the highlights of the last twenty-four hours.”

“Wow. That’s a huge comparison don’t you think?”

“Don’t get me wrong… Winning the Super Bowl has been on my goal list since I first started playing football when I was five.”

“I bet.”

“It’s just… Can I tell you something?”

I nodded. The look in his eyes told me that whatever he had to disclose was heavy. I wondered if it was as heavy as the secret I had.

“You ever heard of my brother Jeronee Barnes?”

“I have. He passed away, right?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes sank, and suddenly, I felt terrible for bringing it up. Though I knew little about football, I heard about the death of Kellon’s brother a few times. It seemed to always be a trending topic in the media.

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