False Start: A Football Romance Read Online Free

Carson and my unborn child.
    I honestly never expected to see him again, and judging from the look on his face, he didn’t either.
    I want to run away, but I still can’t move, and in fewer than two of his long-legged steps, he is standing right in front of me, sucking all the oxygen out of the air.
    All six feet, two inches of pure bronzed glory, inches away from me, begging for my touch. My hand reaches out on its own accord and gently grazes the side of his cheek, instinct taking over. The moment my skin grazes his, I suck in a breath of fresh air.
    It’s the sweetest, most satisfying breath of air I’ve ever taken. I never want this moment to end, but like all good things, it must.
    “Cal.” I whisper, taking in every single movement, every tiny detail and storing them in a secret box in my heart to take out and inspect later. I see the moment he comes back to the here and now. His eyes harden to a dark steel gray and his eyebrows crunch, causing three small lines to crease the space between his eyes. Raising his arm, he pulls my hand away from his face and takes a step backward, glancing up and down my body as he does so.
    “You're pregnant.” It isn’t a question. No, it’s a statement, and the venom in his tone leaves no room to wonder what he thinks about that fact.
    “Yes.” Snatching my hand from his grasp, I place it against my stomach, caressing the baby within. Obviously, I’m pregnant. Anyone with eyes can see the giant, bulging belly sticking out from underneath my dress.
    “Is it mine?” He asks, and for a second, my mind goes blank.
    “Duh,” I reply, wondering why the hell he would feel the need to ask me that, and then I remember once again the way we ended things. I guess he does have reason to question whether it could be his.
    “Did you plan to tell me?” He asks, and I can see him getting angry. His stormy gray eyes flash brightly with that temper he's never been able to completely control. His fists clench against his side while he waits for my answer. I try to keep my temper in check and remind myself that he has every reason to be angry with me, but it's getting harder and harder by the second.
    “I tried. You changed your number, and every message I left with your manager went unanswered,” I reply through clenched teeth. I watch as the anger leaves his body on an exhale. He knows I called. He chose not to return them. I knew that, but seeing his reaction now makes me wish I hadn’t even bothered calling.
    “What do you plan on doing with it?” He asks, running his hand through his hair.
    “It?” I ask, hoping and praying he doesn’t mean what I think he means.
    “The baby. What do you plan on doing with the baby? Do you need some money?”
    “For what?” I ask, trying to keep a level head. My Cal would have known what that question meant. My Cal would have heard the warning in my tone, but this isn't my Cal.
    Not anymore.
    His next statement drives that fact home for me.
    “I don't know. An abortion? Or do you plan on keeping it? I mean, how would you afford it?”
    My hand snakes out so fast, I don't think I even made the decision to actually hit him. One minute, I’m processing what the hell he is suggesting to me, and the next, I’m cradling my hand against my chest, trying my damnedest to pretend it doesn't hurt like hell.
    “Fuck you, Cal.”
    Thankfully, my legs decide to obey me now. I turn on my heel and storm in the opposite direction of Callum Johnson.
    The love of my life.
    The father of my unborn child.
    I can’t believe he actually suggested I get an abortion. Never in a million years did I think something like that would come out of the mouth of the one and only man I have ever loved. Tears catch in the back of my throat, choking me. I blink my eyes, trying to clear my vision enough to see in front of me. Unfortunately, I don’t manage to do it soon enough.
    “Watch out!” I hear just as a cyclist swerves to the right to avoid hitting me. He would