The Curve Ball (Indianapolis Lightning Book 2) Read online

  The Curve Ball

  Indianapolis Lightning Series Book 2

  Samantha Lind

  samanthalind.com

  The Curve Ball

  Indianapolis Lightning Series Book 2

  Copyright Samantha Lind 2020

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage or retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, photocopying, mechanical or otherwise, without express permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, story lines and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or any events or occurrences are purely coincidental.

  Trademarked names appear throughout this novel. These names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intentional infringement of the trademark owner’s trademark(s).

  The following story contains adult language and sexual situations and is intended for adult readers.

  Cover Design by Jersey Girl Design

  Cover image by Eric Wainwright

  Cover Model Eric Janicki

  Editing by Amy Briggs ~ Briggs Consulting LLC

  Proofreading by Proof Before You Publish

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Justin

  2. Riley

  3. Justin

  4. Riley

  5. Justin

  6. Riley

  7. Justin

  8. Riley

  9. Justin

  10. Riley

  11. Justin

  12. Riley

  13. Justin

  14. Riley

  15. Justin

  16. Riley

  17. Justin

  18. Riley

  19. Justin

  20. Riley

  21. Justin

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Also by Samantha Lind

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  One

  Justin

  I stare in the mirror as I slide my snapback on my head. My game is on point tonight, and I’m looking forward to the attention it’s going to bring my way. I have not had sex in a week, and that’s the longest I like to go without it. It never takes me long to find a willing woman; fuck, some nights I can bring home more than one, making the night even better. Our opening day win earlier tonight will sweeten the celebrating I am about to do.

  I grab my phone from the kitchen counter, hitting the home button to see if I’ve missed anything. A few missed calls from an unknown number is all I find. I slip my phone into my front pocket and my wallet into my back one as I grab my keys and head for the garage. I hit the button on the wall, opening the large double door just as my doorbell rings. What the hell? I am not expecting anyone, so I step outside from the open garage to see who might be here at eight pm.

  “Hello?” I call out. I take in the piece of shit car parked in my driveway and the woman who’s standing at my front door. “Can I help you?”

  “JJ, I’m sorry to just show up like this, but I can’t do this anymore. I didn’t have anywhere else to bring her. I’ve put formula, diapers, and a few changes of clothes in the diaper bag,” she rambles on, and it is then I notice a baby carrier with a baby in it next to her feet.

  “Excuse me?” I stammer as I realize the woman standing in front of me is Erica. We hooked up a couple of times last year. “What the fuck is going on here, Erica?” I demand.

  “JJ,” she sighs, like I should know what the fuck is going on. “This is Evelyn. She’s yours. I’m sorry I never told you about her before now. I was trying hard to do this on my own, but I just can’t anymore. Everything you need, including my cell number is in her bag,” she tells me. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go,” she says as she takes off for her car. I watch in complete shock as she runs for her car and peels out of my driveway, leaving the baby and diaper bag on my doorstep.

  My attention is pulled from the empty road to the sounds of the baby crying on my doorstep. I don’t know the first thing about babies. I’m only around them when I’m at my best friend and teammate, Derek’s place. I fish my phone from my pocket, juggling it in my haste to get it out to call him for help. The baby is getting pissed as the seconds tick by. I wander over to her, picking the seat and bag up, and carry them into my house before I attract the attention of my neighbors.

  “This better be important,” Derek barks into the phone.

  “It’s an emergency, dude. I don’t know what the fuck to do,” I ramble into the phone.

  “Slow down, what’s going on?” He pauses. “Where are you?” he asks.

  “Fuck, man. I am freaking out. A chick I hooked up with last year just showed up on my doorstep with a baby in hand and said I was her dad. Said she couldn’t raise the baby and then fucking left. What the hell am I going to do? I know jack shit about babies, and how do I even know if she’s telling the truth?”

  “Holy shit. JJ, calm down. I’m on my way,” Jillian, Derek’s wife, says into the phone. I am obviously on speaker now, so she’s heard everything I just said.

  “Dude, what the fuck,” Derek says. “Just hold tight, one of us will be over in a few,” he says before the line goes dead.

  I pace the living room as I wait for Jillian or Derek to arrive. The baby is still crying from her seat across the room, where I set it down. I don’t even know how to take her out of the contraption, hold her properly, or get her to stop crying. Fuck. My mind starts to race as I try and figure out why Erica would do this and what the fuck I’m supposed to do with an infant.

  I see headlights flash just as I hear the engine of Derek’s truck turn off in my driveway. He lives in the same gated community as I do, which reminds me, I’ll need to call up to the security gate tomorrow and find out how the fuck Erica got past it and to my house.

  “What took you so long to get here?” I ask as Derek opens his truck door.

  “I called Riley to come stay with the girls, but then we decided she would come with me rather than Jillian,” he says as they both get out of the truck.

  I lead us into the house. “I have no idea what the fuck to do. Help!”

  “First off, calm the fuck down, dude. Babies feed off your stress,” Derek states. We both watch Derek’s sister, Riley, as she hurries over to the car seat and pulls Evelyn from it.

  As soon as she cradles Evelyn in her arms, she immediately starts to calm down.

  “What’s her name?” Riley asks.

  “Um, Evelyn is what Erica told me.”

  “Hi, Evie,” Riley coos at the baby, and she stops crying almost immediately.

  “Holy shit, you’re the baby whisper,” I state, amazed that she was able to calm her down so quickly.

  “Not really,” she says. “Did her mother leave you with anything? Bottles? Formula? Diapers? Clothes?”

  “She left that bag.” I point at the diaper bag sitting on the coffee table. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with a baby?” I ask the room at large. “I don’t even know how old she is.”

  “If I had to guess, she looks to be about three months old,” Derek says.

  We watch as Riley walks over to the bag and rummages through it. She pulls out a bottle and can of formula and walks to the kitchen, which is off the living room. She comes back a few minutes later with a bottle made and the baby sucking hungrily at it.

  “Looks like she was hungry,” Riley tells
us as she takes a seat on the loveseat.

  “So, do you have any information on the mother?” Derek asks a few moments later.

  “Um, some,” I tell him. I pull my hat off and run my fingers through my hair, before replacing it back on my head. “Her name is Erica. We hooked up last year. She left me her cell number but said that she just couldn’t do this on her own anymore and that it was my turn.”

  “That’s pretty fucked up,” Derek murmurs. “I think, tomorrow, you need to call your attorney and get the ball rolling on a paternity test. Maybe try tracking down this Erica chick and finding out as much as you can about the baby.”

  “What am I going to do with her when I go to practice? Games? Road trips?” I ask, freaking out again.

  “Well, if Erica is truly out of the picture, you’re going to have to hire a nanny.”

  “I can help,” Riley interjects. “I haven’t found a job yet, so I’m available if you need someone to watch her.”

  “There you go. Problem solved, for now,” Derek says. “There isn’t anyone Jillian and I trust with our kids more than Riley. She’s the perfect person to help you until you can figure shit out.”

  “Thanks,” I say, blowing out a huge breath. “I still can’t believe that Erica just dumped the baby here and left. Who would do that kind of thing?”

  “I don’t know, but maybe it’s for the best,” Derek states.

  “Do you have a guest bedroom?” Riley asks.

  “Yeah, let me show you where it is.” I lead her down the hall, Derek grabs the diaper bag and follows behind, as well. I’m guessing we’ll need whatever is in that bag for the night, so it’s a good thing he grabbed it. I show Riley into my guest room, and she takes a seat on the chair in the corner as Evelyn continues to suck greedily on the bottle. I watch as Evelyn finishes it and Riley pulls it from her mouth. Riley turns her in her arms, laying her up on her shoulder, and starts patting her back. I have seen Jillian and Derek do the same thing with their girls, so it isn’t completely foreign to me.

  “Can you look in the bag and see if there’s a burp rag or cloth, please?” Riley asks. Derek starts rummaging in there and pulls something out, handing it to Riley. She tucks it between her and the baby just seconds before Evelyn lets out a huge belch, followed by some spit-up.

  “Are you sure you’re okay staying and helping out tonight?” I hear Derek ask Riley as I step out of the room and into the bathroom in search of another towel to give her.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Justin obviously knows shit about babies, so it’s not like we can leave him alone with her. I’ll call you in the morning. I only saw the one can of formula and a few diapers, so we’re going to need to run to the store in the morning,” I hear Riley tell Derek, and her assumption about me not knowing shit about babies is spot on.

  “I’ll get Jillian on it in the morning. Text her a picture of the formula so that she can get the same kind, as well as the diapers,” Derek tells her as I run back down the hall to grab the car seat.

  “Do you want this for her?” I ask, holding up the seat.

  “It isn’t recommended to allow babies to sleep in their seats, but put it down over there, so I have it if I need it. I will just be careful and have her sleep next to me. Tomorrow, we can get a pack-n-play or crib for her to sleep in,” Riley says as she lays Evelyn down on the bed. She must have moved over to it while I was out of the room.

  “I’m so fucked,” I say under my breath, “I don’t know what I’d do if it weren’t for you guys.”

  “We’ll get you through this,” Derek says, slapping my back. “I’m going to get out of here. Call me if you need anything. I’ll keep my phone on and next to me all night.”

  “Thanks,” I say, the stress starting to roll off me.

  “We’ll be fine,” Riley calls out, calm as can be.

  Two

  Riley

  “Do you need anything?” Justin asks once my brother has left.

  “I’m good. I’ll just get her changed and then try and get some sleep. She looks pretty tired, so I’m sure she’ll sleep for the next few hours, at least.”

  “Okay. Thank you again for coming to my rescue. I owe you.”

  “It’s not a problem, and my offer is still on the table to help you out if you need it. I haven’t found a job, and I love working with kids,” I tell him once again.

  “Thanks, we can talk more about that tomorrow. Right now, my head is still just spinning over the events of the last hour. I still can’t get over the fact that Erica just dropped her off and left. Who’d do that?”

  “I don’t know the details, but maybe she was having issues with postpartum depression, and this was her way of making sure that Evelyn was taken care of and not hurt,” I suggest.

  “Postpartum, what?” JJ asks, a confused look on his face.

  “Postpartum depression. Many women suffer from it. With all the hormonal changes that happen after giving birth, it can mess with some women, so in the long run, it might have been for both her health and Evelyn’s safety.”

  “Wow. I’ve never heard about it, but that doesn’t mean much,” JJ tells me. I sit back and observe him. It looks like he was dressed to go out tonight. I’ve only spent a little bit of time around him, mostly at Derek and Jillian’s house or when I went with Jillian and the girls to training camp earlier this year. I can tell he’s so out of his element, and I find myself biting back a laugh from escaping.

  “I’m fine here if you want to head to bed. I’m going to myself right after I use the bathroom,” I finally tell him. I make sure Evelyn is sleeping and in the middle of the bed. I grab two of the pillows and place one on either side of her. I don’t think she’ll go anywhere for the little bit of time I’ll be in the bathroom.

  “Is she okay there alone?” JJ asks as I step away from the bed.

  “She should be. She’s still pretty little to be rolling on her own. If you’d feel more comfortable staying with her while I use the bathroom, you can watch over her. I’ll just be a minute or so.”

  I step into the connected bathroom and shut the door behind me. I lean against the door and draw in a deep breath, slowly exhaling as I rid the stress of the evening from my body. Tonight’s events were a curveball, one that I’d never have seen coming.

  I quickly use the bathroom then wash my hands, drying them on the towel hanging from the holder. I pull the ponytail holder off, shaking out my long blond hair and massaging my scalp. I slip the elastic band around my wrist as I flip the light off and open the door. Since I was already in yoga pants and a T-shirt when Derek called, I’m perfectly comfortable to slip into bed.

  Once out of the bathroom, I take in the scene before me. JJ is watching Evelyn as she peacefully sleeps in the center of the large king-size bed. Her little hums are the only sound filling the room. I forgot how much noise that babies make while they’re fast asleep sometimes. I’ve nannied for a few families over the years, plus helped out my brother and sister-in-law as I could when my nieces were babies. I spent a few weeks with them since I was still in school and could only spend some of my breaks with them over the last couple of years. I know they’ve had a rough year, but I am so glad that they found their way back to each other. My brother has changed so much, and all for the better from what I can tell.

  “She’s a good baby so far,” I whisper, not wanting to wake her. I stop next to JJ at the edge of the bed.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” he tells me before he turns and leaves the room. I pull the blankets back and place the two pillows on the far side of the bed. Once I’ve situated myself under the covers, I move Evelyn in next to me. Once we’re both settled, sleep finally claims me.

  Three

  Justin

  JJ: Dude, your wife and sister are lifesavers. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay them. Your wife showed up here with an SUV full of so much baby stuff it looks like a fucking Target exploded in my house.

  Derek: Like I said last night, we’re here for
you, man. Let them help you. They know what they’re doing. Just don’t get any fucking ideas about my sister. I will kill you if you touch her.

  JJ: I don’t think I’ll be touching another woman for a long fucking time at this point.

  Derek: Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I know how you operate when you let the head below your belt do the thinking.

  JJ: Point taken. Now back to WTF am I going to do?! I’m not cut out to be someone’s dad.

  Derek: Take a deep breath and deal with it, man. Have you called your lawyer?

  JJ: Yes, he’s going to send over a lab company to swab for paternity. Said that the test takes a couple of days to get the results. If it comes back positive, he’ll file the petition with the courts for temporary full custody. I gave him Erica’s information she left with me. Riley also found Evelyn’s birth certificate and some other documents in the diaper bag, so we have that information as well. According to that, she’s three months old like you thought last night.

  Derek: Sounds like you’ve got things under control then.

  JJ: If you say so.

  Derek: Have you held her yet?