The Curve Ball (Indianapolis Lightning Book 2) Read online

  “Uncle JJ’s?” she asks, the question and disbelief evident in her voice. “No, Uncle JJ doesn’t have a baby,” she states matter-of-factly.

  “Yep, she’s his. He just found out about her last night.”

  “Wow,” she says as her eyes get big. “Mommy, can I hold her now?” Addison asks again.

  “Sure, you can, bug. Sit back on Auntie Ry’s lap,” Jillian instructs, and she does just as she’s told.

  “Look at you, such a big girl. You’re going to be all trained and ready for when the baby comes,” I tell her as she supports Evie’s head correctly. I’ve got my hands on either side of her, just in case she needs someone to swoop in and help her support Evie’s weight.

  “When can I play with her?” she asks, smiling at Evie, who’s starting to squirm around just a bit.

  “Not for a few more months. Evie’s still pretty little and can’t play much,” I explain. “It will be the same way when your baby sister or brother comes home. He or she will be small and fragile for a while. You’ll have to be super careful and help Mommy whenever you can,” I tell her quietly as I shift Evie in Addison’s arms, taking most of the weight off of her, so she can touch Evie’s face and grip one of her tiny fingers.

  “Who’s dis?” Penelope asks, joining us as she stands in front of us.

  “That’s baby, Evelyn,” Jillian tells her as she scoots forward and picks Penelope up and sets her on the couch between us. Penelope looks over the baby and up at me, obviously very curious where this baby came from. “Uncle JJ is Evelyn’s dad,” Jillian explains to Penelope. She has almost the same look her sister had only a few minutes ago when she found out the same news.

  “Okay,” she says, leaning forward to place a kiss on Evie’s forehead before she slides off the couch and goes back to her toys and watching her movie.

  “Oh, to be three and not have a care in the world.” Jillian laughs as we watch Penny go back to playing.

  “Did you think of anything that JJ might need for this cutie that I didn’t bring over this morning?”

  “Nope. I got the pack-n-play and swing all set up after you left. I’m sure we’ll need to buy some more formula before the week is over, but that’s easy enough to grab. He did give me his credit card and said to buy whatever she needed, so if I think of anything, I can either order it or go pick it up. I might see if I can find another base for the car seat. Either for my car or whoever he ends up hiring to watch her.”

  “That’s a good idea. So much easier to just snap in than fumbling with the seat belt every time,” Jillian confirms.

  “That’s what I figured, and I don’t think JJ is going to want someone else driving his car everywhere.”

  “Hell no. His prized possession is his car. He doesn’t let anyone, and I mean anyone, drive that thing.”

  “Do you know anything about what he has to do for paternity and with the courts?” I ask Jillian once both girls have gone back to playing.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming the first step is to confirm that he is, in fact, her father. Once they’ve determined paternity, then rights and guardianship can be set.”

  “What would happen if he wasn’t her father?” I ask and instantly feel a stab of pain at the thought that this little girl could potentially not be JJ’s, and then she’d be ripped out of our lives. I’ve already become so attached to her, and it’s been less than twenty-four hours since any of us even knew she existed.

  “I think the state would take custody of her then. If they couldn’t track down her mother, then I’d guess they’d place her with a foster home, but I don’t know, to be honest.”

  “That would suck. I’m sure JJ is still reeling from the bombshell that dropped on his doorstep last night, but I can’t imagine this precious one being taken from all of us now. That, and she’s the spitting image of him. There’s no way she isn’t his.”

  “I’d have to agree with you on that one. The apple does not fall far from that tree. I’m sure everything will work out,” Jillian assures me, patting my arm before she stands from the couch. “Who’s ready for some lunch?” she asks the girls, and they both start rambling out things over the top of each other.

  “Time-out,” Jillian calls out, adding in the hand movements indicating a timeout. The girls come to a screeching halt, giving her their undivided attention. “One at a time, please,” she instructs them.

  “Mac and cheese!” Penny calls out.

  “PB&J!” Addison says.

  “I have an idea,” Jillian says, looking at all of us. “What if we picked up our toys quickly then put our shoes on and go out to eat? We can even bring Auntie Ry and baby Evie with us.”

  “Yay!” Both girls cheer as they move to pick up their toys that are spread out from wall to wall in the living room. I’m almost shocked at how quickly they can pick everything up and get it put in the bins along the wall.

  “Now, let's go potty and get shoes on,” Jillian instructs them as I start to pack up Evie’s things and get her secured into the car seat. She nods off once back in her seat, tucked in all nice and tight. I slip her pacifier in beside her so that I can easily find it when the need arises. With all the girls ready, we head out to Jillian’s SUV and get the kids loaded. With them settled in the back, we pull out of the driveway and head to Chick-fil-A for lunch.

  Five

  Justin

  “Hello!” I call out as I enter from the garage and then smack my hand over my mouth, not having even thought that Evelyn might be sleeping, and my loud-ass mouth might have just woken her up.

  “We’re in here,” I hear Riley call out from the kitchen.

  I toss my keys and wallet in the bowl that rests on the table just inside the doorway that my mom said I needed when I bought and furnished this place.

  “How’s it going ‘round here?” I ask, taking in everything. Evelyn is content in the swing contraption, moving her side to side. Riley is standing at the island counter, chopping some veggies.

  “We’re good. I figured I’d start some dinner,” she says, smiling up at me.

  “Thanks,” I say just as the doorbell rings. “That should be my lawyer and the lab to do the test,” I tell her as I turn on my heel and head for the front door.

  I open it just as the bell chimes for a second time. “Hello,” I greet as I open the door and find my lawyer and someone from the lab company, just as I suspected.

  “JJ,” William greets me. I shake his hand before they walk through the door. “This here is Margaret. She’ll be taking the cheek swabs from both you and the infant. A rush order has been placed, so we’ll hopefully have the results in the next few days,” he tells me as I lead them into the kitchen. I watch almost dumbfounded as Margaret sets down a briefcase-looking box. Opening it, she pulls out a pair of gloves and a long Q-Tip in a plastic tube. She writes on the label before stepping directly in front of me.

  “Mr. Johnson, I just need to run this along the inside of your cheek a couple of times,” she informs me. I sit down since I tower over the older woman. She hardly reaches my chest, so it would be a little bit of a reach for her to swab the inside of my cheek. Thankfully, it is quick and painless, and she repeats the process with Evelyn. “Do you have any questions for me?” she asks as she packs up all of her things.

  “I don’t think so, just the results as soon as you have them back,” I state.

  “Those will go directly to you and your attorney,” she tells me. “Would you like them emailed?” she asks, finishing up a form.

  “Sure, or can I be called with them?” I ask, not having any clue how any of this usually works.

  “I can mark down both options. Sometimes an email will get them to you a little faster, as the system automatically sends the email out when the results populate. In contrast, the phone call can’t happen until we have someone available to actually call you.”

  “Then, an email is perfectly fine,” I assure Margaret.

  “Very well. The lab has been fairly
fast this week, so I think you should have something back by tomorrow at this time. With the rush order and fee paid, the test will be processed as a priority.”

  “Thank you. The quicker, the better,” I reiterate.

  “Will do,” she states before William sees her out for me. He returns a minute later and takes a seat at the table across from me.

  “Once we have the results, as long as they confirm that you are Evelyn’s father, I’ll file with the courts for full custody. Do you want me also to petition the courts to revoke the mother’s rights?” he asks.

  “Um, I don’t really know.”

  “The courts aren’t going to like the fact that she abandoned the baby on your doorstep, but it is up to you if you want to start that process.”

  “Let’s wait,” I tell him. I have no clue what Erica’s intentions are, and I’d hate to start something when she needed help and didn’t know what else to do.

  “All right, if that’s what you’d like to do, then we’ll wait. Once we have the results tomorrow, I’ll be in touch,” William states as he stands, offering me his hand before he turns to leave.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” Riley says as she shakes the veggies in a bag, coating them with something.

  “Nope, hopefully, we’ll have some answers sooner than later.”

  “Do you think there’s a chance the test might come back negative?”

  I pull my ball cap off my head and run my fingers through my hair. It’s getting a tad bit long, so I make a mental note to get it cut. “I guess there’s always the possibility, but I also think she looks like me. And the timelines match up to when we were together,” I answer honestly.

  “I will agree that she looks a lot like you, so I’d be shocked if the test came back negative.”

  I watch as Riley moves around my kitchen effortlessly. She looks at home in here, like she belongs here, and that thought hits me square in the chest, almost taking my breath away. “What are you making?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “Just a one sheet pan dish. Some veggies, potatoes, and chicken.”

  “It looks good.”

  “One of my favorite easy meals to make,” she says, spinning to place the pan in the oven. “It will be ready in about forty-five minutes.”

  “Perfect,” I tell her as I stand and go over to the swing. I stare at the control panel for a moment until I figure out how to turn it off. Once it comes to a stop, I unclip Evie, thankful that the buckle on this thing didn’t require a fucking engineering degree to work, and cradle her in my arms. Holding a baby is still foreign to me, but Derek assured me today that the more I do it, the easier it will get. “Does she need to be changed or fed soon?”

  “She might need to be changed, it’s been almost two hours since I last changed her, and after that, she’ll probably want a bottle. Would you like me to make you one?”

  “That’d be great. I’ll go change her while you do that.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Riley says, flashing me that pretty smile again. I cradle Evie in my arms and turn for the living room. I snag a diaper, the wipes container, and a pad thing sticking out of the diaper bag and drop it on the couch. I lay her down gently and follow every step Riley taught me to properly change a diaper. Thankfully, no surprises happen during this diaper change. I’ve seen friends get peed and shit on by their kids and can only hope that never happens to me.

  “Who’s a good girl?” I say quietly to Evie as I zip up her outfit. She looks up at me with big, curious eyes. With her dressed, I toss the changing pad thing and the package of wipes back towards the diaper bag then prop her up on my legs that are up on the coffee table. She looks around, content as can be. I slip my finger into her hand, and she grasps ahold of it with a death grip. A moment passes as I just take her in. I have no idea if what she’s doing is normal for babies this age, but I have to assume it is or else I’m sure Jillian or Riley would have mentioned something.

  “Who’s ready for a bottle?” Riley asks in a sing-song voice as she enters the living room. Evie turns her head to the sound of her voice. I know she’s excited, as her little legs start kicking as her tongue starts peeking out of her lips like she’s about to start chomping away.

  “Thanks,” I say as I take the bottle and then offer it to Evie. She accepts the nipple and immediately starts to suck it down greedily.

  “Careful, if she does that too fast, she’ll get a bellyache from the air bubbles,” Riley warns. I take the bottle from her to help slow her down, and that only pisses her off and causes her to start crying. I shift her from lying on my legs to being propped in one arm like I’ve watched Riley hold her as she’s fed her a bottle. Once she’s settled in my arms, I slip the bottle back into her mouth, and she quickly quiets down as she goes back to eating.

  “There’s so much to learn about taking care of such a small thing,” I lament as she finishes the bottle. I shift her up onto my shoulder and pat her back until she burps.

  “There sure is, but you’ll figure it all out. In a week you’ll be a pro at all of this, I’m sure of it.”

  “That might be generous,” I tell her.

  “Just because you didn’t know you have a daughter a day ago doesn’t mean that you won’t be a good dad, Justin,” Riley tells me, and it doesn’t go unmissed that she used my full first name. Hardly anyone calls me Justin. Maybe my grandmother and my mom when I’m in trouble, but other than those two, everyone calls me JJ. I usually hate it when people call me Justin, but coming from Riley, I find myself not minding one bit.

  “We should discuss the nanny position,” I state.

  “Sure, like I said last night, I haven’t been hired yet for any of the jobs I applied for, so I’m available and willing to help you out with Evie.”

  “I have no idea what nannies get paid, so you tell me what you charge, and we can set it up. I can contact my agent and see if they have any recommendations on accountants or services I can use to pay you correctly.”

  “Some of that depends on hours, if you want me to be a live-in or just here when you need me. I know you don’t have a normal work schedule and that you’d need me to stay overnight at least when you’re on the road, but what about when you are home?”

  I digest everything she’s just asked, and I have no fucking clue what to do. “I don’t know the answer to that. Do you have a preference? Even when I’m in town, we’ve got evening games and morning practices. My schedule is all over the place.”

  “Okay, how about we do a trial month of me staying here. I’ll be on call whenever you need me. I can plan anything I need to do around your schedule. Maybe we can sit down with a calendar and at least mark down the practices, games, and road trips that you have during that month. Then we can work my days off around those. Live-in nannies usually are provided room and board on top of their pay. I also don’t mind making dinner most nights for the two of us and keeping up with some light house cleaning and laundry.”

  “That all sounds reasonable, does three-thousand a month sound fair?” I ask, tossing out a number.

  “To start, I think so. We can reassess after the first month,” she agrees readily to my offer.

  “All right, it is settled then. I’ll see if I can get a credit card in your name, that way, you can buy things that Evie needs, or we need here at the house. I can also pay for your gas if you have to take her places.”

  “That would be great. I’ll head over to my place after dinner and bring some of my things over.”

  “Will you need help?” I offer.

  “I should be fine, I don’t have all that much; one car full of things, as that’s all that I brought with me when I moved here a few weeks ago. I’ve just been using the furniture that Derek bought to furnish the condo with.”

  “Ah, that makes sense. If you do, just let me know, and I’m sure that we can drop Evie off with your brother for an hour.”

  “I’ve got it under control,” she assures me.

  I move Evie from my shoulder, where
she passed out after burping. I get up and place her in the pack-n-play that Riley set up in the living room. Thankfully, she stays asleep once laid down. “Okay,” I tell Riley as I grab the bottle and take it into the kitchen. I rinse it out and place it in the dishwasher. If it weren’t for Jillian this morning showing me how to put one of these together, I’d probably still be standing here looking at it as a foreign object. Who knew a baby bottle could have so many confusing parts?

  “Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes,” Riley tells me as she starts to pull out plates and silverware.

  “It smells amazing,” I tell her as I suck in a deep breath, the meal filling my house with its pleasant aroma.

  “Just wait until you taste it.”

  “If it tastes half as good as it smells, then I’m sure it will be incredible.”

  “Do you have any allergies I should be aware of?” she asks, setting the table.

  “Nope, but I am a tad bit picky. I won’t touch peas, so please don’t try and make me any.”

  She breaks out into a giggle, and it makes my dick swell in my boxers. My eyes are drawn to the way her chest bounces up and down with each release of sound. Her tits are the perfect round size. They’d fit into my palms perfectly as my thumbs rub her nipples into tight peaks. Just large enough that I could slide my cock between them, but not too big that I’d get lost. Fuuuuuuk, I can’t be thinking about Riley like this. I shift as discreetly as possible and adjust my cock as it threatens to bust out of my shorts. “I’ll be right back,” I finally grit out as I exit the kitchen as quickly as possible and head for my room. I close the door behind me and lean my back against it. My head falls back and thunks against the closed door. I suck in a deep breath through my nose and will my body to calm the fuck down. I can’t be having these thoughts. Not only is Riley here to help me with my daughter, but Derek would kill me if I ever touched her. He’d probably kill me if he knew the thoughts running through my head.

  Once my blood flow has finally returned to all appropriate appendages, I head back to the kitchen, where I find Riley plating up the meal she made for us. I take a seat across from her and dish up my serving. I close my eyes and take a deep breath once again, as I can feel the blood flow attempting to return to my dick. “Mmmm,” she moans as her fork slips from her lips. I’ve never been so goddamn jealous of a fucking fork, but I am at this moment. “So, freaking good,” she exclaims once she’s swallowed the bite of food.