Caught (Men of the Show Book 3) (5 page)

“Well, I didn’t want to make any assumptions,” he said with a chuckle. “Besides, it could be volleyball.”

“Basketball would be the correct assumption. Played until college.”

“You didn’t want to play there?”

Shannon shrugged. “I didn’t love it enough to put the dedication into it. You play basketball or only baseball?”

“Yep, and football until I settled on baseball later in high school.”
 
He eyed her shoes. “Too bad we can’t have a pickup game now. I’d like to see your game.”

She gave him a smirk. “I bet you would.”

Matt hid his wide smile behind a drink of beer. Yeah, it was definitely too bad she lived in Chicago and he was in a fucked-up situation with his ex-girlfriend. Otherwise, he’d be stupid to let this opportunity pass by again. But, for the second time, that’s exactly what he had to do.

Chapter 5

The day of the wedding was a blur and had Shannon running in a million different directions without accomplishing anything. Even though Karen had planned every single detail, scheduled everything down to the exact minute, they still were constantly late. Finally tucked away in the dressing room at the church, Shannon took the first opportunity to get off her feet for more than two minutes. She lounged on one of the chaises, resisting the urge to rest her head back, already hearing Karen’s bitch if she should loosen even one strand of hair styled in a low, messy bun with a diamond flower clip securing bangs that swept across her forehead.
 

“You better not mess your hair up.”

Shannon caught her sister’s eye in the mirror of the vanity table at which she sat touching up her makeup, clad only in her white lace corset. “I won’t. Just let me relax for a few minutes, my God,” she groaned.

“Relax all you want, just don’t mess anything up.”

The door opened and Maddie rushed in. She held up a bottle of champagne and three flutes. “I snagged this for our little pre-celebration.”

Karen turned and glared at her. “Did you go out there where everyone could see your dress?”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “No, my dear, as you can see, I put a robe on. Don’t worry. Nobody saw anything,” she assured Karen as she poured.

“You better be right,” Karen murmured, warily eyeing the glass of bubbly liquid in her hand.

Shannon was more than ready to start the celebration, and anything to help her relax she was taking. She took the flute from Maddie and had to restrain from downing it immediately.

Maddie held her drink in the air. “To the most beautiful bride on the planet on your wedding day. I’m so happy for you and Jerry. He’s one lucky man.”

“Damn right he is,” Karen said.

“Even though I still can’t believe you’re getting married, I’m so happy for you!
 
To the best big sister a girl could have,” Shannon added, fighting back the tears.

“Don’t you make me cry,” Karen warned.

They clinked their glasses and giggled at the emotional mess they were. Shannon and Maddie each took a healthy drink of their champagne and just as Karen’s was practically to her lips, she put her flute down.

“Oh!
 
I almost forgot. I need you to go get Nancy,” she said to Maddie of the wedding planner. “I forgot to tell her that I want to switch up one of the table arrangements.”

“Oh, okay.”
 
Maddie took another sip and headed out.

Shannon waited until Maddie was out of the room before she turned back to Karen, noticing the champagne still sat ignored.

“I can’t pretend not to notice anymore. Spill it, please,” she pleaded.

“What are you talking about?”
 
Karen adjusted some of the pins in her hair to ensure they were not showing.

“You and not drinking. When are you going to tell me you’re pregnant?

Karen’s eyes bugged and a slight blush stole her cheeks, and even though Shannon had been sure, Karen’s confirmation gave her a jolt. Shannon gasped. “Oh my God!
 
You are!
 
You’re pregnant?”

Karen stood and grabbed her hands. “Don’t tell anyone!
 
I’ve been trying to keep it a secret and pretend to be drinking and stuff, only taking little sips here and there, and I’ve been going crazy thinking I’m not going to fit in my dress, but luckily I’m still kind of small.”

“How far along are you?”

“Going on four months. Jerry and I wanted to wait to tell everyone until after the wedding and all the craziness.”

Shannon pulled her sister into a tight, bouncy hug, and they were giggling with laughter when Maddie walked back in.

“She’ll be up in a minute. What’s going on?”

Karen smiled at Shannon before turning to her best friend. “Shannon figured out my big secret, so I’ll tell you, but you cannot tell anyone else.”

Maddie sat on the chaise. “Tell anyone what?
 
That you’re pregnant?
 
I knew that.”

The smile fell comically from Karen’s face. “How the fuck did you know?”

“Please, girl. I know you like the back of my hand. You think I haven’t noticed you don’t drink wine anymore, always ready with some excuse, or that you’re practically glowing from head to toe?
 
I know wedding glow and I know baby glow, and you’ve definitely got baby glow.”
 
She stood and walked over to her with her arms outstretched. “I’m so glad you finally told me!
 
It was almost impossible for me to keep my mouth shut.”

The three of them were hugging each other with teary eyes when Nancy walked in.
 

“Why aren’t you in your dress yet, Karen?
 
We’ve got to get moving!”

“Oh!”
 
Karen extracted herself and rushed over to the portable rack. “Let’s get this bitch on and get this thing over with. There’s a hunky man out there waiting for me to put a ring on it.”

*
 
*
 
*

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Everything was beautiful. Red and white roses filled the chapel, skillfully arranged around a multitude of candles, creating a warm, intimate environment even though almost two hundred people packed the church. Karen and Jerry made a heartwarming sight standing on the altar reciting their vows to each other, the love between them apparent in their eyes and the big grins on their faces. Karen had been worried she would break down into sobs, insisting Shannon hide a wad of tissues in her bouquet, but she was strong and smiled at Jerry the whole time.

Matt was incredibly handsome in his tuxedo and Shannon felt beautiful on his arm. She wasn’t wild about the ruby-colored strapless floor-length dress she wore, but next to Matt, she could be wearing a black garbage bag and still be presentable.

He smiled warmly at her when she walked to his side before they headed down the aisle. For a moment, everything else fell away and it was just the two of them. Matt tucked her arm into the crook of his and said, “You look beautiful,” and Shannon believed him as she gazed into his warm eyes, her heart beating faster, but Nancy quickly broke the moment when she shooed them forward. She hoped that after the ceremony they could resume the harmless flirting started the night before, but she was now alone and Matt hadn’t paid her one iota of attention after dinner.

They’d enjoyed conversation while they ate, but when Shannon played the exchange back in her head, however, she could pinpoint exactly where he’d lost interest. What had started out as a nice and playful discussion quickly turned when her job came up, and that was all she’d talked about—how much time she had to put in, how she had no life and how all of her focus was on her career. That was the exact point he’d quieted down, and as soon as he’d finished eating, he’d excused himself.

She sighed and took another drink of her wine. Alone at the head table while everyone else mingled—even her nosey relatives were avoiding her—and she was trying hard not to, but she was starting to feel sorry for herself.
 

Happy people surrounded her, her sister was married and pregnant, and the one guy Shannon hoped to engage in some mindless flirting with had ditched her. She didn’t know why the melancholy, but it’d hit her suddenly as Karen and Jerry danced together, their first time as a married couple.

Shannon was happy with her life and loved her job, as demanding as it was, but there was a small worry that perhaps she was missing a great deal more and that panicked her. Was she truly okay with sacrificing so much now—the boyfriend, the wedding, and the kids—for a career that left no room for anything else?
 
Was she really going to put
everything
off until sometime down the road?
 
What if “sometime” never came?
 
What if she missed her one chance because her focus was solely on her work?

Shannon scanned the room and her eyes kept coming back to Matt. He stood by the bar talking with some of his teammates. He’d removed his jacket, exposing his white shirt and charcoal vest and tie, looking like he should be on the cover of a magazine. She let herself daydream and imagine being with someone like him. It would be nice to have someone to talk to, to come home to and eat dinner with as they discussed their day; someone to get into bed with each night and have his strong arms wrapped around her. It would be nice, but she’d made her choices. She barely had time for herself, so she definitely did not have any for anyone else. If she wanted success, then this is what she had to do. There was no other choice.

The sound of throat-clearing boomed out loudly from the microphone on the stage where the band had cleared. She turned to find Jerry standing with Karen at his side.

“Can I get everyone’s attention for a second?”
 
When the room quieted down, he smiled. “Thank you.

“Karen and I wanted to say we are so thankful all of you were able to share in our special day with us. I know I repeat some other opinions when I say I am shocked I managed to convince this beautiful, wonderful woman to marry me. I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but what I do know is I will spend the rest of my life paying her back the favor.”

Their guests cheered and clapped as Karen beamed at him, nodding.

Jerry cleared his throat and the room quieted again. “I don’t want to make all of you listen to me drone on and on with annoying lovey-dovey stuff, but I did want to say one thing.”
 
He turned to Karen and took her hands in his. “I love you so much and I can’t wait for our lives to start together. Thank you for doing me the honor of being my wife. You make me so incredibly happy.”

Karen’s eyes filled and Shannon knew if she glanced around there wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house. Her tears had started the second he’d climbed on the stage.

Jerry reached behind him where a table stood. “And since I have your attention, Karen is allowing me to do this even though she didn’t want to yet, but I couldn’t wait a second longer. I’m excited as hell.”
 
He pulled out his hands and held up a tiny Rockets jersey made for a small baby with the name Smutton on the back. “Sometime in the spring, the Rockets are going to have another Smutton on their roster!”

The room erupted in cheers and everyone rushed toward them to extend their congratulations. As happy as Shannon was for them, it all became a bit too much and she needed fresh air. She stood, but hesitated when she spotted her father’s tall frame heading in her direction.

Richard Morrison looked quite debonair in his black tuxedo and his silver hair combed back neat and slick, always perfect. A sophisticated and handsome man, and when Shannon stood next to him, it was clear where she’d inherited her height.

“Your mom is beside herself with this news,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back and facing the stage to watch the commotion around Karen and Jerry. As Karen’s stepfather, there was no love lost between them, as they were both opinionated and didn’t shy away from expressing it, especially with each other. But Shannon suspected he was at least a little excited at the possibility of a grandchild in his future, even if his demeanor said otherwise. “She’s been dying for a baby in the family. She was certain she was going to have to wait for you to have one, even though I told her no chance in that, since we never believed Karen would settle down.”

Shannon frowned. “What do you mean, no chance with me?”

His cool blue eyes assessed her. “Your career is your priority, not settling down and starting a family. You’re not interested in all that.”

“Well, I don’t know about not interested…” she started to say, but broke off when his eyes narrowed at her.

“Of course you’re not interested in that
now
,” her father clarified. “You need to focus and you can’t be distracted. We’ve talked about all of this. The sacrifices you need to make in order to follow your dreams.”

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

This was her dream, the one she’d had ever since she was a young girl and trailed her father to his office and even into the courtroom to watch him. She’d always admired him and was proud of the respect he received. He was so powerful and so confident that people looked up to him. Shannon wanted that and so he’d groomed her for success.

“Did you ever feel like you gave up too much?” she asked him suddenly.