Unexpected Arrivals

I stared at the paper in my hands wondering what the fuck I was reading. My eyes scanned the area around the mailbox and the perimeter of the house, but there was no one in sight. This had to be a joke. Any minute now, the cameras were going to come out from behind the other homes on our street, or a van would drive up and Ashton Kutcher would slide the door open, laughing hysterically at my melodramatic performance on the front porch. The longer I waited, the longer nothing happened. Kids continued to play in their yards, my neighbor still mowed his grass, and the occasional car still drove by without stopping. The words on the page jumbled into a toxic mess my brain refused to comprehend. Please consider this letter as a formal request to arrange a paternity test (DNA) for minor child Airy. Airy—that was a name I hadn't heard in years. I'd gone out with Chelsea Airy once, and we'd been friends for a while after my dad's fiftieth birthday party. I hadn't heard so much

I stopped chewing and stared at her. The way her emerald-green eyes dulled made my heart clench painfully. Words weren't going to ease her pain, and neither was my cocky attitude. With the half-eaten apple in one hand, I reached across the table with the other. My fingers rested on hers before curling in with the slightest bit of a squeeze. She fought against the tears that filled her aching eyes, but one escaped against her valiant effort. Mindlessly, I set the fruit on the table and wiped the lone tear from her cheek with my thumb. "You want some of my peanut butter and jelly?" I could have slapped myself. She was orphaned less than a week ago, and somehow, I believed half of my sandwich would ease that pain. She chuckled the tiniest bit, and the tears cascaded down her beautiful face. The loss radiated in her eyes, but God, I'd give every last cent in my trust fund to keep her smiling. "Captain of the basketball team eats PB and J for lunch? And you said the school

There were definite benefits to having clout, not only in school, but in Geneva Key in general. Once I'd decided Cora Chase owned my soul that night on the beach, it had taken a matter of days for the student body at Harbrook to fall for her as well. She'd even captivated my best friend once he'd spent time with her and got over the changes. Cora was magnetic, and she had a personality that drew people in once she let down her guard. Cora had only been in school two weeks before we were out for Christmas break, and in that time, it was no secret that the five-foot-three-inch Yankee had me wrapped around her little finger. And by the time we returned after the new year, we were a solid couple everyone stopped to admire and tried to befriend. She joined the track team in the spring and shined like the star I'd known she was from the moment I'd met her. The other students quickly figured out she was a force to be reckoned with in the classroom as well. This girl had it all. And ther

"You two are going to the same college?" Neil didn't try to hide his agitation at my declaration while we jogged around the island. "Why are you so surprised? I'm going to one of the best schools in the country, and it also happens to have a kick-ass basketball program." "You're also toting a serious amount of baggage with you. I don't get it. It's like you can't breathe without her filling your damn lungs with oxygen." He'd picked up the pace, making defending myself more difficult—not that I should have to. "Why do you care?" My heart pounded like a bass drum at a rock concert. Each beat crashed in my chest more forcefully than the last. "Just hate seeing you throw your life away on a high school girlfriend." "Jesus, are you my father or my best friend? You love Cora. Where's this coming from?" "Forget it, dude. Do what makes you happy." I stopped and dropped my hands to my knees. We'd taken to a pace that left us nearly sprinting on the sand. I c

"I'm late." "What do you mean, you're late?" The words slipped past my lips in a much harsher tone than I'd intended. "I mean, I should have started my period four days ago, and it hasn't come. I'm late." The fear in my girlfriend's eyes was more crushing than the thought of her being pregnant our sophomore year in college. "Maybe it's just stress." I'd heard stress could change the body's chemistry, surely it could change a woman's monthly cycle. "I'm on the Pill, James. It should be like clockwork." "Exactly, you're on the Pill. So there's no way you could be pregnant." I wanted to believe those words, but even as a guy, I wasn't stupid enough to believe anything was foolproof except abstinence. And we were far from celibate. She stared at me in disbelief. "You're not really that naïve, right?" Her clipped tone gave me more insight into her trepidation than the fear in her eyes. I took her into my arms, pulling her onto my lap, and sat on the be