Out of My League, Part 3 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Out of My League, Part 3

  By Sharon Cummin

  Copyright © 2018 Sharon Cummin

  All Rights Reserved

  Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content that is not intended for those under the age of 18. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious and the age of 18 and older. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Check out my Amazon Author Page – Sharon Cummin

  Please subscribe to my email list by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject mailing list, to be notified of my new releases and freebies.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Cassie

  Before I knew it, my grandma had her arms wrapped around me, and I felt my body relax against hers.

  “I can't believe it's really you,” she said, as she tightened her hold on me.

  When she pulled back from our hug, I couldn't stop the tears as they began to fall.

  “What's wrong?” she asked.

  “I'm just so happy to see you,” I answered honestly.

  As much as I didn't want to have to tell them that I'd failed at life, I'd never been so happy to see their faces.

  “This is unbelievable,” I heard my dad say, as he pulled me toward him. “My baby girl is here. Where's Jeff?”

  The rough tone in his voice gave his dislike away. I'd heard that same tone when he'd said Jeff's name before, but it had never bothered me, not like it was then.

  “He's not here,” I said, and I watched as his shoulders visibly relaxed.

  Had Jeff really bothered him that much, I wondered? How could I have put him through that? How could I have walked away from them all?

  My dad hugged me tighter than he ever had before. When he pulled away, the tears were sliding down my face, and I couldn't stop them.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked, in a deep tone.

  “I just can't believe you're here,” I said, as I thought about everything I knew was going to come out in the open very soon.

  “Let me see my girl, Scott,” my mom snapped, as she pushed my dad aside and wrapped her arms around me. “I've missed you so much.”

  I heard someone walk up behind me, so pulled out of my mom's arms. When I turned, I saw Sammie and James standing there. He had a nervous look on his face, and her face was filled with guilt. She was the one behind it all, I could tell.

  “How could you?” I mouthed, from where the three behind me couldn't see.

  “I wasn't going to let you be alone for the holiday,” she said, as she shrugged her shoulders slightly. “It's time.”

  “Time for what?” my mom asked, from behind me, and every bit of relief I'd felt when my grandma wrapped me in her arms instantly disappeared.

  “What's all the commotion?” Lance asked, as he walked in through the still open front door. “Shit!”

  “Lance,” grandma snapped, before bursting into laughter and turning toward him. “Get your ass over here and hug me.”

  We all turned our attention to Lance and Lucy, who was just walking in behind him. The moment my eyes connected with his, I saw relief cover his face.

  “Now that we've got all that out in the open,” he said with a nod.

  “Dad,” I heard Sammie whisper, and I looked over to see her shaking her head.

  Lance went on, totally oblivious to what was really happening.

  “It's been killing me knowing that I've been helping them keep a secret from you, Mom.”

  “Dad,” Sammie whispered again, but he just kept going.

  “Now that you finally know she's here, we can move on. I'm so damn glad she left that asshole. I'm not happy about the way it happened, but what can you do? That fucker's lucky he's still walking. I offered to beat his ass, but she wouldn't let me.”

  “Lance,” Lucy said from next to him, as she looked around at all of the rest of our faces.

  Did he stop? Not a chance.

  “Have you seen your boy yet?” Lance asked, as he looked at my dad, who I could tell was holding in more anger than I'd ever seen from him before.

  “Who?” my dad asked through clenched teeth.

  “Lance,” I began, but didn't get to finish.

  “Your new grandson?” Lance asked, cutting me off and looking around as if we were all crazy.

  The rumble that left my dad came from deep in his chest.

  “Shit!” Lance said roughly, as he looked around, before his eyes connected with mine again. “They didn't know.”

  I shook my head, as I stared him down.

  “Fuck, Cassie,” he said. “I'm sorry.”

  I heard my dad take in a huge breath. Then I heard it slowly leave him.

  “Are you telling me,” he began.

  “Look,” I snapped out, cutting him off before he had the chance to turn to Lance. “I'm the only one to blame for any of this. You'll never know how sorry I am. Not only did I mess up my life, but I messed up all of their lives as well. Can we please have one day? All I want is for everyone to have a nice Christmas. Tomorrow morning, I'll put it all out there. I will tell you everything. I'm going to go to my room with the kids.”

  “Your room,” my dad barked out. “Bullshit! I haven't seen my daughter and her kids in a long damn time. The only place you'll be going is into that living room for the rest of the day. I don't know why you're here, but I'm damn glad you are. What's this shit about me having another grandson, Cassandra?”

  I turned, walked by Sammie and James, making sure to give them both dirty looks along the way, and walked into the living room. When I walked back to where my parents and grandma were standing, I had the baby in my arms.

  “This is Jake,” I said, as I looked between the three of them, “your grandson.”
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br />   Before long, tears began to slip from my mom's eyes.

  “We didn't even know you were pregnant,” she said, as she walked up to me and took the baby tightly into her arms.

  “Grandpa,” I heard Jenny, as she ran to my dad and looked up at him.

  Two seconds later, Jeff was there, and my dad was scooping them both up and hugging them so damn tight.

  He looked at them both before looking back at me.

  “How long have you been here?” he asked, with hurt in his eyes.

  “I'll tell you everything tomorrow,” I said.

  “Not waiting that long, Cassie,” he said, as he looked back at the kids. “I will know today. I'll give you until after dinner, but once the kids are asleep, we will talk.”

  I nodded, happy that he was at least giving me that.

  “Bring me my grandson, Woman,” he said to my mom, as he walked over to the couch in the living room and sat down with both kids still firmly in his hold.

  My mom walked over to where he was sitting. She handed him the baby, sat down, and pulled the other two in close to her.

  I stood there, looking over at my grandma, and felt horrible for not telling them. I'd made the wrong choice.

  “I hope you can forgive me,” I said.

  “You?” she asked, as she shook her head.

  “All of us,” I said. “It's not their fault. They didn't want to keep it a secret, especially from you. This has been hard on all of them. It's me you should be disappointed in.”

  “I could never be disappointed in you, Cassie,” she said, as she reached out to hug me again. “No matter what, I love you. I just want to see my family happy. You're the last one.”

  “I was happy,” I said. “At least I thought I was.”

  “No you weren't,” she said, as she pulled back from our hug but kept her hands on my arms. “Now, I need to see my grandson.”

  We both laughed, as I pulled her in close to me and walked us over to the couch so she could hold the newest addition to her family.

  Chapter 2

  Cassie

  “Everyone is here,” Jackson said, as he walked up to Sammie with an inpatient look on his face. “Can we finally open our presents?”

  “Yes,” Sammie said. “We can open them now.”

  I looked down at Jenny and Jeff, as they both snuggled in between my mom and dad. I couldn't let them sit there while the other kids opened presents. It was bad enough I hadn't been able to buy them anything. There was no way I was going to let them be reminded of how different things were for them.

  “We're just going to go upstairs for a bit,” I said, as I leaned in to pick Jeff up.

  “No,” Sammie said, and I looked at her, trying to get her to realize why I was doing it. “Sit down. I think the first present is for Jeff.”

  James grabbed a present from the pile and handed it to Jeff. He scooted down from my mom's lap and sat next to Jackson. Jenny followed him down, making sure to sit right next to Jillian.

  I sat down next to my grandma. She was holding Jake and looking down to watch the other kids opening their gifts. I leaned in close and put my head on her shoulder. She turned to me, kissed me on the forehead, and then turned back with a smile on her face.

  By the time the kids were done opening everything, there was paper everywhere, and loud noises were filling the room. Even the babies had things to play with. I looked down at Jenny and Jeff. They were both so happy, laughing and playing as if it was the best Christmas ever. It honestly was. Their dad never would have put up with the mess and noise that was happening around us. In that moment, I promised myself that my kids would never have a boring, quiet Christmas again. I would give them a perfect Christmas every year, no matter what it took.

  When I looked up, I had tears sliding down my cheeks. Between Sammie, James, Lauren, both Lances, and Lucy, they'd made sure my kids had just as much as the rest, and for that, I would be forever grateful. My eyes connected with Sammie's, and she had tears in hers as well. When I looked over at my mom, she gave me a questioning look. I quickly turned away from her to find a huge smile covering my grandma's face. That woman didn't miss a thing.

  While the kids played, the guys watched television and played with them. The ladies headed to the kitchen to work on dinner and talk about the guys. I stayed stuck to my grandma's side the entire time. I'd missed her, but it wasn't until she was there that I realized just how much.

  Once everything was ready, we sat down at the dining room table to eat. Dishes of food were passed around. Between the kids and adults, we hadn't made a dent in the bowls. The kids ate, as they laughed and talked to each other. The adults watched the kids.

  Parker popped into my mind so many times throughout the day. I'd hoped he'd gotten a good meal and not some restaurant food. Was he home, I wondered? Was he at his parents? Was he with his kids? Part of me felt bad that I hadn't invited him to dinner. Sammie would have loved having him there. She adored the man. Lauren did too. A pang of jealousy hit me, and I shook my head. There was nothing to be jealous of. They were both very happy in their relationships. Was I jealous because of him, or was I jealous that they liked him more than they did me? It was all nonsense. They like me just fine, and I didn't care if they liked him. He wasn't mine, and I didn't want him to be.

  “You okay?” I heard my grandma whisper from beside me.

  “I'm fine,” I said. “Dinners almost over. Today has flown right by. I don't want to talk tonight.”

  “Is that all it is?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  She shook her head before smiling. Shit!

  “We all love you, Cassie,” she said. “It'll be okay.”

  I grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it tight.

  “I sure hope so,” I said. “I just hope they forgive me for giving them up for him.”

  “They're your parents,” she said. “There's nothing to forgive.”

  The rest of the day flew by at lightening speed. Before I knew it, Lance and Lucy were leaving. He whispered good luck on his way out. Lauren and Lance followed behind them with Jackson.

  “I'm here if you need me,” she said. “I know you're still mad at me, but I did it because I care. Call if you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” I said, as I hugged her and then rubbed her belly with a laugh.

  I put the kids to bed and went back to my room to pull myself together before facing my family. Parker popped into my mind, and I grabbed my phone. Looking down at it, I knew he wasn't there, but it helped me feel a little better. He was the only one that knew any of it. Just holding the phone eased my mind a bit. Anything that helped, I was doing.

  When I walked into the living room, James stood up and helped Sammie's pregnant ass up from where she was sitting on the floor.

  “We're going to head up to our room,” Sammie said.

  “No,” I said. “You two should stay.”

  “I'm not so sure about that,” James said, as he narrowed his eyes at me.

  “I need you to stay,” I said, as I gave him a pleading look. “There are things I haven't told you yet.”

  “Cassie,” he snapped.

  “Please,” I said.

  Sammie grabbed James' hand, walked over, sat down in a chair, and pulled James down next to her.

  I started at the beginning so my parents and grandma knew what had happened that got me there in the first place. My dad was barely holding it together, as I told them about opening my front door to find my husband's assistant standing in my robe. When I went on to tell them that I'd gone straight to Sammie and James, my dad shook his head, but he continued to hold it together. Just when I opened my mouth to move on, he stopped me.

  “How long?” he asked.

  When I gave him a questioning look, he spoke again.

  “When did you come here?” he asked sternly.

  “The end of October,” I said.

  “Thanksgiving,” he said. “Where were you at on Thanksgiving?”
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  “I was here,” I said.

  The sad look that crossed his face had guilt filling my entire being. I didn't want my dad to be sad or disappointed in me.

  “So you drove right by us and continued on for hours to come here,” he said.

  “I had to get away, far away,” I said. “I know it doesn't make sense. I'm so sorry. You don't like him, none of you do. I'd pulled away from my family for him. I needed to think before I let you see what a failure I was.”

  “A failure,” my dad said, his anger instantly gone. “You're not the failure. He is.”

  “He's a loser,” Sammie interrupted. “That's what he is. He reported her credit cards stolen.”

  “What?” my dad snapped out, as he got to his feet.

  “Sit down,” grandma snapped. “Let Cassie finish. Just sit your asses still and listen to what she has to say. Then you can talk like civilized adults.”

  “Talk,” my dad said. “That asshole is going to be sorry.”

  “Sit,” grandma snapped out even louder, and my dad sat back down.

  I looked down at my grandma, and she nodded for me to continue, so I told them about the credit cards, glaring at Sammie the whole time.

  When I stopped, nobody said a word. I took a deep breath and took a step back. What I was about to say, Sammie and James didn't even know. I needed to be able to see all of them when I said it.

  “Jeff called me after Thanksgiving. He was here,” I said, watching for their reactions. “He asked me to meet him, and I did.”

  Sammie got to her feet immediately, but James nudged her arm to pull her back down.

  “He acted like he wanted me back, so I met him at a hotel to hear him out. Things weren't going well here. I wasn't the person I needed to be. He gave me a choice, either come back or deal with the consequences. He hadn't professed his love or told me how much he loved me. He pretty much told me to come back, and I'd have the life I'd been used to, or don't, and lose everything.”

  My dad's hands balled into tight fists on one side of the room, and James and Sammie were both holding each other down on the other side.

  “I didn't go back,” I said. “I knew something was coming, but I didn't know what.”