With a measured step, Levi steps in front of his father, partially blocking him from view, but, despite their similar height, I can still see David’s piercing eyes over his shoulder. The devastation, though held in a tight fist, as Levi delivers his next and final blow is there.

“You may not be able to stop being my father, but I am done being your son,” Levi snarls. “I want you out of here, and don’t ever think of darkening my doorstep again.”

David’s eyes narrow, his lips pressing into a firm line. Then, without another word, he turns and walks out the door, slamming it behind him.

The ball of tension in the room seems to burst like a bubble. As soon as he’s gone, all the air oxygen rushes from my body and I hunch over my knees, sucking in a lungful of air.

“What a fucking asshole,” Levi mutters to himself. “He’s got a lot of nerve coming in here like that.” I sense his movement as he begins pacing the room, his anger ratcheting higher with each step. “Telling me that he’s basically forced to be my father? Fuck him! Who ever said I wanted to be his son?” He’s yelling now, and as much as I want to go to him and tell him it will all be okay, I can’t. My ears are ringing, my thoughts are spinning out of control, and my breathing is so erratic that it’s hard to take a solid breath.

“And the way he talked to you?” Levi continues. “He’s lucky I didn’t rip his balls off and shove them down his throat. That fucker is dead to me!” He makes another circuit past the bed, stirring the air. “I’m so done with this shit. This is exactly why I branched out on my own. He thinks he has me cornered, but the joke’s on him. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes that I don’t need him or his fucking company.”

I stopped hearing Levi back at “Fuck him.” All I can see is the image of the two of us splashed across that page behind my closed lids. Holding my head in my hands, I wrap my fists around my hair and squeeze, hoping the pressure against my skull will relieve the throbbing ache in my brain.

This cannot be happening. The whole world now knows about us, about what we’ve done. We’ll never live it down. We stained our reputation, and by default, our child’s, too. And what about work? Everyone will know. They’ll never look at me the same. This is my worst nightmare coming true.

“Hey, hey,” Levi’s soft voice reaches into my head a second before I feel his firm hands clasp my knees. “Breathe, princess.”

Lifting my eyes, I see him crouching in front of me, worry written all over his face. It’s then that I realize I’m having some sort of panic attack. My chest feels too tight, my head fuzzy, and I can’t seem to get enough oxygen.

“It’s okay, baby, just keep breathing. That’s it. Nice and slow. There you go, princess. That’s my girl,” Levi praises as I concentrate on his voice, using it to calm me, to center me. Eventually, the fog in my head begins to recede and my heartrate slows to a more normal pace.

Stroking my cheek, Levi leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Okay now?”

I nod, but I’m not okay. Nothing is okay. “Levi,” I croak, my voice sounding rough and scratchy.

“What is it, princess?” His eyes tight, Levi’s thumb tracks across my cheek, smearing wetness across my skin.

I frown. When did I start crying? Swallowing down the lump that’s formed in my throat, I give voice to the fears running rampant through my mind. “That kiss…They know. The—” My voice chokes off on a sob.

Levi’s expression softens. “That we love each other? Yeah, they do. Everyone knows it now. We don’t have to hide anymore.”

What is he talking about? Doesn’t he understand what this means? For both of us?

“But what about soccer? What about my business? They’ll ruin us!” I cry.

Standing, Levi pulls me up and into his arms, holding me firmly against him. Beneath my ear, I hear the heavy beat of his heart thumping madly in his chest. As calm as he appears, he’s as upset about this as I am.

“They can try, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but you, me, and our baby. Soon, the divorce will be final and all of this will be yesterday’s news.”

Tilting my head back, I meet his turquoise stare. “Do you really think so?”

He brushes my messy hair back over my shoulders and flashes a small smile. “Yeah, baby, I do. We just need to stay strong and stick it out. Nothing they say or do can touch us as long as we have each other. Deal?”

I want to believe him, but I have my doubts. Who wouldn’t? Media is a scary thing. It’s a monster that lives to tear people apart. Levi and I? We’re not exactly a power couple. Even under the best of circumstances, this would be a challenge. I’m just not sure that Levi and I have what it takes to overcome this. But, God, I hope like hell that we can. We at least have to try.

Mustering up a false smile, I tighten my hold around his waist and bury my face in his chest just beneath his chin. “Deal.”

26

The last few weeks have been an absolute nightmare. Levi is doing everything in his power to deflect the attention from me, but the media is a relentless bitch. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if we hadn’t had to say goodbye the next day, but we did. Levi has commitments that don’t involve sticking around in Ohio with me.

So while he’s off doing interviews and shooting commercials and posing for photo shoots, I’m back here trying—and failing—to ignore the circus lurking outside my front door.

The only thing I’m famous for is a stupid kiss with America’s number one bad boy, but apparently that makes me the current hot topic.

It wouldn’t be so bad if they’d leave me alone, but I can’t walk out the door anymore without a camera shoved in my face and some asshole shouting questions at me. A problem that was made even worse when they found out about the baby. All it took was one reporter following me to the doctor’s office, and there I was, splashed across every online magazine imaginable. Under Levi’s strict instruction, I keep my head down and refuse to answer anything. Just keep walking.

So that’s what I do. Every day I put on my bitch mask and walk out the door to a sea of chaos. I spend the next eight hours hiding inside the Center, a veritable prisoner inside my own place of business.

But, hey, business is better than ever. People can’t wait to get a look at the girl who tamed soccer’s notorious womanizer.

I’m just thankful that what staff I do have aren’t the judgy type. Even if they are, they certainly don’t do it while I’m around. Janey has been especially understanding and supportive. Her first words to me were, “Fuck ‘em all. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being in love with your stepbrother. It’s not like you two are actually related.”

I think I breathed my first full breath for the first time that day.

Her words are always at the forefront of my mind now. Every time I begin to doubt myself and this relationship, I recite them to myself and then remember the deal Levi and I forged. We’re stronger together. We will get through this.

I just wish he was actually here to do that.

Some days it feels like I’m the only one who’s wading knee-deep in the fallout of that picture, but I know that’s not true. I’ve watched some of his interviews, read the articles, and Levi is definitely working hard to put out fires.

“What do your parents think about your relationship?” one interviewer asked him.

His response: “They have nothing to do with this. Once their divorce is finalized, we’ll just be two people in love.”

When the news got out that we were expecting, another asked, “Are you afraid the baby will be deformed?”

Levi laughed, his mocking smile bright as he looked into the camera and said a definitive “No.” He then went on to ream the interviewer, setting him straight on how bloodlines work and the impossibility of any deformities or maladies based on the fact that we shared no genetic material and were, in fact, not brother and sister as they love to tout around.