The Final Play
Authors: Rhonda Laurel
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The Blake Boys
Series
For the Love of the Game (Book One)
MVP (Book Two)
The Blake Legacy (Book Three)
Texas Heat (Book Four)
Love Notes and Football (Book Five)
The Perfect Storm (Book Six)
Slow Burn (Book Seven)
Cowboy’s Heart (Book Eight)
Tempting Fate (Book Nine)
Executive Desires (Book Ten)
Meet the Blakes (Book Eleven)
The Final Play (Book Twelve)
The
Hollywood Heat
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Star Crossed (Book One)
Hollywood Rush (Book Two)
Ebb Tide
Shutter
“Masquerade” Halloween Heat IV
In Print
The Rhonda Laurel Collection
“Masquerade” Halloween Heat MF
The Blake Boys Collection
The Blake Boys Collection II
The Blake Boys Collection III
The Final Play
The Blake Boys Book Twelve
Rhonda Laurel
Etopia Press
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Etopia Press
1643 Warwick Ave., #124
Warwick, RI 02889
The Final Play
Copyright © 2015 by Rhonda Laurel
ISBN: 978-1-944138-19-6
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Etopia Press electronic publication: November 2015
DEDICATION
To Seth and Morgan, thanks for sharing your loving journey.
CHAPTER ONE
Seth Blake shook his head, trying to focus on the game. He’d tuned out the coaches, teammates, and the roaring crowd. It was the fourth quarter and they had a three-point lead, but he had more important things on his mind. He was still stunned at the news that he and Morgan were having another baby and this one was a girl! All he’d done for months was smile as Morgan puttered around the house getting ready for the newest addition to the family and giving him a thousand reasons why he shouldn’t freak out. He knew she was trying to temper the chaos that would ensue when their baby girl was born, but it was really too late for that. The Blake men had already made decisions about how to handle the growing number of girls in the family. Thankfully his niece Avery had begun to pave the way. Her presence around the ranch and in the Blakes’ lives would surely be appreciated by his daughter in years to come.
Morgan was radiant, beautiful, and more content than he’d ever seen her. She’d even entrusted him with the duty of choosing a name for their daughter, something that had him up nights pacing their penthouse floors. Morgan worried that the boys would be against a baby sister, he reminded her those boys loved their mama and followed her around like ducklings. They took their promise to take care of her when he was at away games very seriously and would undoubtedly do the same for their sister. In an attempt to assist her with the pregnancy, they helped her with morning activities like tying her shoes and carrying her bags. Sure it took a lot longer to get out the door, but she allotted extra time. He had no doubt that the boys would love their baby sister and take good care of her too.
He looked over at his friend Patton, who was by the forty-yard line giving one of the rookie players a quick pep talk. It was Patton’s infectious positivity that he’d miss the most about being on the team. The linebacker had been the first person to welcome him when he came aboard. While some of the guys were jealous of his lucrative contract and the media attention he received, Patton was interested in putting together a plan to win. He didn’t sugar coat the problems, both personal and professional, on the team and offered Seth advice on how to get that to work to his advantage. They’d become such good friends they more like brothers. He’d had a lot of phony relationships with people over the years, but Patton was the real deal. He was a natural born teacher, as evidenced by the rookie who nodded and smiled as he went to take his position for the next play.
The team had gotten off to a fairly good start to the season despite the rumors flying around that Seth and Lamont were at each other’s throats. The two of them butting heads in the locker room was nothing new. But things had grown even more contentious after the Vegas incident with Morgan’s cousin Charisma. It was always something with the temperamental wide receiver, who was still making headlines with his tumultuous relationship with Charisma. Seth resolved that there were some people that you just couldn’t get along with, and Lamont was one of them. They came together when it mattered—on the field. They both wanted another championship and that was incentive enough to table the off-field drama that plagued them.
“Blake, you in the game?” Patton gave him a firm pat on the back.
“I’m just checking out all the angles.” He looked around.
“Yeah, right. You’re thinking about the baby.” Patton laughed. “Man I was in a fog for six months when we found out we were having a girl.”
“I won’t lie. I’ve been thinking about keeping her in the house until she’s thirty.” He grinned.
“It will get easier believe me.”
“Really? This coming from the man who went to his daughter’s school and threatened a little boy and his parents because he pulled Gabby’s hair?”
“It worked.” Patton tugged on his helmet.
“You do know that boys do things like pull a girl’s hair and call her names when he likes her?”
“Not all of them. I don’t have that problem with my man Jake. He’s a gentleman when it comes to Gabby. My godson has class.”
“In that case, it’s reverse harassment.” While the twins were more receptive to the attention, Jake headed for the hills every time he saw Gabby coming his way. “Morgan wants me to pick her name.”
“Wow. That’s a heavy responsibility.”
“If she hates it, I’ll be the worst dad ever. And that’s the last thing I want is my little girl mad at me.” He smiled.
“You’ll come up with just the right name.”
Their teammate Elton approached. “Are you two taking a coffee break or playing this game?”
“Blake’s thinking up baby names.”
“Oh.” Elton laughed. “How about Elmira?”
“Isn’t your mama’s name Elmira?” Patton laughed.
“What’s your point?”
“Good suggestion, Shatz, but that’s a family name. I wouldn’t want to infringe on that.” Seth gave Patton a quizzical look.
“You ready to finish this?” Patton motioned to the other team.
“Let’s do it.” Seth clapped.
Seth called the play and the team went into action. In this game, a lot could happen in three minutes, but he was feeling pretty confident this one would be a win. The stadium cam had panned in on Morgan munching on nachos a few times. This pregnancy had changed their relationship yet again and the connection had grown stronger. The baby was kicking up a storm this morning before he left the house and the boys were getting ready for the game. It was a good life and he loved it. Soon they would be living on the ranch full-time and there would be many changes in their lives. But one thing would remain the same, the love they had for each other.
* * *
Morgan ran her hand over her belly, trying to get the baby to calm down. She always moved around like she was doing the samba on Seth’s game days. The Titans were on fire today, but the family still dressed in their game day attire to ensure a victory. The boys were all wearing their Blake jerseys, and she had on her lucky paternity T-shirt that said Baby Quarterback On Board. The team had gotten off to a good start this season and if they kept up the momentum, they’d be headed to the playoffs for sure.
“Oh!” She groaned when a Titans player fumbled the ball and she reached for the nachos she was sharing with Jake. She was excited at the idea that Seth was getting closer to achieving his goal of a fourth Super Bowl. She’d never met a man more determined and driven. But what was more important to him these days was preparing for their little girl.
The Blake men had a war council after they’d announced at the wedding that they were being blessed with a baby girl. It was funny to see a bunch of strong, intelligent men at a loss about the impending arrival. She would be spoiled for sure. Teri-Lyn said to give them some time to come to their senses, but she was skeptical. When Seth wasn’t on the Internet ordering new baby gadgets and decorative items for the baby’s room, he was asking Sam security questions and mentioning things like electrified fences.
Robert, Morgan’s brother, set the tray down in front of her and gave Jake his own. “More nachos for the mommy-to-be.”
“You are too good to me.” She smiled and dove into the snack, but kept her eyes glued to the field.
“Slow down. There’s more where that came from.”
“I’m a stress eater and I blame your niece. She has her father’s fattening off-season eating habits,” Morgan quipped.
“She’s fine.” He rubbed her belly. “She’ll be perfect.”
“Well, I know that.” She smiled. “So did things calm down at chez Reed?” Although Avery was settled in at school in Texas, Robert was still having trouble letting go of his little girl.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, so you’ve stopped your systematic campaign to aggravate your daughter? She called me and told me you want to visit her at school next week?”
“Oh, that.” He smirked. “I relented, but Izzy and Tate are going to drop in on her for me.”
“She’s going to see that setup coming a mile away.”
“Probably, but she won’t turn them away either. One visit from Tate and every girl in her dorm will be her new best friend.”
The sound of a whistle from the field quieted the box. A time out had been called by the other team.
“You are diabolical.” Morgan turned her attention from the game back to her brother and shook her head. “I thought Izzy and I have illustrated perfectly for you how all that overbearing stuff only fuels a fire for rebellion.”
“I’d say it worked. Look how well you two turned out,” he countered. “You’re successful women married to good men and you have families.”
“That was partly because we were kind of tame anyway. I hate to toot my own boring horn, but I didn’t want to do anything too foolish, I just wanted you to trust me to make my own decisions.”
“I did trust you, it was the rest of the world I was worried about.”
The game resumed. She smiled when the camera panned on Seth’s face. She knew that look in his eyes. The other team didn’t stand a chance.
“Well, no worries with that one,” she continued. “She’s a wonderful young lady who has her head on straight. She’s going to do great in college.”
“She’s growing up so fast.”
“Well, she has family down there that’ll look out for her.” On the field, the Titans intercepted the ball, which meant they could run down the clock. Morgan raised her hands and cheered in celebration, almost sending her nachos flying.
When the roar of the crowd died down, Robert continued. “That’s one perk of her attending school in Texas. I know she’ll be well looked after. The Blakes are as crazy as I am when it comes to protecting family. But I don’t know about Bo’s horny toad little brother, Wyatt. I don’t like the looks of him. He’s always smiling at my baby. Did he flunk out yet?” He sipped on his beer.
Morgan gave him an incredulous look. “The semester just started. Unless you set fire to the Dean’s house, I don’t think it’s possible to be dismissed so soon. Wyatt’s a good kid and he’s smart, so I wouldn’t put my money on his flunking out. Besides, after he was cornered and threatened, I think he got the point.”
“Good.” He put the beer bottle to his mouth to take another sip but stopped. “By the way, I sent a check for the monthly tuition payment and the university returned it.”
“Really?” Uh oh. She concentrated on the field like she was trying to find Seth.
“When Alicia called the Bursar’s office they informed her that Avery’s tuition had already been paid.” He raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t know anything about that?”
“Oh. I forgot to mention that.” Her cheeks burned. “I should have given you a head’s up. Seth thought it would be a nice graduation present to pay her tuition.”
“Damn. That’s awfully generous.” Robert sighed. “I don’t know if I can accept it though.”
“Before you say no, hear me out. We’re all family, and the Blakes love Avery to pieces. This way you don’t have worry about it, and she doesn’t have to get a job. She can focus on her studies and the track team. But if you’d rather pay for it yourself—”
“That was very thoughtful. Thank you.” He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “I could put the money I already saved toward her sophomore year tuition. I’d be ahead of the curve.”
“There’s one other thing.” She cleared her throat. “Seth is a planner, so he paid it in full for the next four years.”
“She’s going to get spoiled. She nearly passed out when John Jacob and Teri-Lyn bought her that car. Why couldn’t she stay Gabby’s age?” Robert motioned to the little girl who was sitting on her mom’s lap. “Before the eye rolling began and screaming that daddy was out to ruin her life?”
“That is a nice age.” She looked forward to that time with her daughter.
“I remember you at that age.”
“You do?” She wrinkled her nose.
“That was right about the time you figured out you had all of us wrapped around your finger. Good luck with Seth.” He laughed.
“Are you kidding me? It’s already happening.” She stood up and cheered with the rest of the family as the clock ran out. The Titans won the game.
Morgan gave the boys celebratory high fives. She looked around at her family gathering up their things in the box. Robert was talking to Tyler. Jared and the rest of the family were finishing up the snacks they’d been eating during the event. Morgan ushered the boys over to the private bathroom to go one more time before they left the stadium, just in case they got caught in traffic.
Sydney wandered over and put her arm around her. “How’s my granddaughter?”
“Happy that her dad won the game. She’s doing a victory dance.”
Sydney laughed. “She’s going to be all over the place. She knows she needs a lot of energy to keep up with her brothers.”
“How was the book fair at the retirement community?”
Sydney had been working at Reading Builds Bridges for six months now and she was a fundraising dynamo. She was rattling cages and organizing events with such precision, Morgan lamented that she should have asked for her help a long time ago.
“I was swamped. I sold a lot more romance novels than I expected and got a few requests for the Kama Sutra.” Sydney waggled her eyebrows.
Morgan groaned. “It doesn’t surprise me. You and dad give me hope that Seth and I will still be that interested in romance in our golden years.”
“Watch it. I’m not golden yet.” Sydney wagged a finger at her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I found the cutest pink wallpaper and changing table with a built in digital scale for the nursery. It would be perfect. Why don’t I have it delivered on Wednesday?”
“Sounds good. Why don’t you and Dad come over next weekend and stay the night? We can have dinner and put the finishing touches on the nursery.”
“It’s a date.” Sydney held out a paper towel for Jake when he exited the bathroom with wet hands from washing them. “By the way, I met a lovely woman the other day. Her name is Deirdre. You don’t hear that name too much anymore. Might be time to bring it back.”
Morgan grimaced. The nachos she ate were working their way down her digestive tract. Connor and Colby exited the bathroom together, hands outstretched for a hand towel. Morgan obliged. “Now go put on your coats and make sure you have all your toys packed in your backpacks.”
