Mr. September: A Single Parent Romance (Calendar Boys Book 9) Read online

  It doesn’t take long before I see him, the small blonde woman attached to him with their linked arms.

  I actually feel sorry for her; she probably has no idea what a complete psychopath her husband is.

  I jump to my feet and stride to intercept them before they can get into the elevator.

  “Chad!” I call loudly, turning his head. “Took you long enough to get back.”

  The look on his face is one of pure shock.

  “And this must be Penny.” I reach for her hand and clasp it in mine. “You’re even prettier than he said you were.”

  Penny giggles and glances up at her husband, who is still standing there, shell shocked.

  “I’m sorry, but who are you?” she questions.

  “Sorry, forgive my rudeness, I’m Brody, an old friend of Chad’s.”

  “Oh Brody, hi, yes Chad told me all about you.”

  I refrain from chuckling. She’s at least got enough manners to lie.

  “How was the house?” I ask as though he’s told me their plans, “you interested in buying it?”

  Once again, it’s Penny who answers, “Oh no, I don’t think so… it was a beautiful home, but Chad was just humouring me. He comes down about once a year for business, and since I was on maternity leave this time, I insisted I come with him. It’s so beautiful here, I thought we could move, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.” She pouts.

  “That’s a shame,” I reply.

  She nods in agreement as I turn my attention to her piece-of-shit husband.

  “What about you, man, you see anything you liked while you were there?”

  Chad snaps out of it then, blinking hard.

  “It was a surprising property,” he replies.

  “Let’s go for that beer, yeah? Catch up. You want to come, Penny?”

  “Oh I—”

  “Penny was just going up for a rest, it’s been a long morning for her, you know with the baby and everything,” he interrupts as he gestures to her rounded belly, a not-so-subtle gesture that his wife is in a fragile state.

  It’s a fair call. This isn’t on her and I don’t need a premature labour on my conscience anyway.

  “Well it was so good to meet you, finally,” I tell her, laying it on thick. “I might see you next time?”

  Chad kisses the top of her head and pushes the button for the lift for her.

  The doors slide open and he shoves his bewildered-looking wife inside. “I’ll be up soon,” he tells her and then she’s gone.

  The minute the doors close, I swing, hitting him clean across the jaw.

  “Fuck,” he grunts, as he hunches over, wiping at the blood coming from his mouth.

  I hear gasps all around us, but I don’t care that we’re in the lobby of one of the most expensive hotels in town.

  This is happening now.

  If he wanted privacy, he shouldn’t have come after my girl. He should have talked to me man to man. He shouldn’t have been a crazy fucker.

  He stands back up, glaring at me.

  “Just let me—”

  I hit him again, this time in his gut. I hear his breath leave him with a whoosh.

  He doubles over, his knees sinking to the ground.

  “I didn’t know she would be there,” he chokes out.

  “But you knew everywhere else she’d be, didn’t you? You fucking stalker.”

  He looks up at me, his eyes wide. Stupid fucking pretty boy isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. That reaction is all the confirmation I need.

  “What did you think would happen, huh? You’d scare her and it’d break us up? Or are you a total sick fuck and you really did want to hurt her?”

  “I’d never lay a finger on her,” he says, and honestly, it’s the only thing to come out of his mouth that I do believe.

  My chest is heaving with exertion, not from hitting him, but from resisting the urge to hit him again.

  He gets to his feet slowly, wiping again at the blood in his mouth.

  “She’s too good for you,” he spits.

  I laugh darkly. “No fucking shit. She’s too good for everyone, the woman is an angel.”

  He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. I didn’t come here to hear him out, or to justify my relationship, I came here to tell him exactly how it’s going to be from now on.

  “This shit stops now. You don’t contact her; you don’t come near her. You certainly don’t follow her in your fancy fucking car.”

  An arrogant smirk twitches at his bloody lip, like he’s pleased with himself.

  “If I see you anywhere near Morgan again, I won’t just tell your pretty little wife what a low life you are, I’ll go to the police too – I’ll ruin your fucking career in a heartbeat.”

  His smirk slips. He can see I’m not talking shit. I mean it.

  “The only reason I’m not doing that already is because she’s pregnant.” I point at the lift his wife disappeared into. “I’ve seen what you’ve done to Ethan, and it’s not that kid’s fault you’re a complete prick.” I sneer.

  His eyes dip to the floor and then back up to my face. He knows I’ve got him beat.

  He nods once.

  “And as far as Ethan goes, if you want to see him, you’ll do it through me, and if you don’t start treating him with some respect, then you’re gone, end of. Frankly, I’d cut you off from seeing him ever again right here and now, but I haven’t discussed it with Ethan yet so that’s not my call to make. If he doesn’t want to see you, then you don’t come back. Understood?”

  He nods again.

  “Now get the fuck out of my sight.”

  He straightens his shoulders, trying to salvage the tiny bit of dignity he’s got left and walks towards the lift.

  “Oh and, Chad?” I call after him.

  He turns to face me, and I can’t help it. I hit him once more.

  “Fuck you,” I hiss before I walk away.

  EPILOGUE

  Brody

  “And now I’m handing over to Ethan Bradley, our most valuable player for the season, who wants to say a few quick words,” Anthony, my assistant coach announces as he hands off the microphone to Ethan.

  Ethan takes the mic, a cocky smirk on his face as his eyes find mine in the crowd.

  I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m about to be thrown under the bus, big time.

  “Hey everyone,” he says, “I couldn’t let the speeches finish without thanking the man who did so much for us this season, he coached us to the championship final and was right there with us when we became national champions.”

  A chorus of cheers breaks out from the players around the room. “Go cubs!” and “whoo, whoo, whoo!” fills the air.

  I grin. Adam’s nickname stuck.

  Morgan’s hand squeezes my knee from her spot on the chair next to me.

  She looks so happy and carefree.

  She’s got no reason not to be now.

  Chad is long gone, the creep from the bar is serving jail time, and she’s safe.

  Ethan told his dad that he wanted nothing to do with him once it was confirmed that it was Chad who had been trying to scare Morgan.

  I’m confident he won’t be back any time soon.

  “Let’s get him up here.” Ethan points at me.

  “Yeah, Coach!”

  “C’mon, Coach!”

  “You’re the man, Coach Owens!”

  Cheers surround me as I get to my feet, shaking my head in amusement.

  Ethan grins wider, and I just know he’s got something up his sleeve.

  I make my way to the stage and stand next to him, my arms crossed against my chest.

  “You look worried, Coach.” He chuckles.

  “That’s because I am worried.”

  Laughter floats through the room.

  He turns back to the crowd, he’s really warming up to this public speaking now, he looks in his element. I might have to make him captain next year.

  Morgan was right – I got offe
red a senior coaching position at the end of the season.

  I don’t think anyone was more surprised than me when I turned it down. I’m not ready to leave the kids yet. Maybe one day, but not right now.

  “So, everyone already knows that Coach is dating my mum, right?”

  I groan.

  The boys all whoop and holler. I think the mums cheer even louder.

  Morgan covers her face with her hands.

  “So, I figure that means I owe him some type of public humiliation, right?”

  I hear Hunter yelling out, ‘Yeah, man!’, and most of the other boys joining in too.

  “I can’t take all the credit for this,” Ethan says, barely containing his laughter, “It was a team effort.”

  He points at the screen behind us and I turn.

  “What in the fuck…”

  They’re projecting a huge image on the screen, it’s a guy in his underwear, with my face badly photoshopped onto the body. Underneath are the words ‘Mr. September’.

  “Mr. September, ladies and gentlemen,” Ethan manages to say between fits of laugher.

  Everyone in the room is laughing and clapping.

  “I don’t get it,” I deadpan, looking at him to explain what the hell is going on.

  Ethan laughs harder. “You’re the new Mr. September – the charming coach.”

  The room fills with chatter as everyone laughs and jokes.

  “I’m the what?” I demand.

  Ethan sits the mic on the table and smirks at me again.

  “This lady came in the other night when we were training – that night you left early, looking for someone to model for this calendar she’s doing, so we volunteered you. Better get in the gym coach, you’re getting your kit off.”

  “You didn’t.” I gape at him.

  He starts laughing all over again.

  Adam comes up on stage, grinning widely, wiping tears from his eyes.

  “You,” I point at him, “you were in on this, weren’t you?”

  “You shacked up with the kid’s mum, you owe him, man.” He chuckles.

  “Can’t leave you in charge for five minutes,” I grumble.

  He raises his hands and shrugs. “Just embrace it.”

  I look helplessly at Ethan. “There’s no getting out of this, is there?”

  He shakes his head victoriously. “Since you’ve always got your shirt off at home, I figured you’d be in your element.”

  I reach out to clip him around the ears, but he ducks, grinning. I can’t help but laugh.

  Fuck my life.

  “You guys suck.”

  “But you love us.” Adam grins.

  I run my hand through my hair and search through the masses of people for Morgan.

  She’s sitting next to Olivia and they’re whispering and grinning like they knew this was going to happen all along.

  As cunning as they are, I love how close they’ve become.

  “Your mum knew about this too?” I ask Ethan, my eyes never leaving my woman.

  “No comment,” he replies.

  “You’re really gonna make me do this?”

  He nods eagerly. “You’ll be a chicken shit if you don’t.” He chuckles.

  My mind spins and I turn to him. “I’ll make you a deal.”

  He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at me. “What kind of deal?”

  I beckon him forward and he leans in so I can whisper my offer in his ear.

  He pulls back, looking at me with a surprised expression. “Really?” he asks.

  I nod. “If that’s okay with you?”

  His eyes glaze over, but he blinks quickly, clears his throat and nods. “It’s more than okay with me.”

  I grab his shoulder and pull him in for a hug.

  He’s still for a minute before he hugs me back, gripping me tightly.

  He pulls away, clears his throat again, claps me on the shoulder and heads off towards his buddies.

  I get the feeling that’s the first time he’s been hugged by a man who really cares about him.

  I weave back through the crowd, getting teased and joked with the whole way until I reach Morgan, who’s sitting there looking thoroughly amused.

  “You’re in trouble, Morgs.”

  She bites down on her lip. “Maybe I like trouble, slick.”

  I crouch down in front of her, so our faces are level. “You’re going to have to make this up to me.”

  “You know I’m up for that.” She grins devilishly.

  My mind gets distracted and I have to shake my head to clear my thoughts before I sneak her out of here for some one-on-one practice in the changing sheds.

  “Good, because me and Ethan have made a deal.”

  “More basketball tickets?” she asks, her brow raised.

  I shake my head.

  She gives me a ‘well tell me’ look and I chuckle.

  “Not quite. It’s more of a geographical deal…”

  She frowns in confusion.

  “Move in with me?” I ask.

  Her brows shoot up in surprise. “That’s the deal you made with Ethan?”

  I shrug.

  It’s not the only question I asked him, but it’s the only one I want to share now. I need to get a ring before I even think about asking her the other one.

  “And he wants to?”

  “I mean, I think he just wants to see me embarrass myself in this photoshoot, but yeah, he told me we had a deal.”

  “And what if I said no?”

  “Then I guess Ethan will have to move in without you.” I chuckle.

  I might be playing it cool, but my heart is going crazy in my chest. I want her to say yes.

  We spend nearly every night together anyway – she’s it for me. I just want to get on with our lives together.

  “You really don’t mind the idea of living with a teenage boy?”

  I scoff at her. “I was a teenage boy once. They’re just misunderstood.”

  She giggles. “And you won’t complain when he’s always eating all the food?”

  “I’ll get him his own fridge.”

  She looks right into my eyes. “You really want to be ‘Brody from tonight’, every night?”

  I chuckle at the reference to our first text exchange. “I really do.”

  She smiles softly. “Alright, slick… we’ll move in.”

  I claim her lips with mine and she giggles softly against me.

  “I love you,” I murmur.

  “I love you too.” She sighs.

  THANK YOU!

  Thank you for reading Mr. September, I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you did enjoy it, please consider leaving a review; they give authors valuable feedback, help other readers find new books, and I’d really, really appreciate it!

  If you are interested in getting sneak peeks into my work, freebies and giveaways, you can sign up for my newsletter HERE.

  If you’re into Facebook, please join my reader group HERE.

  Please remember:

  This book has been written using UK English and may contain euphemisms and slang words that form part of the New Zealand spoken word.

  Please remember that the words are not misspelled. They are slang terms and form part of everyday, New Zealand vernacular.

  I.e: I’m from New Zealand and sometimes we say weird things down here… please try and be cool about it.

  Thanks again!

  MR. OCTOBER

  Mr. October – Calendar Boys Series, Book Ten, will be releasing October 10th 2019.

  Visit www.nicolegoodinauthor.com for the cover reveal and to read the first chapter.

  Amazon links:

  Amazon US

  Amazon UK

  Amazon AU

  Amazon CA

  OTHER TITLES

  Love like Yours Series

  Rushed – Book 1

  Pierced – Book 2

  Hunted – Book 3

  Chased – Book 4

  Love like Yours Box Set – B
ooks 1-4

  Rock Games Novels

  Paper, Scissors, Rock: Vol. 1

  Hide and Seek: Vol. 2

  My Heart Duet

  My Heart Needs

  My Heart Wants

  Every Last Beat – The Heart Duet Box Set – Boks 1 & 2

  Calendar Boys

  Mr. January

  Mr. February

  Mr. March

  Mr. April

  Mr. May

  Mr. June

  Mr. July

  Mr. August

  Mr. September

  Calendar Boys Box Set – Books 1-4

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  The songs that inspired this book, Halo – Jasmine Thompson, Peer Pressure – James Bay and Julia Michaels and In Love Again – Colbie Caillat.

  We’re getting towards the end of the series now, and I’m still having so much fun with the boys and their leading ladies – if you’re still with me, thanks so much! I really appreciate you reading and loving my characters as much as I do.

  To my usual support crew, thank so much, as always… you know who you are!

  Roll on October!

  PLAYLIST

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  NICOLE S. GOODIN is a romance author and mother of two from Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand.

  In mid-2015, she started to write about a group of characters who wouldn’t get out of her head. Her first book, Rushed, was published in mid-2016.

  Nicole enjoys long walks on the beach, pillow fights and braiding her friends’ hair. She dislikes clichés, talking about herself in the third person, and people who don’t understand her sense of humour.

  Please feel free to contact her either via her website, email, Instagram, Twitter or on her Facebook page, she would love to hear your feedback. If you’re feeling really game, you can even sign up for her newsletter HERE.