My Surprise Secret Baby (Romance Box Set) Read online

  My Surprise Secret Baby Box Set

  Lexi Wilson

  Copyright © 2020 by Lexi Wilson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

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  Professor’s Secret Baby

  Quarterback’s Secret Baby

  Single Mom’s Secret Baby

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  Professor’s Secret Baby

  Chapter 1

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  Zia

  “Mom! It’s not like I moved to another country! I’ll be up to visit you before Christmas break, I promise,” I said.

  “You’re not going to have time to make the drive and get back in time in just a weekend,” my mother sobbed. She sniffed hard and wiped her hand across her nose. “I know you won’t, and that’s okay. It’s just hard for me, that’s all.”

  “It’s only a few hours,” I insisted. “It’s not that bad.”

  “Give me a hug. It’s going to be so quiet around the house with just your father there now, and I’m not looking forward to it,” she blew her nose into a kerchief, and I laughed.

  “You make it sound like I’m not ever going to be back,” I said. “I told you, you’re going to still see plenty of me. I promise.”

  She sighed. I knew this was hard for her. We had moved from Chicago when I was young to a much smaller, much quieter town five hours away. My mom and dad wanted me to grow up in the quiet of a life that was much like their own when they were growing up, but I managed to get into the University of Illinois, and I was glad to be back.

  “I just wish you had been able to stay with us a few more weeks before you made this transition. I know you have to grow up sometime, but to think that you are in college now, that you’re going to move out when you graduate and be on your own, it’s just a lot,” my mother said. “And I worry I didn’t do a good enough job being your mother.”

  “Oh, Mom,” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t do that to yourself. You know you were a great mother, and you still are.”

  We embraced, and I had to fight the emotion that welled up inside me. It wasn’t easy for me, either, but I was going to go through with this. It was true, I did have to grow up sometime, and now was the time. It was time for me to become an adult, and this was a step in that direction.

  Still, it was sad to think that things had changed forever, and no matter what, they weren’t ever going to go back to the way they were. I was taking a step into adulthood, and I wasn’t going to turn back.

  “I’ve got to start my job,” I said. “Otherwise I would have stayed with you for the whole summer. But, I want to make sure I have a good footing with my position before school starts. It would suck to have to try to learn both my new job and try to settle into college life, too.”

  “I know,” my mother gave me one more squeeze. “Just remember what I’ve told you, and make sure you call me if you need anything. I’m proud of you.”

  “Love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you, too,” she gave me one final squeeze before getting back in the car, but I stayed on the sidewalk and waved at her when she left. There was a feeling of relief that swept over me when the car rounded the corner, but there was also a sense of emptiness, fear even.

  This was the first time in my life I’d spent any real time away from my parents, and now it was for real. This was a lot bigger than going to a summer camp or out with friends on a school trip – but I hadn’t done either of those things. This was the first time in my life I wasn’t going to let anxiety or fear hold me back, and with my mother out of sight, I knew it was time for me to face the truth and start my new life.

  Turning, I headed into the apartment building. I hadn’t seen it in person yet, but my best friend, Kira, had picked it out for the two of us. The price was right, and with the two bedrooms and one bathroom to share, I knew it was going to be a good fit.

  She was easygoing and outspoken, a lot different than me. But, they always said opposites attract, and it had been true in our case. We had been best friends since the third grade when she also moved to the small town my parents had taken me to, and she had been just as excited as I had been to find out we were going to the same school.

  Now, she threw open the door and came running up the hall, throwing her arms around me when she reached me.

  “I thought she wasn’t ever going to leave!” she said with a laugh. “I told my mother to get out as soon as she dropped me off.”

  “I’m sure you did!” I laughed as I hugged her in return. “But you know how my mom can be. She gets so emotional over everything, and I didn’t want to tell her to get out of here when I knew she’d have to go eventually.”

  “Well, now that we are free of the parents, let’s start in on the college experience!” Kira gave me a smirk, and I followed her into the apartment. “I didn’t think you would mind taking the smaller bedroom, and the rest of the place you can see for yourself.”

  She pointed to a door, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. That was just the sort of thing she would do, but I wasn’t going to complain. If we were going to live together, there was no sense in making smartass comments about her taking the bigger of the bedrooms. It didn’t ultimately matter. I was going to spend most of my time working or studying anyway.

  “Great,” I said as I pushed my luggage into the bedroom. “Ugh, I don’t want to unpack!”

  “Then don’t,” she laughed. “You’re an adult now, making your own decisions and free to do what you want. You can live however you want now!”

  “I should really get some of this stuff out of the way,” I said. “I’m not going to want to do it after I get back.”

  “Where are you going?” Kira looked at me with her head cocked slightly to one side. It was a habit she had had since we were kids, and I found it funny she still did it.

  “I’m going to head over to the coffee shop and talk about the position,” I told her. “So far, I’ve only spoken to the hiring manager on the phone, and I want to make a good impression with her before I start.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Kira said, looking at me with wide eyes. “You mean to tell me that the first night you are back in the city, you’re going to go to a coffee shop to talk about some boring job and unpack? Where’s the fun in any of that?”

  “It’s called being responsible,” I laughed. “You’re already settled in and have a job; I don’t. I mean, not officially. I’ve really got to make sure she likes me, or I’m not going to be able to pay rent.”

  “You can always ask your parents to give you a hand,” she smirked.

  “I thought you were just saying that the two of us were adults now! That means I’m going to have to be responsible for myself.” I pushed my luggage the rest of the way into the room then lugged it onto the bed.

  “I meant that you can do what you want. Do you really think that your mom and dad are responsible all the time?” she challenged. “Besides, whenever I’m short on cash, I just call home and talk to my dad about it and problem’s solved.”

  “Well, I’m going to do my best not to call them as much as possible. I mean, to ask for shit,” I said. “So, I’m going down to the coffee shop and I’m going to talk to the hiring manager in person.”

  “Come on!” Kira rolled her eyes
.

  “I already told her that I would as soon as I got the chance,” I said. “If I break my word to her before she even hires me, what does that make me? She’s not going to want anyone working there who she can’t trust to do what they say they’re going to do.”

  “Did you tell her you were in town yet?” she asked.

  “No,” I said, dragging out the word and giving her a sidelong look.

  The smirk quickly returned to her face.

  “See? Problem solved,” she beamed. “So, you can come with me.”

  “Where?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know what she had in mind. If she was being this persistent, there had to be a reason for it, and I was starting to realize that.

  The grin on her face widened as she folded her arms.

  “We’re going to a party. A college party!” she said. “You remember when we were in high school and talked about what it would be like when the day came and we could get wasted and not have to worry about the cops?”

  “I’m not sure I want to get drunk on the night before I have to meet with my manager,” I said.

  “Pfft, don’t be like that. You’ll be fine. You know how fast you bounce back after a night out,” she grinned. “Besides, there’s going to be a lot of hot guys there, and I hear they’re bringing the booze!”

  “That’s partially my point,” I said. “We’re still not old enough to drink yet!”

  “But it’s a college party!” Kira argued. “Which means that the cops are going to turn a blind eye to what we’re doing. There’s going to be enough people there who are plenty old enough to drink legally; they aren’t going to come in.”

  I sighed. I had a feeling she was right, and she did have a point. We had talked a lot about how we were going to have fun and enjoy our freedom when we were in college, and I was now trying to back out of it. It wasn’t exactly fair to her, and though I was worried about the job I would fill, I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with her the first night I was in our room together.

  “Alright,” I said at last. “You win.”

  “Really?” she nearly squealed. “Yay! Alright. Put on something sexy. There’s going to be a lot of guys there, and you know you want to make the right impression from the beginning.”

  Before I had the chance to say anything, she disappeared into her room and turned on her stereo. Shaking my head, I rifled through my luggage to find one of my more casual dresses. I would dress up for her a bit, but I wasn’t going to get too skanky.

  After all, this was the first night I would be on campus, and I didn’t want to give off the wrong impression.

  The year was only beginning.

  Chapter 2

  Josiah

  I yanked my jacket back over my shoulders and stalked through the halls outside the dean’s office.

  It had been a long couple of days, and the last thing I wanted to do when I got to Chicago was have to turn around and head over to the school. I had arrived after midnight and woken up with barely enough time to shower and dress before I had to meet with the dean.

  But, of course, he had to cancel at the last minute – right after I sat in his office to wait for him. It was frustrating beyond what I could describe, and I was already beginning to wonder if I had made the right decision in leaving my old school to come teach in Chicago.

  At twenty-six, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. I knew it took many professors a lot longer to be offered a job at a much bigger college than the one they were currently teaching at, but with the reviews I had and the grades I produced, I was offered the job after only three years of being a professor.

  But it was quickly becoming evident that the bigger schools weren’t catering to the professors as much as the smaller schools did, and if I was going to fit in here, I was going to have to take care of things myself.

  I’d intentionally arrived before school started with the intention of settling in and getting to know the school as well as the other professors, wanting to fit right in as soon as school officially started for the year.

  “But I see we’re already getting off on the wrong foot,” I murmured to no one in particular and shook my head. I had high hopes for this school, and though I was happy for the pay raise, I hoped it wasn’t going to take my sanity with it before I got my rhythm.

  After the drive I’d made – ten hours with little rest stops – I was exhausted. But it was already morning, and I wasn’t the kind of guy who would go back to bed to sleep the day away. I valued sleeping at night too much. The thought of sleeping at night and having to work out a sleep schedule before school started sounded like unnecessary stress I didn’t want or need, so I would brave the day with little energy and even less sleep, hoping to God I would get the rest of my shit figured out at the apartment before I had to worry about dinner.

  Not knowing Chicago, however, I quickly realized I was lost. I could follow the route back to my place with little issue, but I didn’t know where any of the stores or shops were, which was quickly adding to the frustration I felt as I drove down the crowded street.

  But then, right to the left of the street, I saw a small coffee shop. It looked almost as old as the campus itself, but it was close, and I knew coffee would do the trick. At least, it would help me wake up enough to get through the day without feeling like I was dragging my feet over everything.

  I found a parking spot before heading inside, but once again, I was met with more people than I anticipated. It looked as though many of the students who would be attending the university that year were already getting to know each other as well as the campus.

  I knew I would have a full class, but I wasn’t nervous. To me, it made no difference whether I was lecturing ten students or a hundred. There would always be the same mix of jocks, jackasses, and giggling girls who were trying to get all the attention they could.

  Taking a seat, I decided to grab a paper and look through it for anything of interest as the line dwindled. It would at least be a bit of a distraction from the way my morning had gone so far, and that was welcome in and of itself. Not only that, but I was on the hunt for more furniture for my new place.

  I would be making a lot better money in Chicago, but I didn’t want to waste it all on fancy furniture. Something nice would do me fine, but it didn’t bother me if it came second-hand.

  The place was loud and bustling, making it hard for me to concentrate. Normally, I was used to the chatter in a room. I was used to students talking over each other and everyone wanting to be heard. But with the lack of sleep that I’d had, I wasn’t in the mood to listen to the chatter going on around me.

  However, suspecting that most of these kids were students, I didn’t want to make a scene over the noise. Odds were I would have at least some of them in my class, and I didn’t want to be that professor. I would put up with it for now, and as soon as I had my coffee, I knew I would be in a lot better mood.

  At least, I hoped. I still had to get a lot of shit done in my apartment, and I wasn’t sure if the dean was going to try to reschedule for the next day. He seemed like the kind of guy who ran on his own terms as it was, and if I was going to stay on his good side, then I was going to have to play by his rules.

  At first anyway. There were so many things I wanted to say to the guy, but I would keep my mouth shut until I had a better footing in the school, then I would give him a piece of my mind if he kept up this kind of rude behavior.

  “You dumb bitch!” a shout came from the front of the line, and I looked up. There stood a flustered barista behind the counter and an angry man on my side. The students who were in line were snickering and talking to each other about what had happened, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to take long before a few cell phones came out and this would be filmed and put online.

  It didn’t take me long to figure out what happened. It appeared that in her haste to get the orders out, the barista had spilled the man’s coffee. I couldn’t see whether he had any on his clothing or not, but I d
idn’t care. No one spoke to a woman that way, and with her looking barely out of her teens, I felt sorry for her.

  It had to be hard dealing with all these people and their piss poor attitudes so early in the morning, but she was handling it well from what I could see.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” she said over and over. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

  “Do you realize I’m going to be late for my meeting?” he snapped. “Thanks to you, I’m going to get another write-up and explain to my boss it was because of some stupid employee who wasn’t able to hand someone a cup of coffee without dumping it on the counter!”

  “I’m sorry!” she said again. Her face was red, and she looked like she could burst into tears. But, more than that, she was beautiful. She was petite, her hair long and brown. She wasn’t smiling, but I could only imagine that a mouth so perfect would make for the most beautiful smile as well.

  Her body was curvy in all the right places, and I knew I was going to have to say something. I couldn’t leave her to the fate of having to stand there and be berated by this man and made a sensation on the internet.

  I was already tired of hearing his bitching as it was, so I had no problem getting up and cutting to the front of the line.

  “Can I help you?” he snapped.

  “You can stop yelling at this young woman,” I told him. “A cup of spilled coffee isn’t the end of the world.”

  “I’m going to be late, not that it’s any of your business,” he spoke condescendingly, but I wasn’t going to take any of his shit.

  “Then you better get out of here. I would hate for you to get that next write-up. Could be your last from the sound of things,” I replied.