The Baller's Secret Baby

by Normandie Alleman

Eden and Nick had history, the sort that goes back to childhood, the sort of relationship that means that despite all that the world has to throw at you, you never forget.

They spent their childhood together while their fathers pursued their dreams of music, the band they were in together meant that the families almost co-existed the kids grew up practically inseparable.

That was until the hardest separation of all.

Fate had a path in store for them all, one that none of them had ever considered and it was one that would take its toll across the generations. The death of their fathers took them all by surprise, but it left them facing an all too different future. To compound the pain, Eden and her mother relocated not long after the funerals and for each of them, one loss would have been enough to bear but losing each other took their pain to a whole new level.

Nick dealt with it all in his own way and he worked most of it out on the basketball court and by doing so he formed the man he is now, his anger and anguish drove him to achieve, to never settle and it worked because now he was the guy with the world at his fingertips. His stardom meant that the world really was his oyster. But was the man he was now, who he really wanted to be?

As much as his skills did the talking on the court it was his antics off the court that consumed the headlines. He was as famous for this off court escapades as he was for anything else and while he might have been able to have any woman he wanted, what I wanted was to know what made him tick.

But getting to know Nick wasn’t easy but I did get to know his mother and she was something to behold, the woman wasn’t content just being his mom, she wanted to make sure that not only Nick but all her children bent to her will, she was the master of micro-management! I will put this out there now…I really hated Nicks mother… because despite the fact he was grown man with enough money and standing to do exactly what he wants, his mom always had other ideas.

After leaving town Eden worked her backside off, graduated early and went on to develop a revolutionary new piece of medical technology which after its implementation gave her the freedom to do exactly as she pleased…and what she wanted was to be a cheerleader, so move over ladies there is a new lady joining the Texas Scorpions.

Nick eventually made a decision to wrestle control of the invisible tether that his mother seemed to have him shackled by and first step…he contacted Eden, the one woman that he has never forgotten, the one woman that means more…his more, no matter how long they have spent apart.

But will his reputation precede him, wills he see that he is so much more than the media headlines? And if she does will he be able to keep her, for good this time?

I love the fact that his status meant nothing when it came to Eden, she was the one that held all the cards, everything was down to her and only she had the power to decide if they were undertaking nothing more than pure folly by attempting to travel that path again.

After all he could have anyone he wanted, so she couldn’t help but wonder why her? And Why now? I understood her apprehension but I also understood the reason why, the influence that being in the public eye had on them both.

They had a lot to contend with, a level of scrutiny that I think any normal relationship would have collapsed under but this pair were made of stronger stuff.

I liked the fact that a friendship formed in childhood was able to survive the ravages of time and devastation, that they were able to use their experiences so to speak to form a bond and to build a relationship that would defy the pressure and the odds, but could it survive little lines on that white plastic stick?

I love that when it came to Eden, Nick was hopeless and helpless, she had his heart held tight and he didn’t want it back…she owned him and he let her. He loved her, his heart beat only for her, he breathed for Eden and her alone…much to his mother’s distain or so it would seem and I was whooping from the side-lines!

The author pitched in a few twists and turns along the way and not everything was as it initially appeared. I think the author used her flair to ensure that both Nick and Eden brought their A game to the table, they were two strong characters, two successful individuals in their own right that had an inner strength that seemed to pull them together and for me I was sure that they were where they needed to be.

Over all, this was not your average sports romance it was so much more, it was a fabulous second chance at finding and keeping your happy ever after.