Offside Read Online Free PDF Page A

Judged.
    Must be exhausting.
    “Please don’t tell Landon.” Silver pulled the quilt up to her chin, eyes already tearing. “I’m trying not to stress, but I’m going insane in here. The doctor said I can keep working, but neither Landon or Dean are willing to take any chances. I feel useless. I never thought being pregnant would be like this.”
    “It isn’t usually.” Becky reached out and took Silver’s hand. It was hard to put Landon’s feelings aside, but Silver was carrying a little niece or nephew Becky would love no matter what. Which made it easier to come to Silver as a mother. “Men can be impossible when you’re pregnant. I didn’t have to deal with it when I was pregnant with Casey—Patrick was always pretty detached. But I saw how Landon was when she was pregnant. With what happened, I’m not surprised that he’d be overprotective now.”
    “He needs to focus on himself.” Silver hugged the comforter to her chest. “I’m okay.”
    “I know you are, sweetie.” Becky smiled and arched a brow at the laptop. “But you’re being sneaky.”
    Silver slumped back onto the pile of pillows behind her. “I know. But my dad keeps calling me. He’s cryptic—Dean wouldn’t even let me speak to him until he swore not to discuss the team—but I know something’s up. Do you know what’s going on?”
    Aside from the new owner? But if Landon or Dean had wanted Silver to know, they would have told her. The only thing was, keeping her away from her family wouldn’t make things easier. Becky couldn’t have gone through her own pregnancy without her parents. It wasn’t fair that Landon and Dean were restricting Silver’s contact with her family.
    “My father isn’t well. He needs me. And Oriana . . .” Silver frowned at her white-knuckled fists. “She’s all over ‘accepting’ Ford as our brother. I’m . . . I’m scared that he’s going to use her. And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
    “You’re supposed to focus on this baby.” Saying so was easy. But Becky knew very well it wasn’t that simple.
    Silver frowned at her. “You have a kid. Tell me you don’t still look out for Landon. Hell, you’ve made it obvious you don’t think I’m good enough for him.”
    Becky winced. Have I? She’d tried really hard to accept her brother’s choices, but Silver seemed so self-centered. Becky was accustomed to reading portfolios and making her own judgments, but going by Silver’s had proved her wrong again and again. Silver was nothing like how she came off in public. And it was hard to believe Landon would love a woman who was nothing but a Hollywood whore.
    Which left her with nothing but what she’d seen of Silver firsthand. Silver was young. She expected more from herself than anyone would ever ask of her. She was desperate to prove she could manage the team, but also desperate to give Landon a healthy baby. The stress of feeling so completely helpless couldn’t be good for her. And if the doctor said she was fit to work, then maybe Landon and Dean should give her something to do.
    But until then . . .
    “Would it make you feel better to go see your father?”
    A hesitant smile grazed Silver’s lips. “Maybe. I mean, he hasn’t seen me in months. The baby isn’t real to him yet. It might give him something to . . .”
    Something to live for. Becky couldn’t argue with that. What parent wouldn’t be excited about their first grandchild? And after his family losing controlling interest in the team, Anthony Delgado needed to be reminded that there was more to life than the game.
    “Tell Dean and Landon you want to see him. One of them could go with you and—”
    “And make things very uncomfortable.” Silver rolled her eyes and shook her head. “But you’re right. I’ve just been so worried about upsetting Landon that I . . . anyway, time to pull on my big girl panties and let them know what’s what. Not like they’ll spank me if they don’t