“We can stay.” Macy smiles. “Come on, I barely get to spend time with your friends.”
Danny’s eyes move to mine and I turn away, staring down at my glass. She learned about the baby the night I confessed my feelings to Danny, yet she’s acting like she doesn’t. Maybe she’s a genuinely nice person and doesn’t care, or maybe she’s just putting on an act so she doesn’t make a scene. Either way, it’s uncomfortable as hell.
“Right,” Danny grunts. “I’ll get some drinks.”
He disappears, and I keep my eyes on the glass in front of me.
“So, how are you liking being back, Skye? I don’t think we’ve officially met yet, but I’ve heard so much about you,” Macy says, and I look up.
She’s smiling, and she’s pretty, and dammit, she looks like a really nice person.
“It’s been good,” I say, forcing my voice to sound normal. “And it’s nice to meet you.”
“Danny talks about you all the time. It’s nice that he has more friends back.”
She’s acting as if I’m just another Ava. She doesn’t seem jealous or uncomfortable, which tells me he’s told her nothing other than what she has overheard and neither has anyone in the club.
“Yeah, it’s good,” I say, trying to hide the confusion in my voice.
Why wouldn’t he tell her about us? About the baby?
Danny returns to the table and places a drink down for Macy, then slides into the booth. My heart hurts—it hurts so fucking much I want to reach into my chest and rip it out. I want it to go away. I can’t stand seeing them together, it hurts so bad.
“Getting another drink,” Ava says, standing. “Another lemonade, Skye?”
“Did they rope you into being the driver?” asks Macy.
My eyes meet Danny’s, and his look is so intense I have to force my gaze away.
“Yeah, they did.” I smile, but I could swear my lip trembles.
“Bastards.” She giggles. “They did that to me once.”
Why does she have to be so cute? I can’t take it.
“I need to pee,” I mumble, standing and excusing myself.
I rush through the room full of people and towards the back doors when someone calls my name. It’s not a voice I thought I’d hear again, but I’m stopped in my tracks. I turn slowly to see Preston pushing through the crowd, wearing clothes that scream he doesn’t belong in this place. Pinstripe pants and a sweater. Good God.
“Preston?” I gasp, shocked. “What the hell?”
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he says, when he stops in front of me. “Your mom told me you might be here if you weren’t at home. I went past your house; you weren’t there so here I am.”
My mom? Oh she’d be getting a real kick out of this. Only she would send him to a place where she knew he would get his ass kicked for leaving me in Paris. She would have acted nice about it, too. Evil woman.
“Why are you here?” I snap.
“I’ve been calling and calling; you won’t pick up. I wanted to say sorry for what happened in Paris.”
I snort. “Are you serious? You want to say sorry for leaving me alone with no money in a strange country, all because I wouldn’t let your stuck-up friends insult me?”
He flinches. “You’re being dramatic. It wasn’t that bad. I just needed time to cool down, and when I got back you were gone.”
“That’s usually what someone does when you tell them to leave.”
“I was just angry, Skye.”
“Really? Because it seemed like you meant every word.”
“Just come back to Denver and give me—”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Danny’s voice comes from behind me, and I jerk but don’t turn. My body stiffens because I know this will not end well.
“Seriously?” Preston says, his voice hurt. “You’re really here with him?”
“I’m not here with him,” I begin, but Danny cuts me off by stepping around me.
“You got some nerve showin’ your face in here after what you did to her,” he snarls.
“No offense, Danny, but this is none of your business.”
“It fuckin’ is my business because I was the one who flew to get her when you left her alone, sick and scared.”
Preston’s face goes red. “Stay out of it. You just can’t let go and let her move on, can you?”
“Got no intentions of doin’ that, since she’s carryin’ my baby.”
The chatter around us quickly halts, and I look to the ceiling for calm.
“What?” Preston yells. “Is he serious? You cheated on me?”
“Oh for God’s sakes, stop it,” I snap. “We’re over; stop acting like we’re not.”
“You won’t even hear me out,” Preston fumes, stepping forward. “You’re just going to take his side, once again. You never could let go, could you Skye? It was always him. I knew I wasted my time coming to look for you. There is only one man you want, and let me tell you, you deserve his filthy, vulgar ass.”
Danny doesn’t hesitate. His fist launches out and drives into Preston’s nose. A loud crack followed by a scream can be heard before Preston’s body disappears down on the floor. Danny reaches down, hauling him up by his shirt. “You have five minutes to get the fuck out of here before I fuck you up in ways you can’t imagine.”
“I’ll charge you for this,” Preston wails, blood spurting from his nose.
“Try it, I dare you. You think what I just did is bad? You’ve seen nothing.”
He tosses Preston, who stumbles on his feet a few times before turning and disappearing from the bar. God dammit. Danny turns to me, his eyes going from angry to concerned. “You okay?”
“She really is pregnant?” The voice is small and hurt, and I hate that I feel sorry for her. Danny and I both turn to see Macy standing there, her eyes wide, her expression broken.
“Baby,” Danny begins.
“You said she was a friend. Not to worry about it.”
“Yeah, well, he lied,” I mumble, rubbing my stomach that is cramping from what I can assume is the stress of the situation. “I’m leaving now.”
“Skye,” Max says, coming up beside me. “You okay?”
“Just a cramp,” I say, rubbing the ever-growing pain.
“You sure? Want to get checked out?”
“What’s wrong?” Danny asks, shoving Max out of the way. “Is it the baby?”
“I don’t know; it’s an odd feeling.”
“Could be stress,” Ava says, coming out of nowhere. “That’s what happens when you throw down in front of a pregnant woman. We should get it checked out.”
“Danny,” Macy says again.
“Go,” I say to him, my eyes hard but my voice pained. “I’ll sort myself out.”
“You’re hurt.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“We’ve got her, D,” Ava says, giving him a disappointed look.
“That’s my baby in there,” he argues.
“Should have thought about that before acting the way you have.”
“Ava,” he warns her.
“Don’t you use that tone with me, Danny. You don’t scare me. Go deal with your girlfriend; we’ve got Skye covered.”
Another cramp comes and I double over, panic rising in my chest. “Ava,” I whimper. “Something is wrong.”
“It’s okay, honey. We’re going to take you to get checked out.”
“Fuck it, I’m coming,” Danny says.
“Danny!” Macy cries. “Are you serious?”
“I care about you, Mace, you know I do, but she’s pregnant with my baby. I can’t just leave her to go and sort that out alone. I’ll come past later; we’ll talk. Sorry.”
“Seriously?” she cries, then turns and rushes out.
“You should go after her,” I whisper between the waves of pain coming and going.
His eyes hold mine, firmly. “Not until I know our baby is okay.”
Our baby. My heart melts.
It doesn?
??t last long; another sharp pain stabs my lower belly.
Please let our baby be okay.
~*~*~*~
Cold gel is poured onto my stomach and I stare vacantly at the blank monitor. Danny sits by my side, his eyes glued to the screen too, both of us needing to know what’s going on. The doctor places the little instrument against my belly and starts moving it around.
“Cramping can be normal in early pregnancy, and it can be brought on by high-stress situations, also. We’re going to see if we can find your baby and get a heartbeat.”
I nod, too scared to say anything.
She moves the instrument across my belly, pressing and tilting it, until a tiny little bean pops up in the large black sack-looking thing that’s already on the screen. “That right there is your baby,” she says, tilting the instrument again. We hear a loud thudding sound, and she smiles. “And that is the heartbeat.”
Tears burst forth and run down my cheeks. “The baby is okay?” I croak.
“I’m just checking a few things, but so far it looks like everything is okay. Did you experience any bleeding with your cramping?”
“No, I checked when we got here,” I say, my voice trembling.
“That’s good.”
She moves around a bit before pointing out our baby’s heart, which is almost bigger than him or her. “A very strong heartbeat.” She smiles. “That’s a really good sign. We’ll wait until your blood results come in to give you a definite all-clear, but so far it looks like you’re probably just having normal cramping.”
“I was really emotional when it happened,” I admit.
She nods. “Stress can be a big problem. You need to try and remove yourself from anything stressful while you’re carrying your baby; it’s the best thing you can do.”
“I will, thank you.”
She removes the instrument and wipes my belly. “I’ve put a rush on the blood work—shouldn’t be long. I’ll leave you to it. Would you like a picture?”
“Yeah,” Danny says before I can.
I look to him and his eyes are red, glassy, but his face is blank. He’s hurting. The doctor smiles at him and moves to a small printer in the corner of the room. She presses a few buttons and a few minutes later a little picture comes out. She hands it to him, and then leaves us alone.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice soft.
“Been strugglin’ with this pregnancy, wondering if I wanted it, wondering if it’ll fuck things up, but then I heard that heartbeat and . . .” His voice trails off and he looks away.
“And you fell in love,” I finish for him.
He nods, his jaw tight.
“I know. I was scared too, terrified I wasn’t ready, that I couldn’t do it, but the second I heard that heartbeat I felt the same.”
“Always wanted to be a dad, but never knew how much until this very moment.”
I smile weakly. “I know we’re in a bad place right now, Danny, but I couldn’t ask for a better person to share this with.”
He looks to me. His eyes are so intense I swallow. “So fuckin’ lost, Skye.”
His voice. God, his voice. It hurts.
“I know,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
“Part of me wants to leave the past where it is and just take you into my arms and love you the way I always fuckin’ have, but the other part doesn’t trust you and is angry. It tells me it’s best to let this be, to move on and be with someone I know is going to give it her all.”
I swallow the thick lump in my throat and nod. “I understand that, too.”
“This isn’t helping.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could make it all go away and leave you happy, but I’m having a baby—we’re having a baby. That isn’t going to change.”
He stares at the picture in his hand. “We’re havin’ a baby.”
“Yeah,” I say softly.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
His eyes grow warm, warmer than I’ve seen them in months. A flush rises in my cheeks. “I really am sorry, Danny. I know what I did to you, and I know I’ve said it a thousand times, but I’d take it all back if I could. This life, you, the club—I didn’t realize just how lucky I was until the choice was taken away.”
“I know,” he says, his voice pained. He shakes himself a little then waves the photo. “I should get going.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“I’ll send Ava in. Let me know when you’re home safe and keep me updated.”
“I will.”
He leans down and brushes his lips across my forehead, then he’s gone.
I don’t know if I feel better or worse.
Us not fighting anymore seems to make it hurt so much more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“But you’re okay?”
I smile at my dad, who stands in front of me as I lie on the sofa, my arms crossed. “I’m okay; it was just a scare.”
“Heard what Danny did in the bar tonight. Is that what caused it?”
“It wasn’t his fault, Daddy. I promise. Everything is okay; I just need to rest.”
He looks skeptical, but nods. “You need me to get you anything before I go?”
“I’ve done everything,” Mom says, rushing out with clothes in her arms. “I just have to fold these.”
“Mom,” I groan. “You don’t need to do my washing.”
“My baby is not well, and her baby needs her to be well, so I’m doing the washing.”
“Don’t argue with a tiger, baby.” Dad grins. “She’ll only bite.”
“Heard that,” Mom says, whipping him with a towel as she goes past.
“Meant you to,” he throws back.
“Jesus, you two are like teenagers,” I groan, throwing a hand over my eyes and falling back onto the couch.
“Yeah, because that little dramatic move wasn’t teenager at all,” Dad mumbles.
I lift my hand and flip him the bird.
“I saw that,” Mom cries. “Young lady, I’ll break it off.”
I giggle; I can’t help it. These two always manage to cheer me up, even when I’m struggling. “He can take it.”
My dad winks at me.
“I can’t,” Mom mumbles, folding the washing into neat piles on my kitchen table.
“Finish the washing, woman. It’s time to go.”
Mom flips him the bird.
I burst out laughing.
“And she wonders where you get it.” Dad shakes his head.
“Mom, I’ll finish the rest. Go. You two have plenty of things to do.”
“One more towel,” she says, lifting the piece of white linen and folding it. “You want me to put these away?”
“Mom.”
“Addi,” Dad and I say this at the same time.
She throws her hands in the air and spins around. “Okay, bossy. You two are so mean when you gang up on me.”
I look at Dad and roll my eyes. He winks at me.
“I’ll make it up to you later,” Dad says, catching her around the waist.
She giggles. I gag.
“Time to go,” I say to them, standing and shoving them out the door.
“Call us in the morning!” Mom yells as Dad drags her down the front steps.
“I will. Love you guys!”
I shut and lock the door before moving back to my spot on the couch and flopping down. The cramping has eased right off and my blood work came back with strong hormone levels that haven’t dropped since my last test, so that was all good, solid news. The doctors said my baby seems fine, and I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
I haven’t been free of people since I left the hospital. I haven’t even told Danny the good news. I dig out my phone and find his number, then I send him a text.
Skye: All good with the baby, blood work came back good. Thanks for being there tonight.
Danny: Are you home?
I blink, confused.
Skye: Ah, yeah.
Danny: Leave the door unl
ocked. I’m coming over.
I tuck my phone away and stand, walking over and unlocking the door. What the hell is Danny coming over for? Has he had a change of heart? Has he decided he doesn’t want to be a dad? Down, pregnancy brain. He probably just wants to see how I’m going face to face. I straighten up my clothes and remain seated on the sofa.
Ten minutes later, the rough howl of his bike alerts me of his presence and I sit, tensely waiting for him to walk through my front door. The second he does, I know one thing for sure. He’s angry. Wildly angry. His hands are clenched into fists, and he slams the door so loudly I jump. Stress isn’t good for the baby—didn’t he get that memo?
“Ah, are you okay?” I carefully ask.
“She dumped me,” he bellows, stalking towards me and then stopping. “She fucking dumped me. Apparently children weren’t on her list of things to do, and I quote, especially if they’re not hers.”
I blink.
I have no words.
“She seemed so good, but they all do, don’t they?” he barks to no one in particular.
“I’m sorry,” I finally manage.
“No, you’re not.”
I stand up, cross. “I am, actually. Believe it or not, I wanted you to be happy.”
“Bullshit,” he bellows, spinning towards me. “Just admit this makes you happy; you don’t want me with anyone else.”
“Danny . . .”
“Admit it, for fuck’s sake!”
“Okay,” I yell. “I don’t want you with anyone else. I’m selfish. I want you all to myself. I don’t deserve you, but I still want you.”
He stalks towards me. I quickly move away.
“Danny,” I say carefully.
“You mess with my head.” He stalks closer.
“Danny,” I croak, my back hitting the wall.
“You mess with my heart.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
He is only about a meter away now, and my heart races. “You mess with my entire world.”
“Please,” I beg. “I know, I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight.”
“And yet I can’t stay away from you. I want you more than anything in this world, and she knew it—she fuckin’ knew it.”
Wait. What?
I shake my head in confusion. “Pardon?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me, Skye. I want you. Can’t fuckin’ stand it any longer. I’m so in love with you I just want to take you in my arms and never let go, yet I’m so angry I want to bend you over and fuck your bad behavior right out of you.”