Burned

by Melody Anne

  “No. I don’t know how to tell him.”

  “But you will tell him, won’t you?”

  “Yes. He has a right to know,” Elena said. “But I’m worried. We’ve never talked about feelings. Yes, he makes these over-the top statements. I belong to him, and he desires me. Serious, no? That’s the extent of it. We can’t raise a child together just because our sex life is spectacular.”

  “No. You can’t get married because of a child. You might have a few months or even a few years together where everything is okay, but if you aren’t in love, then eventually you’ll grow to hate him, and he’ll hate you. That’s not good for either you or the child.”

  “I do love him,” Elena said quietly.

  “I know you do,” Piper said, while placing her arm around her. “Does he love you?”

  “I don’t think so. I know he wants me. I know he appreciates me. And I even know he’s not the monster I once thought he was. But I don’t think love factors into his basic set of emotions.”

  “He loves his brothers, doesn’t he?” Piper asked.

  “Yes, I believe he does,” Elena told her.

  “Then we know he’s capable of love. Maybe you should just come out with it and tell him that you love him.”

  “I can’t do that,” The very thought of it made Elena’s heart race.

  “Would you rather always wonder what could have been,” Piper said, “or would you rather dive in with both feet forward?”

  “I think we’ve already dived in with both feet. I’m carrying his child,” Elena told her.

  “Yeah, that’s true. But anyone can make a baby together. To spend a lifetime with another human being takes a special kind of magic. You have to tell him how you feel or you know you’ll always regret holding back. You need to know how he feels about you before you tell him about the baby or you’ll also always wonder.”

  “When did you get so dang smart,” Elena asked her friend.

  “I read a lot,” Piper told her with a laugh.

  “I guess that’s an occupational hazard.”

  Joking with her friend helped lift her spirits, but only marginally. She had to tell Tyler the truth, had to share with him that they’d created a child. But she was still terrified.

  “Why don’t we spoil ourselves at the day spa, then have a wonderful dinner and make some baby plans. If you focus on the miracle you have growing inside of you, you can’t possibly be stressed,” Piper said as she switched directions and dragged her best friend along with her.

  “I haven’t had a lot of time to focus on the miracle of being pregnant,” Elena told her as her hand trailed to her flat stomach. “I’m going to be a mom.”

  Terror and warmth both filled her at the thought.

  “And I’m going to be an honorary aunt. It’s certainly a day to celebrate.”

  “I’m glad I told you,” Elena said as they reached their car.

  “I’d be crushed if you hadn’t told me.”

  She didn’t know how she was going to talk to Tyler, but at least she’d never be alone, not with her best friend right there by her side.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  You’ve been unusually quiet this evening.”

  Elena sat across from Tyler in his living room and smiled, though it took a lot of effort to do. “I just don’t feel all that well,” she told him.

  “You’ve been quiet all week,” he said. “Why?”

  “I just have a lot on my mind right now. It’s no big deal.”

  “I’ve discovered its best to let you speak when you’re ready. I’ll let you tell me about it when you’re ready.”

  Several long moments passed where only the sound of the antique clock ticking could be heard. Drawing her knees up, she clutched her legs to her chest, a protective gesture. She’d been in this room several times, but as she looked around it now, she felt as if she didn’t really belong here.

  Her eyes focused on a picture and she vaguely remembered the couple with three young boys in front of them.

  “Did you love your care providers?” she asked.

  Tyler looked over to the picture that had drawn her attention. He seemed to be thinking over what he wanted to say.

  “They were very good to us,” he finally told her.

  “So you didn’t love them? You just appreciated that they were good guardians?”

  “No. I wouldn’t say that. If I had to pinpoint it, I think they taught me what love really was. They loved each other so much that when Vivian died a few years ago, Bill was devastated. It made me wonder if I would ever want to put myself through that.”

  “Put yourself through what?” She was so fascinated with what he’d just said that she loosened her grip on her legs.

  “Through the pain of loving and losing someone.”

  “Without risk, Tyler, there’s no real life to be led.”

  “There are different levels of risk, Elena. I think it’s one of the reasons I sought adventure for so long. I enjoyed the risk, the excitement of my life. I just found that after a while, even seeking thrills became boring.”

  “Then what exactly are you looking for?”

  “Why all of these questions, Elena?”

  “I’m just trying to understand you a little more,” she told him. “What made you believe that your guardians were so in love?”

  He was thoughtful for a moment as he gazed at the picture of what looked to her like a perfect family. Three smiling boys with a couple most would assume to be their grandparents.

  A truly loving family had been everything she’d always wanted.

  Yes, she knew how hard it had been for the young boys, and how hard it still must be for them with their tragic family history. But that picture still left her with a sense of longing in her heart. At least the brothers had had people to replace their lost parents, whereas her father had left when she was very young, and no other family was around to fill the gap. If she thought she would get that fulfillment from Tyler she was very wrong. But for some reason she was still looking for it in him.

  “I guess it was the way he touched her. There was no thought to it — just instinct and true affection. He was simply driven to seek her out no matter where they were. He could be talking to someone, to anyone, but he just knew the moment she approached. He would move slightly, his hand fluttering to her side, his leg brushing hers. It was subtle and it was intimate.”

  “You noticed this at such a young age?” she asked with surprise. “That sounds pretty romantic for a young boy.”

  “It was my brother Blake who pointed it out. But I was pretty observant even that long ago. I just liked to watch people and how they interacted. I don’t know why.”

  “Do you still like to do that? Watch people, I mean.”

  “Yes. I still try to figure out people’s stories. Everyone has one, you know.”

  “Yes, I agree with that. I am quickly learning in life and in my career that everything isn’t always as it seems. There’s so much beneath the layers of protection that people build around themselves.”

  “What layers do you have protecting you, Elena?”

  This made her pause. Should she be completely honest with this man? He sometimes appeared to be opening up to her. Okay, she’d try.

  “I don’t want to be hurt. I’ve had my ups and downs in life like everyone else. I have abandonment issues — excuse the psychobabble — as most children do who lose a parent at an early age, and I’ve never fallen in love before, though it’s something I want. It would be wonderful to have someone touch me without thinking, to need me so much”

  “And what about living in the moment?” he asked her.

  “I think living in the moment is good as well. But then I think there’s a time when we have to grow up and strive to find what really makes us happiest in the long run.”

  “Are you happy now, Elena?”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, do I make you happy?” Tyler asked her.


  This was a loaded question, and again she wondered if she should tell him everything. Knowing that she was carrying his baby and not knowing how he would feel about that made her afraid to reveal too much. She needed to know whether he cared about her before she could tell him about the child. She would tell him, there was no question, but she’d like to know how he felt about her first.

  “I care about you, Tyler.” Her heart raced as she told him that.

  “I feel the same,” he said with almost a real smile.

  “Why are you still unmarried? Do you prefer brief relationships?”

  He was silent for several moments as if really thinking about what he wanted to say next. They’d talked about sex, about chemistry, about living in the moment. But they hadn’t discussed something as loaded as a future. It wasn’t who they were.

  “Sometimes I’m almost addicted to being alone. Long-term relationships make that impossible,” he finally said.

  “What’s the longest relationship you’ve been in?”

  “Last year I thought seriously about asking a woman to marry me. That was until I found her in the broom closet with another man at my brother’s wedding.”

  That shocked Elena. It hadn’t been what she’d expected to hear. “You don’t seem too upset about that,” she pointed out.

  “I was upset for a while. I didn’t have a mental breakdown or anything, but it made me a little wary of the opposite sex. It made me prefer being alone.”

  “One person screws you over, so everyone who looks like her must be bad, in your opinion?”

  “Once burned, twice shy. What can I say? Then the next woman I pursued, ended up playing games with me.” His eyes connected with hers as he made this statement.

  “And you didn’t play any with her?”

  “Turnabout is fair play, Elena.”

  “It’s always easy to judge when you’re in the driver’s seat,” she said before going for the gusto. “And how did that relationship turn out?”

  He set down the drink he’d been holding and moved over to where she sat. “I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure that out,” he told her before grasping her hands.

  Maybe it was the dimly lit room, maybe it was the way he was looking at her, and maybe it was just because she was in love with this man, but as he cupped her cheek and looked deep in her eyes, Elena let go of her fears.

  He leaned forward and pushed her back on the couch, stretching his body over hers, moving slowly, more intimately than usual. It nearly brought her to tears.

  He bent forward and traced his warm tongue along the seam of her lips. A sigh opened her mouth to him, inviting him inside. She felt her core quickly warming to him.

  He tasted dark and rich, sweet and spicy. He explored her mouth, his touch both seductive and dark, as if he was barely keeping a leash on his hunger. She wriggled beneath him. As he took ownership of her, she knew that she might not have his love, but she certainly had his attention.

  But for how long?

  She would tell him about the baby the next day. For tonight, she needed their time to be about only the two of them.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Walking in a bit of a daze, Elena wasn’t sure what to think. Yes, she’d already known she was pregnant, not only because of the stick that had shown her a plus signal, but because she could feel the small changes in her body – the nausea, tender breasts, and abnormal need for chocolate.

  But to be walking from the room in the hospital where they had confirmed that she was indeed with child, she found herself in deep thought. This was real. It was confirmed. There were no more excuses not to tell Tyler the truth.

  Still as the shock began to dim, a tender smile lit her face. There was a baby she would be responsible for in seven and a half months, a baby who would hopefully have Tyler’s eyes and determination, and her smile and love.

  Turning in the hallway as she headed for the exit, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, and she ran smack dab into what felt like a brick wall. Before she was able to catch herself, she flew backward and trying to catch herself, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her ankle when she landed on her foot.

  Tears instantly sprung to her eyes as her hand instinctively cradled her flat stomach. “My baby,” she gasped, ignoring the pain in her ankle.

  “Your baby?”

  Elena froze as her head slowly tilted. She knew that voice. This wasn’t how she’d been planning on telling him. She had wanted to go to his house, sit down, and talk. Her eyes drifted along the solid thighs, and hard chest of Tyler who was looking at her in total shock.

  “I didn’t see you there,” she gasped before looking around. No one else was anywhere near them. “Why are you here?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” he said before his eyes shifted, zeroing in on her hand which was still cradling her stomach.

  She quickly removed her hand, then shifted to try to get up, when pain sliced through her foot. Dammit! She didn’t have time for an injury right now.

  “I asked you first,” she said, deciding she rather liked where she was sitting.

  “You said the word baby,” he practically snarled.

  Elena decided silence was probably in her best interest right now. This wasn’t the time nor the place to have this discussion. Certainly not while her brain seemed to be scattered and her foot was throbbing.

  “Can you stand, Elena?” he asked, finally taking his gaze from her stomach to where she was testing out her ankle.

  When he kneeled down and ran his large hands along her tender ankle, she couldn’t prevent the squeak of pain that escaped her.

  “Obviously not. You’ve hurt your ankle,” he answered his own question.

  “I’m fine. Just go away and let me get my bearings back,” she said, having no doubt her words would do her no good. He didn’t appear to be going anywhere in the near future.

  Before he could say anything a nurse came around the corner and spotted them.

  “Is everything all right?” the man asked.

  “No. Ms. Truman has hurt her ankle. Can you get a wheelchair?” Tyler said before she was able to tell the man she was fine.

  “It’s not that bad,” Elena said, but the nurse was already turning to go and do Tyler’s bidding. The man seemed to have that kind of effect on people.

  “You’re obviously not fine, Elena. We will get your foot looked at and then you will tell me what you meant about a baby,” Tyler demanded.

  The nurse was back in a flash, and then before Elena could protest further, Tyler was lifting her from the ground and depositing her in the contraption. He walked next to her while the nurse pushed her straight back to an examining room just like the one she’d recently vacated.

  Tyler was silent as the nurse disappeared, assuring them the doctor would be right with them. Elena refused to look at him. If she pretended he wasn’t there, maybe the man would just disappear, giving her time to think.

  That didn’t happen.

  A knock sounded on the door and the same doctor who’d examined her about fifteen minutes ago walked in. She held her breath, hoping he wasn’t going to say something that was going to make this situation worse.

  “Ms. Truman, the nurse said you had a fall in the hallway,” Dr. Ortega said, taking a seat in front of her.

  “Yes, I’m sure it’s nothing, but my ankle is a little tender,” she told him.

  He felt her ankle, making her cringe. “It feels like a strain, but we’ll send you in for an X-Ray to make sure. I’m going to also do an ultrasound to make sure the baby wasn’t hurt. They are pretty protected inside you, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  Her luck just wasn’t with her.

  “Yes, an ultrasound would be good,” Tyler said.

  There was no inflection in his voice to give her any clue at all to what he was thinking. And she was too scared to look at him to try to read the expression in his eyes.

  “Are you the father?” th
e doctor asked.

  “No,” Tyler said. “We just ran into each other in the hallway.”

  Elena’s heart shattered at his words. He was acting as if they were complete strangers.

  “I’m sorry about that. We’re going to examine her in here, so if you want to wait outside,” Dr. Ortega told him.

  Elena still didn’t look at Tyler. If she did, she was surely going to fall apart. And there was no way she wanted that to happen in front of him or the doctor.

  “I’ll be outside,” Tyler said.

  She didn’t look up until she heard the door closing in the most final sounding click she’d ever heard. Why would he bother waiting? He didn’t think the baby was his, and he’d obviously just decided their relationship was over.

  “Lie back and we’ll get started.”

  Time stopped having any meaning at all while Elena’s stomach and ankle was checked. Her foot would heal fine, just a sprain. They wrapped it and she could move slowly on it. The fall, or at least that’s what the doctor thought, spiked her blood pressure to dangerously high levels, though, so he decided he wanted to keep her in the hospital overnight.

  She tried to argue with him, but when he brought up the safety of her baby, she gave up the fight. Just because she wanted to go home and curl up with some ice-cream and a lot of tears, didn’t mean she was going to put her baby’s life in danger.

  The positive of her being admitted was that it took a while to get her moved to her room. She was hoping against all hope that Tyler would grow impatient and leave. That would give her more time to pull herself together. Because their next words to each other weren’t going to be pleasant.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Tyler paced the sitting area of the hospital as he tried to figure out what in the world was going on. When he’d called Piper to find out where Elena was and she told him Elena was at the clinic at the hospital, he’d panicked, and had immediately gone searching for her.

  What had happened was not what he’d been expecting.

  She was pregnant. That thought stumbled around inside his mind. Was it his child? He didn’t take her as a cheater, but still … He was always careful, always used protection.