Burned

by Melody Anne

  Except for one night.

  They’d used nothing at the park.

  But if she were pregnant, why hadn’t she answered him in the hospital corridor? The only explanation he could come up with was that she knew it wasn’t his child, knew that a DNA test would prove that. Otherwise, wouldn’t she have told him the moment she knew about it, wouldn’t she be trying to get him to marry her and get a nice healthy sum of money for herself?

  That was the only thing that made sense for him.

  In reality, Tyler should be thanking his lucky stars. This should end his obsession with this woman. He was too hooked on her, too infatuated. Since she was pregnant, that meant she hadn’t been faithful to him.

  But with who? And when had she had the time? None of that really mattered, though, did it? A baby changed everything. It was over between them. But if that were true, why was he still pacing the waiting area of the hospital? Why hadn’t he left yet?

  Because this woman held power over him. Maybe he wanted to hear it from her lips that the child she carried wasn’t his. That had to be what it was.

  So when too much time passed and he discovered she was being admitted to the hospital overnight, he tried to tell himself it wasn’t worry that he was feeling; it was simply a case of loose ends.

  He waited longer.

  Picking up his phone a few times, he almost dialed his brothers. Almost asked for their advice. But he didn’t want them to know about this, didn’t want them to see what this woman had done to him. They already knew what she’d done to him, knew that he’d been obsessed with her ever since he first met her in that bar.

  To add this as icing on the cake was unacceptable — they’d never let him forget it.

  Nothing lasted forever. Hadn’t he learned that at a young age? His parents had been worthless, had screwed up his brothers for years. He’d only escaped that fate because he’d been too young to understand at the time what was happening.

  Yes, Bill and Vivian had stepped in and offered a great example to the three boys of what good people were about, but one couple didn’t change what a person saw all around them.

  Dammit! If only a Magic 8 Ball really worked and he could just find one, shake it, and have all the answers he needed. Hell, he’d probably get “Better not tell you now.”

  Finally, Elena had a room number. He immediately sought her out.

  “Are you okay?” He stopped at the side of her bed.

  “I’m fine. You should have left. There was no reason for you to wait for over an hour.”

  “You ran into me in the hallway, and you were hurt, Elena. I wasn’t leaving.” His tone was filled with exasperation.

  “You’re not helping my blood pressure by snapping at me,” she said, glaring.

  “Are you going to tell me about this baby?”

  Her skin tone grew even more pale, though he hadn’t thought that to be possible. He almost wanted to take the words back. She was obviously injured, or the physician wouldn’t have checked her in for an overnight stay. Maybe he should give her some space.

  “I was going to tell you about the baby tonight, Tyler. I’ve known a couple weeks but it wasn’t yet confirmed.”

  “What exactly were you planning to tell me tonight?”

  He couldn’t seem to back off. There were so many emotions running through him, and rage was the one closest to the surface. Why had she ruined this thing, whatever it was, that they’d had between them?

  She looked away from him, and that rage somehow managed to intensify. How in the hell could he read her expression if she wouldn’t even make eye contact?

  Showing a gentleness he didn’t think possible at that moment, he placed his hand beneath her chin and raised her face so she had no choice but to look at him.

  “I’m owed an explanation, Elena.”

  “I don’t owe you anything, Tyler,” she said, a hitch in her voice.

  “So did you go straight from lying beneath me, from screaming out my name, to fucking another man?”

  That question made her eyes blaze with anger. She thrust his hand away from her.

  “You’re disgusting, Tyler. I want you out of this room,” she snarled. The monitors at the side of her bed began beeping. “And out of my life.”

  He leaned down on the bed, his own temper high. He waited until he knew he had her full attention.

  “I will get answers, Elena. Don’t doubt it for a second. I’m neither weak nor pathetic, and I don’t like anyone making me into a fool.”

  “Sir, you need to get out of the way. I have to check on this patient.”

  A very irritated nurse stepped into the room and moved to his side, pushing him back. He could have easily resisted, but Tyler wasn’t in the mood to fight with the hospital staff.

  “I’ll be back.”

  With that, he stormed out of the room. He really needed a strong drink. Or three.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Crying herself to sleep hadn’t been a good idea, because when morning came, she woke up to a marching band in her head, and it was breaking every noise regulation in Seattle. Pain radiated off her in waves, and she couldn’t prevent the whimper from escaping.

  There was no way she was opening her eyes. She felt around for the call button to the nurse. Medicine. She needed painkillers stat.

  “What do you need, Elena?”

  Her pain ratcheted up another notch at the sound of Tyler’s voice. He was the reason her head was pounding and her ankle throbbing. So his voice was definitely not the first thing she wanted to hear this morning.

  Though up until yesterday, she’d quite enjoyed his voice when first waking.

  She really wished she’d called Piper. If she had, her friend would have stayed by her side all night and not let Tyler into her room. She would have attacked if he’d tried to get past her. That’s what best friends did.

  “Is your head hurting?”

  “Yes,” she murmured.

  “I’ll shut the blinds so it won’t hurt you to open your eyes.”

  She heard his footsteps seeming to slam against the floor as he moved to the window, and the squeaking of the blinds as he drew them together made her head pound even more. Then he was back at her bedside.

  The nurse came in, bringing her pills before disappearing again.

  Tyler remained surprisingly quiet. After about fifteen minutes, the pounding hadn’t disappeared, but it had lessened enough that she could finally open her eyes.

  But she wasn’t sure she wanted to take that radical step.

  “You were restless as you slept. Normally, you don’t move a muscle, but for the past couple of hours, you’ve been tossing a lot.”

  “What are you doing here, Tyler?” she croaked out. “Nothing has changed from last night.”

  She pushed the buttons on her bed, raised it to a sitting position, and reached for the water glass that was on her hospital table.

  “I told you I’d be back so we could talk,” he replied.

  She waited for him to add something to that, but he just sat there next to her bed, his expression showing her nothing. Why in the world was she expecting anything different? She’d expected this from the beginning.

  Tyler Knight was still the boy who’d abandoned her as a child and then taken her virginity and walked away when she was twenty. She’d been nothing more than property to him and this was a perfect excuse for him to break ties. She wasn’t going to be such a sex goddess while sporting a pregnant belly.

  With a sigh of frustration she threw off her covers and slowly edged herself out of the bed. It took several moments, and though her ankle hurt, she managed to stand.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Using the facilities,” she said, before staggering slowly into the bathroom and firmly shutting the door.

  Her first glimpse in the mirror made her wince. She looked like hell in a handbasket. Her hair was a mess, with pieces sticking out in every direction, probably from her running her fingers throu
gh it five thousand times, and her face was colorless and sickly. Damn. She’d been hoping when their relationship ended that she would at least look great.

  Ugh!

  When she came out of the bathroom, Tyler was right there, offering his arm. “I’ve got this,” she told him, terrified of feeling his fingers on her right now. She needed to stay strong.

  If he touched her, that wasn’t going to be possible.

  Her progress was slow. And once she managed to climb back into bed, a nurse came in with her breakfast and checked her vitals. Elena didn’t mind the interruption.

  “The doctor will be making rounds in the next hour, but your blood pressure has gone down significantly. I don’t see a problem with him releasing you today.” The woman breezed back out.

  “Elena, it’s time we talk.”

  “Fine. What exactly do you need to know?” she asked, pushing aside her breakfast. Nothing looked appetizing at the moment.

  “I think you know the answer to that,” he said quietly.

  “You know I’m pregnant, Tyler. So do you want me to say it out loud? Yes, the child is yours, though I’m insulted that I’d even have to tell you that.”

  He studied her the way a child with a magnifying glass might look at an insect.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Elena stared at him in complete shock. After a few heartbreaking moments, she composed her features and waited to reply until she was sure her voice would come out clear.

  “Why don’t you believe me, Tyler?”

  He paused as he gave her another once-over. “I think it’s a ploy to gain a wealthy husband.”

  Elena fought tears. How in the world could she have fallen in love with this pitiful excuse of a man?

  “Why don’t you tell me exactly how you feel?” she said, and she didn’t try to hide her sarcasm.

  “I’m just calling it as I see it. Do you have any better explanation for what’s going on?”

  “No. I don’t. I guess you figured me out, Tyler.”

  She turned away, unable to look at the man she’d given her heart to.

  “Dammit, Elena. I’m trying to understand. If you gave me even a small reason to trust you, then maybe …” He trailed off.

  She might as well tell him it all now. What did it matter anymore?

  But it wasn’t easy to speak, because she had a lump in her throat the size of a softball. “You used to be my best friend, Tyler.”

  He’d been about to say something, but her remark stopped him in his tracks. He gazed at her with mistrusting eyes and waited for her to say more.

  She stayed silent; she wanted her words to have time to truly sink in.

  “Explain now!”

  “Do you think that yelling at me or trying to intimidate me is the way to get me to talk, Tyler? Seriously!”

  “I’m frustrated. Just tell me how we knew each other.”

  “You called me Lanie. You dumped me when I was ten because I didn’t apparently kiss you the way a real girl does.” Wow, so much bitterness. Maybe she wouldn’t be feeling it now if it weren’t for the rigid way he was standing there, or the hostility shooting from his eyes.

  “Lanie?” he finally said, his brow wrinkled as he thought back to his childhood.

  When he repeated her nickname, it tortured her, and a few tears slipped from her eyes.

  “I think I’ve made a mistake,” she choked out. “You aren’t that boy I once knew, and I’m not Lanie anymore. That little girl faded away a long time ago.”

  He was silent for a while longer, and then the look he sent her made chills travel down her spine. He seemed to despise her in that moment, and she didn’t think there was any possible way for her heart to break any further than it had.

  “You sought revenge on me for something I did as a stupid child?”

  “I was drinking, and it just happened,” she said.

  “That’s your only excuse?”

  “That wasn’t the only time you hurt me, you know. You did it again when I was twenty years old.”

  “Come on, now. I didn’t see you again until we met in that bar,” he roared.

  “That’s not true!” she yelled. Then she stopped and took a calming breath. “It doesn’t matter, Tyler. It was a long time ago. I’m sorry. Would you just leave now?”

  This wasn’t getting either of them anywhere.

  He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “Did you know that when I was a teen I tried to find you, but you no longer lived in that house, and because it was a rental, I couldn’t even find out what your last name was. Then I went through a period of my life where I was selfish and didn’t think of anyone. By that time, our friendship was gone.”

  “You searched for me?”

  “Yes. My best childhood memories are from the time we ran around together, playing until nightfall, and laughing for hours on end. I knew that I had hurt you. But I was an adolescent boy. An idiot. For you to blame me for almost twenty years for that is just wrong.”

  “Are you telling me that you don’t hold any grudges, Tyler? You always forgive and forget? I don’t think so.”

  “Well …”

  She broke in again when she got her voice back. “It wasn’t just that,” she said. “I saw you again when I was twenty.”

  His expression still showed her nothing. So she didn’t know what he was thinking about when he asked her, “And what did I do?”

  “I was working at a gentleman’s club. I was still a bit gangly, and very unsure of myself. You were there with a group of men who were less than gentlemanly, and you … you made me feel about two inches tall.”

  “There’s no way …,” he insisted.

  “We had sex that night, Tyler. It was the first time for me.”

  Silence greeted that statement. He didn’t show her what he was thinking. She was holding her breath as she waited for even a moment of recognition.

  “I would remember that …” He wasn’t sounding as sure now.

  “Then maybe I’m making the entire thing up so I can guilt you into giving me fifty percent of everything you have.”

  She said these words so coldly in hopes that she’d make him walk away. She couldn’t do this anymore, couldn’t even stand to look at him, let alone talk to the man. Every insecurity she’d ever had was rising to the surface, and it was painful. So very painful.

  “Yeah, maybe you are,” he said before looking at the exit like it was an open door to the nearest chocolate factory. “If you have anything else to say, now would be the time.”

  “I guess I do have something to say,” she told him, smiling as sweetly as possible. “Go straight to hell and never come back.”

  He looked at the floor and then at the ceiling, but didn’t look at her again. And then he was once again walking out on her. She was used to seeing his back, so she didn’t know why it was breaking her heart into a million pieces now.

  No. That wasn’t true. She knew exactly what was happening. It was what she’d known would happen from the moment she’d decided to have sex with him. He was leaving with part of her as his souvenir.

  She closed her eyes and counted to a hundred, cutting off the final tears she was going to allow over Tyler Knight. She knew he’d end up with her heart — he’d always had it, She was actually amazed that he’d left her with anything, especially with his child.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Tyler gazed out his office window and sighed in frustration. It had been a month since he’d walked away from that hospital room, a month since he’d seen Elena. He told himself he was better off, that she was a liar, that she had played him.

  So why in the world did he feel like hell? Why did he hurt every time her name flitted through his mind? It didn’t matter how many times or in how many ways he told himself that she’d fooled him; he still felt that same ache.

  Standing up so quickly that his chair went flying across the room, he glared into the sunny blue Seattle skyline. Even the weather was mocking him. He
wanted clouds and gloom, and instead the world went on its merry way, indifferent to his pain.

  People sailed on the water, his camp had opened and children frolicked and laughed there. His brothers reveled in their lives with their lovely wives, and in showing off their children — they were all pictures of perfect domesticity, damn them. The Earth kept spinning in its usual way, according to the laws of physics, while Tyler felt that he was spiraling out of control. Okay, he was subject to gravity, but not that kind of gravity. He felt weighed down, depressed, grave. The night of the living dead or something.

  Would she now get married, settle down, and have a dozen kids and star in a reality TV show? Was this everything she’d ever wanted? To find a weak man whom she could use, but who wasn’t her true companion?

  That wasn’t who Elena was. She was his, dammit!

  But he’d walked away.

  Tyler dug his fingers through his hair and rubbed his chest, where a permanent ache seemed to be lodged. This was ridiculous. He should have forgotten all about this woman by now.

  But what if the child was his?

  Sagging against the window, he put his hands out and the ache only grew bigger. What if the child wasn’t his? Did he even care? Was he willing to raise a child that wasn’t his?

  Of course he cared. He’d been cheated on before. It was what women did. His mother sure as hell hadn’t known how to stay faithful, and it had cost her and his father their life.

  But his sisters-in-law would never cheat. How did he know that? Just by looking at them. It didn’t matter what had come in their lives before they met his brothers. They were in love, happy, and devoted.

  Wasn’t that what Tyler had always wanted? He didn’t even know anymore. Before he had a clue what he was doing, he was in his car and heading down the road. As he flew across the city, he watched the sun set. Of course it was beautiful, lighting the sky with purples and oranges. The very beauty of nature was even mocking his misery.

  After pulling up to Elena’s apartment building, he sat in the car and looked up at her door. What was he doing there? What did he plan to say to her?