Lucky Chance

by Marissa Dobson

  “It’s his child. He should be held responsible.”

  She shook her head. “I learned too late, but he’s not the father I’d want for my son or daughter.”

  He went to her and knelt in front of her. “Shit, Maddie, you deserve so much better than this. I could beat the shit out of that bastard for leading you on when he was married, and for even suggesting that.”

  “Things happen for a reason, but I’ll make a life for my child.” She didn’t pull away when he laid his hand over hers. “Don’t look so worried about me. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ve no doubt that you will be, but it doesn’t change my concern for you. Maddie, why does that mean we should miss this chance?”

  “Did you miss that I’m pregnant? I can’t ask you or anyone else to go down that road with me. This is my responsibility and I’ll deal with it.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Pregnant or not, it doesn’t change anything.”

  “Lucky, please…”

  “Please what?” He rubbed his thumb along her knuckles.

  “Don’t do this.” The first tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ve accepted what’s happened between us, and what I’ve made of my life. Don’t give me false hope for something that can never happen between us.”

  “Why can’t it happen? Because you’re pregnant?”

  “Yes.” That one simple word shattered her heart into even smaller pieces.

  “That doesn’t change things for me. We missed a chance years ago, but now we’ve been given a new opportunity. I’ve always believe you have to live life to the fullest, and that means never missing an opportunity.”

  “In less than six months, I’m going to be a single mother. There’s no time for dating.” The image of him with Roulette popped into her thoughts, and there was a brief moment in which she wished that it were her son or daughter he would be holding. The care and love he exuded when cradling his niece in his arms almost made her wish she had the courage to explore where things might go between them.

  “I’m going to tell you something that isn’t common knowledge.” He reached to his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and flipped it open until a picture of Ace, Gwen, and Roulette was before her. “Remember the comment you made about Roulette having the Diamond family eyes?”

  “Sure. She has the same blue eyes with those dark eyelashes as the rest of the family. Anyone who knows the family would notice that.”

  “That might be so, but what people don’t know is that Roulette is not Ace’s biological daughter.”

  “What?” She looked down at the picture, and she couldn’t believe it. Roulette looked more like Ace than she looked like Gwen. “That’s not possible.”

  “It is.” He leaned one knee on the floor, but didn’t get up from where he knelt. “I guess it’s been almost three years now, since Gwen was in that nasty car accident, and was in a coma for weeks.”

  “I remember that. She was living in Nashville, Tennessee working for the law office of Madison and Stine as a virtual legal researcher, when that happened. I made a point to visit her while she was in the coma, and a few times after she woke up. But how does that relate? Is that when Ace came back into her life?” She hated that she knew so little about her best friend’s life. Despite years apart, she still considered Gwen and Wynn her best friends. Since then, there had never been anyone else she felt she could confide in. Even though she knew they had both married, she knew very little about their lives now. It was almost as devastating as having to deny herself Lucky’s touch again.

  “When she woke, she realized there was so much more in life. More that she wanted. She wasn’t in a relationship, didn’t even want to be because she was still in love with Ace, but she wanted a child. So, she went to a fertility clinic. That was four months before she came back to Virginia Beach, and Ace came home early from a mission to find she was living in his house.”

  “Roulette’s father is a sperm donor? Gwen was artificially inseminated? No way.”

  “You can ask her yourself.” He flipped his wallet closed. “She always wanted children, and she didn’t want to wait any longer. At that point, she believed she’d never find love again, so she was taking life into her own hands.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I’m telling you because you’ve seen firsthand the love Ace has for Roulette. Even with Gwen’s pregnancy, it didn’t stop what was between them. So, why are you using this as an excuse for not giving us a second chance?”

  She ran her hand over her stomach. “I didn’t decide to do this on my own. I made the choice to be with someone…”

  “Someone who lied to you and couldn’t be the man you needed. That doesn’t mean all men will be the same. You didn’t think we could make it work before, and maybe I’m partially to blame for that as well because I didn’t fight hard enough to prove we could do it. I’m not letting you make that same decision for both of us again. Not without a fight.”

  “This isn’t the same situation as Ace and Gwen.”

  “Who the hell cares about the situation?” He shook his head. “I told you about them because you seem to think that I wouldn’t love this baby because I’m not the biological father. There are many stepparents in this world who are better parents than those who brought them into this world. Don’t use that as an excuse not to give us both something we want.”

  “I’m not going to saddle you with a child because of a decision I made.” She ran her hand over her stomach. Even though it was nothing more than the beginnings of a pregnancy bump, it made her feel closer to her baby. “What happened between Russell and I was a mistake, but the baby that came from that union wasn’t. I will provide my child with a good life.”

  “I’m not doubting that, but there’s no reason you should have to do it alone.” He took hold of her hand and stood, taking her with him. His wallet fell to the floor, but neither of them cared. “I’ve thought about this since you walked into Graves’s office. I want you in my life. If I have to leave the Marines, I’ll do it if it means getting you back. All I’m asking for is a second chance.”

  She couldn’t believe it, but this time it was harder to walk away from him than it had been before. She wasn’t sure she could even get the words out, because all she wanted to do was fall into his embrace. To spend a few hours just being held by him, the way he used to do when they were spending an evening together. “Lucky, I don’t…”

  He stopped her before she could finish her sentence. “You said in less than six month you’ll be a mother. Well, that will give us a chance before the baby is even born. A chance for me to fight for you, and for you to decide if you want me in your life. If you decide you don’t want this relationship, the baby will never even know. Give us a chance, and if you decide you want nothing more to do with me, I’ll step back and let you live your life however you want.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Just think about it.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Maddie. We deserve a second chance.”

  She watched as he stepped away from her, picked up his wallet, and without another word he strolled out of her bedroom. Just like the last time he’d walked away from her, at that bed and breakfast, she wanted to stop him. She wanted to call out to him and tell him she never stopped loving him, either, but she didn’t. She needed to think about it before she let herself go down that path again. It wasn’t just her she had to worry about. She had to consider her child as well.

  The next day had come in a rush, one interview after another, but now that it was all over, Lucky just wanted to get Madison alone. He wanted to know if she’d thought about what he had said, and if she’d come to any decision. He suspected that she had something on her mind because throughout the day she had tried to talk to him, but they got interrupted each time. Now that they were back at the house, he planned to corner her and any ringing phones be damned. He wanted to know where things stood.

  “Maddie, we need to talk.
”

  She slipped off her heels and let out a sigh that could only be associated with relief. “I was thinking the same thing, but first I want…” She paused and her lips curled into a half smirk. “Normally, I’d have filled that in with a glass of wine, but I’m playing everything by the book with this pregnancy. No caffeine, no alcohol, nothing bad for the baby will pass my lips.”

  “How about I make it up to you with a chocolate milkshake, extra thick, just like you like it?”

  “That’s better than wine, any day. I never could turn down chocolate milkshakes and…well, I crave anything chocolate.”

  “If you want to change, I’ll make them and then we can talk.”

  “My clothes are fine for a bit longer, it was the heels that were killing me.” She followed him into the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter, her legs swinging as she grabbed an apple from the basket. “I know you don’t like the spotlight, but you did great today.”

  “Thanks.” He grabbed the ice cream, milk, and chocolate syrup from the refrigerator. “I just want to get through this and be out of the spotlight.”

  “I still believe you’ll win, so you’ll have two additional weeks of this…if not longer.”

  He slid the blender from its hideaway. “You didn’t always look on the dark side of things,” he joked.

  “Oh, come on, would it really be that bad?” She bit into the apple, and raised an eyebrow. “Would it be that bad to be stuck with me?”

  “Does that mean you’ve given us some thought?” Before she could answer, the doorbell rang, interrupting them again. “Damn it. I thought when we got back here we’d finally be able to talk.”

  “The other contestants wouldn’t come here, so it’s either my boss or one of the neighbors. Either way, it shouldn’t be long.” She hopped off the counter. “I’ll get it, you make my shake.”

  “You might have been given a reprieve, but I still want an answer once you get rid of them.”

  She didn’t reply, but gave him one of her bright smiles and headed to the door. While she was gone, he busied himself making the milkshakes. If there was another interruption, be it the phone or door, he was going to pin her against the wall with his body just to get her to answer his question.

  With the milkshakes in the glasses, he grabbed a piece of rich chocolate and grated some on top. Everything was perfect until he turned and found her standing there looking pale. “Maddie, what is it? Are you okay? Who was at the door?” He went to her, placing his hands on her arms because he wasn’t sure if she was going to pass out. The blood appeared to have drained from her face.

  “I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t have anything to do with it.” She stared up at him, sympathy in her eyes.

  “With what?” He was still completely confused.

  “I didn’t know they’d bring him here. I’m sorry. Oh Lucky, I’m so sorry.”

  “Who?”

  “Kyle.”

  He knew he was probably pale, too, because he could feel the color draining from his face. The memories he had tried to push away slammed into him at once, no longer willing to be denied. They crashed into him like waves onto the shore, each one growing stronger and stronger.

  They had been following a lead that should have led them straight to one of the terrorists they had been searching for. With each mile, his unease worsened. It was a set up. From the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, he scanned the surroundings. The order to abort on the tip of his tongue when gunfire broke out in nearly every direction, leaving no place to take cover. Private First Class Weber was returning fire from the turret but the insurgent numbers were too great. Surrounded, he had to get them out of there or they were all dead.

  “Gunny?” Corporal Juan Torres, the Humvee driver, nodded toward the roadblock before them.

  “Fuck.” He wasn’t sure Torres had even heard it over the gunfire. “Reverse. Fall back. Now!”

  Torres slammed the Humvee into reverse and plowed backward. On the radio Lucky ordered the two additional Humvees to fall back. Blood dripped down from the turret. Weber was hit but there was nothing he could do for him.

  Doc, their corpsman was in the second Humvee. If they could get out of the ambush, he’d be able to help Weber. Meanwhile it was Lucky’s job to keep the insurgents from gaining on his team. He had to find a way out of the ambush. Even injured Weber was firing, making each shot count, but there was too much blood. Weber wasn’t going to last long up there.

  “Swing left and turn us around.” Lucky ordered as they neared a clearing without anyone blocking the way. They were nearly there. Just a little further and they’d be out of range. Above him the machine gun fire stopped and Phillips helped the now unconscious Weber back into the Humvee.

  With a hard left Torres had them facing the right way and Lucky could see the two other Humvees had done the same. They were dealing with less incoming gunfire and were holding their own. It was one less thing to worry about as Phillips took Weber’s place in the turret and began returning fire on the insurgents who were still a threat. One moment the noise was deafening and then the next the assault subsided, only Phillips’s machine gun continued.

  Torres was nearing the road again after their off road adventure to get turned around. Lucky scanned the perimeter, every insurgent that had been there had moved back. Something wasn’t right.

  He had barely had time to register the change in their surroundings when an IED exploded, sending their Humvee skyward. He didn’t have time to yell to Phillips to get inside. As they were tossed through the air, he cursed himself for going off the main road to speed their retreat to find cover.

  Each second seemed like minutes as they were tossed around in the Humvee before it finally landed on its side. Lucky was pressed against the door, hurt but it could have been worse. Torres remained in his seat, thanks to the seatbelt, and blood dripped from a gash on his head. Unconscious Weber had been tossed around but he wasn’t the only one. Phillips… “Where the hell is Phillips?”

  “Gunny…” Torres stared just ahead of the Humvee to where the PFC laid.

  “Fuck.” Lucky grabbed his rifle from the rack near the door hinge. “Get out. We’ve got to take cover before they open fire again.”

  The rest of the convoy was just ahead. Doc was in there and he’d see to Phillips. Once they were out, they could determine Weber’s condition. Torres grabbed hold of the door and unhooked his belt. Within seconds they were out. “Get Weber, I’ll see to Phillips.” He didn’t wait for the Corporal to respond before heading to the PFC. Blood coated the sand around him. He lost too much blood but that what was more shocking was what was missing.

  “Lucky.” She touched his arm.

  Without thinking, he reached out and clasped her wrist roughly, instantly spotting the panic in her eyes. He loosened his grip but the damage had already been done. When he pulled his hand back from her, the red imprint he had left behind screamed at him. “Fuck.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know my boss had brought him here. The interview for tomorrow…they want both of you. She didn’t mention it.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He tipped his head toward her wrist. “Look what I did to you.”

  “It’s nothing.” She pulled down the sleeve to her sweater, covering the mark.

  “The hell it isn’t. I’m trying to convince you to give us a shot and I do something like that.” He focused on the mark on her wrist because it meant he could push back the memories of Kyle and that day, but even that wouldn’t stop the fact he would have to face the man who’d lost both his left leg and arm, the man who’d been burned along most of his left side, including his face. The man who’d been crippled because of him.

  “Stop, Lucky.” She reached out to him but stopped mid-motion.

  “See, now you’re too scared to touch me. The damage by that move will shatter whatever chance I had with you.”

  “That’s not why I stopped.” She took a deep breath and let it out again. “If I touch you
now, I might not be able to stop myself. This…” She held up her wrist as if he needed a reminder. “Means nothing. I could see you weren’t here, just lost in your memories, and I knew better than to touch you, but I did because I couldn’t stop myself. The pain in your eyes as you remembered what happened to him was unbearable. I don’t know the whole story, and I doubt that I ever will, but after I told you Kyle was the one who recommended you, I did some research. I found out what little I could, but because of the way you looked when I mentioned he was here, I know there’s more. Maybe one day you’ll tell me, and maybe you won’t, but that doesn’t change us.”

  “How can it not?”

  “Because I know you’ll never hurt me or this baby. I love you, Lucky.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “Now, he’s waiting outside.”

  “You left him outside?”

  “It was his idea. He could tell by the fact I didn’t know who he was that we hadn’t been told he’d arrived a few hours ago, or that he was even coming. He wanted me to have a few minutes to prepare you.”

  Even with notice, he wouldn’t have been prepared. It had been more than a year since he’d seen or even heard from Kyle. That last visit at the hospital, Kyle had told him not to return, that he could no longer look at his Gunnery Sergeant. He felt he’d failed him. To Lucky, Kyle had never failed, but the young Private First Class wouldn’t listen. He wanted to wallow in the guilt and grief, and nothing Lucky could say would change that. The PFC had lost a friend and sustained injuries that would change his life forever, but it was Lucky who had to deal with the guilt of making the decision to go off road to retreat. His decision had changed the lives of many that day.

  “Let’s go let him in.”

  She shook her head and stepped aside. “You go. I think the two of you need a bit of time to yourselves. I’m going to take my milkshake into the office. When you’re done, find me.”