Deep Inside Google

by Virna DePaul

  She cleared her throat. She needed to know who’d ruined her life. “How did you find out about this?”

  Phil made an annoyed sound. “Your boyfriend did. Said he wanted to fess up because you wouldn’t. Even asked for my blessing to ask you to marry him. Noble of him, wasn’t it? Wish you would’ve told me yourself, Ruby.”

  Her mind stopped completely. There was no way. This couldn’t be true. Alec had told him? When he’d promised he wouldn’t?

  All of the hope she’d been feeling about their future fractured into a dozen pieces.

  She should have known better. He’d been too perfect. There had to be something wrong with him, and here it was—confused loyalty. Why would he have gone behind her back and done this?

  “He called you?” Her voice trembled. She didn’t know why she even asked. It would only twist the knife in deeper.

  “He emailed me, of all things. Rather a surprising thing to get in my inbox last night.” He looked at her now with some concern. “Are you going to be all right? I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but you have to understand that you’ve put me between a rock and a hard place. You know image and reputation are everything.”

  She nodded. At this point, she didn’t care about getting fired anymore. She could only think about Alec and why he would tell her father about them like this. A sudden thought occurred to her…had he done it to push her toward marriage?

  Unfettered rage began boiling up inside of her. First, for trusting and believing in Alec, and second, for what he’d done. After she packed up her things and left the building, feeling like a scarlet letter was affixed to her forehead, she walked to her car with heavy steps.

  The idea that he’d done it to force her hand at marriage blossomed in her mind.

  If she lost her job, she would have no choice but to marry him, wouldn’t she? It was what Alec wanted badly, the figurative nail in the coffin. She’d have nowhere to go. And with a baby on the way, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a new job before she gave birth and had to go on maternity leave anyway.

  She couldn’t deal with him right now.

  She had to think of how to solve this on her own, the way she’d always been before she fell for manipulating Alec.

  Through a foggy mind, Ruby struggled to open her car door. She barely noticed that her box of things tumbled all over her backseat, or that she was sitting in a parking garage, gasping for breath. She felt like the walls were closing in on her, and it took everything in her not to give in to panic completely.

  Alec had trapped her to get what he wanted. To do his duty.

  With no concern for Ruby’s concerns whatsoever.

  Ruby drove straight to Alec’s. She needed to know the truth, hear it from his own mouth. Forcing away the fear and devastation long enough to drive herself safely to his house, she arrived within record time. When she didn’t see his car in his driveway, though, she worried he wasn’t home.

  I wouldn’t be home either if I’d pissed a pregnant woman off, she thought miserably.

  She was about to drive away and figure out what she was going to do next when she saw Alec walk out his front door to meet her.

  “Ruby! What are you doing here, babe? I mean, I’m happy to see you. Don’t get me wrong.” He leaned through the car window for a kiss, but she pulled away.

  Lying, manipulative Alec.

  “How...?”

  “How, what? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He took in her wet cheeks, her mussed hair, and her red eyes. “Is it the baby?”

  She could only shake her head, and the trembling started all over again. Alec opened the door and helped her inside the house. She didn’t want him to touch her, yet at the same time, she longed for his embrace. She wanted to burrow into his strong arms and let him take away all of the uncertainty and pain.

  Pain he’d caused.

  He held her hand all the way to his bedroom, but she didn’t have the energy to protest. He set her down on the bed with a gentleness that almost made her cry again, but she had to be strong.

  “I can’t believe you, Alec.”

  “Ruby, tell me what happened.” Alec tried to embrace her, but she pulled away. He gave her a hurt look.

  “I just got fired,” she whispered.

  He blanched, then his face creased with anger. “Your father? What for? You’re the best employee he has. What bug crawled up his ass and died?”

  She looked at his face, nearly ready to strike. Why would he even need to ask? It was his fault to begin with. “You don’t have to act like you don’t know,” she replied, her voice tired. “My dad told me you sent him an email telling him I was pregnant with your baby.”

  Alec stared at her. Words were lost on his tongue. He couldn’t speak. Then, he exploded. “What the fuck?” When she flinched, he kneeled in front of her and took her hands. “Not you, baby. I’m sorry. But what the fuck is your dad on? I would never do that. Why would I do that when I promised you I wouldn’t say a word?”

  “That’s what I want to know!” she cried. She wanted to believe him so badly that it hurt. Her heart clenched in her chest. “But why would he lie to me? He has proof that you sent him that email. Why would he make this up?”

  Alec rose, shaking his head in disgust. “How the hell would I know? I didn’t send him any email. I haven’t told anyone. Well, I told Heath and Kyle—I admit—but, Ruby, you have to believe me, babe…they wouldn’t tell anyone.”

  “They’re not the ones who emailed my dad. You did.”

  “I swear, I didn’t.” He scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re an adult, Ruby, not a child. You can sleep with and have a baby with whoever you want. You can’t lose your job all because you fell for somebody.”

  “Not just anybody, Alec—a client. I got pregnant by a client,” she added just to drive her point home.

  He huffed. “A client who’s also a grown-ass man and doesn’t need anyone telling him who he can and can’t fall for. I knew what I was doing, you knew what you were doing, and unless you’re going to tell me I forced you to be with me—”

  “No! Alec, never think that. I wanted you, and I want this baby.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried to brush them away. But it was no use. They kept coming no matter how hard she tried to suppress them. “But I also know you wanted to marry me, and when I didn’t say yes right away…”

  “What are you saying?” His voice was low, uncertain.

  God, should she accuse him? What would this mean for their future?

  But if it walked like a duck and talked like a duck…

  She rose from the bed. Having Alec stand over her only made her feel worse. “I’m saying you told my dad our secret to trap me into marrying you. Once I lost my job, I would have nowhere else to go, especially with a baby on the way.”

  His jaw dropped and he cocked his head. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. Why would I do something like that to you? I love you.” He moved to touch her once again, but Ruby wouldn’t let him.

  “I don’t think you did it to be malicious,” she allowed, her heart heavy, “but you’re the type of guy who gets his way. You did what you had to do. But even though I can’t marry you now, you’ll still be in our child’s life. I promise you that.” She braced to leave. She’d said her peace, and that was it.

  “You’re going to marry me, Ruby, because you love me and I love you, and we’re going to be a family.” He wrapped his arms around her and tried to kiss her, but she pulled away and pointed at him.

  “Don’t do that. You think I’m weak and only need a kiss from you to make everything okay? It doesn’t work like that in the real world, Alec. I’m not a fairytale princess and you’re not my prince who can fix it all with some charm.”

  For a moment, she almost didn’t care he’d lied to her. She loved him so much that part of her would forget this ever happened. But she also knew how to stand her ground. Because she was Ruby O’Brien—no-nonsense, practical, strong woman who m
ade things work her way, and no amount of manipulation could change her, no matter how sexy and good-smelling Alec may be.

  In a word—he fucked things up.

  With a willpower she didn’t know she possessed, Ruby pushed him away. A sharp sob escaped her throat, and when Alec murmured her name, she turned and ran from his house, her heart breaking into a million pieces.

  Chapter Twenty

  The first thing Alec did once Ruby left was check his email account.

  There was no sign of a sent email in his name.

  What in the fuck was going on? Could Phil O’Brien be making shit up just to fire his own daughter, get back at her, and prove his point that she wasn’t ready to work at his firm? What asshole father would do that? Alec couldn’t imagine himself ever doing such a dick move to his own little girl.

  A parent loved, a parent supported, a parent scolded when necessary but never, ever did they sabotage his or her child’s own success. Alec thought of the one woman who’d always had his back despite it all and got in the car to see her.

  “What’s going on, baby?” Carolyn asked as soon as she saw him.

  “Ruby got fired, Mom. I’m not sure what happened, but she believes her father’s bullshit that I emailed him and told him she was pregnant. I never sent an email. But now, she’s livid, and I can’t do anything about it.”

  “Who sent the email?” she asked.

  Alec loved his mom. Loved her so much. She immediately believed her son, the way it should be.

  “There’s no email, Mom.”

  “Not when you check your account. But couldn’t someone have deleted the message? What about on your server? Would it still be there?”

  Alec stared at his mom. He hadn’t even though of that option, and his mom had? “I didn’t realize you were so tech savvy.”

  She shrugged. “I email you, don’t I? Now who else knows Ruby is pregnant?”

  Alec explained how he’d told Heath and Kyle, but they were solid for life. Buddies who would never betray him in a thousand years. Of course, betrayal always came from the people you least expected, but Alec was pretty damn sure there was smeared shit written all over this.

  “What about Colleen?” his mother asked.

  Alec paused. Colleen would have reason to do it, but Colleen didn’t know about the pregnancy. He hadn’t told her, and neither of his buddies would dare talk to that woman. “Mom, it’s a mystery.”

  “Well, you’ll figure it out, I’m sure. But listen, honey. You do what you need to do for yourself, that child, and Ruby. When your father left, I did what I could to make him stay, but he had his mind made up. Your father was a scared man, not ready to tackle fatherhood, whereas you’re my mature, intelligent son who does the right thing.”

  “I try, Mom. I don’t always succeed.”

  “But you will,” Mom said with a smile that conveyed her utter confidence in him. “Convince her that you love her. Do whatever it takes. Make sure you want to be together for her, as much as it is for you. A woman wants to feel cherished, Alec, and that’s something I never got from your father, but I sure as hell got it from you.”

  Alec tried to say something in return, but all he could do was choke back his tears as he hugged his mother tightly.

  “Okay, boys, listen up,” Coach Reddick boomed from the front of the room. “We’ve got Pittsburgh coming up this week and they’re going to be a tough challenge, even in our own house. So let’s keep it focused right now, hear me?”

  For Alec, focusing on football for the next three hours was a godsend.

  His mind needed a break or at least a change of subject from Ruby, Ruby, Ruby… Ruby. After returning from his mom’s house, he had tried a shower to clear his head. He’d tried cooking. He’d gone for a long run, then a long bike ride, then a long swim. No luck. Alec had even given yoga a chance to calm his stormy mind. Nothing.

  Masturbation was a mistake. A huge mistake. He needed Ruby to turn him on. The second he touched himself, images of his gorgeous, redheaded beauty flooded his mind and no matter how much porn he watched, the girl was always Ruby.

  It’d been days since he’d spoken to her. He missed her terribly.

  Coach’s angry rants about running the wrong route or not keeping two hands on the ball or whatever else he’s screwed up on were a great distraction. But with the lights dimmed for the film and his head tucked into his chin, Alec soon found his eyes slipping closed. Sleep had eluded him the last few days. Normally, his coach’s voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard, but this morning, he felt his shoulders staring to sag, as Coach’s drawl sounded more like a soothing lullaby.

  Heath had to elbow him a few times, but he either eventually stopped or the overwhelming sensation of tiredness finally took over. He didn’t quite remember fully falling asleep but when loud cheers and cat calls filled the room, Alec jerked awake.

  It took him a moment to remember where he was and then a moment after that to figure out why the guys around him were making all that noise that disturbed his nap.

  “Wassup, lover boy,” Hewitt called from the front, twisting around to grin at Alec.

  “Who you dreaming about, LeBrun?” Plough added.

  Martinez poked his head over the other guys. “Hey, Heath, he pitch a tent?”

  Alec had no idea what the fuck was going. Beside him, Heath was cracking up and his only response was to point to the screen up at the front of the room.

  Ruby.

  It was the first game of the season, the game against Sacramento judging by some of the jerseys of the fans around her. His woman—not his woman at the time, and may never be again—sat in the stands with some friends, laughing and watching the game. Her hair was in that tight knot, but a wisp had escaped and fluttered around her face. She looked so beautiful, so happy.

  For a moment Alec forgot all his confusion about what was going on and blocked out the jeering and teasing from his teammates. All he wanted to do was watch her, lose himself in Ruby O’Brien’s smile. It was everything joyous and right and worth fighting for in this world. All right there on the screen. But how was Ruby’s photo up there during the team’s film review…

  “LeBrun!”

  The snarl of Coach’s voice pulled him right back to the present, and he wiggled in the chair to sit up straight. “Yes, Coach?”

  “While you’ve been having yourself some little beauty sleep back there, the boys and I have been trying to solve a mystery that’s been bugging me.”

  Alec scratched the back of his neck and looked sheepishly at everyone’s eyes on him. “Sorry, Coach. Been getting little sleep, but I’m on now. Fully awake.”

  “You better be. Know what mystery that is, LeBrun?”

  “Um, no, Coach, I don’t think I do.”

  He’d been embarrassed by his coach before. They all had. The best thing to do was say as little as possible and let it run its course. Coach was like a boulder rolling down a hill when anyone messed up. Best not to stand in the way.

  Coach sucked in a deep breath for his tirade and began, “Well, Cinderella—”

  “Sleeping Beauty,” Martinez corrected.

  “What’s that?” Coach asked.

  “You mean Sleeping Beauty. Cinderella was the one with the pumpkin and the talking rats,” Martinez explained. “Our boy back there’s got drool all over his chest.”

  “I think they were mice.” Plough laughed.

  Coach exhaled loudly and ran his hands over his face. “I’m too old for this shit.” He sighed. “You boys done comparing pretty princess notes?” Coach shook his head at Plough, who shrunk down in his own chair. “Like I was saying, Sleeping Beauty”—the coach turned his glare back on Alec—“I was wondering why you were always late getting off the line. And you know what I discovered?”

  Alec tried to stay humble and listen. “No, Coach?”

  “I looked at the tape and discovered something. The whole pre-season, you were never looking at the ball on the line of scrimmage before it was hike
d.”

  “Coach?”

  “LeBrun, you’ve been looking in the complete opposite direction the entire time. Right up into the stands. And so I had a mystery on my hands, a mystery to solve. So, do you know what the boys and I did just now?”

  “I’m scared to find out, Coach.”

  The room tittered with quiet laughter.

  “We tried to figure out what kept drawing your attention away from the fucking ball that you were supposed to be fucking catching.” The other players in the room made ‘ooohh’ sounds like in middle school when a kid got sent to the principal’s office. Coach put his hands on his hips and walked toward Alec. “And do you know what we found?”

  Alec felt his cheeks grow red. He smiled sheepishly. He knew where this was going. “Sorry, Coach.”

  “Sorry?” Coach threw his hands up in frustration and clocked Alec behind the head. “LeBrun, you’re out there to win football games. What the fuck are you doing searching the stands for your publicist? Every goddamn time a snap was taken of you, you’re looking off to the left, off to the right, your neck always swiveled in the fucking direction of Red O’Brien.”

  It was true that he’d been crazy about her since even before Colleen. Every practice, he’d been showing off, trying to capture her attention, disappointed when she wouldn’t look at him. He just didn’t know there’d been photographic evidence captured of his enrapture.

  “Ruby,” Alec said.

  “What?”

  “Her name, Coach,” Alec muttered, still staring at Ruby up on the large screen. “Her name is Ruby.”

  Coach gripped both sides of his hair and growled. “That’s not the point, loverboy! The point is you’re risking your fucking career staring at some lady. Don’t you guys have porn or something? Martinez, I know you do. Can’t you just show him some good porn to get it out of his system?”

  There was laughter and joking, but Alec’s eyes moved back to the frozen image of Ruby laughing at the game. It took another whack on the back of his head for Alec to realize Coach was still yelling at him.