by Ava Ashley
“Oh, man,” he said, looking at it. “I’m so sorry Anna.”
“So is she your wife, or isn’t she?” I demanded.
“Technically, we are married,” he said, and I flopped down on the couch, not sure my legs would be able to hold me up. How could this be happening?
“What do you mean, technically?” I asked.
“I mean, we have an official document that says we are husband and wife,” he said. “But it ends there. We don’t have a relationship. That tape was made at least two years ago.”
“So why are you still married? Why were you married at all?”
Hunter sighed and sat down.
“She’s a nice girl,” he said. “But we were never serious. Her parents are insanely religious, and they found out about us. They pressured us into getting married, and I went along with it because I didn’t want to make her life a living hell.”
“You got married just because of her parents?” I asked. “That doesn’t seem like a good enough reason.”
“Yeah, I see why you’d think that,” he said. “But she was in a really tough spot at the time, and I didn’t want to leave her hanging. If I didn’t do it, her parents would have stopped talking to her, and she just couldn’t handle that at the time.”
“They don’t sound like very good parents,” I said.
“No,” Hunter agreed. “They’re pretty terrible. Actually, she’s doing a lot better now and has cut ties with them herself.”
“Well, that’s good I guess,” I said. “But then why are you still married?”
“At this point it’s just because we haven’t gone through the legal hoops,” Hunter told me. “We will though. I could do it tomorrow, if you wanted.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?” I asked, still suspicious. “And why are you always going off to San Diego and not telling me why?”
“I’m sorry, Anna, I just—” He paused, considering what to say next. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to mess things up between us. And, I swear, there is absolutely nothing going on between me and Jackie, and there hasn’t been for a long time.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Anna,” he pleaded, “think about it. If I had a wife, a real relationship with her, that is, would I be inviting you to come to my fight tomorrow? Or would I have kissed you at my last fight, in front of all those people and all those television cameras?”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, and saw immediately that what he said was true. Of course he wouldn’t do that if he had some wife at home. And if she was his real wife, she would have been at the match too.
“I’m sure you’ve been very upset,” Hunter said, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m really sorry you saw that tape. I’m sure that was terrible.”
He was right. Watching that tape was horrible, and I didn’t ever want to think about it. Of course I knew that Hunter had had sex with other people during the time we spent apart, but I didn’t want to have to see it.
“Let’s not talk about the tape please,” I said. “I’d really just like to forget the whole thing.”
“I’m sorry, Anna,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, and you had to find out like this.”
“It’s all right,” I told him. “I guess I see why you didn’t mention it, if you don’t even have a relationship anymore.”
“I swear to you that we don’t,” he said.
“But, Hunter, how did Nate get his hands on that tape?” I asked. “Where was it? Could your wife be trying to get back at you?”
“No, definitely not,” he said. “It was at my place.”
“Does he know where you live?” I asked.
“I guess it wouldn’t be hard for him to find out,” Hunter said. “I’m in the white pages.”
“And you think he broke into your house?”
“That part I can’t quite figure out,” Hunter said. “I have a pretty good security system. But I guess he must have gotten through somehow.”
“That’s pretty creepy,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said, “it is. But I don’t think he’ll do anything other than try to mess around with my stuff. He’s too much of a coward.”
“All right,” I told him. “Let’s go to bed. It’s late. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
“OK,” he said. “Do you still want to come be part of my cheering section at the finals tomorrow?”
“I do,” I said. “For sure.”
Chapter Twenty
Hunter
I wanted to tell Anna about Jane, I really did. And I knew I had the almost perfect opportunity to tell her when she found out about Jackie. But that’s just the thing. It was almost perfect. But definitely not how I wanted to have that conversation. It wasn’t supposed to start with that bastard Nathaniel telling her about Jackie, that’s for sure. And it definitely wasn’t supposed to start with her watching a video of me having sex.
I still couldn’t believe that she watched that thing. If I saw a tape of her and some guy, I think I’d blow my lid. I wasn’t entirely honest with Anna about how Nathaniel could have gotten the tape, either. When I said my security system was pretty good, I wasn’t lying. It was really good. If he had opened a window while I wasn’t home, I would have known about it. I had alarms rigged that would alert my cell phone if anything happened. But I’d never gotten alerts of any kind, ever. So how did he get the tape? Something fishy was going on, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I definitely didn’t want Anna worrying about that, though.
For now, I wanted to do something to show her how much I cared. Of course, there was nothing I could do in a scant few hours to really do her justice, but I could do a little something. So in the morning, before Anna woke up, I crept out of bed and headed to the grocery store to get some things for breakfast.
By the time I got back, however, Anna was already up. She was still in her pajamas, and looked a little worried.
“Hey,” she said. “Where did you go?”
“Oh sorry,” I said, kissing her. “I was hoping to surprise you. I got stuff to make breakfast.”
“Really?” she said, smiling. “That’s so sweet! What are you making?”
“It’s a surprise,” I told her. “Now get out of the kitchen and leave me to the cooking.”
“All right,” she agreed. “You don’t have to ask me twice. If you need me, I’ll be in the shower.”
Anna gave me a peck on the cheek and sauntered up the stairs, shutting the bathroom door behind her. I started to unpack the groceries I’d gotten: coffee, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, chocolate chips, maple syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream. It had been a long time since I’d made my specialty chocolate chip pancakes, and I was excited to have them again with Anna.
The first time I made them was back in high school. Her parents were out of town for the weekend, and we took advantage of the situation as any high school sweethearts would. Maybe she was just being nice, because Anna was always a sweetheart, but she seemed to really like them. I hoped she would again.
After mixing up the batter, I put some water on to boil and started to wash and cut the strawberries. That was a new variation on how I’d made them before that I thought Anna would like. Because although pancakes were anything but healthy, a few fresh strawberries on top would make a nutritious and tasty addition. After the strawberries were ready, all I had to do was heat up the pan and start busting out the pancakes. I made them nice and thin, just the way Anna liked. I poured some water in the French press to make coffee, and got the table set just in time for when Anna came back downstairs, looking fresh and clean.
“Tada!” I said. “Breakfast is served, my lady.”
“Yes!” she cried. “I was so hoping it would be chocolate chip pancakes. You are the best, thank you!”
“I’m glad you’re happy,” I told her. “Hopefully they taste good, too.”
“They can’t possibly not taste good,” she s
aid, sitting down and piling three pancakes onto her plate. “Oh, and I see you got the fancy maple syrup, too.”
“Only the best for my girl,” I said with a wink.
“You’re too much,” she said, pouring on the syrup. “And fresh strawberries! Goodness, what a lucky girl I am.”
I kept watching her as she started to eat. I was relishing every minute of her enjoyment, as she’d close her eyes and say “mmm,” with every bite. After a minute or two she stopped and looked at me.
“Wait,” she said, putting her fork down. “Are you not eating or something?”
“Oh no no,” I said, rushing to put a few pancakes on my plate. “I’m eating.”
“Well, you’re kinda staring at me, creeper,” she said with a playful smile.
“Sorry,” I said, grinning. “Can’t help it. You’re pretty when you eat.”
“Pretty when I stuff my face, you mean?” she asked, picking her fork back up. “Good thing, because I’m definitely not stopping after just three of these.”
“I’m really glad you like them.”
Anna and I finished the pancakes and coffee happily, and then afterwards she tried to do all the cleaning. I insisted she let me do it.
“I wanted to treat you to breakfast,” I said. “That means I clean up, too.”
“What planet did you fly in from?” she asked. “And where have you been all my life?”
“Right here, Anna,” I said, maybe a little sadly. I didn’t like thinking about when she left all those years ago, and when I did it usually brought back a lot of old, painful feelings. I was surprised they resurfaced when she was there, standing right in front of me, but I guessed it made sense. Those things don’t just go away.
“I’m sorry,” she said, understanding immediately. “I didn’t mean to put it like that.”
“I know,” I said, taking her hand. “But, Anna, can we talk about it a little? I still don’t really understand why you had to cut me off completely like that, why you wouldn’t stay in touch. Didn’t you love me?”
“Oh, Hunter,” she said, tears springing into her eyes as she wrapped her arms around me. “I loved you so much. I still do.”
“Then why?” I asked.
She pulled away from me, looking into my eyes. I saw a deep, deep pain there I never wanted to see in her eyes. Why was she so sad?
“Hunter,” she began, “I want to tell you everything. And I will tell you everything. But I can’t right now.”
“Why not?” I asked. “I don’t want to press you, I can see that something is bothering you, but I want to understand.”
“I promise I will tell you everything,” she said. “But it’s going to be a difficult thing for me to talk about, and is probably going to put me in a sad mood for a while. And it might make you feel that way too. And tonight, you have a tournament to win.”
“All right, baby,” I said, not wanting to push her any further. “I understand. But remember, you can always tell me anything. Any time you want.”
“OK,” she said, trying to smile. “Thank you. I know you’ll be there for me. It’s just hard, that’s all.”
“I see,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. “I’m sorry I brought it up now. Please tell me whatever it is, whenever you’re ready.”
“All right,” she told me. “Thanks for being so nice about it. I really am sorry for how badly I hurt you, all those years ago.”
“I know,” I said, kissing her cheek. “I’m just really glad you’re back.”
“Me too,” she said. “So, now, should we get ready to head down to the match?”
“We don’t have to be there for a few hours,” I said. “But we might as well.”
“All right, I’ll go pack some clothes.”
In a little while, we left for San Diego. I tried my best to push all my worries out of my mind, and just concentrate on the fight. I was going up against a real tough guy, Sergey Ivanov, and I needed to remember everything I knew about his style and his weak spots. It was hard, though, not to think about how I still needed to tell Anna about Jane, and wondering what Anna had to tell me that was causing her so much pain. Not to mention wondering how the hell Nathaniel got into my house, and what he might try next. Hopefully all of it would work out OK.
Chapter Twenty-One
Anna
In a way, I was glad that Hunter finally confronted me about why I left, and why I insisted that we not stay in touch. I knew I had to tell him everything, and I didn’t really know how to bring it up myself. I was scared that he’d be angry when he found out I didn’t want him to know that I thought I was going to die. If he were going to die, and I hated to even think about that, then I would definitely want to spend every last minute I could with him. I would be pretty upset if he kept something like that from me.
I was also terrified about telling him that I couldn’t have children. Of course I knew that he would be supportive, but I worried that if he stayed with me, deep down he’d be disappointed. He had always wanted kids. He used to talk about how he wanted to be the kind of father his own father never was. Hunter was always so great with kids; it would be a shame if he never got to have some of his own. And even if he was supportive, and pretended it didn’t bother him, wouldn’t he always be just a little bit dissatisfied if he never had kids of his own? I definitely didn’t want that.
Those were the thoughts that occupied my mind as we took the drive from L.A. to San Diego for Hunter’s tournament final. They continued to occupy my mind when we got to the arena, and I found my seat next to Trina.
“Hi,” I said, sitting down. “Jake’s not here?”
“No,” she told me. “He couldn’t make it.”
“That’s too bad,” I said.
“Can’t say I care all that much at the moment,” she said.
“Oh,” I said, surprised. “I’m sorry. Did something happen?”
“No,” she said. “Not really.”
I thought that was pretty strange, but I didn’t know quite what I should say. Trina didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it though, and I was too preoccupied to worry about it much. I still wasn’t really able to concentrate even when the announcer called Hunter’s name, or when he and the other fighter took their corners. I did notice that the other fighter was a big, mean-looking guy, and I was a little worried about Hunter. Not that I didn’t have faith in him. I knew he was a great fighter; I guess I just couldn’t help but worry about him.
After the first round, it seemed like it was going to be a tough match. Both men were fighting their hardest, and each of them got in some hits that looked like they really hurt. When the second round started, however, I saw something that caught my eye and totally distracted me from worrying about Hunter, or about the fact that I couldn’t have children. There, standing just a few feet away from the ring, was Nate.
My stomach flipped. What was he doing there? Did he have some other nonsense up his sleeve to try to distract Hunter, upset him so he’d lose the fight? What else could he possibly do that he hadn’t already done?
“What’s wrong?” Trina asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I turned to look at her, and saw a strange, inscrutable smile on her face. I guessed that must have also fallen under the category of odd things that she found funny for some reason. I really didn’t know what to make of Trina.
“It’s nothing,” I told her.
“It doesn’t look like nothing,” she said, but I didn’t respond. I was too busy staring daggers into Nate.
I couldn’t imagine what he had planned, but I didn’t like it. I looked at him, standing there with his arms crossed and a smug, self-satisfied grin on his face. The longer I looked at him, the angrier I became. Just who did he think he was? How dare he show his face at the arena, after he was disgraced for using drugs? And wasn’t he ashamed of himself for stooping to such petty tricks to try to break me and Hunter up? And for taking advantage of the fact that he was stronger than me, just to scare
me?
After a few minutes of thinking about it, my blood was starting to boil. I had gotten so mad that I didn’t even notice the second round ended and the third began. I clenched my fists, wanting so badly to teach that arrogant jerk a lesson. I must have been wearing a pretty intense expression, because I was startled from my thoughts by Trina touching me on the arm.
“Are you sure everything is OK?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I answered, turning away from her. “I’m fine.”
I was fine, because I had made up my mind. I wasn’t going to sit there anymore. I wasn’t going to let him get away with his outrageous behavior. If I let all this anger stew inside me without letting it out, I’d probably explode. I got up from my seat and started walking towards Nate. Somebody had to tell that guy off, and I didn’t mind doing it. I had no idea what I was going to say, but I was definitely going to say something.
I was still so engrossed in my anger that I didn’t even notice that the fight had ended, and Hunter was declared the winner. He had won the Heavyweight Tournament Final, and that meant he could finally pay off his mom’s mortgage like he wanted. Not only that, but he’d get to go on to fight Jake, the reigning CFC heavyweight champion, for the title. It was a great victory for him, and would provide him with so many great opportunities. However, at the time I didn’t even realize it. I had just gotten up to where Nate was standing when the crowd started cheering.
“Listen, you arrogant piece of—” I started, but I couldn’t finish, because all of a sudden I found Hunter’s arms wrapped tightly around me.
“Hey, you,” he said. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m just going to tell this asshole exactly what I think of him,” I said, trying to break free from Hunter’s embrace.
“Looks like she wants to fight,” Nate said, still smiling that infuriating smile. And that’s when I lost it.
I don’t remember exactly what happened, because I was in such a blind rage that everything just kind of went blank. I’ve never felt that way before, and I hope I don’t ever feel that way again. It is scary losing control of yourself, and I hated Nate for pushing me that far. I don’t really know how I broke free from Hunter’s grasp, but several minutes later I found myself outside in Hunter’s car with the knuckles on my right hand aching.
