My Broken Angel

by Heather D'Agostino

  “Cole!” Maddie yelled.

  His head snapped in her direction, giving Wes enough of a distraction to escape. He sprung to his feet, and delivered a roundhouse kick just as Cole righted himself.

  “Fuckin’ A,” he growled around the guard before swiping his foot in front of his sprawled body and taking Wes back down with him. They rolled around trying to pin each other, both refusing to tap out until they were standing once again.

  “I’m not stopping until I teach this fucker some manners,” Cole spit the guard out so he could speak clearer.

  “Cole, please?” Maddie begged. I could tell she was uneasy seeing him like this, but she didn’t turn away. He’d told me that he lost his shit in front of her once, and I was silently hoping that having her here would help, but he was so worked up that nothing seemed to be helping.

  “Manners?” Wes panted before taking a swing at Cole’s shoulder. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Don’t you want her to be happy?” He, too, spit his guard out as he backed away from Cole. “Can’t you see what you’re doing to her? I’ve stayed away. I’ve stayed away for two weeks. Does she seem happy to you?” His shoulders heaved as he fought to catch his breath.

  Cole’s eyes darted to me and then back to Wes. “You fucking hurt her, and I will end you,” he pointed at me before directing his stare back at Wes. “Do you hear me? End you!” he stormed up to Wes, cocked his arm back, and sucker punched him right in the jaw. “I know how you work. You won’t treat her like you do the others. You got me?” he stepped back and waited.

  Wes reached up, rubbed his jaw, and then worked it from side-to-side, “Yeah, man, I got you.”

  Cole then turned to me, pointed, and narrowed his eyes, “Don’t you come running when he breaks your heart. It’s not an if here, Ang, it’s a when. I know how he works, and he will break your heart.” He shook his head, tossed his gloves toward where he’d left his bag on the floor, and stormed off toward the showers. Maddie raced after him, I’m sure to try and calm him down, but my attention was focused on the man in front of me.

  Wes picked up his things, and then slowly climbed out of the ring. I stood there just watching. His bloodied body, bent between the ropes brought flashes of memories of the countless times I’d seen him on the TV. It was as if I was staring at a scene from five years earlier. He sighed before grabbing his things, and turning toward his office. “Where are you going?” I called as I ran up behind him.

  “I need some time, Angel. It’s been years since I’ve beat my best friend to a bloody pulp over a girl. I need time. I’m sorry.” His shoulders sagged as he walked away from me once again and closed himself off in his office. Wes McKay was making a habit out of breaking my heart, and I wasn’t sure at the moment how many more times I’d be able to glue it back together.

  Chapter 24

  Angela

  For weeks I gave Wes exactly what he asked for… time. I stayed away. I went to work, spent time with Cole, and searched for a place to live. Summer was nearing its end, and the baby was going to be arriving all too soon. Cole had been helping me look at apartments. He’d done his best to avoid talking about Wes. That was such a sore subject between us that I didn’t push him. It hurt, knowing that things were never going to be the same between us. All those times we hung out as kids, gossiped about our friends, everything really. With a few misguided actions, I killed any chance of us ever being what we once were. Our small group had morphed into something completely different. We’d lost some members and picked up new ones along the way.

  Today, I was doing the one thing I’d been promising myself to do since arriving back in Boston. I was meeting my best friend for coffee. Well, she’d be drinking coffee. I, on the other hand, had sworn it off until the baby arrived. It was killing me to smell the stuff, but I was learning to enjoy tea just as much.

  “Angie!” her voice squealed from behind me causing me to spring from my seat.

  “Ally,” I grinned as I turned to face her. Not much had changed since I’d seen her last. Her hair was shorter, but she looked as if she hadn’t aged in years. “You look great!”

  “Ha!” she scoffed. “Tell that to the men that blow me off for second dates,” she rolled her eyes as she leaned over to hug me.

  I didn’t really understand that one, but I brushed it off and returned the hug. “How have you been?”

  “Busy. You know, work, stuff,” she shrugged as she moved to take the seat across from me.

  “Got you a mocha,” I pushed a paper cup across the table to her. “That is still your drink, right?”

  “Yes. This is heaven’s nectar,” she sighed as she lifted the cup and sniffed. “Too bad you can’t have one.”

  “Just another two months, and I can,” I caressed my belly.

  “So how are things?” she tilted her head to the side, and stared at me.

  “Fine,” I murmured, sipping my tea. I watched her face as she gave me the ‘stop lying and tell the truth I’m your best friend’ look. We knew each other so well that even though time distanced us, we could still read one another like we did in high school.

  “Spill,” she narrowed her eyes. “Is it Alex? Cole?”

  “Worse,” I muttered. “Wes.”

  Ally’s back straightened as she sat up and stared. Her mouth dropped open, and she blinked at me. “Wait! What?”

  “You heard me,” I muttered. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He walked away months ago. He said he loved me, and then the first time it was challenged, he walked away.”

  “Whoa,” Ally’s shook her head as she tried to process the information. “So you move back here, don’t bother to call,” she narrowed her eyes on me. “And the love of your life finally notices and what? You let him push you aside?”

  I huffed as I squeezed my eyes shut, “I didn’t let him do anything. Ally, it’s a mess. He finally told me how he felt only after he followed me around for days. Then he helped me move back here from California. I pushed him. I pushed him hard. I wanted him to give in to me. He wanted to tell Cole first, but I pushed. I caused this.”

  “Last I checked, both your brother and Wes were grown men. They may act like kids, but they’re adults. Whatever happened is most certainly not your fault,” she shook her head as she leaned back in her chair.

  “How do you know that? You haven’t even been here when it’s all been happening,” I grumbled.

  “I know you,” she sipped her mocha. “And I know them. Cole may be a jerk sometimes, but he loves you and Wes.” She sighed before leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table. “He’s loved you for years. He’s just stopped fighting it.” She smirked before she lowered her voice, “Go after him. Stop giving him the space he says he wants. He’s only hurting both of you and prolonging the inevitable.”

  “I don’t even know where he is,” I shrugged. “He hasn’t been at the gym in over two months. When I stopped by the last time, Joey said he was taking time off to get his head together. He wouldn’t tell me anything else.”

  “Sounds like we need to get our old investigative team together,” she giggled, and I quickly joined in as memories of our childhood escapades flashed through my head.

  “Double A on the job,” I saluted her as I laughed. When I did, the baby shifted, and gave me a giant kick in the ribs. “Ooh,” I reached down, and rubbed where it had jabbed me.

  “Is it moving?” Ally’s body perked up at attention.

  “Yeah, Wanna feel?” I stood and moved to stand beside her. “Here,” I grabbed her hand and placed it on the side of my belly just as the baby moved again.

  She smiled as the baby moved around doing what felt like flips. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

  I shook my head. “No, the last time I went to the doctor they tried to see, but the baby isn’t being cooperative. Cole says it’s stubborn like me.”

  “It’s none of my business, but what does Alex think about you moving away with his baby?” Ally’s face went from playful to somb
er.

  “He doesn’t know,” I murmured as I sat down. “I don’t want anything from him. Not money, nothing.”

  “Angie, you need to tell him,” Ally sighed as she shook her head. “Even if you don’t ask for anything, he has a right to know.”

  “He slept with another woman in my bed. He accused me repeatedly of cheating on him. He doesn’t deserve anything. I’m going to raise this baby by myself,” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I thought you’d be on my side,” I mumbled. “I thought you’d understand.”

  “I do,” Ally glanced away to stare out the window. “I understand better than you think.”

  “Obviously not,” I grumbled as Ally bent down and rummaged through her purse. She pulled out her wallet and began thumbing through it.

  “This is Caleb,” she pushed a small wallet-sized photo across the table in front of me. “He’ll be one next month.”

  “Ally?” I blinked a few times as I stared at the picture of the cutest little pudgy baby. He had a tuft of inky black hair on the top of his head, and the brightest green eyes I’d ever seen. “When did this happened?”

  Ally rolled her eyes, “About a year ago. You can do math, right?”

  I shook my head as I continued to stare at the picture, “You know what I mean.”

  “Well,” she looked away as her words slipped out. “We really haven’t been that close since you went away. I didn’t think you cared.” I felt horrible that she didn’t think she could tell me. That she’d hid this, and now here we were discussing it as if it was no big deal. “Things have changed over the years for me. My mom’s been a big help, more help than I thought she’d be. There was no ‘I told you so’s’ that came after I got pregnant. She was there for me. We’ve made it work.”

  “Are you together with his father?” I pushed the picture back across the table.

  “Um. No. Caleb came from a one-night stand,” a guilty look flashed across her face as she tucked the picture back into her wallet. “At first, I was embarrassed that I didn’t even know his name, but then I realized what he’d given me… a beautiful baby boy. I tried for months to find the guy. Went back to the bar where we met. Hung around hoping to remember something from that night,” she tossed her hand in the air. “Nothing ever clicked. The fact that you know this baby belongs to Alex is a blessing. You can tell him or her when they’re older that they were created out of love. That you and Alex wanted them, that they weren’t a mistake,” she cringed when she uttered the last word. “You have it better than you think. What does Wes think about the baby?”

  “He claimed it didn’t bother him that I was pregnant. He said the baby would be loved, but now I’m not so sure I believe him. I can’t be with someone that just runs away like that. What if the baby grows attached to him, and then he just up and leaves one day because he gets upset? What do I tell my child?”

  “That’s not something I can answer for you,” Ally sighed. “You need to find him, talk to him, tell him these things, and then tell Alex he’s going to be a father. Trust me. Tell him you don’t want anything; you just wanted him to know. Let him decide where to go from there.”

  I nodded in acceptance, “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’m always right,” she laughed as she finished off her coffee, and turned to toss the cup. “Let’s go. I haven’t seen that fine brother of yours in ages.”

  “He’s with somebody now, and trust me, you aren’t getting between them. Cole is completely in love with Maddie. I’m surprised he hasn’t proposed.” I stood and tossed my cup.

  “Huh,” Ally nodded. “Maybe I can have a little fun with that.”

  I shook my head at her. “I needed this. Thanks for meeting me.”

  “Anytime sister, anytime,” she giggled as she held open the door and we escaped out into the afternoon sun.

  ooooooooo

  After leaving Cool Beans with Ally, we both decided to stop by McKay’s. I was hoping that with Ally’s help, we could convince Joey to spill the beans about where Wes was holed up. Ally always had a way of convincing people to tell her things that they didn’t want to share. It was like a few well-placed caresses, some soft spoken words, and guys would just melt for her.

  “Leave this to me,” she winked as we walked through door, and I pointed her in the direction of the front desk. She grinned at me over her shoulder and licked her lips.

  “So I’m interested in getting a membership, and my friend here told me this was a great place to work out,” Ally leaned against the counter to the front desk. Her elbows were on the edge, and the way she was leaning over the desk caused her breasts to squeeze together, and almost spill out of the top she was wearing.

  “Just a min…” Joey’s voice trailed off when his eyes lifted and he saw her. “Um,” he swallowed. “You need to fill this out,” he shoved a clipboard in her direction.

  “So,” she squinted her eyes as she stared at the nametag pinned to Joey’s shirt. I’d told her before we came in all about him, and how he kept shutting me down. I could see the cogs in her brain churning as she turned on the charm to full throttle. “Joey is it? Do you teach classes here?”

  “No, ma’am,” he blushed as she shifted on her feet so she could reach across the desk and trail a finger over one of his biceps. “We have several great personal trainers here,” he swallowed again as he looked down at where she was touching him. “Or you can sign up for a class.”

  “You seem to be in great shape, Joey,” Ally winked. “I bet you could teach me a thing or two,” she licked her lips before she looked toward the clipboard still on the counter. “If I join, can I pick who I want as my trainer?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he fumbled as he moved around behind the desk not really doing anything productive. I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched this comedy show unfold. I’d been in here so many times and had never seen Joey so scattered. Ally did know how to turn up the heat, but she seemed to really be enjoying this.

  “Please stop calling me, Ma’am,” she pouted. “You make me feel old. I bet I’m the same age as you,” her head tipped to the side. “Do I look old, Joey?”

  “No, ma…I mean,” he sighed and muttered something before glancing back at her. “I didn’t get your name.”

  “Oh, silly me!” she exclaimed. “It’s Alison. Alison Tanner, but you can call me Ally, everyone else does. So do I look old, Joey?”

  “No, Ally,” his eyes slowly skimmed down her body stopping at her breasts and then again at her hips. “You most certainly don’t look old.”

  “Thank you,” she grinned. “So Joey. If I want to book Wes as my trainer, how do I go about that?”

  Joey’s head dropped back, “I know what this is about,” he glared at me. “He doesn’t want anyone to know where he is. I was given strict orders not to tell anyone. He wanted to be left alone.”

  “But you can tell me. We’re old friends. I really need to talk to him about something,” Ally pouted, and I saw the crack that she was widening in Joey’s resolve.

  He huffed and shook his head. “Fine, but you didn’t hear this from me. He needs to get his ass back here anyway if he’s really going to do it. He’s at his lake cabin training.”

  “What?” I stepped closer, completely invested in the conversation. “Training for what?”

  “See? This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You’re going to get me fired,” Joey groaned.

  “No, I’m not,” Ally smiled. “He knows me. He knows what I can do. Tell him I forced you. He won’t fire you. Now, what are you talking about?”

  “This,” Joey slapped a flyer up on the counter. “Some guy came in here like three months ago and asked that I give this to the boss man. He said to make sure he read it. I did and he did. He packed his things two days later and left for the cabin. He hasn’t called or anything since. All I know is that Stephens, Incorporated is backing someone who’s supposed to win this thing. Boss man flew out of here on a mission. He said something about starting the fuck over
,” Joey lifted his hands to make air quotes. “Do you know what that means?”

  “He’s gonna do it,” I muttered.

  “What?” they both looked at me.

  “He’s getting back in the cage,” I grinned as I reached for the flyer. “Can I have this?” I didn’t wait for an answer, stuffed the flyer into my purse, and rushed for the door. I needed to get to that cabin and talk to him. I needed to be there to support him. He shouldn’t do this alone, not with Victoria backing the supposed winner. I needed to do for him like he did for me. The old Wes was finally waking up, and he was going to finally shut that bitch up. Vicki was going down, and I wanted a front row seat to watch.

  Chapter 25

  Angela

  “He’s pretty cute,” Ally giggled as we hugged in the parking lot. “I might actually come back here and sign up for classes.”

  “Wait until you meet his brother. He is a trainer here and WOW!” I widened my eyes as I nodded my head.

  “Brother, huh?” Ally laughed. “Sounds like you’ve got a backup plan if something doesn’t work out.”

  “Nah. Carson’s hot, but he’s no Wes McKay. You, on the other hand, have options. Keep them open,” I winked before climbing in my car. “I’m going to head out to see our Champ as soon as I pack a bag. Thanks for meeting me today, and we will not wait so long before the next time.”

  Definitely,” she laughed as she turned to head to her car. “Good luck, and don’t take no for an answer.”

  ooooooooo

  After stopping by Cole’s to pack a bag, I grabbed a few things from the local market for my drive up to Wes’ cabin, and then hit the road. Being out on the open highway was bittersweet. It reminded me of our trip across the country, only this time I was alone. My head spun as I tried to come up with reasons for doing what I was doing. I knew he’d flip out when I just showed up. I needed a good reason, and the fact that he kept walking away didn’t seem like a good enough one.