“You know, Ray, I’d rather be unemployed than to work for a jackass like you. Don’t worry. You’ll get to read the interview but it’ll be for a much bigger publication.” She put her phone in her pocket and turned her back to him, only to find the secretary and some of the other staff staring at her from the doorway. “Excuse me,” she said. They parted for her to pass, not one person even whispering a word as she strolled with her head held high out the door.
*****
It took Grace every ounce of energy to not pick up the phone to call Rally in another attempt to explain what she had meant. When she wasn’t fighting the temptation to make contact, she daydreamed about a life with him and Addison. Maybe being a mommy to a beautiful little girl wasn’t so bad. A stab of pain in her heart reminded her that she didn’t have that option anymore. Her job hunt kept her busy, but even so, avoiding calling him had turned into a chore.
Oh well. There wasn’t anything she could do about it all now. Time to move forward. She’d gotten a call three days ago for an interview at a local AM sports radio show with a huge Internet following. She aced the interview and had to return for the employment paperwork. To her dismay, they wanted her to cover all sports instead of specializing in boxing. She took the job with the consolation prize of eliminating the probability of running into Rally at a match. Since they were covering more than one sport, they had several journalists to fly to the different event. Her first assignment required her to drive to San Diego to cover a charity was only in a few days and she hoped she pulled it off. If nothing else, she got a weekend trip to the beautiful location. A lot of work and some relaxation in paradise sounded perfect to her. Maybe-even if just for the weekend-she will get Rally out of her heart.
Chapter Eleven
Rally stood in front of the big screen, watching his last Las Vegas match, making mental notes on what to do differently and where he excelled at as he always did after a fight. Addison looked tiny in his arms and felt like a feather as she slept with her cheek pressed against his chest.
Fern stood silently behind him, folding a load of Addison’s laundry. Even though she was always around the house he insisted on taking care of Addison. Fern usually provided great company, though. Her attitude turned sullen last week and continued to worsen by the day. Where had the bouncy, happy nanny gone? Now on most days, she stood quietly, not truly showing any joy unless he snuck in her playing with Addison. She never once showed unhappiness with his baby girl. Just him. Was she homesick and didn’t have the heart to tell him? Hell. He didn’t know what he’d do without Fern. She was certainly his lifesaver. Tonight might be a good time to talk to her. If he could get her to open up about her troubles, they’d have it straightened out before traveling to California tomorrow. He didn’t want trouble between them on the trip. Being in the hotel was hard enough without having added tension between them. Besides, he loved Fern. She’d become part of the family and he didn’t want her to go back to Bristol. No, talking to her couldn’t wait for tonight. This needed clearing up as soon as possible.
“Hey, Fern,” he said, “Can we have lunch together after I put Addison in the crib? I really would like to talk to you about something.”
“Um, sure. I guess. Let me put these away.” She scooped the pile of clothes and hurried down the hall to Addison’s room.
When she returned, he asked, “Let’s order in. Loo’s delivers quickly. What sounds good?”
She shrugged. “Whatever you’re having. Just double it.”
The doorbell chimes rang loudly through the house. Rally put a hand over Addison’s ears to avoid waking her.
He mouthed, “Can you get that?” at Fern, who dropped the laundry basket back on the couch and hurried down the hall.
A few minutes later, Fern returned, a frown etched at the corners of her mouth. “Someone’s here. I have her waiting in your office.” She scooped Addison out of Rally’s arms, and said, “I’ll put her to bed.”
He took long strides to his room and slid into a better set of clothes than I’m-a-bum-on-my-day-off appearance that sweats and no shirt often gave him. But who was there to see him? It had to be Grace. He didn’t have any other women making social calls. And whoever it was, had Fern on edge. He shrugged and went to the office.
Rally smoothed his palms down his navy blue polo shirt as he stared at the office door. She was in there… waiting for him. What would the greeting be like? A smooth apology was the best idea. Damn, he missed her. The past week had been hell on him. To the gym every freakin’ day, pretending to be okay only wore him out. A quick ‘I’m sorry’ and then they could move past this break up. He’d even accept an idea of ‘working on things’. He just wanted to hold her in his arms and make everything right again.
He sucked in his breath and held it for a moment. After letting it out again, the tremble in his hands stopped. Finally ready to face her, he turned the knob and stepped inside. The five foot, ten inch woman with those long, tanned legs made his breath catch in his chest and him to stop in mid-stride. She stood with her back toward him, arms crossed over her chest as she stared out the window that overlooked a lush park behind his house. A snug strapless dress hugged her curves. Sure, he had to admit that the mother of his child was beautiful, but that didn’t make him like her. Those days had vanished two years ago. He only entered the room far enough to clear the threshold and lean against the doorframe. When he cleared his throat to get her attention, she didn’t turn around. She needed to tell him whatever she came to say and then get the hell out of his office.
“Stella.” Each letter tasted like acid on his tongue. “How did you find us? My information is unlisted for a reason.”
“Rally.” She finally turned, training her blue eyes on him. A sweater draped from her arm.
He clasped one hand over the other. Even though he knew he looked casual in the way he leaned, his tone was cold as he said, “Only friends, family, and fans call me Rally. You don’t fall under any of those categories, so the name is Ralph to you.”
She flinched at the comment. Her mouth twisted down in a frown as she held a hand out to him. “Ralph, don’t you miss me?” She took a step forward. A strand of long, black hair that he’d once loved to run his fingers through fell against her bare shoulder. She said, “I know I miss you.”
Him? She shouldn’t be missing him! He stood straight and squared his shoulders while his glare connected with the soft gaze she kept. “You miss me? What about your daughter? Have you thought for one second that maybe Addison needs a mother?”
“I do, but…” her voice trailed off as she turned toward the row of pictures sitting on his filing cabinet.
“But what, Stella? Haven’t you thought about your daughter for one second since you handed her over to me in the hospital?”
She nodded as she picked up Rally’s favorite picture of his little girl. Halloween of last year. He’d dressed his baby as a princess for a party at Elliot’s house. She’d been the only baby there but nobody cared. His friends all loved her and had become ‘uncles’ to her.
“Put my stuff down and answer my question.”
She replaced Addison’s picture and swung on her heels to face him. “Fine. You have a nanny for her and it’s pretty much the same thing as having a mother.”
An angry heat swarmed his cheeks and spread down the base of his neck. “Her nanny does love her, but it’s nowhere near the same type of love she’d get from her mom. Tell me what the hell you want, Stella, and then get out of my house.”
She reached out for him again, but he backed away from her touch. “Please, Ralph. I miss you and made a big mistake. I want you and the baby back in my life.” A tear glistened in the corner of her eye and dropped onto her makeup covered cheek. “I can be the wife you want and deserve. The mother that the baby needs. I will really marry you this time.”
“Bullshit!” He turned to escape her pleas. “See yourself out, Stella.”
He expected her to weep alone in his office as h
e stalked down the hallway and entered his private gym. Needing to let out some stress by hitting something, this was the perfect place for him to be. He threw the door shut behind him, only it didn’t bang like it should’ve. Glancing over his shoulder, he found Stella, tears flowing down her cheeks and holding the door open.
“Why didn’t you leave?” Her tears only made him even more furious. They’d worked on him at one time in his life, not anymore. He slipped his hands into his gloves and fastened each Velcro strap to hold them in place.
“We need to talk.”
“You said enough.” He hurried to the punching back and did a right punch. A left jab. He put all his strength into each hit, he was surprised he didn’t knock the bag down from where it hung on the ceiling.
“I haven’t even started,” she said.
“Yes you did. When you told me you decided not to be a mother, you had nothing to say after. Nothing I wanted to hear, anyway.” Another series of jabs. His biceps pulled with each hit, his knuckles burned under the impact. Hate fueled his rage.
He glanced over his shoulder where she stood, hands on her perfect hips. Addison would probably look perfect just like her. His baby girl already had her big, blue eyes, bronze colored skin, and a dimple on each cheek. He hit the bag again.
There had been so many nights when he’d been up feeding Addison after a full day of training. He’d been so damned exhausted and would’ve done almost anything to have a mother there to help him. And here she was. One little word would pull her right back into his family. Was she trainable to be a mother? Could a woman lacking the motherly instincts develop them at a later time? He glanced back at her again. But even if she decided she wanted to be a mother to Addison, she’d left once before and being parent was the hardest thing he’d ever done. What’s to say she wouldn’t walk out when shit got hard with Addison again? If Stella did, there wasn’t a damn thing Rally could do about it. He’d thought he’d gotten over any bad feelings toward her but couldn’t deny them any longer. He hated Stella.
“You don’t understand.” Her words were barely heard over the sounds of his fists against the leather.
“I understand enough. You came to me when you found out you were pregnant. I moved you in with me and helped you through the pregnancy. You even claimed that you loved me and wanted to get married. True or false?” It was true. All of it. He’d woke up every morning and cooked her a healthy breakfast. He’d read children’s books to her belly at night because research showed that babies could hear in the womb. He’d wanted to be the best damned dad possible. And he fell in love with her more each day.
She swiped at her tears. “I guess that’s true.”
Another round of punches. “And then you went into labor, so I rushed you to the hospital and stayed there through the entire delivery. True or false?” He’d held her hand, told her when to breathe and to push. He’d fed her ice chips to keep her hydrated and massaged her temples when she’d gotten a headache. Then he had cut the umbilical cord and took pictures of Addison while the nurses cleaned her.
“That’s true. All of it is true, Ralph. Why are we going over this again?”
“Because you said I don’t understand. So what happened then?” He gave a sharp laugh. “Oh yeah, I remember. Tell me if this is correct. After Addison was cleaned and checked by the doctor, the nurse brought her over to you and placed her in your arms. You looked down at her.” He’d expected Stella to instantly fall in love with the beautiful baby girl and he held the camera up, ready to take that first photo of them together, knowing that they were going to have many more in the future. But Stella didn’t fall in love with Addison as Rally had. “Your face was scrunched up as you stared at her as if she was nothing more than a fucking bug! Then you looked up at me, Stella, and you told me to take the baby. You wouldn’t even call her by her name.”
Stella hung her head in what Rally could guess was shame, so he continued with his side of the story, his voice rising in anger. “You said you didn’t want her. Being a mother didn’t fit in your plans. You wanted to party. You wanted to transition from being a stripper to a show girl. You wanted a life, Stella. Motherhood didn’t offer that. Neither was being a wife. You said that I could do with her whatever I chose. You’d sign any paper necessary.” He put all of his strength behind the next two punches and then turned to her. Defeated, he dropped his hands down to his sides. “True or false?”
“You know it’s true, but you-”
“It’s my fault this happened? I don’t regret anything, Stella, because I love my daughter with everything I am. I don’t even regret fucking or falling in love with a stripper.”
“Rally. It’s not like that. Please,” she begged. Her words sounded like he’d made her realize what she’d done wrong, but her mouth twisted in a scowl.
“Then I understand completely, Stella, that you are a cold-hearted bitch. You need to leave my house. Now!”
When she didn’t budge from her spot. He slid the gloves off his hands and wrapped a hand around her wrist, holding on tight enough to get her to follow without hurting her. He refused to say another word as he led her down the hall and to the front door, her heels clicking against the wood floor as they went. He swung the door open.
“Bye, Stella.”
“I want to see her. Let me peek in her nursery, at least.” A sob broke out. “I won’t talk to… the baby. I promise.”
“You can’t even force yourself to say her name! Get out.” He wished she was there for the right reasons, but he’d fallen for her games before. He refused to let her use his little girl as a pawn. Stella wouldn’t say Addison’s name but wanted to see her? Rally wasn’t that stupid.
“It’s my right. I’m her mother.”
He laughed this time. “You signed those rights away at the hospital. Remember?” He’d known then that Stella would regret that decision one day in the future. The future had come quick, though. He kicked the door shut and twisted the deadbolt.
He watched Stella walk across the porch. She turned back for a second and dropped a magazine that had been hidden under her sweater onto the porch before rushing down the sidewalk to her beat-up car parked at the curb. It wasn’t too late to call her back. One word would send her running into his arms. Her ass looked outstanding as she gave it an extra little bounce while she sashayed around the front of her car to the driver’s side. She stared up at the bedroom window, but he couldn’t make out her features. Was she sad? Did she miss her baby girl who Stella thought was sleeping in the room above him? Before he could even move a foot, Stella flipped her middle finger up at the upstair’s window. She moved her hand in the direction of the front door. Did she see him in there, peeking out at her? She must’ve because she screamed, “And fuck you, too, Ralph. Fuck you to hell in back.”
Rally put a hand to his forehead and leaned against the door. The strength he had been forced to muster suddenly drained, making him sink down to the floor. He might not ever find a woman who accepted him having a child before marriage. Even though every part of him ached to have Grace back in his arms, knowing that he’d chosen his daughter over anyone when given the ultimate test made him proud of himself.
A door opened at the back part of the house. Fern emerged from the hallway, the same frown from earlier was displayed on her face while her shoulders slumped forward. She sat down on the floor next to him and leaned against the door.
“I’m not hungry,” she said.
“Neither am I.”
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Still want to talk?”
“Yes.” Did he even have the energy to deal with all of this after Stella’s reappearance into his life? He wasn’t sure. “What’s bothering you? Don’t tell me nothing because I know you better than that.”
She inhaled and slowly exhaled before answering. “Well, I’m just worried about your new girlfriend.”
He never told anyone that he had started a relationship with Grace. “Why are you worried?”
/> “Because you’ll have more help around here. You might not need me anymore.” She covered her eyes with her hand. “I love you and Addison. Please don’t send me back home.”
He pulled her into a hug. “We love you, too, Fern. You’re part of our family. Just so you know, I don’t have a girlfriend. Even if I did have one, I wouldn’t send you back to England.”
“Thank you, Rally.”
“And for the record, this is your home.”
She pulled from the hug. “So who was that woman?”
“Addison’s mother.”
She turned to him, eyes wide. “What? No flippin’ way.”
He nodded and then stood. “It really was. Don’t worry, she won’t be back.”
“She sure is beautiful.” Fern got to her feet.
“Too bad she doesn’t have a heart to match the beauty. Speaking of that, she threw something on our porch. I should grab it.” He paused with his hand on the knob. “Can you call Loo’s and order us some food? I just figured out that I’m hungry.”
“Absolutely.” She went into the kitchen to grab Loo’s menu.
Rally hurried outside and snatched the Boxers United Magazine from the front step. A picture of himself smiled at the camera. What the hell? The headline plastered across the front page, A Ringside Love Affair. He scrubbed his hand over his eyes and looked back at the magazine. Yep, still there. He flipped open the magazine to the center article. The byline had Grace’s full name. He scanned the story, picking up inconsistencies throughout the story of how they met. The article claimed that she was interviewing him and he’d asked her out on a date. No broken nose. No lunch to pay for the ruined outfit. Nothing rang true.
He went to the next section of the article. According to this piece of trash, they spent their evenings at fancy restaurants where he wooed her and then spent the nights locked up in his room. The only truth of the article was the street he lived on. So that’s how Stella found him. He stopped reading and crunched the magazine in his fist.
Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom Page 25
