by L. P. Dover
COLIN WALKED IN looking worse than before.
“You guys weren’t fighting were you?” I scolded.
Ryley followed in behind him and came straight over to me, his muscles tense. “Maybe a little,” he confessed. “But it was for a good reason. Care to explain, Colin?”
Gabriella moved out of Colin’s way, so he could come to my other side. His green eyes looked down at me with angst and sadness. I could even feel it in his touch when he grabbed my hand. The last time he looked like that was when I broke up with him. “Ashleigh, there’s something I need to tell you and you’re not going to like it.”
Ryley nodded and held my other hand. From the look on Gabriella’s face, she had no clue what was going on.
“I love you, Ashleigh. I’ve loved you for a long time now. When you told me you were pregnant, I went a little nuts and thought I could get you back. But now I see that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured sadly. “I can’t help the way I feel. I hope you know I didn’t mean to hurt you, or lead you on after I broke things off.”
He nodded his head and looked away. “I know that now, but I did something stupid.”
“What?” My heart sped rapidly out of control and I began to feel sick. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I was afraid to find out and even more so when I heard his next words.
“I had no idea Camden was going to do what he did. If I’d known, I would’ve never agreed to help him.”
Jerking my hand away, I glared at him, eyes wide. “You can’t be serious? What do you mean you’ve been helping him? What have you done?”
Sheepishly, he glanced over at Ryley and Gabriella. “The video for starters,” he confessed. “Camden thought it would work. When he finished putting it together, I was the one who put it in your mailbox. After you stormed out, I figured you and Ryley would be over and you’d come back to me.”
“You watched me leave?” I gasped. “How could you do that to me?”
He looked over at Ryley, but Ryley stayed quiet and kept his eyes only on me. “I wanted you back, Ashleigh. I didn’t care how it happened, I just wanted you to know that I was better than him. He’s not going to love you the way I do.”
Now it was Ryley’s turn to snap. “I don’t think what you have is love, asshole. It’s more like obsession. If you really loved her, you wouldn’t have agreed to Camden’s next plot.”
Colin tensed and closed his eyes, but I smacked his hand to get his attention. “Look at me, Colin. What’s he talking about?”
He opened his eyes and tears fell down his cheeks. I’d never seen him cry. “Camden told me he could make something happen, and by being the obsessive asshole that I am, I agreed,” he said, glaring at Ryley then turning to me. “I told him about the baby and how it could be mine. But who was I kidding, I knew it was a long shot. I just wanted to believe I still had a chance. Except, when you and Ryley started getting close, I became desperate.”
“Desperate, my ass,” Gabriella snapped. “You made a deal with the fucking devil. Please tell me Bradley didn’t know about this. Because if he did, I’m going to wrap his balls around his neck and choke him.”
Quickly, he turned to her, holding up his hands. “No, I swear he didn’t know. Bradley has no idea about any of this.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and stepped back. “Keep going, Colin,” I interrupted impatiently. “What was Camden going to do next?”
Then tension pouring off of Ryley was enough to charge the air, it scared the shit out of me. When Colin’s head lifted, his dread felt like a tightly wrapped blanket surrounding me, suffocating me. “Camden was going to get someone to change the baby’s test results to make it look like the child was mine.”
As soon as he said it, the monitors around me went on alert. The sound echoed throughout the room and it was loud—annoyingly loud—but the pounding in my ears was louder. Ryley got to his feet and grabbed my face, trying to turn my sight away from the man who deceived me. “Calm down, angel,” he ordered soothingly. “You need to breathe.” I fought against his grasp and kept my piercing glare on Colin’s.
My heart sped out of control and I could feel the anxiety welling up in my chest. How could Colin do that? I didn’t even recognize him anymore. “How could you?” I cried, gritting my teeth. When he tried to touch me, I smacked his hand away and roughly swiped my eyes with my palms. I couldn’t see through the rage and tears.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Ashleigh. I’d do anything to take it all back.”
About that time, a nurse in pink scrubs barged into the room and rushed straight over to the machines. “My heavens, what in blazes is going on in here? You can’t be getting upset like this, Miss Warren. If the gentlemen can’t keep it together I’m going to have to request they leave. The doctor is about to come in and examine you and we don’t need you upset.” She turned around and glared at both of the men.
“No, I’m okay,” I replied, taking a deep breath. “One of them was just leaving.” My attention fell onto Colin and his face fell.
“What about the baby?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter—” I stopped in mid-sentence. The nurse was fixing the machine, and I really didn’t want her or the whole floor hearing our personal business. “I don’t want to look at you anymore, please leave.”
The nurse kept her head down and bustled out of the room.
“You can’t keep me away, Ash. What if it is mine?”
Anger boiled through my veins, and thankfully, Ryley was on the other side of the bed or he would’ve punched the shit out of him. When he tried to step around Gabriella, she blocked his path. “Colin, I want you to leave,” I growled venomously. “It’s over, all of it. I don’t want to see or talk to you right now. If you don’t leave this second, I’m going to get security up here and throw you out.”
“Or better yet, I’d be happy to do it,” Ryley thundered.
Colin stared down at me in complete and utter despair.
“I’ll have Gabby text you when we find out the baby belongs to Ryley. That way, you’ll have your confirmation.”
Nodding, he backed away toward the door. “I love you, Ashleigh.”
I averted my head and looked down at the floor. There was no way I could love him after what he did. I didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened if Camden succeeded in changing the results. It would have affected not only us, but the baby as well. The door opened and he looked at me one more time before shutting the door. He was gone and I never wanted to see him again.
“I seriously can’t believe this shit,” Gabriella exclaimed.
Ryley bent down and brushed the hair off my face. “Are you okay?”
I latched onto his hand and held it to my cheek. “No, but hopefully, I will be soon.”
The door opened and I was afraid it was going to be Colin again. Thankfully, it wasn’t. “Good evening,” a voice called out.
Ryley moved back, giving me full view of the lady at the foot of my bed. She was a middle-aged woman with auburn hair, dressed in green scrubs and a white lab coat. Hopefully, she was the doctor. I couldn’t see her name tag clearly.
“Good evening,” I replied back.
She came around to the side of the bed and held out her hand, a genuine smile splayed across her face. “I’m Dr. Clarice Morgan. I’ll be the one taking care of you tonight.”
“Ashleigh,” I said, taking her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. Although, I hate we have to meet on these terms.” She then shook Ryley’s and Gabriella’s hands before immersing herself in my chart. “It says here you haven’t seen your gynecologist yet, but your urine results confirm you are indeed pregnant.”
I nodded. “Yes. I had an appointment to see my doctor in Aspen, but then I came back here and had to cancel. I’ve been trying to take care of myself though.”
Dr. Morgan smiled and set the chart down on the table. “Have you had any more pains since yo
u’ve been here?”
“It comes and goes, but it intensifies when I’m upset.”
“I see.” She moved closer but then glanced over at Gabriella and Ryley, then back to me. “I’m going to do your exam now. You’re more than welcome to have your guests stay.”
“Actually,” Gabriella interrupted. “I’m going to step outside. I think this time needs to be with just them.” She smiled at me and nodded toward the door. “I’m just out here.”
After she disappeared and shut the door, the doctor proceeded. “All right, Miss Warren, if you wouldn’t mind moving down as far as you can for me, please.” At the edge of the bed, she pulled out the stirrups and my gut clenched. I hated those things. I’d heard that by the time you deliver a baby, you’re used to airing your hoo-ha to every stranger donning a white coat, but I wasn’t there yet.
I scooted down to the edge and put my feet in the holders. Dr. Morgan stayed by my side and lifted the hospital gown above my stomach and placed her hands on me. It hurt when she pressed down, but it wasn’t bad. My muscles were tight, tender. As soon as she was done, she strolled over to the sink and washed her hands before putting on a pair of gloves. Standing between my legs, she squirted the lubricating jelly on her fingers and gently inserted them. Tensing, I looked up at Ryley and he reassured me by giving a small smile. Once she was done feeling around, she removed her gloves and lowered my gown.
“The good thing is, you’re not bleeding. If you ever have pains with bleeding, you need to call immediately. So far, everything looks normal. We’re going to do an ultrasound to make sure though.” She opened my chart and started jotting down notes. “From what I could tell, it looks like you’re around eight weeks along.”
Eight weeks? If that was correct . . . Ryley was definitely the father. Breathing a sigh of relief, I relaxed and grinned up at him. I could tell he was relieved too. “So when would my due date be?” I asked.
She pulled out some kind of chart from her pocket and studied it. “Well, let’s just see now. It looks like you’ll be due on February the seventh, but the ultrasound will confirm.”
I gasped and so did Ryley. “Are you serious?” he asked.
It was his birthday. Needless to say, it was Camden’s as well, but I didn’t give a shit about that. What I did care about was that our child could be born on the same day Ryley came into the world.
Dr. Morgan chuckled, “Let me guess, it’s your birthday?” He beamed and nodded his head. “It’s crazy how that happens sometimes.” She stared down at me and grew serious. “I’m going to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Make sure you take one every day.
“Also, these pains you’re having seem to be just your typical pregnancy pains. When mothers get stressed, sometimes the pain increases, especially now that your body is stretching and expanding to accommodate your little one. Try to minimize the stress. I can’t tell you enough how important that is. Stay away from your triggers. We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“It won’t,” I replied.
“Good.” Grabbing my file, she smiled at us both and stopped by the door. “I’ll be back after the ultrasound to answer any more questions you might have. I’ll let Karen know you’re ready.” When she left it was like the entire burden had been lifted off my shoulders. It was an amazing feeling.
Karen ended up being a short, rotund lady with the funniest laugh I’d ever heard. When she saw Ryley, she immediately blushed and couldn’t stop talking to him. It ended up being that she recognized him because her son watched UFC fights all of the time.
“My son will never believe I met you,” she giggled. The ultrasound machine was ready and I silently groaned when she whipped out a wand that looked like a long, freaking penis. She even rolled what looked to be a condom down over it.
“All right, sweetheart, this might be a bit uncomfortable and cold, but at least you get to see your little one for the first time.” The monitor sprung to life and I winced when she slid the wand inside me. It didn’t hurt, but it felt odd being probed by a woman with Ryley in the room. His focus was just on the screen. However, I had no clue what the hell I was looking at.
Karen turned the monitor up and I shrieked when I heard the rapid beating sound. “Oh my God . . . is that?”
She chuckled and nodded. “Yes it is, sweetie. That’s your baby’s heartbeat.”
Tears sprung to my eyes and my lips trembled. Even Ryley appeared teary-eyed, but I could tell he held them back.
“Let’s see if we can get you some pictures of your little peanut,” she said. Tilting the wand this way and that, she stopped and pressed a button at various times.
It wasn’t until she gasped that my body froze and Ryley tensed. “What’s wrong?” I asked quickly.
Karen’s eyes went wide and so did her lips, her face beaming. “Oh, dear me, nothing’s wrong at all. It looks to me like you have not one, but two little peanuts in there. Look.” She pointed at the screen and right there, in clear sight, she pointed out the babies snuggled side by side.
“Twins,” I whispered.
Karen winked up at Ryley. “It looks like it runs in the family. Congratulations, you two.”
I was in shock. Two? I wasn’t sure I was ready for one, but now there were two? It was surreal. After Karen printed off our pictures and handed them to Ryley, she left the room.
He stared at them in silence. I watched him through the tears in my eyes, until he set the pictures down and leaned over me, brushing my tears away with the pads of this thumbs. His eyes were heated, but also full of torment . . . rage.
“Angel, I don’t know what to say or what to do. I’m so goddamned furious with my brother for trying to take all of this away from me. I’d give anything to hunt him down right now. If we’d lost our babies because of him . . .”
“Shh,” I whispered, bringing him down to my lips. “The babies are fine. I’m pissed off too, but you’ll get your chance to make him pay. And since I don’t need you getting carted off to jail right now, I’d prefer you save it for the ring.”
He lowered his forehead to mine and breathed me in. “I love you so fucking much, you know that?”
“Yes, and I love you too.”
“As soon as we get out of here, we’re going back to my house and packing up our shit. I’m not staying there. We need to leave or I’m going to go after him and there’s no telling what I’d do. It goes against my nature not to protect . . . I failed to protect you.”
“No, you didn’t,” I murmured. “We didn’t know your brother was going to do what he did. You can’t blame yourself.”
I could see his internal struggle. He didn’t want to leave, but he felt he had no choice. He wanted to go after his brother, but stayed to take care of me. In a way I wanted him to go after Camden and just beat the shit out of him for what he did. But in the long run, what would that accomplish? Camden would still be the same.
I WAS EXHAUSTED by the time we rushed to Ryley’s house and packed a week’s worth of clothing. Thankfully, he decided to drive the four hours it took to get to his cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. If not, I would’ve fallen asleep at the wheel since it was so late at night. It didn’t shock me when I woke up in his bed with the sun shining through the window. It was already eleven o’clock in the morning. Holy hell, I can’t believe I slept so long. We were in his cabin and it felt more like home to me than anywhere else I’d ever been. Even his home in Los Angeles didn’t feel like a true home. Maybe it was because Camden made me feel violated there.
I heard him moving around downstairs, so I got out of bed and changed into a pair of yoga pants and one of my favorite USC T-shirts. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted up the stairs and my stomach growled. I was so hungry.
“I’m sorry I slept the morning away,” I called as I was halfway down the stairs. “You should’ve woken me up.” When I turned the corner to the kitchen, I gasped. There was someone in the kitchen, but it definitely wasn’t Ryley. “Oh my God, I’
m sorry. I thought you were Ryley.”
The old lady turned to me and chuckled before spooning a helping of eggs and a couple of pieces of bacon onto a plate. Her hair was as white as snow and pulled back in a low ponytail. She reminded me so much of my grandmother back home. Even though her skin was wrinkled with time, she was still beautiful—almost angelic.
“No worries, dear. He’s actually outside in the garage. He spent all morning working out in there. The poor boy has a lot on his mind.”
That he does.
She pointed to the table and set the plate down, along with a fork and a glass of orange juice. I sat down and took a deep breath. The food smelled amazing.
“I have homemade biscuits in the oven. They should be done soon.” Taking a seat across from me, she smiled and reached for her coffee. “I guess I should introduce myself . . . I’m Ryley’s grandmother, but you can call me Mamaw. That’s what he calls me. I should also mention that we all heard about what happened.
“Ryley called us this morning and told us you were here in town, so that’s why I thought I’d come by and visit. His mother will be stopping by this afternoon. We’re all excited about the grandbabies though.”
“Oh wow, so I guess he did tell you everything,” I remarked, scooping a forkful of eggs into my mouth.
Laughing, she drank the rest of her coffee and got up when the timer went off on the stove. She pulled out the biscuits and put one on a plate with a spoonful of butter. “Yes, dear, he tells me everything. I remember the day he came up here and sat on the porch all day . . . even when it began down pouring.” After handing me the plate, she sat back down and frowned. “I had never seen him quite so upset. He wouldn’t talk about it, but I finally coerced it out of him. I’m glad you two found your way back to each other. I was growing rather tired of his bachelor ways.”
My heart constricted and it took all the strength I had to swallow my eggs. I could only imagine what day that was. But what was even crazier was I used to do the same thing in Aspen. I would sit on the back deck and stare off into the distance, letting my mind wander. Even when it rained, I could imagine I was back here, making love outside. Sometimes I could even feel him touching me.
