by L. P. Dover
“I’m really not looking forward to this,” I grumbled as we got out of the car and walked into the station.
“Me neither.”
When we got up to the desk, there was a middle-aged lady in her uniform with short, bright red hair, and a sour expression on her face. “Um … hi, I’m Gabriella Reynolds. I’m here to pick up Colin Parker and Bradley Thompson.”
“And I’m here to pick up Camden Jameson,” Ryley finished.
The woman behind the desk pursed her lips and fiddled through the files on her desk. “Ah, yes, the guys responsible for the bar fight. Thankfully, no one was hurt. There was some destruction of property, which Mr. Jameson was ready and willing to pay for. Other than that, and a few bruises, they’re all free to go.”
“I understand,” I said. “Thank you.”
They were probably going to get a few more bruises after I was done with them.
Picking up the phone, she told the person on the other line who she needed. About five minutes later, all three guys walked up to the front, pissed off and glowering at each other. It was definitely going to be an interesting ride back to the hotel; I most definitely needed to call a cab.
Camden looked smug as always, but this time he had a swollen left eye. Instead of acknowledging him, I kept my gaze on Bradley and Colin, my arms crossed at the chest. They’d ruined a perfectly good night for me.
Bradley had a busted lip, but other than that he looked fine; however, he wouldn’t look at me, which I found to be odd. Colin, on the other hand, had a busted right eye and bruised cheek, but at least he seemed appreciative.
“Thanks for coming, Gabby.”
“It was no problem, but it might’ve been a better idea if you’d called Ashleigh. Surely it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Bradley scoffed and immediately glared over at Camden, who pretended to be bored. Huffing, I turned to Camden and snapped, “What did you say to them?”
His lip turned up in a mischievous smirk. “I was just having a little fun. I didn’t realize they would be so sensitive. I mean, the stuff about Ashleigh was just a joke, but I didn’t realize that cocksucker over there was going to lose his shit when he saw you fighting. Speaking of which, you were fucking hot up there.”
Oh my God! He knows!
Bradley growled low and lunged, but Colin caught him in time and held him back, pushing him toward the door. “Dude, we’re in the police station for fuck’s sake. Don’t be a moron!”
Ryley pushed Camden to the door while I followed them out, my stomach in knots. Now Bradley knew that I’d lied when I told him I wanted to stay in and go to bed. What’s worse was that I had never told him I knew how to fight, or even let him know how close to that world I was. He was angry at me, and now we were back at square one.
When we got outside, I called for a cab knowing very well there was no way I could be confined in a car with all four of them. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you guys back?” Ryley asked.
“No, the last thing we need is another fight on our hands. There’s been too many tonight.”
Ryley and Camden sauntered off toward the Chevy Tahoe; meanwhile me, Colin, and Bradley stood outside of the station, waiting on our cab. I had been caught in a lie and I honestly had no idea what to say or how to make him understand. This time I really screwed up.
Both guys sat down on the curb in silence, looking at anything but me. “Again, thank you for coming to get us,” Colin remarked appreciatively.
“You’re welcome,” I answered, taking a seat in between them. “Why isn’t Ashleigh with you?”
“She wasn’t feeling good and said she wanted to stay behind.”
Bradley growled, “Yeah, kind of like someone else I know. Oh, but wait, you lied, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but at least I’m here to get you out,” I snapped. “Look, I’m sorry I lied to you, but I didn’t know what else to do. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
Colin stood and pointed to the cab that pulled into the parking lot. “I’m going to go wait in the cab. I’ll leave you two to talk it out here.”
When Colin got into the car and out of earshot, Bradley turned his angry caramel gaze my way. “How do you know I wouldn’t understand? You have all of these preconceived notions in your head, but in reality you have no clue.”
“No clue?” I scoffed. “You and Colin hate my friends. It was kind of hard to tell you that I was choosing to hang out with them over you. I didn’t want to—”
“Didn’t want to what? Hurt my feelings?”
Sighing, I closed my eyes and nodded reluctantly. His mocking tone was answer enough; I only wanted to protect him.
“All I needed was the truth, Gabriella. I care enough about you to embrace that part of your life. If I wasn’t so pissed that you lied to me, I might’ve enjoyed watching you in the ring, but you didn’t give me that chance.”
He got to his feet and I followed suit, wanting desperately for him to look at me, but he wouldn’t. My chest hurt knowing that this was the final blow; he wouldn’t take anymore after this and I didn’t blame him. I just wished he knew how much I hated not being able to be with him the way he wanted to be.
“Tomorrow morning I’m flying back to Los Angeles.”
Wide-eyed, I gasped. “Why are you leaving so soon? We’re not supposed to go back until Sunday.”
He shrugged and finally looked down at me, his gaze guarded and hard as stone. “Yeah, well, I don’t exactly feel like celebrating with someone who only wishes she was doing something else. I obviously don’t fit into your world.”
“So this is it? This is how it’s going to end with us?”
Walking over to the cab, he went to the other side and opened the door, glaring at me. “I don’t see it any other way, Gabriella. It’s how it has to be.”
As much as I wanted to deny it and save what we had, he was most likely right. Maybe it was for the best.
Me: Happy Birthday, Tyler
Tyler: Thanks, baby. Are you sure you can’t come to the party tonight?
Me: I have plans, I’m sorry. :/ I’ll see you at the fight tomorrow night, though.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go back with us today?” Ashleigh asked as we sat eating our breakfast. I’d ordered an egg and cheese omelet with green peppers, while she had a plate full of French toast and strawberries.
Not only was Bradley going back to Los Angeles, but Colin and Ashleigh had decided to go back, too. “No, I think I’m going to stay here and watch the guys fight tomorrow night. I might as well since I’m here,” I replied nonchalantly.
“Okay, but you better stay out of trouble. No fights. It’s bad enough the guys got into one, and with Camden no less,” Ashleigh thundered, sipping her orange juice. “And then you with that girl. I heard the video was pretty awesome.”
“Oh, it has to be. You’d be proud of me, I kicked her ass.”
She was asleep by the time Colin snuck into their room, but he’d woken her up and told her the truth so she wouldn’t wake up and see the bruises on his face. It was definitely a smart move on his part.
“I’m sorry your night got cut short with having to go to the station,” Ashleigh murmured.
“Oh, it’s okay,” I replied, waving her off. “Colin said you weren’t feeling well, so they called me. They didn’t want to bother you while you were sleeping.”
Clearing her throat, she reached for her orange juice and took another sip. “I guess it’s a good thing because there’s no way I could’ve picked them up last night. I think I got food poisoning. I had a craving for cookie dough, so Colin and I went to the store and picked some up. It didn’t settle well with me, so I told the guys just to go on and celebrate.”
“Ugh … I hate food poisoning. Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” I teased, taking a bite of my omelet.
Keeping her head down, she clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. The bite of omelet I had just taken felt like a brick as it traveled down my throat. “Oh my
God,” I whispered, feeling sick to my stomach.
A tear slid down her cheek and I immediately rushed over, knelt beside her, and grasped her hands. “Are you?” I asked. “Please tell me it’s Colin’s. The last thing you need is for the baby to be Ryley’s.”
Even though we were almost out of college, Colin would be a great father … responsible. I loved Ryley to death, but he wasn’t ready to be a father, not in the least. What’s even worse was that just last night I remembered Ryley telling me about how he had sex with her one time without a condom.
I had no clue if she’d done that with Colin yet or not. For months I’d told her to get back on the pill, but she said they made her nauseous. They made me a little moody, but there was no way I was going to stop taking them.
This whole trip was just like a Jerry Springer show and now it had just gotten even more scandalous. I had the girl fight, the secret lover, and now she was the one who needed the baby’s daddy test.
“I don’t know,” she cried. “I’m a week late. I haven’t even taken a test.”
“Why not? Don’t you want to know? This is serious, Ashleigh. The guys need to know if you’re pregnant.”
She wiped away her tears and lifted her head, her face going pale as she stared over my shoulder. Quickly, I turned to look. There behind me was none other than Ryley, his face just as pale as Ashleigh’s.
“Holy shit, you have got to be kidding me?” I gasped incredulously. “Talk about not so perfect timing … again.”
Ryley froze in place, staring at Ashleigh and her at him. That was not the way he needed to find out, but there was no changing it now.
“Ryley, hey,” I murmured soothingly, getting to my feet. I took his hand and guided him to the table; he looked like he was in shock. “You need to sit down, okay? I know this is a lot to take in.”
He didn’t even acknowledge me, but kept his gaze on Ashleigh. “We need to get you a test,” he ordered, “like now. Were you even going to tell me?”
Ashleigh covered her face and sobbed. “I don’t know. It’s all happening so fast. I’m just a week late, that’s it. I may not even be pregnant.”
“But you could be,” he snapped worriedly, “and with my child.”
Ashleigh scoffed, “And what if it is yours, huh? What exactly would you do with a baby?”
Ryley swallowed hard and sat there, completely silent, unsure. Rolling her eyes, Ashleigh shook her head and flung her hands in the air. “And that’s what I thought.”
“All right you two, there’s no reason to snap at each other,” I hissed. Then, turning to Ashleigh, I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Why don’t you go to my room while Ryley and I get you a test? That way we can find out what’s going on.”
Lips trembling, she stood on shaky legs, but Ryley jumped up and steadied her. “What about Colin? I have to tell him,” she cried.
“Right now, the last thing you need is Ryley and Colin in the same room tearing each other apart while you pee on a stick. Let’s take the test and go from there. Now go to my room and relax until we get back … and make sure you drink lots of water.”
Ryley let her go, and watched her walk away with a pained expression on his face. “What the fuck am I going to do, Gabby? I’m not good enough to be a father.”
Placing my hands on his cheeks, I tilted his face down so he’d look at me. However, he averted his gaze. “Don’t do that, Ryley. I need you to look at me.” When he finally turned those wary blue eyes to mine, I continued, “This isn’t the end of the world. We don’t even know if she’s pregnant, and if she is it could easily be Colin’s.”
“It doesn’t matter, Gabby. We’d still have to wait the nine months before we could find out. In the meantime, our lives would be hell.”
“We all have to live with our choices, Ryley, and sometimes they come with consequences. Even in the heat of the moment you have to be responsible. Remember that next time.”
“Believe me, it’ll never happen again.”
After quickly buying a box of pregnancy tests at the nearest store, we went back to my room. There, we found Ashleigh on my bed, curled into a ball and sniffling. Her face, nose, and eyes were all blood red; she looked horrible. After handing her the bag, she opened it up and pulled out the box.
“Just go in there and pee on it,” I told her. “When you get done, leave it on the counter and I’ll go look.”
She nodded, and quickly glanced at Ryley before sliding off the bed and going to the bathroom. Ryley looked even paler than before as he sat down on the bed, resting his head in his hands.
“It’ll be okay,” I murmured gently, rubbing his back as I sat down beside of him. “I’m here for you, you know that.”
“I know, Gabby, but I’m such a fuck up. I’ll never be as good of a father as mine was.”
“When it’s time, you’ll learn. I promise.”
My heart pounded in my chest while waiting on Ashleigh to come out of the bathroom. When the handle turned and she emerged, she nodded at me and walked out. “It’s done. The pamphlet said to look in two minutes.”
She took a seat beside Ryley, and surprisingly enough he put his arm around her and held her close. As I looked into the bathroom at the pregnancy test lying on the counter, I couldn’t help but think that whatever showed up on that test would change the lives of so many people.
I took a step toward it … then another. I couldn’t see the results yet, and I was almost afraid to look, knowing that I was going to be the one to witness the outcome first. Another step, and then another. I was almost there.
Leaning over the counter, I glanced at myself in the mirror and took a deep breath before slowly letting my gaze wander down to the test. Eyes wide and heart racing, I briefly stared down at it before picking it up.
I had the answer.
“WHAT DOES IT say?” Ashleigh gasped, jumping to her feet.
Taking a deep breath, I held out the test and smiled as Ashleigh snatched it out of my hand. “It’s negative … you’re not pregnant,” I squealed excitedly.
Both breathing a sigh of relief, Ashleigh cried tears of joy and threw her arms around me. “Thank God,” she whispered into my ear. “I’m not ready to be a mother.”
“I know, but if you were pregnant you would’ve gotten through it. You’re probably just stressed out, and you know how stress can prolong your monthly.”
“Okay,” Ryley chimed, heading for the door. “As much as I want to stay here and listen to you talk about stress and monthly cycles, I have some celebrating to do.”
Ryley started to open the door, but Ashleigh rushed over and shut it. “Wait, don’t go yet. We need to talk,” she said, glancing at both of us.
Furrowing my brows, I sat down on the couch in the living room, waiting.
“Do you think we can keep this between us?” she asked sheepishly. “I’m all for being honest and speaking the truth, but the last thing Colin needs right now is to know about this. I’m not pregnant, and since I’m not I don’t see the need in telling him about it.”
Ryley sighed and glanced over at me, winking. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right?”
“Right,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “I’m not going to say anything, Ash. Your secret is safe with me.”
Satisfied with our answers, Ashleigh released a heavy sigh and opened the door. “Our flight leaves early in the morning, Gabby. Be careful this weekend, and I’ll see you back at school.”
She nodded at Ryley before walking out and shutting the door behind her.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked.
Smiling, I shook my head and propped my feet up on the table. “No, what does it mean?”
“It means, babe, that I am going to get drunk tonight and count my blessings. You have no idea how fucking scared I was.”
“Oh, I know you were because I could see it,” I informed him.
“Just make sure you’re ready tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven o’clock. That s
hould give us time to get to the club and get your sexy ass ready. Are you sure you can do this?”
“Please … I am so ready.”
“ARE YOU READY for tonight?” Cole asked as he drove us to The Labyrinth. It was my twenty-eighth birthday and I planned on getting wild and drunk. I knew what Ryley had planned for tonight, and I needed a shit load of alcohol in my system to get my mind off of Gabriella.
When we pulled up, the whole parking lot was packed. For years I’d worked at The Labyrinth as a bouncer, and even to this day I still did it from time to time, but it wasn’t often. With my fighting schedule, it’d gotten to the point where it was conflicting. The owner, Jake Montgomery, was who made my dreams of becoming a professional fighter a reality, along with my father, who’d trained me.
Parking the car, Cole winked and opened his door. “All right, man, it’s time to go. Everyone’s waiting on you.”
As soon as we walked in the door, there were shouts of ‘Happy Birthday’ from this way and that. They were all people I knew, mainly people I worked with at the club, or my UFC crowd. Ryley saw me and brought over two double shots of Patron from the bar, handing me one. “Happy Birthday, cocksucker. Drink up!”
I downed the shot of tequila and handed him the glass. “I need another one.”
After following him to the bar, he chuckled and poured me another one, as well as himself. “Damn, you’re starting off strong. Don’t get too wasted, or you won’t be able to enjoy the present I have for you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Believe me, I’ll get it up.”
“Yeah, well, you’re going to want to get it up for this chick. She’s fucking hot.” He passed me another shot and tossed his back, gazing at me in amusement. “I made sure she had condoms because I don’t think you want what happened to me today.”
“What happened?” I asked, letting the smooth burn of the tequila slide down my throat. I was already feeling good.
