Aiden (Members From Money Book 8)

by Katie Dowe

  Charli drove back to her apartment with a heavy heart. Mark's answer hadn't been what she wanted. Deep down she had wanted Mark to jump into it and say he wanted to be a dad right away. But he had asked to think about it.

  As she drove home she thought about what Mark had said. And she knew he needed time to think about it. She had thrust it upon him pretty quickly and it was a lot to take in. When it wasn't planned, pregnancy was a big responsibility. And Mark was quite rightly thinking about it.

  At least he had said he wouldn't leave her out in the cold. From what she knew of Mark from interviews and their talking, he was a responsible person. He didn't ignore things when it didn't go his way like Andy; he took things on and followed through. She wouldn't have to worry about being unsupported.

  Being a single parent, though, was still on the table. Mark may not want to be with her properly. He would support his child but he might not want to be with her. And Charli was wishing that he did want her. There certainly hadn't been any arguments when they had sex. Maybe he had had second thoughts in six weeks.

  Not calling him to talk had been hard. But Charli didn't know what to say. She didn't know if her leaving the way she did would make things awkward. But the look on Mark's face, the smile when he saw her, said that he was pleased to see her.

  She hoped they could work on something.

  Charli's thoughts were still on Mark when she stepped out of the elevator and made her way down the hall to her apartment. She didn't realize that she wasn't alone as she dug into her purse for her key.

  "Charli."

  Charli jumped. Andy was leaning against the wall by her door. He looked like he had just taken a shower, his blond hair cut short and wet, wearing a white shirt and jeans. Charli would have thought he looked handsome before. Now she couldn't stand the sight of him.

  "Andy. What are you doing here?"

  "I'm here to take you out." Andy pushed away from the wall and walked towards her, smiling that charming smile he used when he was getting his own way. "I've just got back from training in San Francisco and I thought we could go out and do something. There's a movie on tonight you've been going on about seeing. We can have a meal afterwards and then I was thinking of some intimate time together."

  Charli couldn't believe his gall. He seriously thought a few weeks away would make her want to go back. She shook her head and stepped around Andy.

  "Andy, I told you it's over between us. Besides," She glanced back and gave Andy's crotch a dirty look, "I'm not touching that after it's been in Kim's ass. You don't know where that's been."

  She unlocked her door and went through.

  "Get lost, Andy."

  She tried to shut the door quickly but Andy shoved at the door, knocking her back. She caught her balance as Andy slammed the door shut and jabbed a finger at her face. His smile was gone, barely contained fury in his eyes.

  "It's not over until I say it's over." He snarled.

  Charli smoothed down the skirt of her dress and faced him down.

  "Slight problem, I decided it was over weeks ago. You should've gotten the hint by now. I'm not going anywhere with you so get lost."

  Andy shook his head, staring at her like she had taken a leave of her senses.

  "How can you throw away ten years of our lives like that?"

  "I didn't throw it away. You did." Unable to look at him, Charli turned and walked into the kitchen. She knew it was a bad idea talking to Andy but he needed to get it into his thick head. "I kept forgiving you for all the cheating you did because I believed we were strong enough to get through it. But I realized at the end that I was stupid for staying. I should've walked away years ago." She put her purse on the counter and turned to face Andy. "How long have you been fucking Kim?"

  "Just that night." Andy spread his hands towards her. "I promise you."

  If she hadn't caught them Charli might have believed him. But not this time. She had had enough of his lies.

  "People don't fuck each other in the ass on their first time, Andy." She accused. She pointed a finger at him. "You've been sleeping with her longer than that night. And don't deny it because we both know it's true."

  "She doesn't mean anything to me."

  "No, she just gives you anal because I won't." Charli shook her head. "I don't believe you, Andy. It's over and I'm not getting back with you." She took a step back as Andy came forward. "And if you touch me I'm calling the police. Now get out of here."

  For a moment she thought Andy was going to comply. He turned away with a scowl and a shake of his head. Then he stopped, almost appearing to freeze. Charli was about to shove him in the back to get him moving when Andy darted towards the trash can, snatching up the pregnancy box that lay on the top.

  Charli froze. She had hoped Andy would never find out. It wasn't any of his business now, they weren't together but she knew if he found out who the father was...

  "What's this, Charli?" Andy turned and shoved the box under her nose. "What are you doing with a pregnancy test?"

  "Give it back, Andy."

  Charli tried to snatch it back but Andy took it out of reach.

  "Now what would you be doing with a pregnancy test? We haven't had sex in weeks." Andy's eyes narrowed. "You cheated on me, didn't you?"

  "No, I didn't."

  "Don't lie to me, Charli. You've been caught red-handed. Tell me the truth!"

  Charli planted her hands on her hips and glared at him.

  "Not that it's any of your business but I slept with someone after I broke up with you."

  "Really?" Andy clearly didn't believe him. "Who are you sleeping with?"

  "No one."

  "Then who got you pregnant?"

  Charli kept her mouth firmly closed. She knew the answer would make Andy go into a fury. But she wasn't expecting Andy's fist to hit her. Her face exploded and she fell back, hitting her head on the edge of the counter. She collapsed on the floor, her head spinning.

  "It was Hildenstern, wasn't it?" Andy yelled. He grabbed at her hair and yanked her head up. His face was red. "You slept with that bastard, didn't you?"

  Charli didn't say anything. Her mouth hurt and she could taste blood. With a snarl, Andy let go of her head, bouncing it off the cabinets.

  "He's going to regret this."

  Andy stormed out the room. The door slammed shut a moment later. Charli lowered her head to the floor and started to cry.

  *****

  Mark whooped and punched the air as cheers came up from the speakers and 'Game Over' came up on the screen.

  "Gotcha!"

  "Come off it!" Stephen groaned. He shoved Mark's shoulder. "How did you manage to do that?"

  "Because he cheated, that's how." Roberto teased.

  "I didn't cheat." Mark smirked and reached for his beer bottle. "I won fair and square."

  "Now why don't I believe you?"

  Mark laughed. After Charli's sudden news Mark didn't know what to think. It was still floating around in his head, goading him that he was enjoying the last of a single life as he knew it. He wanted to be a parent and the thought of Charli's belly swelling with his baby was a very endearing picture but Mark was still stuck. This was a big step and he wasn't sure what to do next.

  He needed some advice. So he had invited Stephen and Roberto over with the pretense of having a guys' night in. They had been playing soccer on his Xbox and were waiting for pizza. Mark was planning on broaching the subject of Charli's pregnancy while they were eating. Both of them knew about him sleeping with Charli and had berated him for taking advantage of her but he didn't know how they would react over this.

  But they were parents themselves, although Roberto's children had been planned while Stephen's had been sudden after a drunken night eight years ago. Although not with the mother, Stephen made a point of seeing his daughter whenever he could and paid child support for her. He made sure she never went without.

  Mark was hoping they could help him out on the next step.

  He
was jerked out of his reverie when the doorbell went. Stephen shifted from the floor to the couch and stretched.

  "That should be the pizzas."

  And the inevitable conversation. Mark put his controller down and went towards the door. His stomach growled as he thought about the meat-dominant pizza he was about to devour. Stephen acted as his dietitian as well and keep him on a strict diet but he was allowed a cheat night once a week. And Mark made the most of it.

  He had barely got the door open when the door flew open and a fist hit him in the face. He stumbled back against the wall and felt his shirt being grabbed and he was held up.

  "You utter bastard!"

  Mark's vision cleared and he saw the man in front of him, his face inches away from Mark's. He blinked. His nose hurt.

  "Henson?"

  Henson slammed him against the wall. He looked furious.

  "You think you can get my girl pregnant and keep her away from me?"

  How did he know? Mark couldn't see Charli telling Henson about it since it wasn't his business. His mind was still foggy.

  "Hey, that's enough."

  Roberto and Stephen appeared, wrestling Henson away. Mark sagged onto the floor and watched as Henson shrugged out of his friends' hold and start back towards him. Roberto stepped in the way.

  "Keep back, Henson."

  "Keep out of this." Henson slapped Roberto's hand away and pointed at Mark. "This is between him and me."

  "Henson, I am a police officer. And while I may not be on duty, I can have you arrested for assault if you don't calm down right now."

  Chapter 5

  Roberto didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to; something in his body language changed when he was laying down the law. People he spoke to, from suspects to his colleagues, knew when things had changed with Roberto. Mark was glad he had never been on the wrong side of his friend.

  Henson seemed to realize that something had happened as well. He took several deep breaths and his shoulders sagged, although the rest of his body was still tense.

  "That's better." Roberto folded his arms, keeping himself in front of Mark. "Now what's going on that you had to come barging in here swinging?"

  "Him." Henson snarled, glaring at Mark. "He slept with my girlfriend and now she's pregnant."

  Mark knew that Stephen was staring at him. He rubbed at his jaw. Henson had a punch on him but it wasn't as strong as he had expected. There was going to be bruising but nothing broken.

  Evidently his punching wasn't as strong as his serves.

  Mark pushed himself to his feet, sliding his back up the wall.

  "Charli wasn't with you when we slept together." He stood properly and faced Henson. "And I'm not leaving her in the lurch, either."

  "I am not raising someone else's baby!" Henson snapped. "She's having an abortion and then we're going to move as far away as possible so you can't get to her."

  "What?" Mark wasn't sure he had heard correctly. "Didn't you hear me? Charli broke up with you and then we slept together. She doesn't want anything to do with you."

  "She always comes back to me." Henson puffed out his chest and slapped it with his hand. "She still loves me. I will have her back and that baby is going."

  "Why don't you just leave Charli alone?" Stephen looked stunned at Henson's admission. "Even if she did cheat, why would you want her back? Especially when you cheated on her?"

  Henson snorted.

  "Don't believe the things your client tells you. I've never cheated in my life."

  "Would you like to say that to Charli?" Mark shot back. "I'm sure she's still having nightmares when she came in and caught you ass-fucking Kim."

  "One-night stand." Henson said airily. "Charli knows that."

  Mark couldn't believe the gall of the man. He knew Henson was a bully and a manipulator but he also appeared to be a complete sociopath. He wasn't accepting any responsibility and believed the world revolved around him.

  Henson jabbed a finger at Mark.

  "Keep away from her, Hildenstern, or your friends here won't be able to save you."

  "Did you just threaten him in front of a cop?" Roberto demanded.

  Henson glanced at him before looking back at Mark. Then he backed towards the open door.

  "Just remember that."

  Mark waited until Henson had left before he let out a long breath. He hadn't been expecting that. And it made him even more nervous for Charli. Anything could happen to her if Henson got too close.

  He needed to get to her now.

  *****

  Charli ran the hot tap and soaked the flannel underneath the water. Squeezing the excess water out, she dabbed at the cut on her nose. She winced at the pain and inspected it in the mirror. It had stopped bleeding and she had cleared away the blood but the cut didn't look good.

  It was going to leave one heck of a scar.

  Charli didn't know what had happened. Andy had got angry before but not like this. She could tell Andy was beginning to lose it and she was glad she had left when she did.

  Even then that hadn't helped since he had followed her. Charli made a mental note to go to the nearest police station and file a restraining order.

  The sudden banging on the door had Charli jumping, dropping the flannel in the sink. Her heart started to pound hard as she began to panic. Had Andy come back? Was he going for another round?

  "Charli?"

  It was Mark. But still Charli hesitated. She wanted Mark to hold her and make things go away but she didn't want him to see her like this. The cut wasn't the only thing she had to be worried about - her nose was swollen. It hadn't bled but it was starting to go purple already. She couldn't let Mark see him like this.

  "Charli, it's Mark. Open the door, honey."

  That did it for Charli. The term of endearment got to her. She made her way from the bathroom to the door and took the chain off, opening the door slowly. Mark stepped across the threshold and took her into his arms. Charli rested her head against his chest, being careful with her nose, and hugged him back as Mark stroked her hair. It felt really good and she was beginning to feel better.

  Something about Mark had her calming down.

  Mark drew back and his eyes widened when he saw her face.

  "My God, what happened?"

  "I'm fine."

  Charli attempted a smile but failed.

  "You're not fine." Mark took her chin and lifted her face for his narrowed inspection. "How did you get this? And don't say you fell or walked into something because nobody does that much damage in a short space of time."

  Charli knew she wouldn't be able to lie to him. He had probably guessed what had happened already. She swallowed.

  "Andy was here. He was furious that I was pregnant and it wasn't his."

  "You need to go to the hospital."

  "I'm fine." Charli sighed as she moved past Mark, reluctant to leave the comfort of his arms, and shut the door. "It's nothing I can't handle."

  "He's hit you before?"

  "Once when he was drunk." Charli leaned against the door, wondering why she was telling Mark this. "We were nineteen. That's the only time." She glared at him. "Don't you start telling me I should've left him earlier. I'm not having it."

  "I won't." Mark's face paled. "He didn't hit you in the stomach, did he?"

  Charli put a protective hand over her belly. Somehow she had landed on her side and not on her stomach. The little mite would be okay.

  "No, he didn't." She felt cold. "You think he would?"

  "He came to my place and said he was going to make sure you got an abortion and then the two of you were moving away so you don't ever see me again."

  "He said what?" Charli couldn't believe what she was hearing. She shook her head, the movement making her vision blurry. "That's against my beliefs and he knows that. I'm not going to abort this baby and I'm not going back to him. He's just not getting it into his head."

  Her vision was beginning to glaze over. Charli leaned her head back and
closed her eyes, trying to stop the spinning. She felt Mark move closer to her.

  "Charli? You okay?"

  That was the last thing Charli heard before her legs gave way.

  *****

  Mark couldn't sit still when he got to the hospital. He paced back and forth across the hallway, his nerves having him on edge.

  When Charli had collapsed in his arms he had been terrified. It scared him to see Charli unconscious like this, her face battered and bruised from her earlier beating. His hands had been shaking when he got his cell phone out and dialed 911.

  All his thoughts now were on Charli and their unborn baby. Mark wasn't going to give up on either of them, especially Charli. He didn't know what he was going to do if something happened to her.

  They hadn't spent much time together but Mark was determined to change that. If Charli would allow it.

  "Mark."

  Mark looked around. Stephen was coming down the corridor with a petite, pleasantly plump woman in her mid-fifties wearing a cream pants suit and a bright blue blouse. Her hair was graying and styled into tight little curls.

  Mark didn't need to ask to know that this was Charli's mother, Atalya. From what he remembered, Charli was close to her mother and Atalya didn't suffer fools gladly. He nodded at her.

  "Mrs Fraser. I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."

  "I'm of the same mind." Atalya looked at Charli's hospital room, the door closed. "How is she?"

  "I'm not family or her boyfriend so they wouldn't tell me."

  Atalya's jaw tightened.

  "What happened?"

  "Andy hit her because she got pregnant by me. He accused her of cheating and smacked her." Mark gulped. "She fell as well so they're checking the baby as well as signs of concussion."

  He saw Atalya's face pale and wished that he could comfort her. But they didn't know each other and he didn't want to overstep the mark.

  "I remember Andy as a kid. I've known him since he was twelve years old." Atalya shook her head. "He was never like this."

  "People change, Mrs Fraser."

  "That they do." Atalya looked up at Mark without blinking. She had a piercing stare. "What are you going to do about my daughter, Mr Hildenstern? You got her pregnant. Are you going to do the right thing?"