by Toni Aleo
“I see you moved in pretty well.”
Piper let out a startled shriek before turning to see the culprit. Harper smiled as she came over to hug her tightly. The fact that Piper didn’t hear her coming down the dock really proved how deep in thought she was. The house was in a secluded area with a huge yard and trees, so it was easy to get lost in time while enjoying the beautiful day.
Putting a smile on her face, Piper contemplated if now was the time to tell her sister about the baby. Fortunately she had worn a huge T-shirt over her maternity shorts this morning, thus hiding the bump of her belly.
“Yeah, the house was pretty much done when I moved in—all I needed were my things and a few other odds and ends. Fortunately it all fit in the truck. I did bring those gray sofas from the apartment, though. Dad brought those over …,” she answered with a shrug. In reality she should have burned one of those sofas.
“Really, so everything’s good? I’m still surprised you moved out here.”
“Yeah,” she answered, “I needed to. I wasn’t getting any drawing done in Nashville, and since I moved here I’ve already finished three pages for Emmaline’s book. Being by the lake is so beautiful and inspirational.”
Harper smiled and said, “That’s great.”
Nodding, Piper assured her sister, “It is. I really love it here.” Then she asked, “By the way, where’s Ally?”
“With Jakob. I needed to talk to you without her little butt distracting us.”
Piper frowned, wondering if Elli could have already told Harper about the pregnancy. “What about?”
“Well, first, I need to know if you’re still coming for dinner this weekend. Jakob’s parents are coming to town. Mom and Dad will be there, too, and Reese, if I can pull her out of that damn studio.”
Oh, shit. Piper had totally forgotten. Everything was getting so complicated. She loved Alla and Cooper, Erik and Jakob’s parents. They were fantastic people, and both thought very highly of Piper, but what would happen when they found out that another Allen woman was having one of their grandchildren? Not only that, what were Piper’s parents going to think? Oh God, it was all getting so stressful, and the more she waited the worse it got.
Pulling her thoughts quickly back to the conversation, she nodded and said, “Sure.”
“Good. I think if Erik can get his dick out of all those females he’s been chasing, he might show up, too. I’ve been so disgusted with him lately. Have you seen what’s been in the tabloid magazines and all over the Internet about him?”
Fortunately, her family knew nothing about her previous relationship with Erik, nor of her ongoing infatuation for the man.
She knew what Harper was talking about since she had seen everything the trash rags were saying about him and it wasn’t good. Apparently since leaving Piper’s bed, Erik had jumped on anything that had a vagina and legs. He went from supermodels to actresses to country music stars. Piper couldn’t remember the last count, but she knew at least two women had come forward saying he was the father of their babies. It was crazy and disgusting and something was seriously wrong with Piper because she still loved him.
Sad but true. The Erik she was with that night was nothing like the Erik that was whoring about. Something was going on with him, she was sure of it. There was a reason for all of his escapades, because she knew there was a good person in him. She’d seen it firsthand. Piper refused to believe she was just a complete and utter idiot.
Turning her attention back to Harper, she caught the last bit of what her sister said: “Not only is he making the team look bad, but he is making Jakob look bad, too. He needs to clean up his act.”
“Yeah,” Piper agreed.
Piper looked out at the lake, wishing like hell they were talking about anything but Erik.
“Anyway, the whole family under one roof, it’s bound to be a great time.”
Piper cringed. “Loads,” she said.
Harper smiled as she looked out at the lake. “I always did love this view. I’m glad Elli is letting you stay here.”
“She said I could buy it from her if I wanted to. With having the twins now, and of course after building their new beautiful five-thousand-square-foot mansion, she said they’ve outgrown it.”
Harper nodded and smiled at the mention of her best friend’s newest additions. Piper was excited for Elli, too; hell, everyone was. But that poor woman had been pregnant for three years straight. Her husband, Shea Adler, captain of the Assassins hockey team, the same team Elli owned and managed, wanted a huge family. And boy was he getting one. They now had two beautiful girls and handsome twin boys. They were very blessed and living in total bliss. Piper could only hope that one day that would happen for her. At that moment, it didn’t look like it could.
What Elli and Shea had, Piper wanted with Erik. She wanted to marry him and have more of his children. But the way he was acting now, marriage was not a possibility—he was acting like a douche and she just didn’t understand it. He was known for having a wild side but after their night together it looked as though he’d amped up his waywardness even more.
Piper was usually a happy person, but lately it made her sad to think that her child was bound to grow up without knowing his or her biological father. Sure, Erik would probably come and visit every once in a while, but he wouldn’t be there like a full-time dad would. He wouldn’t be there in the morning to play, or at night for bedtime. It was heartbreaking to think about, but she had known this when she decided to keep the baby.
The way Erik was acting, he probably wouldn’t even own up to being the father, let alone have an interest in his child. How sad was that?
“That’s good,” Harper said. She looked over, meeting Piper’s sad gaze. “Are you okay?”
“Sure, I’m just tired,” Piper said quickly, waving her off.
“Hmm, okay,” Harper said, eyeing her the way only an older sister would. Her face changed after Piper guessed she was satisfied with the lie, then Harper said, “I need to ask you something.”
“Okay?”
Harper looked down and then out to the lake again. She took in a deep breath as if preparing herself for what she was about to say, “The doctors have told me that I need to stop trying for a baby.”
Harper wanted another child very badly, and Piper wished that it could have worked out for her, but after five miscarriages it wasn’t looking as if it was going to.
“I’m so sorry, Harper. How are you holding up?”
Harper shrugged her shoulders. “Not good, but Jakob said we could adopt if I wanted, or get a surrogate.”
Piper smiled. Jakob was amazing. “That’s awesome, Harper!”
“Yeah, I want you to do it,” she quickly blurted out.
Piper stilled. “Excuse me?”
Harper smiled, turning to her before placing her hands on Piper’s shoulders. “I want you to have our baby. You are the perfect person. I trust you. You are home all day now with your new job, and you take great care of yourself. I don’t want a stranger having my child: I want you. I want someone I can trust.”
Piper could only blink as she looked up at her beautiful older sister. How could this be happening? Here she was having the hardest time figuring out a way to tell her sister she was pregnant. Of course, if Piper weren’t already pregnant she would have definitely considered doing this for her; she loved her sister, loved Jakob, and knew how much they both wanted another child. But she couldn’t help Harper now; she had to tell her, the whole truth. OMG. She took in a deep breath, her eyes clouding with unwanted tears as she whispered, “I’m sorry, Harper, I can’t.”
“Why not? I would do it for you.” Harper’s shock at Piper’s statement was obvious, as was the hurt in her voice.
“And I would do it for you if I could, but I can’t,” Piper said quickly, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Well, why the hell not?”
Piper’s tears began to fall and without much more thought, she said what she should have
said five months ago: “Because I’m already pregnant.”
Chapter 2
Erik Titov didn’t feel good about this.
Something was off. He should have known something was up when his boss’s assistant called him that morning to schedule an appointment for a meeting. He had a feeling that meant it wouldn’t be just the two of them discussing his career aspirations and the option for him to become the alternate captain. Alex Welch was on the injured list with a concussion and the probability of him returning for the rest of the season was slim. Erik had been very vocal the past few days about wanting Alex’s job for the interim. But as he walked into the meeting room and saw not only Elli, but also his agent, his coach, and Elli’s uncle, who also owned the team, he developed a nasty feeling in the bottom of his stomach.
Shit, what have I done?
As Erik moved his thumb along the palm of his hand, he searched his brain for a reason for this impromptu meeting as he confidently walked into the conference room, closing the door behind him. His contract wasn’t up yet, so that couldn’t be it. Plus, he knew that Elli wouldn’t trade him, at least not with the way he was playing right now; he was doing a damn fine job, if he did say so himself. Besides all that, the Assassins were known as a team that thought of family first. And Erik was family … at least he thought he was.
No, he had to be. There was no questioning that. When Jakob and Shea Adler, the team’s co-captain, became friends, Erik had always thought of Shea as an older brother, too. Shea would do anything for Jakob and Erik; he was that kind of guy. When Shea married Elli and Jakob married her best friend, Harper, Erik became part of this huge loving family and he needed that. Elli knew how important that was to him, too …
Right?
Pushing aside his nervous thoughts, he said, “Afternoon, everyone.”
No one smiled, not even Elli, as she pointed to the seat at the end of the table. “Have a seat, Mr. Titov.”
Oh fuck, this is not good, Erik thought as he inhaled deeply. He sat down like he was asked and noticed that his agent, Koey Lefeber, wouldn’t even look at him.
Yup, not good at all.
“You’re probably wondering why you’re here,” Elli said in her thick southern accent, causing Erik’s nervousness to subside some. Since the day he met Elli, he always loved how country she was, and the thicker the accent, he learned over a short time, the better her mood. Erik liked her as a boss and a friend and always felt comfortable around her.
“Well, Mrs. Adler, I am,” he said, receiving a pointed look from her. Hmm, that’s not good. Maybe he shouldn’t have greeted her so formally.
He hadn’t called her Mrs. Adler a day in his life; it had always been Elli—all of this formality was putting him on edge.
What was going on?
“It’s simple, really,” she said before coming around the table with her arms full of what looked like books. It wasn’t until she threw down each magazine in front of him and as each landed with a loud thud that he realized what this was all about. Looking up at him were tabloid pictures of himself with the various girls he’d been with over the last few months, hanging all over him as he drank it up with his wingman and best friend, Phillip Anderson.
“Nine magazines, Erik. Nine.”
Erik looked from the covers to his boss and smiled. “What can I say? I’m a popular guy, Mrs. Adler.”
Elli glared before smacking her hand onto the table, causing him to jump in surprise. “You are giving off the wrong image! I shouldn’t have to come in here and do this. You should be an adult and professional enough to understand this type of behavior is frowned upon. I should be at home with my children right now, not here chastising you for being a man-whore!”
“Hey, that’s a little harsh,” Koey said from behind her.
Elli quickly turned and pinned him with a look, which prompted Koey to shut his mouth. Then the look traveled back over to Erik.
It didn’t bother him, though. She couldn’t be too serious about this. He wasn’t the only guy that had a little fun—girls were available and what else was a guy to do while on the road and in a strange city, trying to waste away time after a game? Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I’m having fun, Elli.”
“You are my starter, my lead scorer, one of the best on the ice. You are playing on a line with the greatest defensive duo in the league, alongside two other great players! I understand that you are having fun and I know as a young star hockey player you are flattered by all this attention, but Erik, you have the hockey world watching you and you are out of control!”
“So?” Erik said with another shrug of his shoulders. “People expect this from me. I’m just doing what I’m supposed to.”
Elli glared and said, “You are hurting the team.”
“How? By having fun?”
“You are giving off the impression that this is a party team and not a serious, hardworking one!”
Erik scoffed. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
Elli glared back. “Erik, you don’t get it. It is a big deal because I say it is, understand? I say your behavior is just wrong. Three girls have said the baby they had was yours and two others have made claims that you also are the father of their child.”
Erik rolled his eyes. “All of them were proven wrong through DNA tests, and that last girl got Phillip and me confused. On top of it all, Phillip said he wore a condom, so I don’t know if that claim is sound, either. What other girl said I got her pregnant? Not that it matters, because I always wrap my stuff up.”
Well, not always, but that had been almost six months ago. It wasn’t his greatest decision, but that night with his brother’s sister-in-law was one for the books and thankfully nothing came from that, either. Too much happened in that room, and he was glad to bury his face between the legs of the many females who followed, just to forget her. Not that it worked all that well, as he still thought about her way more than he should.
Redirecting his thoughts from his brother’s hot sister-in-law and back to his boss, he saw that she was not too pleased with him as she shook her head saying, “Don’t you get it? That’s one too many! The media and NHL are accusing me of not doing my job because I’m letting you do what you please, but no more! This has gotten way out of hand. I thought you’d correct this yourself after time but you’ve not slowed down your behavior one bit, and I can’t wait any longer to address this.”
She moved away from him and walked toward the front of the table. Erik watched as she picked up a file before sliding it down the center of the table. “You are on probation.”
“Probation?” Erik said, shocked, as he reached for the file and looked down at it. Surely he’d heard her wrong.
“Yes, for the rest of the summer. You are a free agent, Erik. I can either let you go or keep you. There are loads of reasons why I shouldn’t keep you.”
“What?” he asked incredulously.
When he looked up to meet her sad green eyes, his gut fell. She didn’t want to let him go as much as he didn’t want to leave. This was her team, her image, and if he was honest with himself, he had been careless the last couple of months. What she didn’t understand was that he was trying to forget, trying to cloud his mind. He didn’t like the feeling he got when he thought of her, Piper.
“What does this entail, Mrs. Adler?” Koey asked as he reached for the file and started reading.
“It means that if he messes up one more time, he is gone.”
Her gaze held his as his brain tried to comprehend her words. Surely this wasn’t happening.
“You’re bluffing,” Erik said with scorn. “You wouldn’t get rid of me. I’m one of the best on the team. Come on, Elli, you can’t be serious.”
“The best or not, Mr. Titov, you are tainting the image of the Assassins,” Michael Fisher said. Erik’s eyes cut from Elli’s to the primary owner of the team. Michael Fisher was older now, and looked every one of his sixty-nine years. His green eyes were still sharp, and Erik knew from the
anger shown on his face that he was in deep shit. “I didn’t start this team with talent. I started this team with hardworking, good men. If we don’t feel you fall into that category, you’re gone.”
Erik inhaled a ragged breath before looking over at Koey. “What the hell, man? I mean, is this fair?”
Koey laid the file down before looking up at Elli, Mr. Fisher, and Coach Bacter. “Excuse us for a moment. I need to have a word with my client.”
For fuck sakes!
Erik followed his agent out of the office and shut the door behind them. Koey quickly turned around with a worried look on his face. “I told you to calm it down.”
“What? I’m not that bad! Phillip is worse!”
Koey took a step closer, moving his hands in conjunction with every word that came out of his mouth. “No! He has kept a low profile. He doesn’t do anything to provoke the paparazzi. You, on the other hand, do anything you can to get their attention!”
Erik shook his head in denial.
“I do not. I’m only having a good time. This is stupid. Fine, if she wants me off the team, move me to New York. I’ll be closer to my parents, at least.”
Koey looked up at the ceiling before letting out a long breath. When his blue eyes met Erik’s, he knew something was terribly wrong. “I hate to tell you this, but no one wants you, Erik. You’ve tarnished your reputation to the point that no one wants to deal with your shenanigans.”
The air rushed out of Erik as he braced himself against the wall. How could he be so out of touch with all that was going on? “What?”
“Elli’s been at me for the past six months regarding your behavior. I’ve told you to cool it and you’ve just continued with the drinking and females. She is pissed, and has apparently been talking to the other teams about your performance. Hell, they can pick up a tabloid and see for themselves!”
“My performance has not been affected by my partying.”