Wild One (Summer Rush #5)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “What I want is an explanation.” She’d promised herself there would be no yelling or screaming. And she definitely wouldn’t give in to the tears of frustration that had been threatening since Dec called her a liar. She trusted the only people she’d told, and if the obstetrician who’d treated her had been the one to spill the beans, she’d have his medical license. “How the hell do you know about my past with Dec? Who told you?”

  “I should have known he’d run right to you and—”

  “And accuse me of lying to him!” She took a deep breath. “He accused me of having a relationship with you, of confiding in you something deeply personal that I never told you.” She glared at him when it appeared his lips were twitching. “This amuses you? You’re happy about this?” She palmed her forehead. “Of course it does. You think if you can drive a wedge between Dec and me that I might go out with you, right? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” She’d tried to be polite and respectful with him, but he’d crossed the line when he’d invaded her personal life.

  He steepled his fingers as he tilted his chair back, watching her. “That smug bastard thinks he can get any woman he wants just because he has some big contract and looks like… that.”

  Marika rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry if you were bullied by the jocks back in high school, but my relationship with Dec is none of your business.” She rested her hands on his desk as she leaned over slightly, getting in his face. “Now, you’re going to tell me how you found out my personal medical history, because if you don’t, I’m going to have to assume you accessed those records without my consent, which would be both illegal and immoral.” Though technically possible, since her OBGYN’s office was in the same building. “So unless you want me to take my suspicions to the proper authorities, you’d better start talking.”

  He looked away, tapping his fingers on the desk. “Fine, I overheard you talking to your friend—Lorna? Happy now?”

  Far from it. “When?”

  “Just after it happened. You two were sitting in the waiting room on the main floor, talking. I was in the hall, getting a snack out of the vending machine. I guess you didn’t notice me.”

  “Probably because you were hiding.” As disgusted as she was, she was satisfied he hadn’t done anything illegal. She vaguely remembered having that conversation with Lorna. She’d been distraught, crying on her best friend’s shoulder about the fact that Dec would probably be relieved she’d miscarried, though she’d never named names. “But I still don’t get why you felt the need to interfere in my life? We’re colleagues. I thought we were friends. You think I can go on being your friend knowing you tried to sabotage my relationship?”

  “What kind of relationship is it if he doesn’t trust you? Hmm, when he accuses you of lying and—”

  “I’m well aware of what he did,” she said, raising her hand. “But right now we’re talking about what you did.”

  “Fine,” he said, looking sullen as he crossed his arms. “I’m sorry. Happy now?”

  “No.” She was far from happy. In fact, she was miserable. “Just do me a favor—stay the hell away from me.”

  As she closed his door and leaned against it, she was suddenly exhausted. The push and pull of having to defend her actions and pump her colleague for information about his nefarious behavior, it was too much. She was beginning to think she’d been right—relationships were more trouble than they were worth.

  ***

  Marika was curled up on her couch, half asleep, when a knock on the door startled her. She stretched and yawned, wrapping her hoodie tighter around her as she got up and checked the peephole. Of course it was him.

  She opened the door slightly. “Dec, this isn’t a good time. I’m tired and—”

  He stepped closer, forcing the door open. “I’m an idiot, okay? I’m sorry.”

  She was tempted to sink into his strong chest and tell him to forget the whole thing, but that would set a bad precedent. If their relationship was going to work, which she still wasn’t convinced it could, they had to trust each other.

  “Come in,” she mumbled, closing the door.

  Dec seemed tentative, as though he wasn’t sure he had the right to touch her or was afraid of setting her off. “Did you talk to him about how he knew?”

  She side-stepped him on her way back to the couch. “I did.”

  “And?”

  “He overheard a conversation I had with Lorna that day in the waiting room.” Her eyes met his. “The day I had the miscarriage. I was at her house and I was experiencing some cramping and bleeding, so she drove me to see my doctor. I didn’t want to go to the hospital in case it was nothing.”

  He sat down next to her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I wish I had been.”

  “I wish you could have been too.” She pulled her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. “Maybe if things had been different, if we’d been a real couple or even if you’d known me better, maybe then you wouldn’t have accused me of lying to you about—”

  “Don’t.” He moved in closer and stroked her hair when she laid her head on her knees. “Don’t make excuses for me. I was an asshole, plain and simple. I should have taken responsibility for getting you pregnant. I should have been there for you.”

  She really was past the anger. She was even past the hurt. She’d come to know the man he was, not the man she’d believed him to be back then. “It’s not like we were being irresponsible, Dec. We used protection. I can understand why you were surprised it had failed, even why you’d question whether the baby could’ve been someone else’s. Someone I hadn’t been as safe with.”

  “I’m glad there was no one else,” he said, resting his head against hers. “That I was the only candidate to be your baby’s daddy. I want that to be the case again, you know. When the time is right, I want us to try to—”

  “Please,” she whispered, shaking her head, “can we not talk about the future tonight? I’m just really tired.”

  “And pissed at me for jumping to conclusions.” He eased back on the couch. “I get that, believe me.” He ran a hand over his head. “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me, why with you, I react first and ask questions later. That’s not like me. You gotta know that. I’m usually a pretty rational, methodical guy.”

  “I believe you.” She’d seen him play. Even when things didn’t go his way, he didn’t get overly emotional, the way some ball players did.

  “I should have believed you,” he said, looking at his linked hands. “When you tried to tell me you had no idea how he found out about your miscarriage, I should have taken you at your word. I had no right to question you.”

  She leaned back, sighing. “I guess we’re still feeling our way. This relationship thing is new to both of us. We’re bound to make mistakes, right?”

  He nodded, his expression grim. “But how come I’m the only one who seems to be making them? Is it because I’m an idiot or what?”

  She smiled, shaking her head. “No, you’re not an idiot. I’m sure I’ll make plenty of mistakes too.”

  He seemed to be holding his breath. “So does that mean you’re willing to give me a second chance? Or I guess it would be a third… or maybe fourth chance?”

  She’d never thought she’d be the kind of woman to give a man unlimited chances to disappoint her, but something about Dec made it impossible for her to let him go. “Come here,” she said, crooking her finger. “I need to feel your arms around me. It’s been one hell of a day and I’m exhausted.”

  He shifted so he was leaning against the arm of the sofa and he pulled her into his arms so she could lean against his chest. “So you believe this guy’s story? About how he found out?”

  “I have no reason not to believe him,” she said, closing her eyes as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “I think he was just trying to cause trouble between us. When he realizes it’s not going to work, he’ll back off.” At least she hoped he would. She didn’t want to think about
what Dec might do if Jack continued his attempt to drive a wedge between them.

  “He better back off or I’ll—”

  “Sssh.” She turned her face to kiss him. “I don’t want to talk or think about him anymore tonight. We had such a nice time on our little getaway. I hate that we had to come home to this.”

  “I do too, baby.” He smiled when she settled her head in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. “You mind if I spend the night?”

  “I’d love that.”

  ***

  Marika woke up to a cryptic text from her best friend.

  I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Please don’t hate me.

  She was still staring at the screen, trying to make sense of it, when Dec walked into the bedroom with two mugs of coffee.

  “Problem?” he asked, handing her one.

  “I don’t know.” She showed him the message. “Weird, huh?”

  “Why don’t you call her, find out what it means?”

  “Even stranger,” she said before taking a sip of her coffee, “she sent it at three o’clock this morning. Why the hell would she be texting me in the middle of the night?”

  “She was probably up feeding the baby, but that still doesn’t explain—”

  “It’s her,” Marika said as her phone rang. She swiped her index finger across the screen after she set her coffee on the nightstand.

  “I’m gonna jump in the shower, give you some privacy.”

  “Hey you,” Marika said, bringing the phone to her ear. “What was that message about? What didn’t you know and why would I hate you?” Her stomach clenched when she realized her best friend wasn’t just crying, she was sobbing. “Honey, what is it?”

  “I thought I knew him, Mari. I never imagined he’d do something like this.”

  “Who are we talking about?”

  “Calvin.” Her crying intensified. “He left me… for someone else.”

  “Oh, sweetie, you’re kidding.” Marika felt physically sick. Lorna had been with Calvin eight years. They’d been married for five and trying to have a baby the past three. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you call me right away?”

  “Late last night. He had no choice to tell me because his story was about to break and—”

  “What story?”

  “The one about you and Dec.” She sniffled. Marika could hear Matthew crying in the background, no doubt sensing his mommy’s distress.

  “Me and Dec?”

  “Yeah, all about your one-night stand, pregnancy, miscarriage, the fact he wasn’t willing to take responsibility for the baby—”

  “Oh my God.” She’d trusted that bastard! She couldn’t believe he was using the most painful experience of her life to make a fast buck. But if he’d left his wife and newborn baby for another woman, there was probably nothing he wouldn’t do.

  “He knows everything. About the trip you guys made to meet Dec’s family, the fact he paid off your student loans—”

  “He didn’t pay off my student loans.”

  “Uh, yeah, he did… you didn’t know? I wondered why you hadn’t told me about that.”

  Marika shook her head, unable to process what she was hearing. Her life was suddenly fodder for gossip rags, having god only knew what kind of impact on her career and Dec’s, and he’d gone behind her back and paid off her student loans? Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse. But as bad as her situation was, Lorna’s was worse and she had to think about her now, about how to help her through this.

  “If I’d known he was capable of something like this, I never would have told him about your pregnancy or the miscarriage or Dec, none of it. You have to believe me, Mari. I never wanted something like this to happen. God, how humiliating. Your career…” She was sobbing again. “You’ve worked so hard and now—”

  “Don’t worry about me. Did he say why he was doing this?” She’d always gotten along well with Calvin. She couldn’t imagine he had an axe to grind with her.

  “He said he needed the money.” Marika could hear her trying to soothe the baby as she sniffled. “We’re way behind on our bills. I was scared we were going to lose the house. Then with the hospital bills coming, he said he didn’t have a choice.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you guys were having financial problems? You know I would have helped… as much as I could.” She made a good living, but most of it went to her student loans—or it had before her rich boyfriend had taken it upon himself to rescue her. Ugh! She couldn’t think about that now. If she did, she’d lose it.

  “I didn’t want to burden you. I know you’re stretched thin as it is.”

  Marika heard the water shut off in the bathroom. “I’m going to stop by as I soon as I finish work today, okay? We’ll figure this out together, honey. Just…” What could she say that would make Lorna feel better? Nothing! “Know that I love you and I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks.” She was still sniffling. “And I’m so sorry he did this to you. I feel terrible.”

  “Don’t worry about me now. Just worry about taking care of yourself and that sweet baby.” Thankfully Lorna had parents who would help her out. They didn’t have a lot of money, but at least they wouldn’t let their daughter and grandbaby end up on the street.

  “I’ll see you later.”

  “Yes, you will. In the meantime, don’t forget to eat and rest when the baby does, okay?”

  “I’ll try.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Dec, did you pay off my student loans?”

  Oh shit. He’d just stepped into the bedroom, wearing only a towel, and he suddenly wished he’d had the foresight to put clothes on in case she kicked him out on his well-meaning ass.

  “Um…” He bit his lip, knowing there was only one right answer. “Yeah, I did.” He waited for her to start screaming.

  Instead she seemed calm as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked at the floor. “Why?”

  “Because I love you and I hated to watch you struggle when I could do something to help.” It seemed logical to him, but he knew she may not see it that way. “I’m sorry, I know I overstepped, but…”

  “I just got a call from my best friend letting me know that her husband left her and that sweet baby. For another woman,” she said, her lip curling in disgust. “Can you believe that?”

  “Geez, I’m sorry.” Since she didn’t look like she was going to haul off and smack him, he sat down beside her on the bed, keeping a safe distance between them.

  “He also leaked our story.” She touched his leg. “I’m so sorry, Dec. I know this is going to be really bad for you.”

  His head was spinning. His biggest concern was that she was going to dump him. Now she was telling him someone had outed them? “What do you mean?”

  “All of it.” She sighed. “The fact that we had a one-night stand, I got pregnant, you denied the baby was yours.” She leaned against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. “Even the fact that you paid off my student loans. That’s how I found out.”

  Son of a bitch. “I don’t give a shit what people say about me. I can handle it.”

  There were athletes who’d done much worse. Living double lives with two families, doping, driving drunk, killing people. The list of athletes behaving badly always seemed to get longer. His story would be a one- or two-day blip on a slow news day, especially during the off-season when people weren’t focused on baseball.

  “But, baby, what about your career? This can’t be good for you.” He didn’t want her coworkers and patients’ families judging her because she’d had a one-night stand with him.

  “No, it can’t.” She tugged her hand through her hair, holding the thick waves off her face. “But you know what? I can’t muster the energy to care.” She laughed. “That’s how burnt out I am, Dec. I can’t even find the energy to care what this does to my career.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “It’ll be okay, babe. I’ll talk to the t
eam’s publicist and we’ll craft a statement about how we’ve been involved for a while and things are serious—”

  “No,” she said, leaning back. “Don’t tell them anything. Don’t even respond to it. It’s none of their goddamn business. So we had a one-night stand years ago and I got pregnant. It’s not a crime.”

  “True, but—”

  “No, no buts. I’m tired of living my life for everyone else. I’m sick to death of putting everyone else first. I want to put us first now. Everyone else can go to hell as far as I’m concerned.”

  He was relieved she seemed to be taking it so well, but he figured that was only because no one had stuck a camera in her face and demanded a comment about her sex life yet.

  “Then you’re not mad I paid off your student loans?” His biggest fear was still that she’d unleash on him when that sunk in.

  “You know what? I probably would’ve been before I’d heard about what Calvin did to Lorna.”

  “What does that have to do with us?”

  “Everything.” She smiled, touching his face. “Her husband bailed on her and their newborn baby. He doesn’t seem to care how they’re going to keep a roof over their heads, much less food on the table.”

  Dec hated guys who felt they could get away with shit like that. “But he can’t just leave them high and dry. The courts will make sure—”

  “They’ll try,” she agreed, shaking her head. “But you’ve heard the old saying, you can’t take blood from a stone. It seems there wasn’t much money to be had. They were way behind on their bills. He claims that was the reason he sold our story. Fast cash.”

  “Bastard.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, looking somber. “Anyway, I got to thinking. Lorna has a man who isn’t willing to do a damn thing to help her. And I have you, who would do anything to help me. So how can I be mad about that?”

  Relief swept through him when she leaned in and kissed him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I know I should have. Hell, I should have talked to you before I did it, but I knew you’d say no. You’re too independent to accept help from anyone.”