by Madi Le
“No news is good news,” he said to himself, kicking a rock into the street. Looking around the street, he tried to decide what to do next.
Strangely, though, it didn’t feel like good news. He was somehow… disappointed. Did he want her to be pregnant?
“What a shit thing to think,” he chastised himself, and started down the street back to the gym.
A block before the gym, Dane found Leo standing and chatting with two women. He recognized one of the women.
“Dane!” Leo shouted, waving to his friend. “Come over here!”
“Hey,” Dane said, stepping into the group. Both of the women looked him up and down. “Kady, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah,” Kady said, reaching for his beard. He stepped back, wincing, but Kady persisted. Her fingers ran through his beard. “Gosh, I missed this face. How come I haven’t heard from you in a while?”
Dane shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”
“Dane got in trouble!” Leo joked. “He got caught with Major’s little sister.”
Kady gasped, covering her mouth. “Not little Bardot!”
“Hey, she’s not so little anymore,” Leo said.
Dane didn’t say anything. No one needs to know how I feel about Bardot. Not until she does.
“Well, if you’re in trouble, does that mean she can’t stop you from going on a date with me?”
Leo grinned. “We’re going to the bar tonight. Tasha and I were trying to think of who could accompany Kady. You in?”
“No,” Dane said. “Sorry, but I’m not available tonight.”
“Aww,” Kady whined. “I so wanted to ride that face of yours again.”
Dane’s cock didn’t even twitch. Kady was beautiful, but she had nothing on Bardot. Compared to her, Kady was shallow and homely.
“I’m sure Leo could keep you both occupied,” Dane said, winking to his friend who brightened up.
“Oh, that’s definitely true,” Leo answered, running a hand through his hair. Both of the women giggled.
“So, what, are you getting serious about Bardot?” Leo asked. “That’s not like you.”
Dane nodded. “I have to grow up some time, kid. You do, too.”
“Not too soon!”
Grinning, Dane shook his head. “You can at least wait until after your threesome tonight.”
The women giggled again. Leo almost blushed, but just puffed out his chest. “Later, man.”
“Later,” Dane answered, waving as he passed his friend and continued to the gym.
Dane wanted to have fun, too, but there were more important things.
Bardot was the most important thing.
And it didn’t matter what it took. He would get Bardot in his arms again.
He would feel her lips on his again.
He loved her. More than he knew. So much that it ached, a slow burn in his chest that made it hard to breathe sometimes.
Dane loved Bardot. Madly.
He always had.
That’s it!
Pounding his fist onto his table, Dane decided what he’d do.
I’ll buy her a ring! And I’ll propose to her! And if she says yes, there’s nothing that Major can do about it!
Standing and grabbing his coat, he rushed out the door and down the street. I’ll buy it right now, before I can get nervous.
But he was already nervous. Ridiculously so.
“Welcome to- Oh! Dane!” The woman who greeted him was slender, tall, and platinum blonde. Her ruby lips parted into a genuine smile.
“Diana, I need a ring.”
She raised both of her eyebrows. “Oh? What, for your mother, or...”
“No, it’s for a woman. And engagement ring. I need something beautiful.”
Diana led Dane to the glass cases. “Did you want something cheap, something expensive?”
“I want it to be… something a smart girl would like. Maybe something antique.”
“Ah!” Diana smiled. “We just got this gorgeous ring in, I was drooling over it. It’s a vintage radiant cut diamond with rubies on the band. The band itself is silver.”
She pulled the ring out and showed it to Dane.
“Do you know what size ring she wears?”
He frowned. No, of course he didn’t. “I can get it sized later, right?”
“Of course,” Diana smiled. “We also have an asscher cut, which is super pretty, with a rose gold band.” Pulling that one out, she put it on her own finger to show it off. “This one is more expensive.
He looked at both of the rings, trying to find out which one Bardot might like more. Glancing down at the other rings in the case, he considered each of those, too.
His stomach churned. He felt indecisive.
“This one,” he said, taking the radiant cut with rubies. “She’ll love this one. Red is her favorite color.”
Red, like her hair. Like her lips. Like her favorite dress. Bardot’s face swam in his imagination, making his heart ache.
“I never thought I’d see you settle down,” Diana said. “We just went on a date a month ago. Are you sure about moving this fast?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” he lied. It was only a tiny lie.
He was sure that he loved Bardot.
It just wasn’t so clear if he was ready to ask her to marry him.
Still, he bought the ring. Paid for it, left the building, and walked down the street.
Then he turned around and marched right back. “What the fuck was I thinking?” He asked himself, clutching the ring box in his pocket.
He stopped short of the door, though. Diana watched him with a confused look on her face through the glass, making him feel ashamed of himself.
What am I doing?
One big breath in. Another big breath out. He let go of the door handle and stepped away, looking up to the dark night sky.
Even if everything went wrong and she told him to take a hike, he’d keep the ring. It’s not as if he would never get married. It was an investment. An investment that decimated his savings account, but it just meant he wouldn’t have to wipe his savings account later, when things might be harder.
Pulling the ring out of his pocket, he looked at it while he walked. It was beautiful, and really did suit Bardot’s personality.
“Dane?”
Shit. It was Leo again, without the two girls from before.
“Oh, hey!” Dane said, trying to hide the box in his pocket.
“Is that what I think it is?”
Dane winced. “That depends on what you think it is.”
“Dude, are you going to ask Bardot to marry you?” Leo crossed his arms. “That really isn’t a good idea, man. Major already wants to kill you.”
“Well, Major doesn’t get to dictate my life! Or hers! She’s an adult, not some princess to be locked away.”
Leo laughed. “So you see yourself as the night in shining armor? Classy.”
“Shut up.”
“Look, you at least need to actually talk to Major. He’ll see reason eventually, but if you never really reach out to him, how do you expect him to forgive you?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Leo sighed. “You know what I mean. He just wants to keep his sister safe, and he basically only knows you as a player. If you want him to calm down, you have to show him that you can be responsible.”
Dane frowned. “When did you start giving good advice?”
“Uh, always!” Leo yelled, laughing.
“I’m going to get through to them. Both of them.”
“I believe in you, man.”
It didn’t matter what it took. He would tell Bardot and Major how he felt about Bardot. Put the ball in her court. Let her decide what would come next.
Chapter Four ♥
*
Bardot
“Stop calling,” Bardot said through gritted teeth, shoving her phone back into her pocket. “Christ.”
Major was obsessed with keeping track
of her. Every movement she made, he wanted to know. As if that would change anything.
The obsession was honestly becoming abusive. If she were stronger, she’d tell her brother to knock it off, regardless of the consequences.
But she loved him, and didn’t want him to be hurt. It was kind of her fault, anyway, since she obviously went crazy when she decided to sleep with his best friend.
Who does that? Lunatics, probably.
After weeks of essentially being cooped up in her apartment, she finally decided to go for a walk for a breath of fresh air. She had been feeling sick for a few days, and fresh air was definitely helping.
At least, it was helping. Then she saw Dane walking down the street, chatting with another one of the trainers from his gym. Her breath caught in her throat.
Obviously he wasn’t terribly interested in seeing her, but the least he could do was not flaunt around town with random women. Just for a little while!
Tears stung her eyes, and her anger enboldened her. Stomping up to Dane, she poked a finger into his chest.
“Ow!”
“Are you serious right now, Dane?”
“What?” He looked seriously confused, and so did the girl next to him. She held a half eaten salad in her hand.
“Going on lunch dates after ruining my life? You don’t even talk to me for weeks and then I have to see you with random women?”
“Bardot, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks, and I was just walking Marissa to work.”
“Yeah,” the petite woman agreed. “I’m not even straight, honey, he’s not sleeping with me.”
She scoffed. “A likely excuse.” Anger flared through her again, and she stomped her foot right onto Dane’s.
“Ouch! What was that for?” Hopping on one foot, he massaged his other.
“You know exactly what it’s for!” But she didn’t know. She was acting crazy. This wasn’t like her, she was usually more even tempered. “It’s fine. I never liked you that much anyway. Stay out of my life.”
Bardot pushed past both of them, feeling crazy as hell. Then she burst into tears as she rounded the corner.
“Why am I acting like this?” She asked herself.
Her phone vibrated in her purse. Pulling it out, she saw that it was her doctor.
“Hello, Miss Camden?”
“That’s me,” she answered.
“We got your test results back, and we have some good news. You aren’t sick, and you don’t have a UTI.”
“Then why have I been peeing so much?”
“Well,” the woman paused. “That would be because you’re pregnant!”
Everything stopped. Bardot’s breathing, her heart, the world around her. It all stood still as she tried and failed to process what she had just been told.
The woman wanted to schedule future visits. Bardot went into autopilot, then hung up.
She was so numb.
After a few moments, she realized she was sitting on the sidewalk. A woman was handing her a water bottle. “Miss? Are you okay? Do I need to call an ambulance?”
“No,” Bardot answered. “I’m… fine. I guess.”
She wasn’t. Not really.
I saw him put the condom on. I saw him pull it off. How could this have happened?
The world was playing a sick joke on her, she decided. That was the only explanation.
She was going to have a baby. The other options were just out of the question.
Dane was the father of her baby.
No wonder she had been feeling so sick. And that explained the irrational reaction. Hormones made her crazy.
Shame washed over her. She loved Dane so much, even after everything. If he came to her and asked her to be his right then, she would have said yes.
But he just doesn’t care. He ‘hit it and quit it’, like she was just any other lay. Just another one night stand.
What was she going to do?
“I’ve always felt stupid compared to you two.”
Major was over, again, chatting with Fable on their couch. The same couch where Dane had fucked Bardot. For a few days, Major refused to even sit on it.
Childish.
“Oh my God, you aren’t stupid, Major,” Fable chastised, sighing. “You just made a few bad choices.”
“Isn’t that the definition of stupidity? I never finished high school or anything. I’m going to be a mechanic for the rest of my life.”
“I thought you liked being a mechanic,” Bardot butt in.
Major leaned against the couch. “I do. But maybe there’s something else I like more, but I don’t understand it now because I’m too stupid. Or I can’t afford it because of my crap job.”
Fable handed Bardot a freshly baked cookie from the table. It was still warm and gooey. “There’s no point in obsessing over what could have been, Major.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Major finished up a cup of coffee. The smell turned Bardot’s stomach, but she tried to ignore it. “I just wish I wasn’t such a failure compared to you two.”
“You’ll figure your life out.” Fable gave Bardot a look that said I’m trying to get him to leave. “Don’t you have work?”
“Shit,” Major glanced at his watch. “Yeah. I’ll see you two later.” He stood, leaving his coffee cup on the table in front of the couch before leaning to kiss Fable’s cheek. He did the same to Bardot as he passed her. “You feel warm. Are you feeling okay?”
Bardot blushed, hard. “Yeah! I think I’m just a little warm from my walk.”
“Well, go take a bath and relax. Have you heard back from that place in Seattle?”
“Not yet,” she answered.
He pouted, then ruffled her hair. “I’m sure you’ll hear back soon. I believe in you.”
Bardot collapsed onto the couch as he left. “Phew!”
“What’s that all about?” Fable smiled, sipping her tea. That smelled much better than the coffee cup only a few feet away.
“I’m just glad to be home.”
Reaching across the couch, Fable pressed the back of her hand to Bardot’s head. “That fever is more than post-exercise warmth.”
Should I tell her? Fable is great at keeping my secrets, but… She sighed. “I have something to tell you, and you have to keep it secretly. Like, if you tell Major I might literally murder you.”
“Of course!” She sipped her tea some more, settling in for the gossip. Bardot’s heart thumped against her chest as she tried to gain the courage to just come out and say it.
“I’m pregnant.”
“Holy fuck,” Fable spat, tea dribbling down her face. “Are you fucking with me?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Did you take a test or-”
“It was a blood test from the doctor.”
Fable leaned over, her hand pressed against her chest. She was hyperventilating, her eyes screwed shut. “Holy fuck,” she repeated.
“Yeah.”
“I can probably guess who the dad is, huh?” She looked at Bardot, her breath slowing a little.
“Probably.”
Bardot felt ashamed of herself. Major was just saying how smart she was.
What a joke.
The truth was, she was the biggest idiot of them all. She slept with her dream man, let him knock her up, and then pushed him out of her life.
Pathetic!
“I don’t even know what to say.”
Bardot broke down, finally letting her tears flow. So many emotions whipped through her body like a storm over the ocean. “What am I going to do?”
“You could always...” Fable drifted off, refusing to say it.
“No. No way.”
“Okay. Then, adoption?”
Bardot shook her head.
“So, you’re keeping it. That’s decided, and that’s the really big decision here. You’re doing fine, let’s think about what comes next.”
“I’m so scared that Major is going to hate me.
”
Fable chuckled. “Major won’t hate you. He might kill Dane, but he won’t hate you.”
Bardot choked out another sob. “I don’t want them to fight anymore!”
Running her hand along Bardot’s back, Fable soothed her. “I know, honey. I know. But you can’t get between those too unless you want to get hurt too.”
That much was obvious. She was already hurt.
“Are you going to tell Dane?”
That was the real tough question. “I doubt he’ll want to raise a baby with me.”
“You might be surprised, Bardot.”
She shook her head. “He’s off fucking other women. Who cares about me?”
“He hasn’t always been like this,” Fable said. “He used to be responsible, calm, kind. Remember? Before his family died?”
It was true. There was a reason she fell in love with him in the first place. He had been her knight in shining armor, time and time again, even taking her to prom after her boyfriend at the time had cheated on her.
“I remember. But he changed.”
“Did he? Maybe he deserves a second chance.”
Maybe he did. But did she have to be the one to give it to him?
Bardot placed a hand on her stomach. She could almost hear her baby, begging her to give Dane a second chance.
“Maybe.”
“Well, if you’re going to give him a second chance, you’ll have to reach out. You know Major won’t let him anywhere near you if he can help it.”
“Ugh. Can’t you talk to him?”
Fable laughed, rolling her eyes. “I can try, but I’m not sure how much I can do.”
She took the cups and plate of cookies to the kitchen, leaving Bardot to stew on the couch.
Do it. Call him. Reach out.
Grabbing her cell phone, she stood up and found his number in her contacts.
She almost hit call. She almost heard the phone ring.
But a wave of nausea hit, instead, and she was running for the bathroom to puke up everything she ate that day.
Chapter Five ♥
*
Bardot stood outside gym for a long time. She kept on looking inside, trying to ask herself whether or not Dane could be inside. He probably wasn't, she was pretty sure of that. After all, he wasn't working today. She knew, because she'd gone out of her way to all Major and Faith, and both had assured her that he wouldn't be working. But, what if they were mistaken? What if he was there to work out? What about a last-minute client?