Red spots of anger danced across her vision. Her hands clenched by her side. What she wanted to do was punch him for even suggesting she was playing him like Therese. “You need to get out now. I don’t deserve to be compared to Therese. I was hoping we could come up with a solution that would work for the both of us. Now, I’m not sure.” She marched over to the door and pulled it open. “Please leave. I don’t want to see you again, Dane.”
For a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to move. Then he shrugged his impressive swimmers shoulders. She held her breath when he stopped in front of her.
“I thought you were different. I really did.” The words rasped out of him.
“I could say the same about you.”
He brushed past her and walked out the door.
“Jerk,” she whispered, then slammed the door behind him and leaned back against the wood. A breath shuddered out and tears started to trickle out of her eyes.
What the hell was she going to do now?
14
Without knowing what he was doing or with no clear thought, Dane ended up in the place where he’d always been in total control—the pool. He stripped down to his boxer briefs, dived in and started powering down the lane, his erratic arm movements churning up the once smooth water.
He kept swimming. He had no idea how many laps he did. He only stopped when it became almost impossible to lift his arms out of the water.
Sliding into the wall, he gripped onto the small metal rail on the starting block. The only sound he heard was the gentle slapping of the water against the tiles and his own breath heaving in and out of him.
The moment he let himself think, Brooke’s words pounded his mind. I’m pregnant. Hauling himself out of the pool, he walked over to where his clothes lay in a heap on the concrete. Not caring that they were going to get saturated he pulled his shirt over his head, struggled into his jeans with wet legs and made his way back up to his flat.
The moment he got inside he headed straight for the bathroom and turned the shower on. He pulled off his now wet shirt along with his damp jeans and briefs, the aroma of chlorine wafting up to him. He stood under the spray and let the water flow over him. You’d think after spending the last God knows how long in the pool that he’d want to spend as little time as possible in the shower. But the longer he stayed under, the more time he’d have to avoid facing the truth—had he been a total jerk with Brooke?
How could he even ask if the baby was his? Of course, he’d been a jerk. In all the time they’d been together, Brooke hadn’t lied to him. When they’d first met, they’d even talked about how dedicated they both were to their careers. He’d thought his attitude had changed after the Daisy fiasco, but he’d been lying to himself. The truth of the matter was, he still wanted a family, and it looked as though it was about to happen.
That is, if he wasn’t too late.
He knew what he had to do.
Twenty minutes later he stood outside Brooke’s door. He raised his hand and rapped sharply on the wood. Even though she’d told him not to bother coming back, he hoped that she’d taken some time to think and would be open to talking to him.
A minute passed and still the door didn’t open. It was highly possible Brooke had looked through the peephole, saw him standing there, and decided to leave him hanging.
He knocked again. He wasn’t going to give up.
Dane stood at the door for ten minutes and the door still hadn’t opened. There was no other option for it. He was going to have to wait for her. He sat down on the grimy ground, his back resting against the door, going over what he was going to say to her.
His only hope was that he hadn’t been too late and Brooke hadn’t left the country. He disregarded that thought immediately when it popped into his mind. There was no way she could arrange for a flight out of the country in the three hours since their confrontation. Not unless she had a shit load of money to pay for a last minute international flight.
But where could she be? In all the time they’d spent together, they hadn’t talked about any connections she’d made with the other girls Susie trained. Apart from that one dinner, he hadn’t seen her socializing with anyone.
Susie.
He could try to get in touch with Susie. But what would he say to her? The reason he was looking for Brooke was because she was pregnant, and he’d accused her of trying to fob off someone else’s baby as his?
Oh yeah, that would go down real well. Plus it wasn’t his place to break the news of Brooke’s pregnancy to her coach—it was Brooke’s.
My focus is on my career right now? I don’t want to be a mother.
Her words floated through his mind. Shit, now he knew why she was so shattered with the news—being pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to dive. Not being able to dive meant she would not be able to take Susie up on her offer to coach her.
During the last few hours, he’d come to slowly accept the news that the baby Brooke carried was his. The more he’d thought about it, the more he instinctively knew Brooke wouldn’t lie to him. What did she have to gain from lying to him? Her focus on her career should’ve been all he needed to know she was telling the truth. She’d travelled halfway around the world for the opportunity to train. It seemed extreme for her to then try and trap him with a baby that wasn’t his. Why would she when she’d had no idea he was moving to Sydney?
“I’ve been such an idiot,” he muttered out loud and banged his head against the wooden door. He only hoped he got the chance to explain to Brooke how stupid he’d been. Ask for her forgiveness and for a second chance. He wouldn’t blame her if she told him to bugger off.
She already did, jerk.
Great, now he was even insulting himself. He had it bad.
What he needed was a plan. A plan to convince Brooke that he not only believed and trusted her, but that he loved her and he wanted her and their baby to be by his side for the rest of their lives.
Never before in his life had he felt this way. It was the reason he’d asked her to go with him to look at the flats for rent. He’d bought his house in Melbourne by himself. He knew what he liked, but he’d wanted to find out what Brooke liked. Which place appealed to her the most because at the end of the day, he’d wanted the place he rented to be their place. Each one they’d walked into, he’d imagined her living there with him.
Why he hadn’t put two and two together that day was beyond him. Looking deep inside, he’d finally found what he needed most out of life. Nothing would make him happier than waking up each morning with Brooke lying beside him, with their baby in a room close by, or even in their room. He didn’t care. The thought of a future without Brooke loomed black and empty. Not even the prospect of more gold at the Commonwealth Games or Olympics appealed if he couldn’t have the woman he loved by his side, cheering him on like she had in Rio.
Simply put—he wanted Brooke. And he was going to have her.
15
The ding of the elevator bell roused Brooke from the heavy pall that had shrouded her since she’d closed the door on Dane the previous day. The elevator doors slid open and she prepared herself to walk the short distance to her apartment. Her heart thudded dull and heavy when an empty hallway greeted her.
What had she been expecting? Dane to be camped outside her door, begging for her forgiveness?
Yes.
That’s exactly what her stupid heart wanted. She’d spent the evening talking to Susie about her pregnancy and what it would mean to her training schedule and her diving future. Susie’s offer of training her would remain open, because she’d seen the grit and determination in Brooke and knew she had potential to obtain her goals. Susie had said they would work closely with the doctor and take every precaution necessary to ensure that she maintained her fitness while keeping the baby safe. Susie had even said she’d look into helping Brooke with her visa arrangements so she could stay—that was, if she wanted to.
After Brooke had yawned for the fifth time in a row, she’d taken u
p Susie’s offer to stay the night at her place, grateful for the other woman’s generosity. Susie hadn’t liked the idea of her catching a cab back to her apartment and possibly falling asleep on the trip home. Perhaps she’d also known the idea of going back to her empty apartment hadn’t appealed to Brooke.
Despite being exhausted, sleep had been elusive. After her thoughts going back and forth, she’d acknowledged she couldn’t walk away from Dane without sorting out arrangements for what they planned to do with their child. He had as much of a say in their baby’s life as she did. Also, sometime during the dark, early hours of the night, Brooke had placed her hands over her still flat belly and let the wonder of the miracle of pregnancy wash over her. The instinctual warmth of mother love flowed through her, and she knew she would do anything and everything to protect the baby growing inside of her. Even give up diving if she had to.
After that epiphany, Brooke had managed to fall asleep for about an hour, before she’d woken up feeling nauseous. She decided that throwing up in her Coach’s bathroom wouldn’t be cool, so she’d gotten up. Of course, Susie had been awake and offered to drive her home, as she had to be at the pool for an early morning training session.
Unlocking her door, she made her way in, letting the door close on its own. Tiredness was clutching at her and she stumbled her way to her bedroom, collapsing fully clothed, on her bed. The moment her body fell into the soft surface her eyes closed and she succumbed to her exhaustion.
* * *
Something tickled her cheek. The touch, whatever it was, felt soothing and she didn’t want it to end. Brooke snuggled closer, encouraging whatever it was to keep doing what it was doing. She moaned in disappointment when the hand stopped moving.
“Brooke, honey, time to wake up.” The voice eliciting the demand sounded as smooth as silk.
The very idea of opening her eyes seemed an impossible task. She was warm and an overwhelming sense of love filled her state of unconsciousness. Why would she ever want to wake up and face the harshness of real life?
While she was having this mental debate with herself, the bed beneath her shifted. Her eyes snapped open as it fully hit her—someone was in her bedroom.
She opened her mouth to scream, but two fingers landed lightly on her lips.
“Don’t scream. It’s me, Brooke.”
Her heartbeat slowly reduced to a normal rate when her brain registered the person sitting on the bed next to her was Dane.
Struggling up from her prone position, she pushed her hair out of her face, and focused her full attention on the man beside her.
Yep, there he was, Dane in all his handsomeness. But why was he in her bedroom? How did he get in?
“The front door was open.” His answer confirming she’d spoken the last thought out loud.
“My front door was open? But I was sure I shut it.” Panic raced through her, her mind picturing a million and one scenarios of what could’ve happened to her. Anyone could’ve come in and attacked her. “Oh my God, have I been robbed?”
Dane laughed and pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her. She let herself relax briefly in his strong hold. “No, this building is pretty safe. Most of the other people on this floor probably didn’t notice your door was ajar. It wasn’t standing wide open, if that’s what worried you.”
Part of her panic receded and, without conscious thought, she placed her head on Dane’s chest. She breathed deeply, his spicy scent filling her soul with the love she had for him. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. Watch their baby grow up together.
The moment the reminder of her pregnancy hit her brain, she pulled herself out of Dane’s embrace, recalling the way he’d accused her of trying to pass someone else’s baby off as his. The hurt at the accusation flared back to life. A portion of her wanted to yell at him to get out, but the more rational portion of her reminded her of the conclusion she’d come to last night that she would do right by her child and that meant including Dane in the decision making. She loved him, so she owed him a chance to explain.
“You hurt me last night, Dane,” she said quietly as she scooted away, then gasped when he grabbed her hand so she couldn’t put too big of a gap between them.
“I know, princess. I’m so sorry.”
The sincerity in his tone was unmistakable, but saying sorry wasn’t enough. She needed more.
“How could you think I would do something like what Therese did to you? Why would that thought even cross your mind?”
His thumb brushed across her knuckles, and her resolve crumbled a little at the gentle caress. “I had just shared the darkest part of my life with you the night before, and when we got up you were all weird with me, saying things were different between us. I didn’t know what you meant, and then a few hours later you tell me you’re pregnant.” He paused and looked up, her breath catching at the openness of his gaze. With one look, he was letting her deep into his soul, laying it all out in the open. “I acted irrationally and angrily and I shouldn’t have. I’m so sorry, Brooke, for ever doubting you and treating you like you were anything like Therese and her boyfriend. You’re the total opposite. You’d never do what she did. Can you please forgive me for how I treated you?”
Her heart clenched at his heartfelt apology, but accepting it didn’t mean everything was perfect between them. They still had a lot to work out. It wasn’t just about them, anymore, either. There was a baby involved now.
“I forgive you for the way you treated me.”
“Thank you.” His wide smile caused flutters to burst to life in her belly. That smile of his should come with a warning label.
He released her hand and she stood, needing a bit more distance to think. It was important she kept her wits about her. The last thing she could let happen was to be charmed into the bedroom. So much needed to be sorted out, and no matter how great the sex between them was, it wasn’t the answer at the moment.
She had no idea what his feelings for her even were. Could she take the leap of faith and blurt out that she loved him?
No. Not yet.
A moment of silence passed between them and she knew she had to be the one to break it, had to ask the question.
“So, you believe me? That the baby I’m carrying is yours.”
His eyes softened and he came over to where she stood.
“Yes,” he whispered and placed a hand low on her belly. The warmth from his skin seeped through her thin t-shirt. And right then, before her eyes, moisture glistened in his hazel ones. “Yes, I believe you.”
Instinct had her placing her hand over his, as though they were a couple who had planned to be parents and experience the thrill of knowing they’d finally fulfilled that dream. Even though it wasn’t her dream, she couldn’t deny a kernel of excitement had budded to life inside of her.
“What are we going to do?” she asked. “This so wasn’t what I had envisioned would happen to me when I came here.”
Dane rubbed his hands up and down her arms, leading her from the bedroom to the lumpy couch. No way would they get distracted by sex on that uncomfortable piece of furniture.
“I know,” he said. “All I can say is, I’m grateful that you found out here and not in Colorado.”
God, she hadn’t even thought about that. What would she have done if she’d been home? She hadn’t had any way to contact Dane. She supposed she could’ve connected with him on Facebook. She could just imagine the private message she would’ve sent him. Hey Dane, it’s Brooke. Just wanted to let you know that, well you’re going to be a daddy. I’m pregnant. Hope you message me back.”
She couldn’t help herself, she started laughing out loud at her silly thought.
“Brooke?” Dane’s question pierced her laughing fit which was close to becoming a crying jag again.
“I’m sorry.” She took a couple of quick breaths in an attempt to get herself under control.
“Care to tell me what was so funny?”
“Your comment about me being here m
ade me think about what I would’ve done if I’d been home.” She turned serious, all humor gone. “We hadn’t exchanged emails or phone numbers, Dane. I wouldn’t have had any way to contact you. We kind of agreed that what happened in Rio stayed in Rio.”
“And that made you laugh?”
It was impossible to prevent the slight uptick of her lips. “No what made me laugh was me imagining the private message I’d send you over Facebook letting you know you were about to be a dad.”
Dane chuckled. “Yeah, probably not the best way to hear the news.”
“What are we going to do, Dane? This is such a mess.”
She gasped when his hands framed her face. “We will deal this together. We’re a team, Brooke King. And if you hadn’t come here to train, I believe we still would’ve found our way back to each other.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips briefly. “We’re meant to be, princess.”
Brooke let his words sink in. It almost sounded like he had deep feelings for her. Was it possible he loved her? Her blood pounded in her ears in excitement. With a concerted effort, she pulled back the emotion. What she needed to do was use her head and not her heart in this situation. There was too much at stake to be blinded by feelings she was still coming to terms with.
“What are you saying here, Dane?”
“What I’m saying Brooke, is that I love you. I love you with my whole heart, and I want to spend my life with you and our baby.”
She gasped again as the tears welled once again. “You love me?” she whispered.
“Yes. And I know how much your career means to you. I’ll retire and look after the baby so you can chase your dreams.”
Words were impossible at his declaration. “You would do that? You’d retire? But you still have goals you want to achieve.”
“Sure, I’d love to add to my gold medal tally, but you and our baby are my priority now. I want you to have your chance to experience another Olympics.”
Fighting for Love (The Elite Book 3) Page 9