by Toni Aleo
She dug in her purse and pulled out the pregnancy test she’d wrapped in a tissue, handing it to him without a word.
He unwrapped it slowly and she watched the play of emotions on his face as he went from confusion, to recognition and then surprise. His eyes snapped to hers but instead of anger or shock, he merely smiled. “We’re having a baby?”
She was so surprised by his reaction she only managed a little nod.
“Wow… when?”
“I don’t know. I just figured it out today and… I’ve been too freaked out to think about how far I could be. Probably that party in October—we got pretty wild in the bathroom.”
He chuckled. “So, like four weeks? Are you sure?”
“According to when I looked it up online, you actually add two weeks or so to it based on the date of your last period. I’m thinking more like six weeks.”
“A summer baby.”
She stood up slowly and walked over to him. “Dmitri—I’m pregnant. Not only are we not married, we’re not even a couple.”
He frowned. “What does that mean? I asked you to be my girl nearly two months ago.”
She flushed. “Yes, but… no one knows but Royce. And you know damn well your parents aren’t going to be happy because I’m not Greek.”
“Now that there’s a baby, they’ll have no choice but to come around.” He reached for her, pulling her close and looking into her face. “Honey, aren’t you happy?”
“Honestly? No. This is just another screw-up in a long line of screw-ups for me.”
“You didn’t screw up—we did this together. I’ll take full responsibility to everyone, so you don’t have to say or do anything that makes you uncomfortable. It’s too late to worry about how it happened, so let’s focus on what we’re going to do next.”
“Please don’t say we should get married.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“We’ve only been serious for two months, and most of that time has been spent apart, with you here in Vegas and me in L.A. Would you be proposing if I wasn’t pregnant?”
“No, but—”
“Then there’s no reason for you to do it now.”
“There is a reason, one that’ll be here in eight months or so.”
“I’m not trapping anyone like that.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I’ve done some really dumb shit since my parents died, but not this time. You can be as involved as you like, but we’re not getting married.”
“Do I look trapped to you?” he demanded. “I’m fine with this. I can’t wait to be a dad and I’m crazy about you, Angel. No, I wasn’t planning to propose yet, but we’ve stopped seeing other people and I was hoping we’d tell everyone we’re together during the break around Christmas. My parents, sisters and brother-in-law are flying in to spend the holidays, so the timing would be perfect.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said dryly. “Hey… here’s my non-Greek girlfriend, and by the way, she’s already knocked up. Awesome. They’re going to love me.”
He gave her a weird look. “I think maybe I’m missing something. Are you not into me? Or is this your way of telling me you don’t want it?”
She stared into his handsome but now frustrated face and struggled to hide her feelings. It was way too soon to tell him how she felt, not after dropping the pregnancy bomb on him. Instead, she reached for his face, cupping one cheek. “You’re incredible. I’ve never met anyone like you and the last few months have been amazing. But I can’t continue to make rash decisions to get myself out of bad situations. If we’re going to get married, we have to be prepared for forever. Not for a year or two because of a baby and then figure out it wasn’t meant to be.”
He didn’t respond for a while, just looking into her eyes until he finally stepped back and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She sat next to him and they were both silent until he said, “Do you remember what the first thing I ever said to you was?”
Warmth spread through her as she nodded, the memory washing over her and reminding her of those first few magical dates. “You said, ‘I don’t know who you are but if you tell me you have a boyfriend I’m going to challenge him to a duel.’”
“I knew immediately there was something special about you. About us. Your smile lights up the room and when you’re in my arms it feels like our bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. After a couple of months, I discovered you’re not only beautiful, you’re also sarcastic, hard-working and loving, traits I love. You care about Brock and Ashleigh, you still worry about your little sister and you miss your parents a lot. I started falling for you right away.”
“You did?” She stared at him in surprise.
He took a breath. “I have a confession to make.”
“Okay.”
“I ran into my ex when I was home in New York over Labor Day weekend. We hung out some, talked about the past, reconnected.”
“And?” She had no idea why he was telling her this.
“I came home and basically asked you to go steady because I knew there would never be anyone else for me. I had to see if I still had feelings for her and I don’t. I was afraid to admit how I was feeling to you because it was too soon and would scare you off… afraid of all this.”
“Dmitri.” Her eyes puddled with tears and she leaned over, resting her head against one of his strong, hard biceps. “I don’t think anyone has ever said anything so beautiful to me. I feel it too. I just need a little time to get used to everything. Can we tell Brock and Ashleigh but then take a few weeks to talk and figure out exactly what we want to do? Can you give me a little time?”
“Yeah.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. “As much time as you need.”
Chapter Two
Dmitri was nervous as he pulled into Brock and Ashleigh’s driveway Saturday night for dinner. Angel had told them she had someone for them to meet so they’d invited him to dinner. He and Angel felt bad about letting them think there was someone new in her life, but there was no other way to do it when he and Angel were together and the four of them were somewhere private. He expected Brock to be pissed but he would do whatever was necessary to spare Angel as much discomfort as possible.
“Hey.” Brock opened the door with a curious look on his face. “What are you doing here?”
Dmitri cleared his throat. “I’m Angel’s date.”
Brock’s face changed, his jaw tightening slightly and his eyes narrowing. “You’re dating Angel? Since when?”
“Brock, I—” Angel began.
“How the—” Brock began at the same time but then his wife was there, sliding an arm around his waist.
“Let’s invite him in and go talk.”
Brock looked like he was going to protest, but his petite wife tugged him away from the door.
“Hi.” Dmitri pressed a light kiss to Angel’s lips. “How are you?”
“I feel like I’m going to puke,” she whispered.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” He wrapped his hand around hers tightly and they followed Brock and Ashleigh.
“How long has this been going on?” They’d barely sat down before the words spilled from Brock’s mouth.
“Since summer,” Angel replied.
“It got serious around the beginning of the season,” Dmitri added. “We were planning to tell everyone, you guys and my family as well, when we were all together at Christmas but…” His voice trailed off and he glanced at Angel, suddenly unsure what to say. He’d take an ass-kicking if it meant making it easier for her, but it was still hard to come clean.
“But?” Ashleigh prompted when no one spoke.
“We’re having a baby,” Dmitri said as he blew out a breath.
“What?!” Brock looked ready to kill someone and Ashleigh put a gentle hand on his forearm.
“I’m sorry,” Angel whispered, tears filling her eyes.
“Don’t cry.” Dmitri slid an arm around her shoulder
s and pulled her close, fixing Brock with a firm stare. “I’m sorry we kept this from you, and I’m sorry it happened this way, but I’m not sorry it happened. I’m crazy about her and I can’t wait to be a dad. The timing could’ve been better, but we’ve been friends and teammates for three years, so I’d like to think you know me well enough to believe I’ll take care of her.”
Brock made a sound that was a cross between a cough and a grunt, but he didn’t say anything, merely looked at his wife as she answered for them. “We absolutely believe that,” she said. “The question isn’t about taking care of her financially, it’s whether or not you love her and will take care of her emotionally.”
“I do and I will.”
“Are you going to marry her?” Brock asked.
“I want—” Dmitri began.
“Not yet,” Angel said at the same time. “Marriage has to happen organically… I don’t want a ring because of a baby.”
“Angel.” Brock glared at her.
“Brock.” Ashleigh shook her head at him. “It’s not our place to force her to get married.”
“I’m hungry.” Bella padded into the room, hands on her hips. “Hi, Angel!” She threw herself at her sister when she saw her.
“Hey, kiddo.” Angel hugged her, kissing the top of her head.
“Let’s eat,” Ashleigh suggested, getting to her feet. “We can talk some more after dinner.”
Dinner seemed to go on forever and Dmitri couldn’t even taste the meal. Brock appeared to glare at him every time their eyes met and Ashleigh kept Angel engaged with Bella, so no one said much of anything else. By the time Bella cleared the plates and Angel started to help Ashleigh clean up the kitchen, Brock nudged Dmitri out to the back deck.
“On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you?” Dmitri asked when they were alone.
“Eleven,” Brock snapped. “Dude, you were sleeping with her all this time behind my back?”
“She’s an adult,” Dmitri ground out. “And when it first happened, we agreed it would be a one-time thing so no one had to know. Then it became twice, three times and I realized I liked her beyond the sex.”
“I get all that, but you know better than to have unprotected sex. You of all people, with what we do and the women we meet, shouldn’t have let this happen. She’s not even old enough to drink yet. She’s finally gotten her life together, doing so well in college—and she’s going to give it all up for an unplanned baby.”
“No.” Dmitri shook his head. “I won’t let her give up school. Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, she’ll be able to finish the year. The baby isn’t due until early July, so she’ll have time to recover and get ready for fall. If things are harder than we’re anticipating, there are half a dozen classes she can take online next fall to give her more time. I’m going to take care of them, Brock. I give you my word.”
Brock merely sighed, looking away. “She’s had such a rough few years,” he said quietly. “And she’s come a long way. I’d hate to see this derail everything she’s worked for.”
Dmitri looked away, guilt washing over him. Was he ruining her life? He hadn’t asked her what she wanted; he’d merely told her he would take care of her. Maybe she didn’t really want this and was just doing what was expected of her. Shit. He needed to talk to her, give her an out if that’s what she wanted, even though it made him a little sick to think about getting rid of the baby.
“You okay?” Brock’s voice shifted slightly, as he watched Dmitri’s face.
“I want to make her life better… I thought she loved me too, but maybe not. Maybe she just wants to be a college student and have fun for a while instead of getting all serious. It never occurred to me she didn’t want what I want.”
“I don’t know,” Brock admitted, “but you should find out.”
“Yeah.” Dmitri looked up. “Are we cool, though? I’m sorry I kept this from you, but this isn’t a casual fling for me. I want you to know that.”
“I do and yeah, we’re cool.”
Chapter Three
The evening had worn her out and Angel made excuses when Dmitri left, saying she wanted to get some rest. There was a Sidewinders game the next day anyway, and Dmitri had to be up early for a morning skate, so she didn’t want to spend the night and have to get up and go that early. Dmitri had seemed disappointed, but he’d simply kissed her and told her he would see her after the game.
Now she was on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she tried to think about what she wanted to do. Brock hadn’t been as mad as she’d thought he would be, and Ashleigh had been pretty quiet, but Dmitri had been different after his talk with Brock outside. He would probably tell her what was said if she asked, but part of her didn’t want to know. Brock was overprotective and while she appreciated that about him, it worried her. If he made Dmitri’s life hell because of this, she would never forgive herself.
A light knock on her door brought her back to reality and she sat up, calling out to come in.
“Hey.” Ashleigh gave her a smile and stepped inside. “You have a minute?”
“Sure.”
Ashleigh shut the door behind her and came over to sit on the edge of the bed. “How are you?”
“I don’t know. Scared. Embarrassed. Emotional.”
“Sounds about right. You want to talk about it?”
Angel shrugged. “I guess.”
“He seems sincere… don’t you like him?”
“Oh, yeah. A lot.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“He’s… everything. I mean, those eyes, that body—girls throw themselves at him all the time. Then there’s his knocked-up twenty-year-old girlfriend. He’s going to be off on the road while I’m at home, fat and boring.”
“You realize that’s the hormones talking, right? You’re gorgeous, Angel, and if he’s the kind of guy who cheats, it wouldn’t matter if you were a supermodel. You can’t make a decision based on an irrational fear that he’ll be lured away while you’re pregnant.”
“I’m not Greek, so his parents are going to hate me.”
“He doesn’t seem worried about it.”
“Believe me, he’s worried about it. He hasn’t even told them.”
“He will. Brock said he seemed sincere and genuinely interested in you when they spoke in private.”
“He’s…” Angel managed a soft smile. “Wonderful. I just don’t want to fuck this up because I have a terrible track record.”
“You’ve made mistakes, but trust me, everyone does. It’s part of growing up. It doesn’t define you, though. If you love him, or at least think you might, go for it. He’s a good guy from what I’ve seen and Brock really likes him, regardless of the craziness tonight.”
“How am I going to finish school in L.A. with a baby while my boyfriend is in Vegas?”
“Dmitri thinks you can make it work.”
“I’ve been taking a heavy course load, so I could graduate in three years instead of four, but now…”
“The baby isn’t coming until summer, so you’ll have two full years plus all those extra classes you’ve taken. You can make it work. Bella goes to school in L.A., and Jolinda is there with her and Devon while I work, so there’s no reason you can’t live in our house in L.A. with some extra help for Jolinda since three kids will be a lot.”
“How will we see Dmitri?”
“The same way I see Brock. If you’re committed to making it work, you will. I know it’s a little overwhelming right now, but you have us and you have Dmitri.”
Angel bit her lip. “That’s what I’m afraid of, Ashleigh—having Dmitri. His parents aren’t going to be happy. He’s trying to minimize how much their opinion will impact us, but before we got serious, we were already good friends and he talked about his parents all the time. They feel strongly about him marrying a Greek girl and I don’t want to be the daughter-in-law they hate. Eventually that will wear us both down. That’s partly why Bella and I became orphans.”
&nbs
p; “What do you mean?” Ashleigh asked in surprise.
“My mom’s parents hated my dad. They said she was dead to them when she married him. I called my mom’s dad when Mom and Dad died and he said, ‘I don’t have a daughter or grandchildren’ and hung up.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Ashleigh hugged her tightly. “That’s terrible and I’m sorry your parents had to deal with that, but that will never be you. No matter what happens, you’ll always have Brock and I, and Bella will always be your sister. You’ll never be alone like that.”
“I hope you’re right.” Angel said the words but wasn’t sure she believed them.
Dmitri had been avoiding his mother’s calls for four days but he had to answer eventually, so he picked up reluctantly.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Could you sound any gloomier?” His mother asked in her slightly accented voice. “Yati?” Why? His very Greek family still spoke Greek most of the time.
“I’m okay, Mama.”
“I wish you wouldn’t lie to me. You couldn’t do it when you were four and you can’t do it now.”
“My girlfriend is pregnant,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.
“The pretty blond in the pictures you sent?”
“Yes.”
“Do you love her?”
“Yes.”
“Then why do you sound like someone died?”
“Because Baba is going to be pissed.” The Greek pronunciation for Papa used the B sound instead of a P.
“He’ll get over it.”
“You mean like he got over me playing professional hockey?” His father had been furious when he’d left New York to play in the NHL and asked him when he was coming home almost every time they talked.
His mother sighed. “He misses you. You’re his only son. You should spend more time with him.”
“Every minute we’re together he nags me about hockey, the restaurant, moving home, marrying Penny… I love him, Mama, but I work really hard and it would be nice if he was proud of me.”