She didn't look at him when she said "I slept with Gabe."
“Rack up another point on the scoreboard. Nick is going to flip out."
"Please do not tell him Carson. It's not what people think. He doesn’t hire girls to sleep with them. I was the first one. He thinks he’s in love with me."
Carson snorted. “Do not tell me that you believe that shit Ami. Some guys will tell a girl anything to get in their pants.”
Ali scowled at Carson. “Enough. Ami, what made you think he was telling the truth?”
"He seems totally sincere. That's the problem. I didn't sleep with him because I feel the same way about him. I slept with him because I wanted to get back at Nick. Yeah and okay, since I hadn’t had sex in seven years, but that’s not the point."
"Damn. Seven years Ami? Nick will love the other part," Carson said.
"Carson, I'm thinking that Ami's right. It's probably better that you don't tell him. Let Ami tell him when she's ready," Alicia said.
"He should know," Carson said.
"Why should he know?" Ami protested. "No matter how either of us feels, we're not together. It's not like I cheated on him. I’m just afraid that what I did encouraged Gabe. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”
"You're just another in a long line Ami. I’m sure he lays down the same bullshit for all of them. Don't feel bad. He's the one that should feel like shit." He leaned down and gave Alicia a kiss. "I'm going back to my game."
When Carson was back inside Alicia said "What did Gabe do or say to make you think he was sincere?"
“A lot of things. He told me that his wife screws around and his kids aren’t his, but he loves them anyway. He admitted that he gives girls money. He said he’d paid for abortions, even houses and cars for some of them. I don’t know Ali. I really think this guy is convinced he’s in love with me.”
“Carson said his kids don’t look like him, but that doesn’t mean much really. He might be telling you those things because he thinks you’ll feel sorry for him. Honestly Ami, I would take everything Gabe tells you with a grain of salt. Whether he's as serious about you as he says or not, I would be very very careful if I was you."
"Maybe I should look for another job."
"You could. I don’t know. Maybe we’re overreacting. Maybe if you tell Gabe that you can’t see him anymore, he’ll leave you alone.”
“I hope so. It’s all such a mess Ali. I never should have slept with Gabe. I never should have told Nick that I had a boyfriend. And even with the rest of this mess, I still have to worry about getting my life together so that I can finally take care of my son.”
“You seem pretty together to me Ami. What’s really stopping you from taking care of your son?”
Ami sighed. “I’ve barely been around his whole life since I was too busy trying to stay one step ahead of his Dad. I feel like a really crappy mother. I don’t know how to raise a kid. I wish my Dad was still alive. He’d help with Charlie. Charlie loved him. I was so sure that when I could stop worrying about Corin coming after me, that it would be easy. I would go pick Charlie up and we’d be happy. I love him so much, but I’m so afraid that I’ll screw him up. It doesn’t help that he looks like his Dad either. Then I go and get myself into this whole mess with Gabe. And I have these feelings for Nick that I don’t know how to deal with. I am a mess Ali.”
“No Ami, you’re not. You did what you had to when you had Charlie to keep him safe. He’ll understand that. He might not now because he’s just a kid, but someday, he will understand why you did what you did and he’ll love you even more for it. So what if he looks like his dad? He’s not his dad and he never will be. I’m sorry about what happened with this guy babe, but you’ve got to get over it and move on. If you don’t you’re letting him control you and you can’t do that. I’m sure everything will blow over with Gabe. He’ll get the hint and move on to the next pretty girl that he hires. As for Nick, he really is sorry about what happened. He’s a great guy. He cares about you. You care about him. Stop hiding yourself away and take a chance with him.”
Ami smiled. “You seem to have a knack at giving advice Ali.”
Ali laughed. “I read tarot cards for a living-of course I do. Be honest with Nick. Lay it all on the line for him, and if he can’t take it, then he’s not the one for you. But I’m sure if it’s not Nick, he’s still out there somewhere. Hey, I found my someone didn’t I? Even if it did happen to be when I was six months pregnant with someone else’s child.”
Ami laughed. “Thank you for listening to me Ali. I really do appreciate it.”
“I’m sure you’ll hear plenty of crazy things coming out of my mouth girl. Don’t worry about it. It’s what friends are for. If you do decide you’re going to get custody back of your son and you ever need any help with him, just let me know. I love kids.”
“Thank you Alicia. You made me feel a little better at least.”
“No problem hon. Again, it’s what friends are for.”
"Is everything going as planned with the wedding?" Ami said. She was tired of talking about her problems.
Alicia grinned. "Yes it is. I found the cutest little tux for Elijah. I wasn't quite so lucky finding something as perfect for myself being six months pregnant, but I'll make do. Carson of course, wanted to get married in jeans and a t-shirt."
Ami smiled. "I can see that."
"I had a friend that did it. No big deal for some people I guess. But I want this to be right. Okay, maybe that sounds a little crazy since we just met and I'm having another man's child, but I want everything to be nice for what I plan on being my one and only wedding."
"I'm sure it will be nice."
"You are still coming aren't you? We wanted to do it Saturday but Carson couldn't get the day off. So we're doing it Sunday. We even managed to get Bobby to close down the alley for a couple hours so we can get married there. He owes Nick a thousand favors so it's no big deal. We found a minister for pretty cheap too. He got his license on the internet, but it's still legal so what the hell."
"You're getting married in the bowling alley and your minister got certified through the internet?" Leave it to Alicia and Carson to not only get married less than two weeks after they met but to make it even more interesting Ami thought.
Alicia laughed. "It will be memorable won't it?"
"Yes, it will. Yes, I'll come. Nick's going to be there of course."
Alicia nodded. "Yeah. He really does feel terrible about what he did to you."
"I'm sure he does.”
"Nick really is a good guy. You should give him another chance."
"There was no chance in the first place. I did what I thought was best because I’m tired of guys coming on to me. Then I was too scared to tell him the truth. I don’t understand why what Nick did hurt so much."
"See, you like him."
"Yeah, I like him. I'm just not sure of my motivations. With any of the men in my life."
"You'll figure it out."
"Sure. When Nick's married to someone else and I'm living as Gabe's mistress."
"Don't settle Ami. If you don't want Gabe that way, tell him. It might hurt his pride, but you'll both be better off in the end if you're honest."
"That might have been okay until you convinced me he's going to turn into some psycho stalker."
"I didn't tell you those things to scare you. It's just the reality of the world. It's always better to be safe than sorry. Not to be totally personal and if you don't want to answer, don't, but you did use a condom with Gabe right?"
"He didn't seem to want to, but yeah, we did."
"Good. If you ended up pregnant with his kid, things could get really ugly. You want to come inside with me? I think the game should be over soon, so we might be able to talk Carson into letting us take over the TV for a while."
"I think I'm going to go to the library and trade out my books. Thanks though. I might come down later. Thank you again for listening, Alicia."
Alicia smile
d.
She smiled back at her friend. She was glad that she had met Alicia and hoped the best for her and Carson and Elijah and the baby. A thought occurred to her then. "Ali what about Brian? Is he going to want to be a part of your baby's life?"
"I talked to him yesterday, told him that I'm getting married. He's shacked up with some chick in California right now. He plans on coming out when the baby's born, but he doesn’t want to move back here. It might not be easy with him being so far away, but we'll work it out. He's okay with Carson adopting Jenesis, because he doesn't want to pay child support. But he does want to be a part of her life and she will know who her biological father is."
"That's good. You're naming her Jenesis?"
"Brian didn't like it but Carson does. Jenesis Alma Louisa Marie Briggs. I let Carson throw his Grandma in there."
"That's nice. Well, I will see you a bit later then."
"Okay. Take care Ami."
"You, too."
She headed back towards the stairs and her library books.
She was able to exchange her books more quickly this time because she'd found that she really did like one of the authors and was interested to read more.
When she got back home, Nick was outside at the picnic tables with Carson and Alicia. It looked like they were barbecuing. She could smell the food as soon as she opened her door. It was mouth-watering. She was sure she was invited but not too sure that she was ready to deal with Nick yet.
Alicia saw her as soon as she headed to the stairs. "Come eat Ami. There's plenty."
"I'll be back down in a minute. Let me take my books upstairs."
To her disappointment, Nick followed her to the stairs. It was even worse when Alicia mouthed 'I'm sorry' behind his back.
The look on his face was intense as he followed her into her apartment without bothering to wait to be invited in.
"What are you doing Nick?"
"We need to talk Ami."
She put her books on the coffee table, lighting a cigarette. "Do we now?"
"I think we do."
She sighed and sat down on the couch. He sat at the opposite end, his eyes never leaving her face. "What do you think you're doing Ami?"
"What do you mean?"
She knew exactly what he meant. Carson had told him about her and Gabe even though they'd agreed that she would be the one to tell him.
"You are going to get in way over your head with that guy."
"It's not your business Nick. You're not my boyfriend. I don't have one anymore."
"So you’re jumping right from your boyfriend to a married guy that has major issues? Smart Ami, real fucking smart."
"At least I didn't do it in public.”
"I deserved that. I am really sorry about what I did the other night. I am a complete idiot. I just couldn't deal with the way I felt about you. I admit that I didn't handle it the right way. I don’t know what might have happened between us, and right now it’s probably best if it doesn’t happen. But that doesn’t mean that I'm going to sit back and let you get mixed up with Gabe."
She was confused. She had told him that she was single now and he admitted he wanted her but he still didn’t want to actually be with her Ami thought. What the hell? "You're not making sense Nick."
"It's not something that I can explain to myself, Ami. To want someone so much and know that it's better for both of you if you just man up and don't let yourself have them. It's gonna be really hard. Hell, it's already really hard. Do you mind if I smoke?" She shook her head. "I want you Ami. I've dreamed about being with you every night since I met you. When I was with those bimbos, I closed my eyes so that your face was all I saw. But I don't think that you're ready for what I want, and you're sure as hell not ready for what that scumbag Gabe wants from you."
"Gabe is not what everyone thinks he is."
"Please do not defend him to me Ami. I don't need an excuse to break that perfect nose of his."
"What did he do to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me other than parade half the women that have worked for him around town like dogs on a fucking leash."
"He said he didn't sleep with any of them."
"And you believe him? Ami please. You're young, you're beautiful, and you could do anything you wanted with your life. Please do not throw your life away on some married guy who is sure as hell going to promise you the moon and stars but end up giving you nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. He might give you an STD or a kid he swears up and down isn't his."
"He wouldn't do that. He thinks he's in love with me. And if he got someone pregnant he'd do the right thing. His kids aren't even his."
Nick laughed. "He told you that, huh?"
"Yeah."
"His kids are his. People might think they're not because his wife's got red hair and he's blonde. But I've seen his wife come out of the hair parlor like clockwork every six weeks since I’ve been here almost. It’s close to the bowling alley. The dark hair on those kids came from Leslie."
"He said he didn't know her when she got pregnant with their son."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Sure he didn't. The way I heard it, he knocked her up and tried to run away and only came back and proposed when she promised him that she'd buy him some restaurant in California. They came here because her parents hate him for good reason and he ran the restaurant into the ground. They may own three bars and a restaurant, but the one here is the only one that's not in just her name. Whatever sob story Gabe gave you about being some poor abused husband was complete bullshit."
"He said she screws around."
"And he screws around on her so they're even. Leslie is a flirt, yeah. She's come on to me a time or two, but it's not like she's the only married woman that's come on to me. I think she likes women more than she likes men anyway if you want to know the truth."
"He said that she locks him out of their bedroom."
Nick sighed. "If I was a woman and married to Gabe, I think I'd lock his ass out of the bedroom too. Ami sweetheart, please tell me that you didn't buy all this shit."
Of course she had because Gabe had seemed so sincere. It was one thing to hear rumors, it was another to hear it straight from the horse's mouth Ami thought. "Most of the stuff you told me could just be rumors."
"That guy has always rubbed me the wrong way, so I did some research of my own. The stuff about the restaurant in Cali was easy enough to find. Her parents are rich, real powerful people, and they aren't shy when it comes to their dislike of their son in law. I knew a couple of the girls who worked for him too. Did he tell you about Tandra?"
Ami nodded. "He said that he beat the shit out of her boyfriend for beating the shit out of her."
"Yeah, he did that. But did he tell you why her boyfriend beat her up? Not that it matters because he still shouldn't have done it, but when you hear the rest you'll know that Gabe's not the hero in the whole thing."
"So why did he beat her up?"
"He caught her in a very compromising position one night after closing time with Gabe and this guy that used to work there. The other guy was going down on her and she was going down on Gabe. So Andy wasn't very happy."
"He admitted that she gave him head, but only after he stopped Andy from hitting her anymore."
Nick laughed. "That's probably true. I'm sure she did after, too. Did he tell you she lived with them for a while?" Ami nodded. "Did he tell you that he kicked her out because she liked his wife more than she liked him?"
"He said that Leslie liked her but that she left herself."
"Nah. He gave her the money for an abortion and a bus ticket and dropped her off at the bus station."
"She was pregnant?"
"Yeah. It coulda been Gabe's, coulda been Andy's and could have been half the rest of the guys in town's kid. A girl that hot with no self-esteem is very dangerous. Carson even tapped her once or twice."
"But you didn't?"
"Hell no. I like my women to have at least a little self-respect. Until the
past couple of nights that is. Please think about what I've told you Ami. If you want I can put you in touch with a girl that used to work for him. I think I still have Angela's number somewhere anyway. She'll tell you what Gabe's like."
"I'll think about it.” She was going to think about it plenty she thought. Her head was already spinning with everything Nick had told her.
He held out his hand, and she let him help her up. She was surprised when he took her into his arms for a brief hug, but found that she didn't want him to let go.
He saw the look on her face when he did. "Listen, Ami. I turn twenty-five in January and I easily feel thirty-five. I never thought I'd see my best friend getting married again before I'd even done it the first time. But he is. And he and Alicia are going to make it. They're going to make it because they want the same things. I want those same things. I am ready to take the plunge with the right woman. I am ready to be the daddy that I thought I was going to be four years ago. I've got money in the bank for a down payment on a house and I've been thinking about setting up my own shop here. It'll piss my dad off, but there's not a lot I do these days that doesn't piss him off. Ten years from now, I want to have a house that's free and clear, an awesome wife and a couple of kids, hell maybe even three who knows? Do you know where you want to be in ten years Ami?" He brushed her hair back from her neck.
Other than hopefully raising her own by then teenage son, she had no idea. She wanted to lie to him, because she wanted very much for him to be doing to her right now what Carson and Alicia probably thought he was doing to her, but she couldn’t do it.
"No, I don't."
"And that's okay. Not everyone wants the same things, and sometimes what someone wants can be changed to fit with what someone else wants and that's okay, too. But I don't want one night of your life Ami. I'm sure it would be a hell of a night. But I'm tired of playing games. I need someone that's as serious about me as I am about them."
"Okay.” It hurt, but it seemed fair she thought.
"Things have a way of working themselves out. If it's gonna be you and me darlin' then it'll be you and me. Believe me; I haven't completely given up on us yet. I just think that it's better if we let things take their natural course." He smiled then. "I think we'd better get back downstairs now. I hate to think what Carson and Ali think we're doing up here."
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 81