by Hazel Gower
A week ago she’d started her teaching position. She’d moved into a house with another teacher and they were becoming fast friends. Amanda was full of life and taught first grade at the elementary school down from the high school.
Becky had been depressed ever since she left Vegas. She’d done the wrong thing leaving Damon. She may have only been with him a short time, but she loved him and missed him with all her heart.
Covering her face with her hands, she groaned, “What am I going to do?” She’d only just started her job. Should she call and talk to Damon? Would he want to talk to her after all this time after what she’d done?
Amanda banged on the door. “You okay, Becky?”
Becky glanced down at the stick, then at the door, and shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay. Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath that came out as a sob. “Um… Yeah. Do you need the bathroom?”
“The game’s about to start and I never miss Damon kicking butt.”
Becky stared wide-eyed at the door. Surely she couldn’t mean her Damon. Fate was not being nice. Slowly getting up, she gathered her test and walked out the door. Disposing of her stuff, she washed her hands and went to the lounge where she sat and waited for Amanda who, fifteen minutes later, sat on the sofa with popcorn. Becky stared into space in disbelief of what she’d just found out. Amanda moved closer to her and offered some popcorn. Becky shook her head and took a deep breath, asking what she needed to know.
“So, this big hockey player Damon that you like, what’s he like?
Amanda’s face lit up. “He’s my favorite type of bad boy.”
“Oh… really?”
“Yeah, he dates all the time and he has a thing for blondes.” Amanda winked at her. “So, I have one thing he likes.”
Becky grimaced. She remembered Damon favored blondes.
“Damon is hot. Well, just look at him.” Amanda shoved a magazine with Damon and a gorgeous tall blonde on it at her. Becky’s breath hitched as she saw the date on the magazine was this week’s. She turned back to the article and read as she listened to Amanda. “Damon has the most fights record for the last couple of seasons. He parties and is seen everywhere, but get this, he has a soft side he does charity games like the one I’m watching today. I bought tickets for a game a couple of weeks into the season. I have a spare, wanna come?”
“Yes. Thanks,” Becky managed to whisper. The yes came out of her before Becky could really think it through.
“It’s six weeks away, but by then I’ll have you as obsessed with ice hockey as I am.” Amanda winked. “And Damon Chet.”
Becky burst into tears. All she could think about was that she was pregnant with a child by a man she still loved, but she knew he didn’t love her back. He’d forgotten about her. She stared through blurry vision at the image of supermodel Imogene hanging off him. The caption said they were dating. Becky remembered a conversation they’d had at dinner a couple of the night before she left…
“So you’re looking forward to teaching kids?” Damon had asked.
“Yes. I love younger ones and want a bunch of my own eventually, but the older kids I find easer. They understand things better and you can explain things to them. Do you like kids?”
Damon shook his head and she could tell he wasn’t a kid person. “No way. I don’t do kids. I’m not father material. Kids are a lot of responsibility, I don’t want that.” He shivered. “I have too many people already to look after. I don’t need another one.”
Becky had known then that the thing with Damon wouldn’t work out. Becky had always loved children and wanted at least one of her own. She was disappointed, but if Damon didn’t want something she really wanted she wasn’t going to push him.
She settled her hands over her stomach, protecting her child. Crap! Everything was changing. She glanced at the magazine again and anger consumed her. Shit! She was married to an arse. He was dating a woman while he was still to married her.
“Becky, what’s wrong?” Amanda’s arms came around her and Becky sobbed into her.
“I’m pregnant. What am I going to do?”
****
Becky called her parents but she couldn’t bring herself to tell them. The weeks flew by and she found everything she could on Damon Chet. Becky called him only to hang up, scared and unsure what to say. After a couple more weeks a message said the number was wrong or had been disconnected. She called Jacob and Caleb but couldn’t bring herself to ask about Damon or get his new number. Jacob kept asking to see her, but she wasn’t ready. She told Jacob she needed to get settled first.
She loved her baby more every day. Becky knew she was being selfish keeping the baby from Damon, but every time she saw him with a new woman or read about a fight he got in she covered her stomach and protected her child, their child.
The ultrasound was what broke her. Becky heard the little heartbeat and saw the small shape and knew she couldn’t be selfish and jealous anymore. She laid there stunned as she stared at the screen and saw her baby, Damon’s baby. She had to find a way to tell him, even if she called Caleb or Jacob and asked for his new number.
****
Damon was determined to find Becky. He found out she lived in Chicago, but nothing else. For all he knew she could be living just on the other side of town from him. He knew Jacob and Caleb had spoken to her and she’d told them she wanted to settle in first before she saw them. Surely by now she’d be settled in to her new job and life. Damon knew he shouldn’t have left it as long as he did, but at first he’d been angry she’d left him without even a goodbye. Then he’d slumped back into his old ways. He wasn’t proud of himself for that.
His work and life were falling apart. His teammates were rallying behind him but he just couldn’t do it anymore. He’d debated telling Jacob and Caleb everything, but chickened out every time. He was going to tell them the day after he got married, but he decided to wait and tell them with Becky. He’d hoped if they saw how much he loved her they’d both be happy for him.
Magazine reporters were following him everywhere and he couldn’t get any peace. He was surprised no one had found out about his marriage, maybe what happened in Vegas had stayed in Vegas. With Becky leaving him he hadn’t told anyone and didn’t plan on it. His agent was loving all the press and had Imogene or some other model turning up to events as his date. Damon was getting sick of women being thrown at him to pose for pictures. His agent kept telling him it was good promotion for him to be seen with these popular people. Damon had a feeling it was going to bite him on the ass.
Jacob and Caleb could tell something was up with him and he knew he had to tell them. The problem was, with his game suffering and his heart in pieces he needed friends, and he was afraid when he told them shit would hit the fan.
He had a game this coming weekend. He’d booked a meeting with a private investigator for the day after the game. He was going to find Becky. He was getting his wife back.
Chapter Six
Becky sat in a bathroom at the arena, talking herself into going in and seeing Damon play hokey. Slowly she stood, took a deep breath, and told herself she had to see him. She’d told Jacob and Caleb she’d be at the game. They told her to call them after and they would see her. Becky hoped with Jacob and Caleb around, Damon would agree to see her. Her heart squeezed at the thought of being close to him. She walked out of the ladies’ bathroom and down to the spot Amanda had shown her.
Slowly she sat next to Amanda. She closed her eyes and told herself she could do this—she had to tell Damon. She had to stop being selfish.
Almost an hour later, Becky watched the scene before her, horrified. Two men were beating the crap out of each other, skating around on the ice as their teammates held each other off. The crowd went wild and Becky averted her gaze. Amanda screamed profanities at the team wearing red. The men before her were nothing like the ones she’d met at Disney World or stayed with in Vegas. They were animals.
Damon threw a punch that had his opponent
falling back onto the hard ice. Becky winced as she sensed the thud of the guy hitting the ground. He was lucky he still had his helmet on, because otherwise Becky would bet it would have been a lot worse.
The crowd cheered and Becky shook her head in disbelief that so far in a hockey game there had been two fights and lots of attempted fights. She covered her stomach and debated if she should stay and watch the rest. This had been a mistake. She turned to Amanda, who had a huge smile on her face and watched the game with rapt attention. She had come with Amanda, would it be too rude if she left?
The crowd around her stood and pumped their fists and cheered as a goal was made by Damon’s team. Her stomach flipped as the camera zoomed in on his form. She settled in her seat and knew she had to watch at least this one game.
“Damon is on fire tonight, Becky. His games lately have been terrible. Tonight, though, he is in the best form I’ve seen him in years.”
Becky chewed on her lip and nodded, not taking her eyes of the man in question. “Lucky me.” She didn’t feel lucky, though, right now she was nervous and scared. She was glad she’d come but she wasn’t going to come again.
The seats Amanda had gotten were supposed to be some of the best in the arena. When the hockey players first come on and when they leave, you’re right next them. Amanda had said some would acknowledge you. Becky made sure she wasn’t there for the start of the game when the teams came out. She’d been too busy talking herself into coming in and sitting down to watch.
The game came to an end, and Damon’s team had won by a couple of goals. Becky didn’t think there was a way that the other team could have caught up.
Amanda was bouncing in her seat. “They are going to come by in minute. Let’s go to the side. I want to touch any part of Damon. He is just so hot, and if you don’t count the first couple of games this year he’s one of the best players.”
Oh, God. Becky felt sick. She couldn’t see him or his friends, not after watching that game. Becky knew she had to tell Damon about the baby, but she was scared. It had been almost three months since she’d seen him. She darted her gaze at the exit door and took a couple of steps toward them, only to be grabbed by Amanda and pulled to the side where she could see the players at the gate ready to walk through.
Beck closed her eyes as Amanda screamed Damon’s name. She opened them just as the gate opened. Maybe Damon wouldn’t remember her. She rolled her eyes, she highly doubted that but right now she could dream.
Damon was the second to last player to come through and Becky felt like she was going to be sick. She pulled on her arm to get it out of Amanda’s grasp, but not before her gaze locked onto Damon’s. Becky felt like her heart missed a beat. Damon took his helmet off and Becky stumbled back as his intense gaze locked with hers. Amanda let her go to reach out to him. Becky felt her vision cloud as Damon took his gloves off. Becky frantically backed up but her way was blocked as more people gathered around.
Her whole body started to shake as security came over and tried to move Damon along but he wouldn’t go. He came to the side and tried to climb up. Becky knew she had to go. She turned and her whole world spun.
The last thing she heard was Damon yell, “Get the fuck off me! That’s my wife.”
Chapter Seven
Amanda, Becky’s friend, kept looking over at him and shaking her head. Sighing, Damon went over to her. “Hi, I’m Dam—”
“I know who you are. I just didn’t know you were the guy who did that.” She pointed at the hospital room. “To her.”
He took a deep breath and curbed his annoyance. “Look, I don’t know what Becky told you about me, but—”
“She didn’t tell me much, just that the baby daddy was a douche and she’d met him at Disney World and made the biggest mistake of her life later in Vegas. I didn’t ask anything more. She was going back to Australia before the baby was born and she couldn’t fly anymore.”
His anger rose and he clenched his fist. “Was she even going to tell me she was fucking pregnant?” He hit the wall and Amanda flinched.
“Yeah, she was, but she was scared. I didn’t know you were the father.” Amanda shrugged. “I probably wouldn’t have believed her.”
Caleb and Jacob came around the corner and saw him. They both had worried expression on their faces. Amanda turned and her eyes widened.
“Is Becky okay? What happened to her? Can I go in and see her? I should have insisted we see her when she called.” Damon cringed at the scared tone in Jacob’s voice. Shit, he should never have fallen for Becky when Jacob was interested in her.
Damon was thankful his friend hadn’t heard he’d called Becky his wife. Damon still couldn’t believe he was married. He wasn’t really the marrying type. Damon hoped Jacob would forgive him. “She has a concussion.” Damon didn’t tell them about the baby, he was still coming to terms with that himself.
“So Becky will be okay?” Caleb asked.
“Ah, I’m waiting for the doctor. He should be back in a minute and he’ll tell us more.” Caleb and Jacob nodded and leaned against the wall.
Amanda’s phone started ringing and she glanced down at it. “Look, I have to go. Tell Becky I’ll talk to her later and to call me if she needs me. I can bring her some clothes.”
Jacob smiled at Amanda. “She’ll be fine with us. We’ll look after her.” Jacob went over to her and Damon watched as he exchanged numbers with Amanda. Damon kicked himself—he should have done that.
Amanda smiled. “Ah, you must be the one she said she wished she’d been with.”
Damon groaned, narrowed his stare at Amanda, and prayed she didn’t say anything else. Damon could see it was too late, though. Jacob stiffened, nodded, and went back over to Caleb, but Jacob’s gaze never left him.
The doctor came by soon after and they waited in the lobby as Damon went into Becky’s room. Jacob gave him death stares and Caleb sure wasn’t smiling. Damon stood outside Becky’s room and moved when the doctor came out and went straight to him. They stood together at the side of the door.
“Mr. Chet, your wife needs to take it easy. Becky has high blood pressure and is showing signs of rare, early preeclampsia. As she is still in her first trimester we can’t do anything but it will hopefully go away. She was lucky the fall didn’t cause any harm to the baby. Dr. Stinson is an OBGYN, a good one.”
Doubt seeped into his mind. Was this child his? “How far along is she?”
The doctor didn’t seem to break his stride as he said, “For twelve weeks she seems right on target.”
Fuck, that was Vegas. Why the hell hadn’t she told him? Why hadn’t she contacted him? “Is she awake?”
“Mrs. Chet is resting. You can go in two at a time, but only one other visitor at a time. We’ll watch her for the concussion tonight but she won’t be going home until her blood pressure lowers. Once it’s lowered we will discharge her as long as she has someone to look after her and make sure she has an appointment with an OBGYN.”
He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. His whole world was changing. “Can I go in and see her now?”
“Yes, but she needs as little stress as possible.” The doctor looked him up and down. “I have the number for Dr. Stinson the OBGYN.”
“I have the money to pay. Can I have the number?”
“Sure. I’ll give it to you before you and your wife leave. I’ll write a referral, too.”
“Thank you.”
The doctor smiled and walked away.
“Why the fuck is the doctor calling Becky your wife? I thought I heard someone say before we left, that you’d called her that when she fell, but I thought you said that to get to her.”
Clenching his fists, Damon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he sighed. “Can we talk about this after we’ve seen Becky?”
Jacob glared at him for a while before he sighed and nodded. “Fine. I want to talk about what he was going on about with a baby”
“Um…yeah, okay.” Unclenchin
g his fists, Damon opened the door to Becky’s room and they stepped inside. She lay in bed with a drip in her arm and monitors everywhere. There were two chairs in the room and he picked up one and sat it beside the bed.
Becky’s eyes fluttered open and she groaned. “I knew I shouldn’t have gone.”
Grinding his teeth, Damon gripped the edge of the bed and took deep breaths to calm himself. “Why?”
She avoided his gaze. “I’m not your type.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks and he swore. “What the fuck? If you’re not my type, then why the hell did I marry you?”
“I don’t know, maybe you thought it would keep your work happy. It didn’t even feel like a real wedding. I mean, shouldn’t there have been a lot more paperwork, and don’t you have to send it all away to be registered and so on? Not only that, I’m Australian. Don’t I need to do extra stuff?”
Scrubbing his face, Damon prayed for patience. She thought they weren’t really married. Right now he wished they weren’t. He was so angry. “Everything was sent away. I received a confirmation and have both certificates. You are my wife.”
“What the fuck?” Jacob growled and stormed over to Damon. “How could you? You cunt!”
Jacob’s fist connected to his face and Damon reeled back before bracing himself, ready for more off Jacob, he would only hit him once, he deserved that. Jacob came at him again and this time he hit him, but Jacob punched his stomach.
Becky yelled, “Stop. Stop now! Jacob, please let me talk to Damon. When I send him out you can talk to me if you still want to.”
Jacob’s eyes darted from him to a pale Becky, then back to him. “When you’re done I want to talk.” Damon knew he didn’t want to talk. Jacob wanted to fight. Damon nodded and Jacob turned to Becky. “Sweetheart, I’ll be back when he leaves.”
“Thank you, Jacob.” Becky watched Jacob leave before her gaze fell on Damon. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have left it this long to see you, either. I called you so many times these last twelve weeks. Well, not the last couple of weeks since I learned who you really are and saw the women you go for. Also, you changed your number.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “So, if we’re really married, is it okay if I date other people since it seems fine for you to take hot models out on dates?”