Wild Ride

by Tiffinie Helmer

  “Home? But what about all the…stuff…we bought?”

  “I really want to put that to good use, but there’s something I need to take care of first.”

  “Does that something have to do with Leia Atwood?”

  More than she knew. “Yes.” It would kill him to tell her why. “I’m sorry. Please, call Derek.”

  She made the call and then asked, “What’s going on between you two?”

  How did he tell her?

  His world had been turned upside down with just one word. And if he told Gabriella, it would ruin what was between them, and it was so new, so promising. He loved her. He didn’t love Leia, but if she was carrying his child…

  How the hell did he deal with this?

  He parked the Tacoma in front of Gabriella’s house, staying seated. “I can’t stay. I’m sorry.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “I have to.” He needed to think, needed time to figure a way out of this problem. But how?

  “What did Leia say? Please tell me,” Gabriella said, her big blue eyes beseeching him.

  “I can’t,” he said, pain squeezing his heart.

  “It can’t be that bad.” She grabbed his hand and held it between the two of hers, right over her heart. “Please, no secrets. I hate secrets.”

  Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “She said that she’s pregnant.”

  Gabriella sucked in a breath. “With your child?”

  “It doesn’t make any sense. We used protection. I always wore a condom, and she said she was on the pill.” But then if she was on antibiotics and the condom failed…

  “So, you could be the father?”

  “Possibly.” He hated admitting it. He’d been warned about Leia. Why the hell hadn’t he listened? He turned to look at Gabriella, cupping her cheek with his free hand. “Gabriella, I love you.”

  “But if she’s pregnant with your baby…”

  “I want to be with you, not her.”

  “That doesn’t matter. Not now. Only the child matters.”

  He knew she was right, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. “Gabriella…”

  “No, don’t do that. Don’t say my name like that. What we have or don’t have doesn’t matter. All that matters is the baby.” Tears filled her eyes. “You will make the best father.”

  But he knew he couldn’t make a good husband to Leia, not when he loved Gabriella. Loved her to distraction.

  He wiped at a tear that trailed down her cheek. “Please, don’t cut me out of your life. I will figure this out.”

  How, he had no clue.

  “I think it’s best if you take some time.”

  He didn’t need any more time. He knew what he wanted. But then if Leia was really carrying his child…

  Derek pulled up in his Toyota and got out, looking at them quizzically.

  “Can I borrow your car? I’ll have it returned in the morning.”

  “Sure.” She opened the door to step out, the bag of goodies clutched in her hand.

  “Wait.” He reached over and grabbed her, kissing her hard. Her lips trembled under his, and she broke it off, turning and shutting the door, rushing up her porch to meet Derek. He watched her run from him, knowing that she was crying. Everything inside him begged him to follow her into the house, carry her back up to bed, love her. Instead, he started the Tacoma and drove back home in a fog.

  Walking into the apartment he shared with Dare, he dropped into a chair. Eska greeted him with a low howl and Dare peeked at him from where he had his head stuck in the refrigerator.

  “What are you doing here? And we really need to get some food in this place. Wait, if you’re here, who’s watching over Gabi?”

  “Derek is staying with her.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong? Did you mess it up with Gabi?”

  “You could say that. It’s Leia.”

  “What did she do now?”

  “She’s pregnant.”

  Dare swore a blue-streak and slammed the door to the fridge.

  “Yeah, that about covers it.” He rubbed his temple where a headache stirred. “What am I going to do?”

  “Are you sure it’s yours?”

  “She says it is.”

  Dare raised an eyebrow, scowling. “This is Leia we’re talking about. I wouldn’t believe a word that woman says. Hell, knowing her, she could be telling you that and not even be pregnant.”

  “That’s quite a whopper of a lie, one that’s easily found out in time.”

  Dare opened the refrigerator door again and grabbed two beers. Walking over, he handed one to Ryder.

  He twisted the top off and guzzled a good portion of it, then resting the bottle on his knee, trying to think.

  “Did you tell Gabi?” Dare took a seat on the couch, looking as defeated as Ryder felt. Eska curled up next to his feet.

  He nodded, wiping a hand over his face. “She cried.”

  “Shit.” Dare twisted the cap off his beer and took a long swallow. “We can figure this out.”

  “I want to be with Gabriella.” How had his life turned from euphoric to despair in a just heartbeat?

  “You still can.”

  He looked at Dare. “I can’t let my child grow up without a father.”

  “And you don’t need to. You can be a father without being a husband to Leia. I know you. You want to do the right thing, but marrying Leia would not be that. You’d make each other miserable and that is not the right environment to bring up a kid.” He shuddered. “I can’t imagine what kind of mother Leia will make. Poor little tyke. Maybe you can get full custody?”

  “I can’t ask Gabriella to help me raise a child that isn’t hers.”

  “I think we’re jumping ahead. First, we need to find out if Leia is really pregnant or if she’s just messing with you. A woman who starts a fire and vandalizes a job site isn’t above using something like this to trap you.”

  “We don’t know for sure that she did those things,” he pointed out.

  “In your gut, you know it was her.”

  He did. He just couldn’t prove it. And if he could, would he be putting the mother of his child in jail?

  “The one thing you can’t do is tell Dad. He’ll have you at the altar before you can blink.”

  Ryder groaned, his head falling back.

  “Call Gideon. Get Leia to the clinic and find out for sure if she’s pregnant. That’s the first thing. Second, if she is pregnant like she says, do you know if she plans on keeping the baby?”

  He raised his head, horrified. “You mean—”

  Dare nodded. “It’s an option.”

  “No, it isn’t. Not for me.”

  “It’s her choice.”

  He growled. “I have something to say about it.”

  “Not really.” Dare took another swallow of his beer, finishing it off. He stood and returned to the refrigerator and grabbed the remaining four beers in the six pack. “Next course of action is to get drunk.” He handed Ryder another bottle.

  “It’s going to take more than beer to accomplish that.”

  “We’ll finish these and then open the whiskey.”

  That was the best idea so far.

  Chapter 16

  Gabi applied heavy makeup to cover her crying jag from last night. She’d given Derek the basics of why Ryder hadn’t wanted her being alone, and then she locked herself in her bathroom, taking a long shower where she cried her heart out in peace. Derek had been a sweetheart and left her alone, but knowing him, he’d demand answers this morning. Hence the warpaint. She dressed in cargo shorts and a loose peasant blouse, tying her hair up into a high ponytail and adding silver hoop earrings.

  She found him in the kitchen making breakfast.

  “About time, sleepyhead,” Derek said, loading a tray with fresh fruit, croissants, orange juice, and the open bottle of champagne she’d grabbed last night with Ryder at the Convenient Heart.

  Two tall glasses stood waiting on the co
unter. Were those mimosas?

  “It’s too nice of a day to stay inside, and the fresh air will do you good. We’re having breakfast on the dock by the lake. No, don’t argue, and carry the mimosas for me while I get the tray.”

  Guess she’d been told.

  She picked up the glasses filled with orange juice and champagne and followed him outside. The day was indeed beautiful. Clear blue skies with a slight breeze heavy enough to keep the mosquitos at bay but not so strong as to make things uncomfortable. The sun shown bright, promising a hot day to come, perfect for a day spent on the diamond-glistening lake. Birds chirped happily, darting after each other as they frolicked around the treetops, and farther down the shore a mother moose and her twin babies munched on sweet grasses.

  She felt better already being outside. For the last five years, she’d lived outdoors in Kauai. Even working, the buildings were wide open, creating an inside/outside environment.

  Derek set the tray down and took a seat at the edge of the dock, his legs swinging high above the water. She handed him the mimosas and joined him.

  “Drink up,” he said. “I need more of an explanation this morning than you were willing to give me last night.”

  She’d known this was coming. He’d given her a breather, mostly due to her inability to talk with tears strangling her throat. She took a sip of the mimosa. “Whoa, there’s hardly any orange juice in here.”

  “Just how I like them.”

  “You shouldn’t be drinking them at all. You won’t be twenty-one for a few months yet.”

  He raised a brow. “You’re naïve if you think I haven’t helped myself to Dad’s liquor stash before now.”

  Hadn’t they all.

  “Now give. What happened between you and Ryder? I already heard what went down at the Pump House. The whole town is talking about it and betting on which twin is going to win your heart. Right now, its neck to neck, but my money’s on Ryder.”

  Great.

  She filled him in as quickly as possible, trying to keep the emotions from swamping her again. The incredible sex with Ryder, that he’d told her he loved her, and that she knew deep down he was the one for her, and then Leia’s pregnancy bomb.

  “Now that’s a full evening.”

  She choked out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, it was.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “What can I do? It’s up to Ryder.”

  “No, it isn’t. If you truly love him, does it really matter if he fathered a child with another woman? Are you above being a stepmother?”

  “You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Ryder and I haven’t talked marriage or anything like that. It’s crazy how fast this has all happened. Maybe I need time away from him to really think.”

  “Do you love him?’

  Yes, so help her God, she did.

  “You don’t need to answer. I can see it on your face. You’re smitten. If I found someone to love like that, and who loved me in return, there wouldn’t be anything I wasn’t willing to do to be with him.”

  Derek was right. What relationship ran smoothly? Even her parents, with their many years together, still had issues. Luke Waterman wasn’t the easiest man to live with and her mother was no saint either.

  She took another sip of her mimosa, realizing that she’d drunk the whole thing. Derek took her glass and mixed her another, this one with more orange juice than champagne.

  “You’re forgetting something important,” Gabi said. “Ryder is an honorable man. If Leia is really pregnant with his child, he will marry her, of that I have no doubt.”

  “Leia Atwood is a piece of work. She wasn’t only seeing Ryder a few months ago, but I’ve seen her in the company of more than one man recently.”

  “Who?”

  “Todd Ellis, for one. The kid could be his.”

  “Are you sure?” She was afraid to hope.

  “Positive.”

  “I wonder if Todd knows she’s pregnant?”

  A twinkle entered his eyes. “I do believe he should be informed, don’t you?”

  Gabi held up her mimosa for a toast. “I do believe you’re right.”

  He clicked her glass. “Eat up,” he said, popping a plump wild blueberry into his mouth. “We have some errands to run.”

  Chapter 17

  Ryder woke to Eska licking his face. He was on the floor while Dare was stretched out on the couch.

  What time was it?

  He squinted to look at the clock on the DVD player. Shit, almost eleven. His head pounded and his tongue needed to be shaved. How much had they drunk last night? Too much, that was for certain with the way he felt.

  Eska whined, pawing him. Poor thing needed to go out. He grabbed the pillow from behind his head and threw it at Dare. “Get up and take care of your dog.”

  Dare moaned, covering his eyes with his arm. “You do it.”

  “Not my dog.”

  Dare cursed and sat up, then immediately fell back onto the couch. “I feel like shit.”

  “So do I.” They never should have opened the scotch after they’d finished the bottle of whiskey. Eska pawed him again, whining louder. He climbed to his feet. “Come on, girl. Your owner is a deadbeat.”

  Ryder let her out to do her business, which she was quick to take care of. He returned upstairs, laughing when Eska jumped on Dare and the expletives he uttered.

  Served him right.

  He walked into his bathroom and started the shower, turning the water as hot as he could stand it, and then stood under the spray letting it wash over him. He had a lot to get done today and didn’t need to be dealing with a hangover. A lot of things he didn’t want to be dealing with today.

  When he was dressed, he entered the kitchen, finding Dare fixing a hangover remedy of baking soda and water. He tossed Ryder the ibuprofen, which he gladly shook out four pills and swallowed them with the baking soda water.

  The door slammed open, and Kennadee entered. “What’s with the drunken texts last night?”

  Dare groaned and grabbed his head. “Not so loud.”

  “Here.” Kennadee produced a bag. “I stopped at Pulse Café and picked up breakfast and coffee for you knuckleheads.”

  “Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite sister?” Ryder dug into the bag and took out the greasy breakfast sandwiches, biting into one.

  “If it had been any of the others bringing you food to combat your stupid hangovers, you would have told them the same.”

  “She’s got you there,” Dare said, taking the coffee. “Thanks, sis.”

  “Okay, fill me in. Your texts didn’t make a lick of sense. What’s this about needing Gideon to perform a pregnancy test? Who’d you knock up, Dare?”

  “Me? Why do you think it’s me?”

  Kennadee gave him a look that spoke volumes.

  “One scare in high school teaches a man to cover himself. He’s the one you need to talk to.” Dare indicated Ryder.

  “You?” Her eyes widened and she gasped. “No, not Leia? Shit, Ryder.”

  He grabbed his pounding head and set down the sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich, unable to stomach anymore. “I don’t need a lecture. Believe me, I’ve called myself all kinds of stupid since she told me last night. I was hoping Gideon would examine her, make sure she’s telling me the truth.”

  “That’s not something women lie about.” She tapped her lip in thought. “Though this is Leia we’re talking about.”

  “I know it’s Sunday, but do you think he’d meet us at the clinic later, if I can get Leia there?”

  “Damn right he will. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “If she’s pregnant, is there any way to tell if he’s the daddy?” Dare asked.

  “Not until the baby is born and a paternity test can be performed.” She slapped Ryder’s arm. “You idiot.”

  “Ouch.” He rubbed the sore spot. His sister was stronger than she looked.

  “I don’t want Leia Atwood as a sister-in-law. She’s the last wom
an I’d pick for any of my brothers. An enemy, maybe. She’s going to make your life hell.”

  He was already there.

  “It gets worse,” Dare said. “He’s in love with Gabi Waterman.”

  Her expression went from angry to sympathetic. “Oh, Ry, I’m so sorry. Gabi would make you a great partner.”

  “I need to return her Tacoma.” And he needed to see her again, touch her, hold her.

  “First, you need to contact Leia and somehow get her to agree to being examined by my fiancé,” Kennadee said. “The sooner we can put this to bed, so to speak, the better.”

  She was right. He had to know exactly what he was dealing with.

  “I’ll get her there.” One way or another.

  Chapter 18

  Getting Leia to the clinic was easier than Ryder had thought it would be. When he called her and explained what he wanted, she’d been more than happy to comply. Which had the sourness in his stomach returning with a vengeance.

  Dare went with him, and they dropped off Gabriella’s Tacoma on the way, but she wasn’t home, and neither was Derek’s Toyota. The pang of not seeing her settled in his chest, feeling a lot like heartburn.

  They arrived at the clinic to find Leia already there waiting, flipping through a parenting magazine.

  Good Lord, the reality that she was really pregnant hit him. She wouldn’t take a ruse this far unless it was the truth. She graced him with a cunning smile.

  Gideon and Kennadee entered the waiting room. “We ready then?” Gideon asked, dressed in a white lab coat over his customary dress shirt and dockers.

  Leia bounced to her feet, that damn smile still in place. “Sure am, Doc.” She followed Gideon, while Ryder shared a look with Dare and Kennadee.

  He entered the room behind Leia.

  Gideon stopped Dare. “Unless Leia gives you permission, you’ll have to wait outside.”

  “No, he doesn’t have my permission,” Leia said. “Neither does Kennadee.”

  “Kennadee is acting as my nurse today since my regular nurse is off.” Gideon’s no-nonsense tone kept Leia from arguing further.

  Dare slapped Ryder on the shoulder. “I’m here for you, whatever. You know that, right?”