Misadventures in the Cage

by Sarah Robinson

  He tackled her onto the mattress, pulling them back into the center of the bed. “You know full well that last year had nothing to do with your television career.”

  She smirked. “What did it have to do with, then?”

  He placed a kiss against her neck, licking a short line up to her jaw and kissing her again. “The way you taste. The way you feel beneath me. The way my heart speeds up whenever you’re around.”

  She felt like her heart was melting from his words. “Keep going,” she prompted, egging him on.

  “Last year had to do with the way you look at me—green eyes sparkling like a forest on fire. Or the way you smile with your whole soul. It’s…it’s intoxicating.”

  “Now you’re just being mushy,” she replied, pushing him off and pulling away.

  He grabbed her and rolled her right back beneath him. Her strength was no match for him, and she laughed at the way he just manhandled her however he wanted.

  “I’m being serious, Jos.” He made it a point to look in her eyes when he said that, and she felt every inch of his sincerity. “I love you. I loved you last year, and I didn’t even know it. But now? There isn’t a doubt in my mind. You’re the woman for me.”

  His cell phone pinged, and he glanced over at it. “Ignore that,” he told her.

  She nodded, but then her cell phone pinged as well. She giggled. “Looks like someone wants our attention.”

  That seemed to be the truth because both of their phones went off again, and this time, Callan’s didn’t stop.

  “What the hell?” He pushed up off the bed and walked over to the dresser that his phone was sitting on top of. Grabbing it, he looked at the screen.

  Josie watched as the color drained from his face.

  “What? What’s going on?” she asked, panic starting to build in her.

  He didn’t seem to hear her, because he just kept clicking through his phone.

  Josie reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She opened up her first notification—a Google alert she’d set up to follow Callan’s name appearing in the news. She fully admitted it was slightly weird, but hey, it had been a nice way of keeping up with him while they were apart. Now they were together and she couldn’t have been happier.

  Or at least…had been happy.

  E! News is first to report the identity of Michelle Rae’s Baby Daddy.

  Josie’s hands started shaking as she clicked on the news article and it popped open on her phone.

  Surprise! Bikini supermodel Michelle Rae has announced her first pregnancy in a scathing Instagram post where she points the finger at UFC Championship Fighter Callan Walsh as the father. Walsh and Rae had been seen together several times over the summer, and rumors had been circulating about their potential relationship.

  * * *

  Rae confirmed rumors directly to E! News that not only had she and Walsh been an item for the last few months, but they’d also conceived a child together. Now nine weeks along, Rae claims that her relationship to Walsh ended abruptly after he cheated on her with an unknown woman.

  * * *

  Sources say that the UFC Champion has declined any involvement in his future child’s life and is refusing to pay child support. More information to come as this case continues to unfold.

  Josie slowly lifted her gaze to Callan. He was staring at her now. His face was white as a sheet, and he looked like he was going to throw up.

  “Did you read it?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

  She nodded.

  “I…I didn’t know. She never told me.” His words came out disjointed and stuttering, like he was just absorbing it himself for the first time. “I’m…I’m going to be a father?”

  Josie didn’t know what to say, but she felt like her heart was breaking. The man she was falling in love with…or maybe already loved…was having a baby with someone else. And a bikini supermodel, at that. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something at him and ask how he could have been so stupid—how he could have even slept with anyone else.

  Sure, they hadn’t been together. Hell, he’d had no idea she was ever coming back or wanted to be together. It was understandable that after a year apart, he would have moved on to someone else. But then…how could he sit here and tell her he loved her? How could he tell her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, be only with her, when he’d never mentioned once that things had been this serious with Michelle?

  Serious enough to create life.

  “Josie, I don’t know what to say…” He licked his lips, swallowing hard.

  “Is it true?” she asked, clenching her jaw. “Were you two…together?”

  He hung his head, placing his phone in his pocket. “We slept together one time, a month before we started fake-dating for cameras. It was a one-night stand after we met in a club. It’s why our public relations teams thought we’d be a good match for the faux relationship for PR purposes.”

  “Nine weeks ago?” Josie clarified.

  Callan shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I didn’t really keep track, but…that sounds about right.”

  Josie felt anger bubbling up inside her, threatening to burst. This was exactly why she’d held back on sharing her feelings with him. She’d felt in her gut that there was more to the story…that it wasn’t safe yet. And it turned out her gut was right. He’d been lying to her this entire time.

  “You told me there was nothing between you and her. You told me you’ve loved me since last year. You told me so much shit, and I’m supposed to just, what, ignore the fact that you’re about to have a child? With another woman?”

  He shook his head. “Jos, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how this happened. I have to talk to her.”

  “And you’re refusing to pay child support or even be involved in the kid’s life?” Josie asked, ignoring his apology. “How could you do that? Not only are you the world’s shittiest boyfriend, but you’re going to be a shitty father, too?”

  “No!” he almost shouted, and Josie sat back, a little surprised at his outburst. “I had no idea. I didn’t even know she was pregnant. If she is…well, I’d never abandon my child. I would—I will—take care of any child of mine. You know what my life was like growing up. I’d never, ever do to a child what my father did to me.”

  Josie paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. None of it made sense. It didn’t add up. This wasn’t Callan. This article…who it described…it wasn’t the man she knew. It wasn’t the man she had fallen for…was falling in love with. She felt like such a bitch attacking him in this moment when he must be so conflicted and confused. Her heart ached as she tried to decide what to say, what to do.

  “I’m sorry, Callan. I’m sorry this is happening. But…go talk to her,” she finally said. “Now.”

  Callan stayed put for a moment, staring at her, clearly trying to decide what to say. Finally, he just nodded, grabbed his suitcase, turned on his heel, and walked out of the bedroom.

  She fell back onto the mattress and didn’t bother to wipe away the tears sliding down her cheeks.

  After everything they’d gone through…just when everything seemed perfect…it had all come crumbling down around her.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Cal?” Samson said on the other end of the line when the call connected. “You there?”

  “Here,” Callan responded, holding the phone up against his shoulder as he lifted his suitcase and placed it into the trunk of his car. Climbing into the front seat, he turned the phone on speaker and placed it on the dash so he wasn’t holding it as he drove. “I need her address, Samson. Text it to me now.”

  “You can’t just go over there,” Samson told him. “This is a shit show, Cal. You don’t want to make it worse. Clearly, she’s mad and has a vendetta against you. We need to tread delicately.”

  “Give. Me. The. Address,” Callan repeated. He wasn’t playing around, and he wasn’t about to PR this situation to death. He was facing his responsibi
lities head-on. And his baby? Hell, that was the biggest responsibility of all.

  Samson sighed into the other end of the line. “Texting it to you now. But keep me in the loop, Cal. I need to know what’s happening if I’m going to fix this for you.”

  There was nothing to fix. He’d made the mistake, and he was the one who was going to solve his own problems. Clicking off the phone, he pulled open his text messages and plugged in the address that Samson had just texted him.

  Putting the car in drive, he headed in the direction of Michelle’s home.

  Every thought possible crossed his mind as he drove. He felt like he was going through the five stages of grief on the car ride alone. First, he let anger overtake him. Anger at himself. He’d relied on the pull-out method when he’d been with Michelle—a drunken mistake he’d definitely regretted, but he’d been so sure it had worked. Obviously, he’d been stupid and wrong.

  Next, he found himself praying and sending as many positive vibes as he could that this situation would resolve itself somehow—that maybe it was a hoax. Maybe it wasn’t true. Maybe it was a stunt for publicity. Denial hit him strong as he tried to reason the situation. This couldn’t be happening. It didn’t make any sense.

  Then the heartache hit, and he felt a lump forming in his throat and tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He’d always wanted to be a father, sure, but he’d wanted that with one person—Josie. Pain pulsed through his chest as he thought of what this might do to his relationship with her. They’d spent the last month together so happy, so content, so in the groove of what their entire future could be…and now he had thrown a piece of dynamite at it all.

  But it didn’t matter now. He had a child on the way, and if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that he was going to be a good father. He was going to fight for joint custody. He was going to provide for that child—and for Michelle. He was going to be the father he’d wished he had when he was growing up.

  He was going to love his child.

  Something he’d never experienced from his father.

  Callan took a deep breath and did his best to accept the situation he was in. It wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t what he’d planned. Hell, it threw all his plans out the window. But…it was happening.

  And he was going to embrace it.

  Children were a gift, and this…he was going to see this as a gift.

  A few hours later, he arrived at Michelle’s house in Los Angeles. It was a small ranch-style home overlooking the beach. The view was beautiful and the house even more beautiful. It was clear that she’d done well with her career to afford a location like this, and he felt grateful that his future child would live in a home like this.

  “What are you doing here?” Michelle’s eyes grew wide as she opened the front door after he’d knocked on it.

  “Is it true?” he asked. “Well, I know parts of it aren’t true—but the baby? Are you pregnant? Is it mine?”

  Her hands immediately went to her stomach, as if protectively covering herself. Sure enough, he could see the smallest swell across her abdomen that had never been there before. Michelle had always had a flat stomach with abs to die for. There was no doubt that she was definitely pregnant now.

  “Do you think I’d lie about a baby?” she shot back. “Seriously, Cal?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “But you can imagine how shocked I was to hear what a shitty father I was on E! News—when I didn’t even know I was a father.”

  Her gaze dropped for a moment, and then she lifted it back to his. “Look, I’m sorry for how you found out. That wasn’t my idea. My manager thought it would create good buzz for the show coming up. We actually want you to be on it.”

  “My reality television days are over,” Callan told her. “But if that’s my baby, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “So…you’re what? Going to marry me? Make me an honest woman?” She tilted her head to the side and held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers. “Because I don’t see a ring on this finger.”

  Callan balked at the thought. It was one thing to have a baby with a woman who wasn’t Josie, but he for sure wasn’t about to marry someone else. As much as he wanted his future child to have a healthy and stable home, that wasn’t going to be with two parents who didn’t love each other.

  “I…I’m sorry, Michelle,” he replied. “I can’t do that. But I can, and will, be here to take care of my child. Your article said that I had declined to be part of the child’s life, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  She lifted her chin slightly, clearly miffed at the conversation. “Well…good. I’ll need the help. Being a single mom wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. But I can’t really stick around and have it out with you right now. I have a doctor appointment to get to.”

  “Can I come with you?” he asked, eager for the chance to see how his baby was doing.

  She looked tentative for a moment, as if trying to decide what she wanted to do. Finally, she nodded her head. “Okay. But…you’re paying.”

  “Happily,” he replied. “Come on. I’ll drive us.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling up to a large office building.

  “Is this Daddy?” the nurse asked with a bright smile as they were called from the waiting room into the back.

  Michelle beamed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “It is.”

  “Well, congratulations, Daddy,” the nurse responded, leading them to an examination room.

  “Thanks.” Callan stood next to the exam table as Michelle climbed on and leaned back. “You okay?”

  Michelle nodded. “I feel fine. A little nauseated, but that’s about it.”

  They fell into an awkward silence as they waited for the doctor. Neither one of them said anything, though Callan tried to think of a topic. He came up blank. Thankfully, the doctor came in minutes later and relieved them of their silence.

  “How are we doing today, Ms. Rae?” the doctor asked, setting up the necessary equipment.

  “Fine.” She glanced up at Callan. “This is the father.”

  “Welcome, Daddy,” the doctor greeted him. “Nice to have you join us. We’re going to check the heartbeat today and make sure everything is going well.”

  The doctor squirted gel onto Michelle’s stomach and then placed a monitor against her skin, moving it around as she watched the corresponding screen. Within a few moments, a loud, fast galloping sound filled the room.

  Callan’s eyes widened, and his heart began to race as he realized what he was hearing.

  “There’s the heartbeat,” the doctor announced. “Strong. Fantastic.”

  He was listening to his baby’s heartbeat. A real, living, tiny being, right there in her stomach who was half him. Sure, he’d known for the last few hours that she’d been pregnant with his child, but there was something entirely different about actually seeing the proof in front of him. The heartbeat pounded around them, and it was strong and fast. Callan couldn’t keep the smile from widening across his face as he listened to his future son or daughter.

  “Wow,” he said.

  Michelle reached for him, and he let her take his hand. She gave him a squeeze, and he returned it. “That’s our baby, Cal.”

  He just nodded his head, staring at the screen with the small image of their future baby. He couldn’t find the words, couldn’t speak. He couldn’t say or do anything but stare at the little miracle in front of him.

  As much as he’d felt earlier like this situation had been a disaster that was ruining his relationship and his future, he couldn’t be further away from that thought now. He was going to be a father. He was going to have a baby.

  And sure, it wasn’t the ideal circumstances, and it wasn’t with the woman he loved, but…it was his baby. He was already in love with the tiny being, and they’d never even met. It didn’t matter. His heart was bursting at the seams. He saw his whole life unfolding in front of him—Christmases around the tree with the baby
on his knee, teaching him or her how to ride a bike for the first time, taking pictures and embarrassing the shit out of his child on prom night, when going on the first date.

  Actually, scratch that. His child wouldn’t be allowed to date. Not until age thirty. Maybe forty.

  He pictured dancing with his future daughter at her wedding or tying his future son’s bowtie before he got married. He pictured summers on a lake with his grandchildren and even more babies all around him.

  “You’re smiling,” Michelle said, nodding toward him.

  “I can’t help it,” he admitted, and then he paused for a moment. “Michelle…thank you. Thank you for this. Our baby…it’s a gift. A blessing.”

  A pink blush lifted onto her cheeks as she cleaned the gel off her stomach after the doctor was done. “Well…I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Callan laughed, and any anger he might have felt toward Michelle and her public attack on him was gone. This was the mother of his expected child, and damn it, he was going to make nice. He was going to be the rock she could lean on—for their child’s sake.

  The doctor left them alone in the room for a few minutes as Michelle finished cleaning herself up.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Callan told her. “I want to be involved in this baby’s life. I want to help you raise our child. I will pay child support, do joint custody. Anything. I’ll be here for you every day, Michelle.”

  She looked up at him, searching his eyes as if she didn’t quite believe what he was saying. “Okay,” she replied simply. “I guess…I guess we’re doing this.”

  He nodded, thinking about everything he might lose because of this decision.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “Order up!” Josie slid the plate full of food under the heating rack, grabbed the next order from the ticket machine, and stuck it up on the board in front of her.