“I saw the damn photos—”
“I don’t care if what you saw came autographed! You had no right to just start yelling and throwing things…and acting like…like a dumbass! You knew I had publicity shoots in my contract, so I was just doing my job. As far as Sangeli goes, the jerk showed up drunk and the photographer finally sent him home because he couldn’t keep his mouth closed or his hands to himself!” Rachel splashed him with her good hand. “You’d know all of that if you hadn’t gone off like a bomb!”
Beck wiped the water off his face. “You want an apology, is that it?”
She shook her head. “I want help with Chaz. And then we’ll both get out of your life, and you can go back to…back to your other ring girls.”
Beck moved closer. “What if I don’t want to go back to them? What if I tell you I screwed up? What if I tell you no one’s meant anything to me other than you?”
Rachel shifted away. The water lapped at her, warm and soothing, but Beck’s heat left her wary. “You can’t fix this, Beck. We’re two very different people who want different things. I need to make a good home for my son and you…Beck, I saw that girl who was going to meet you. I’m not going to put up with a guy who can’t control his temper—or who can’t keep his hands off other women. You didn’t like the idea of me being with any other guy. Well, I’m not putting up with a guy like you. I know your reputation, Beck. And that’s not the kind of father Chaz needs.”
Beck smiled. “Trouble is, I’m the father Chaz has. You’re stuck with me, Rachel. And I’m going to make you see that.”
She started to get up and realized she was naked. She sat down again and waved her bandaged hand at him. “Close your eyes.”
Beck’s smile widened. He leaned back and spread his arms out on the edge of the hot tub. “Sorry, honey. But I didn’t say anything about not peaking on your way out.”
Chapter 12
Beck watched Rachel’s mouth open. She snapped it closed, opened it again. He waited, amused now, his temper cool again. Dammit, but somehow he needed to put a rein on that anger inside of him. He’d always been able to use it before in the ring, but now it kept tripping him up with Rachel. Anytime she saw a hint of it, she pulled away. She glared at him now.
And then she stood up.
Water dripped from her skin. Hell, he’d almost forgotten how beautiful she was. High, firm breasts, wide hips. She hadn’t lost any of her beauty. She looked like she had in Fiji when she’d come out of the surf, wet and luscious.
His pulse picked up and he wanted to grab her and pull her down and kiss her. Instead, he held still as she waded over to the steps and climbed out. She looked just as good from the back side—ass still firm and tempting. That ass had drawn every eye when she’d been a ring girl.
She pulled on her robe and headed back into the house. He waited a minute and then shut down the hot tub and climbed out. He didn’t bother toweling off, just dragged on his sweats and T-shirt and followed her inside. He found her standing over Chaz in the other guest bedroom, staring down at the boy.
All he could see was a thatch of dark hair sticking out from under a fleece blanket. Rachel glanced at him. She tucked the blanket around Chaz and straightened. “He looks a lot like you.”
“Yeah.” Beck reached out a finger and touched the small hands curled around a small stuffed dog. “He seems a good kid.” He didn’t even know where to begin with Rachel. He glanced at her. “Good thing he’s a boy. I don’t think I could deal with a ring-girl daughter.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t have a problem with millions of men looking at me.”
“Oh, I did. I punched out a couple of guys, in fact.”
“You hated my strutting around the ring? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
Beck shrugged. “I…we were just dating. Right? I didn’t…Rachel, I didn’t plan any of it.” Clearing his throat, he looked back down at his son. “Do kids normally sleep a lot? Everything I’ve heard is that you have a kid and you give up sleeping through the night.”
Arms tightening around herself, she shook her head. “The flight here took a lot out of him. And his condition—he wears out fast and easily.”
“And that’ll change if he gets treatment?”
She let out a breath and seemed to deflate. “I hope so.”
She sounded so lost, her voice shaking and small, that Beck put an arm around her. She stiffened, but he pulled her close. “Afraid you won’t be able to withstand my considerable charm?”
“In your dreams,” she muttered, but she leaned into him.
Sweeping her up, he carried her to her room and tucked her into her bed. He started to lean in to kiss her forehead, but he saw her eyes widen and checked himself. He touched a finger to her lips. “I’m not kissing you again until you’re begging me.”
“That’s the day I’m getting my head examined, Beck.” She rolled over, facing away from him. And it took every ounce of will power not to climb into bed with her.
***
Beck woke to find a pair of dark eyes staring at him. He blinked twice. Chaz stood beside Beck’s bed, stuff dog clutched in his arms. Yawning, Beck sat up. Chaz took a step back. Beck frowned. “Hey ya, scout.”
Chaz took another step back. Shaking his head, Beck threw off the covers and leaned over so his elbows rested on his thighs. “Okay, we’ve got to set some ground rules here. First off, you hungry? Looking for breakfast?” Slowly, Chaz nodded. “Good, ‘cause I’m starved. Don’t suppose you care to go for a run this morning?”
Chaz kept staring and Beck let out a breath. “Yeah, my training schedule’s gone to hel—gone to hello and back. Rule two is no one’ll ever hurt you. Sometimes we yell a lot, but any punch that’s thrown is thrown for a reason. Hey, your mom teach you any moves yet?” He held up his hands and made punching moves, including one that landed soft in Chaz’s belly.
Chaz giggled. Beck nodded, got up and stretched. “We’ve got to work on your guard, but let’s get some food first.” Dragging on his sweats and T-shirt, Beck stood. He gave a nod to Chaz and headed into the kitchen.
He found a note from Avery. He read it out loud. “Out with Mason to get diapers…diapers?” He glanced at Chaz. “Aren’t you a little big for that? Hmmm, maybe not. Okay, groceries—yeah, that’s good.” Looking up from the note, he asked, “Hey Chaz, what do you want to drink?” He waved at the fridge.
Chaz hugged his stuff dog and pointed at the fridge. “Milk.” The word came out with a little lisp and not much hard edge on the ‘K’ sound.
Milk? Do we even have milk? Beck tried to remember what they did have. The housekeeper usually did the shopping, and when he was training, Beck tended to stay on a high protein diet—semi paelo, and if Rachel ever heard about that she’d know he was more caveman than civilized. He gave a shrug and looked into the fridge.
“What have we got? Beer—no, you’re not old enough for that and I’m old enough to know better. Looks like half a jar of pickles, mayonnaise, steak sauce, two boxes of Chinese takeout. No wonder Avery headed out to the store. We’re seriously short of food, scout. There’s some soda and steak, but that’s not exactly the breakfast of champions. Oh, hey, cold pizza. That’s a balanced meal. Carbs and protein.” Pulling out the pizza box, Beck glanced at Chaz. “You ever play any video games?” Chaz just stared at him. “Okay, gonna take that for a no. Come on, sport.”
On the way to the den, he heard a muttered word. He glanced back and saw Chaz standing in the hall. Coming back he leaned down. “What’s that?”
Chaz rubbed a knuckled fist into his eye. “Momma?” The word came out soft with a hint of a sigh and a lot of need.
Beck squatted down to eye level. “Let’s let your mom get some extra sleep, okay? She looked tired yesterday. How about we eat some pizza and then you and I can play?”
Chaz bit his lower lip. But he gave a nod.
Leading the way, Beck padded into the back den. He, Mason and Bryant had converted it into the best
man-cave ever. Big screen TV, huge recliners, and every game system on the market. Beck put on his favorite fighting game and plopped the cold pizza onto the coffee table. “Pull up a chair.”
Chaz came over and crawled up into a chair. Digging out a slice of pizza, Beck handed it over and then started to explain the game system and the controller. He put the game controller into Chaz’s pudgy fingers, and then realized it was time to switch game systems. No way could Chaz’s short fingers reach all those buttons.
Straightening, Beck said, “New idea. We’re going to put on a wrestling game.” He got the Wii system set up and put Chaz on his feet in front of it. He also stuffed another slice of pizza into Chaz’s hand. “Now, here’s how it works.” Getting on his knees next to Chaz, he threw a punch. One of the wrestlers on the screen punched. But Chaz was watching Beck, eyes wide, not the screen. Beck turned him and tried again. This time he moved Chaz’s arm. “See—that’s you making that move.” He had Chaz wave and the wrestler on the screen waved. “Say, hi ya, buddy.”
Chaz glanced over at Beck. He had tomato sauce on his chin now—and some on his jammies. He stared at Beck.
“Not much of a talker are you? Yeah, I never was either. Your uncle, Bryant, now from what your gammy says, he came into this world talking and punching. Mason and I just came in punching. We’ve got to work on a few moves for you.” He took the half-eaten pizza out of Chaz’s hands and faced Chaz to the screen. “Now, let’s try a couple of moves so you can impress your mom.”
***
Rachel woke with a start, her brain fuzzy and a strange tightness around her arm. She squinted her eyes open, and then snapped them wide open. She sat up and blinked at the strange room around her, disoriented for a moment. And then it sank in that she was staying with the Burtons.
She relaxed slightly and then tensed again, pushing herself up to a better sitting position. She let out a whimper. She’d forgotten about the sprain. Pain flared up—not as sharp as yesterday, more of a dull thudding. How was she going to shower? Or wash her hair? Or fix breakfast for Chaz.
She listened for a moment, but didn’t hear anything.
Throwing off the covers, she dragged out her suitcase, which had been left sitting by the door. The bedroom had a bathroom, and she slipped into it. It seemed to take forever to brush her hair and putting on a bra one-handed was out of the question, so she settled for a sports top with some support. She glanced at the clock and saw she’d dressed in only five minutes. No time for makeup—she needed to see Chaz.
She hadn’t really noticed the house yesterday—she’d been too focused on worry, her aching arm, and on Beck. Now she glanced around. Modern, clean lines gave the house a soothing feel. Everything seemed to be of the best quality. Overstuffed leather couches and chairs. A thick carpet in the living room. An open kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances.
The walls all offered a soothing cream that accented the furniture and posters for fights hung everywhere. Not just those with Beck—Mason and Bryant shared the walls as well. Off the kitchen, a set of French doors led to a large covered patio area. She avoided looking at the hot tub.
She didn’t bother looking in Chaz’s bedroom. He’d always been an early riser, and he’d just learned how to open a fridge door to get himself milk—usually while spilling half the carton. But Chaz wasn’t in the kitchen. She heard a shout and tensed. That had been Chaz.
What if he’d gotten outside? Or had fallen? He bruised so easily—and the doctors had warned that a bleed could be more than harmful to him. Heart pounding in her throat, Rachel ran toward the sound. She stopped in the open doorway to what seemed to be a den.
Beck sat on the floor next to Chaz, who seemed to be punching and wrestling with an invisible fighter. Her heart tightened. Chaz looked so much like Beck right now—the same stubborn mouth pressed flat, the same eyebrows pulled tight, the same long arms and legs. Then Chaz spun and slipped and started to fall, and Rachel let out a yell.
Chapter 13
Beck caught Chaz, but Rachel ran to his side and scooped him up. Pain shot up her arm, but she didn’t care. She stared at Beck, her breathing shallow and quick. “Don’t you get it, Beck? You could kill him!”
He stood up. She noticed the flicking of the TV and glanced at the screen. Fighters stood poised there, ready to do combat. Rachel turned on Beck. “What are you teaching him?”
“We were just having fun.”
“Fun? And how fun is it if he falls? Didn’t you hear me when I said he bruises easily?”
Chaz started to whimper. Rachel soothed a hand down the back of his head, but his whimper headed to a small cry—and he reached for Beck.
Beck opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. He dropped his voice low. “Now who has a temper out of control? You’re scaring our son.”
Our son. The words hit her like one of those punches Chaz had been throwing. Numb, she let Beck take Chaz out of her arms. He put the boy down. Chaz grabbed Beck’s leg and turned his face into Beck’s sweatpants.
Rachel dragged a hand through her hair—her good hand. She cradled her bad one, which was throbbing now. “You’re right. I…I’m sorry. I reacted badly. But Beck, Chaz…his condition—”
“I know. I know. He’s got to take it easy. I get it, Rach. But you try to keep him in a bubble or wrap him up in cotton padding and you’re doing a different kind of damage to him. He’s never seen a video game before. As far as I can see, he doesn’t know much about playing at all. Does he have some building blocks? Have you ever had him on a trike even?”
Rachel pushed back her shoulders. She didn’t want to admit she hadn’t had money for more than clothes and very, very few toys. “How do you know what a boy his age needs?”
Mouth flat, Beck glanced down at Chaz. When he looked up, his voice pitched low and tight, he said, “Rachel, I may not have a lot of experience with kids his age, but I do know a thing or two about young kids. I teach at the dojo, too, you know.”
She caught a breath. She knew he was right, but she didn’t want to back down. If she started to give ground to him, where would it stop? He’d push her, the same way he pushed when he was fighting. He’d back her into a corner, and before she knew it, he’d be part of Chaz’s life, and not in a way she wanted.
Would that really be so bad?
The thought caught her off guard. She stared at Beck. He stood with one hand on top of Chaz’s head. Chaz did need a dad, but not one who was all attention and caring one minute and raging the next. She’d had that. She’d had the violence and then the deep sorrow for it—and back again. She wanted stability for Chaz. She wanted love for him. Could she ever get that from Beck?
She studied his eyes, and tried to see deep inside him. The smell of him—that musky scent—brought back all kinds of memories she would rather had stayed buried. How much they’d laughed in Fiji, how he’d taught her to snorkel and sail. How he’d bought her dinner, and fed her from his plate, and then had given her a pearl bracelet.
She’d tried to hang onto that, but she’d had to sell it to help pay the medical bills for Chaz. Now her arm was throbbing in time with her heartbeat. Tears stung her eyes. She just wanted Chaz to be well.
Sinking down on the couch, she put a hand over her eyes. She had to admit the truth. She wanted more than that. She found herself wishing she could turn back the clock and find that place where she and Beck had loved each other. When he reached out a hand and touched her cheek, she looked up at him.
He sat down next to her and cupped the back of her neck. Chaz turned from Beck and snuggled against her. Beck gave her a grin. “Looks like he forgives you. And I think what you both need is a good breakfast. How about pancakes?”
“You’re going to cook?”
“Hell, no. I’m going to buy. Mama’s pancake house. Now go get your things and get Chaz dressed while I grab a shower and some clothes.”
***
Beck had to struggle with the car seat. Finally, Rachel took
it out of his hands and got it fastened in the jump seat of his truck. He was glad now that he had the extended cab. She’d put on some makeup and looked great—he had to keep fighting the urge to put his hands on her. But he kept telling himself she needed some space. She needed time. He was really bad with dealing with both of those things.
He drove them to the pancake house, parked in the back, and helped Rachel get Chaz out of the truck. She was cradling her arm again, and no wonder the way she kept using it. Taking Chaz from her, he told her, “You keep this up, that’s never going to heal.” She shot him a sideways glance, and he shook his head. “Trust me. I know about injuries and coming back from them. You’ve got to rest it. And have Alice take a look at it. She’s a natural with stuff like that. Her dad’s one of the best trainers in the MMA—or he was before his stroke. And that girl—she’s brought her dad back from a stroke that would have left any other guy in a nursing home.”
For a minute, he thought she’d go stubborn on him. But her shoulders slumped and she gave a nod. “I like Alice. I’ll talk to her.”
“Good.” He held the door for her and waited for someone to seat them. The hostess looked to be about sixteen and she gushed over Chaz, telling him, “You’ve got an adorable boy.”
Beck’s face heated. He didn’t know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut and followed the girl to a table in the back. She left and came back with a high chair for Chaz. Beck had no idea how to fit the boy into that—wasn’t he too old for that kind of thing?
Rachel got up to put it together, but Beck waved her back in her seat and put Chaz on the bench next to him. “Maybe you could just get us a booster chair,” he told the hostess.
She did and that worked for Beck. He also pulled over the crayons the restaurant provided for kids to draw on the paper placemats. And now he knew why this place offered those kinds of things. He’d never thought about having to entertain a kid while you ate.
Rachel kept trying to fuss, but Beck found out that Chaz liked the silverware and the salt and pepper shakers better than any crayons. “Not much of an artist is he?” he told Rachel after they’d ordered.
The Fighter's Secret Child (The Burton Brothers Series Book 3) Page 5