Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (6 page)

Piper was young. She still had a lot of living to do, and she wasn’t in a financially
sound place to be able to raise a child. She didn’t have all her eggs in a row or
even in a basket. She was alone, scared, and pregnant by a jerk. She could give the
baby to Jakob and Harper and be a loving aunt like she was to Ally. But could she
do that? Could she watch her sister raise her baby? A child that would look just like
her and Erik?

Erik obviously didn’t want anything to do with them. She could get child support but
she didn’t want a payout from him. She wanted him to be a father. What had she done?
Not only had she brought heartache upon herself, but it was now upon her child, too.
Because the day would come when the child would ask who their daddy was; Piper then
would have to explain that Erik was their father and then try to explain why he didn’t
want them.

Shaking her head, she placed her hands on her belly as she continued to cry, the tears
landing on her swollen abdomen. Nothing was going as she had hoped. Not that life
was ever easy, but this was one hell of a curveball. Piper had always thought she
would be in a different
place in her life right now. Since she changed careers every other month, her life
was still evolving. But the one thing she never would have thought would have happened
would be that she’d be single, alone, and pregnant. What was the point of being on
birth control if it didn’t work?

What was her family going to think? Harper was pissed and disappointed in her and
Reese would be, too. Her mom and dad would be beyond understanding.

She could hear her mom now: “Oh, Piper, why?”

But Piper wouldn’t have an answer for her. This pregnancy would just validate to her
family that she was the family fuckup. The one that couldn’t stick with one thing,
always changing her mind. Ah well, this was something she couldn’t change; this decision
was a commitment for life, and she needed to make the right choice.

She had two options: either raise her baby and hope that at some point there would
be a father figure in its life, or give the baby to Harper.

When the baby kicked, giving Piper butterflies, she decided that there was no way
that she could give the baby to anyone. That was the easy way out and she had already
quit on almost everything else in her life. She might be young and not financially
stable but she was a loving person. This baby might not have been planned but this
baby was a miracle. Her miracle. And if Erik didn’t want their miracle, fine.

One day their child would want to know him, and he could try to explain to them then
how he had no desire to be a part of their life. Piper would be strong; she would
love the baby for the both of them.

* * *

Erik sat on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees. Stanley, his English bulldog,
sat between his legs, looking up at him as if he knew that Erik’s world was falling
apart. Erik hadn’t moved from this spot since yesterday. Thank God, after Piper had
dumped her bombshell on him Christina had promptly left in a huff, screaming at him
for being the worst lay ever. Cami had left the following morning, giving him a weird
look, obviously having heard of his lack-of-performance status, but he didn’t care.
When Phillip left for his meeting with Elli, he asked if everything was okay, but
all Erik could do was shake his head. He was still in shock. Something
wasn’t clicking, something wasn’t registering. He was sure that what had happened
with Piper was all a dream, but he could still smell her perfume.

Apple blossoms.

It was her favorite scent. He remembered watching her spray herself with some after
they got out of the shower. He remembered running his nose along her collarbone, inhaling
the soft fragrance. It had turned him on so much that he had picked her up and placed
her on the sink before ripping her towel away to have his way with her. Was that when
they conceived their child?

His child.

Shit. He never wanted children; he never wanted a wife or a baby momma. He was completely
happy with the way he was living his life. That was why he cut it off with Piper.
She was a forever type of girl, while he was a wanderer. He knew that if he stayed
with her, he would end up like his father and that was not something he wanted. He
didn’t want to be a drunk that hit his kid. He didn’t want to be so caught up in a
girl that nothing mattered. He wanted to be Erik Titov. He liked who he was and didn’t
want to change. At all. Even if there was a chance that he would be more like Cooper,
his adoptive stepfather, he couldn’t take that chance.

God, what were Cooper and Alla going to think? They didn’t save him from hell so he
could go out and fuck up his life. He should have known two years ago with only one
glance that Piper Allen was going to be trouble. She was too beautiful, too sweet.
She mesmerized him with those seductive blue eyes, a playful gap in her teeth, a banging
body. And if she was holding a precious little baby in her arms? He should have ignored
her from the start but he was completely ensnared by her. He needed to know her. Her
likes, her dislikes, anything, he just wanted to know—
fuck-shit-fuck!
What the hell was wrong with him?

Yeah, she was trouble from the beginning.

That was why he had stayed clear of her. But then that night six months ago, Piper
was standing in a “fuck me stupid” dress in the middle of Wanna B’s club and Erik
was a goner.

What had he done? He should have never trusted her when she said, “I’m on the Pill.”
He was never unprepared, but before going out, he had forgotten to refill his wallet.
If it was anyone else, he would have had the cabbie stop at the store, or better yet,
would have run for the hills, but no, he stayed and made sweet love to Piper for hours.
To make matters worse, he had told her things he had never told anyone; he had exposed
himself. It was like he was completely out of
his mind that night. She had bewitched him and he had shared his innermost secrets,
things he’d never shared with anyone, but he shared it with Piper. He shared everything.

For fuck sakes, he was fucked.

Damn it. Leaning his head against the back of the couch, he let out a long breath.
Stanley must have taken that as an invitation and promptly jumped up into Erik’s lap.
Erik shook his head, running his hands down Stanley’s soft white fur.

“What am I going to do, buddy?”

Stanley raised his ears as if he didn’t know, either. He must have thought a big juicy
kiss would make the situation better because that was what Erik got. Smiling at his
pooch, Erik leaned his head back again and closed his eyes. He needed to talk to someone,
and the only person he could think of was his brother. Reaching for his phone on the
table, he dialed his brother’s number.

“Hello?” Jakob answered on the first ring.

“Hey, bro,” Erik answered, looking up at the ceiling. “What’s up?”

“You don’t want to know. We have a situation.”

Erik opened his eyes. “What’s wrong? Are Harper and Ally okay?”

“They are fine; it’s Piper.”

Erik paused. “Oh?”

“She is pregnant,” Jakob said, “and won’t tell Harper who the dad is. She won’t tell
anyone. I’ve even tried calling her to see if I can get her to tell me. She’s being
difficult, and everyone is freaking out because we all know she can’t take care of
a baby by herself. I mean, you know Piper, she’s not that responsible. Harper thinks
she is pregnant by some loser, so she is ready to find the guy and kill him. You know
how tough my lovely wife can be.” Erik could hear the humor in Jakob’s last comment.
Harper was one strong woman.

But this was an interesting turn. Why was Piper not telling anyone who the father
was? What did that mean? Was he going to be able to get away with this? Did he want
to be able to get away with this? And what the hell was Jakob talking about? Why couldn’t
Piper take care of a baby?

“Wow, yeah, that sucks, but why couldn’t she take care of a baby on her own? She takes
care of your kid all the time.”

Jakob paused. “Well, I’m just saying she doesn’t stay employed for long periods of
time,
and you’ve seen how she is; she doesn’t stick to things. But Harper and I are just
a phone call away so we’re here to help. Harper is worried that Piper is going to
be completely alone. Get this: The dad wants nothing to do with her or their child.
What kind of man does that? This is their child, their blood, and he wants nothing
to do with it? That’s a sick man, you know?”

Erik paused again. Yeah, he was fucked.

When the door opened and Phillip appeared, Erik couldn’t thank God enough. “Oh, let
me call you back. Phillip just walked in. I need to talk to him.”

“Oh, okay, later,” Jakob said, and Erik threw the phone down onto the couch next to
him like it had a disease. That conversation did not support the decision he wanted
to make, because if he decided to do what he wanted to do, Jakob would be very disappointed
in him. And probably would beat the shit out of him, too.

“What’s up with you?” Phillip asked as he threw his keys onto the counter and sat
down across from him on the gray love seat. Erik hated that piece of furniture, he
thought it was dog ugly, but this was Phillip’s house so he could decorate it as nasty
as he wanted. Phillip apparently liked the color gray, because most of the house was
done in gray and purple, with a bunch of Assassins memorabilia all over the place.

Looking up at his friend, he saw that Phillip was grinning. “Nothing, what’s up with
you? How’d the meeting with Elli go?”

“Great,” he said with a clap of his hand. “It’s official and unfortunate, but Welch
is out till next year, so you’re looking at the new alternate captain!”

Erik could not fucking believe it. Elli knew Erik wanted that job—he’d been very vocal
about it. Well, that is, up until this last encounter with her. I mean what the hell
could he say after she chastised him for his behavior? But there his best friend sat,
happy as a fat kid with cake while he was feeling like shit.

“Really?”

“Yup, isn’t it great? I know you wanted it, man, but you know I did, too, and at least
one of us got it, so that’s good, right? I won’t beat you up too bad.” Phillip replied
with a little teasing.

Erik nodded with his lips pressed tightly together while disappointment ate at him.
That was the position he had been waiting for since he’d joined the Nashville Assassins.
He wanted that recognition to prove that he was just as badass as he thought he was,
and because he would
have made a great captain. But because he had fucked up, he was overlooked. Maybe
even
purposefully
overlooked. This all started and ended with Piper Allen. She was also the reason
he had been with every woman in Nashville … he was trying to forget her! She poisoned
him and now she was pregnant with his child. If she had never come along he would
have been fine. He would have been the damn captain, but instead it was Phillip! Erik
wanted to yell out in anger, tell Phillip that no, it wasn’t great, because that was
his position. But instead, with a bitter smile, he said, “Yeah.”

“I expected you to be a little happier for me,” Phillip said with a laugh.

Erik looked up and shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, dude, I’m having a bad time right
now.”

Phillip leaned back against the couch and asked, “Does it have to do with Piper?”

Erik only nodded, looking away and petting Stanley on his head.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Erik sighed. “She’s pregnant. With my kid.”

Looking up, he saw Phillip’s expression, and it was one of complete shock. He wanted
to laugh at how he looked—Phillip’s eyes were wide and his mouth basically hanging
to the ground—but nothing seemed funny right now. There was nothing to laugh about.

“No fucking way, you slept with Piper?!”

Erik nodded. “Six months ago.”

“She’s six months?”

“Yeah.”

“Holy shit, dude! That’s insane. She just told you?”

“Yeah, and she told Elli, too.”

Phillip released his breath in a low whistle. “You are in deep shit, bro.”

“Yup, and you know if I was some regular Joe off the street this wouldn’t matter.
I could get away with being a deadbeat dad, give the kid a chance to be someone else’s
kid and be happy, but since I am a famous hockey player with the public up my ass
and a boss that is dictating my life, I am screwed into being a parent when that is
the last thing I want to do. I’m not father material! I had a shitty childhood; my
life didn’t even start till I was thirteen! How the hell am I supposed to be a father?”
Erik was just being honest; even if he wanted a child there was no way he’d be good
at being a dad—blood is blood and all that and he was damned sure
he’d be as miserable a father as his dad was.

Phillip was shaking his head. “Dude, Elli is gonna trade you off the team if you don’t
do right by that kid. Now I’m even wondering if her decision to make me ‘A’ was to
show you who’s boss and all that, you know? Wow, man, this is serious shit,
serious shit
.”

“You think I don’t know that!” Erik yelled as he stood, sending Stanley scrambling
to the floor, and went to the kitchen for a beer. “What am I supposed to do?”

“What did Piper say?”

“She wanted to know what I wanted to do. I told her that I don’t know what I want
to do because I fucking don’t know what the hell to do! She fucked me over, dude,
in more ways than just being pregnant, because our families are intertwined and they
are going to freak. She also said she told Elli, which I haven’t heard from Elli,
and she didn’t mention it at my meeting so I’m not really sure what that means. Is
she drawing up my release papers or is she waiting to see what my next move will be?
I know that Piper must have talked to her family because my brother says they are
freaking out about her being pregnant. Then just now my brother tells me that he thinks
that any man that doesn’t want his kid is a deadbeat! What the fuck?! What will he
think when he finds out it’s me? He will think I’m shit if I don’t support this kid!
My own brother!”