Crash: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (13 page)

As soon as Crash left, I tried to call his cell phone. It rang from his bedroom. He didn’t come back that night or the next morning. I had the day off from the hospital, and all I could do was sit around and worry. I’d been doing stupid things ever since the night I’d met him. Maybe it was Crash’s influence that was making me act like such an idiot. Maybe I
was
an idiot. I really didn’t know anymore.

I’d never been more confused, and all I could do was curl up on the couch and watch soap operas all day. When my phone rang later that afternoon, I scrambled up to answer it. It was just Ava. I considered not answering, but instead, I flicked my finger over the green button and said hello.

“Harper, I’m so glad you answered. I just wanted to apologize again about what I did. It was so disloyal of me. I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to talk to me again. I haven’t been a very good friend.”

“It was my fault for telling you.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Harper. You always do that kind of thing. Stop being such a martyr. You deserve to be happy. You deserve for other people to help you once in a while. Most of all, I think you deserve a break. “

“That’s just what I needed to hear right now.”

“Do you want me to come over? It sounds like you could use some support.”

“Sure,” I said. “I’m at Don’s house. I’ll text you the address.”

Forty-five minutes later, she knocked on the front door. I opened it, and she instantly took me into her arms.

It was really the first time anyone was there for me to help me with my pregnancy. It felt so damn good.

“Honey,” Ava said. “What can I do to help?”

“Come in. I made tea.”

We sat in a sitting room off the kitchen with a big window that looked out on the beach. Ava looked guilty and concerned as I poured her tea. She took a sip and smiled.

“This is good,” she said.

“I know. Don’s house is stocked with the best stuff. Most of the staff is off while Don and Mom are on vacation. But the cook left a lot of food.”

“Nice. I like your new digs.”

“I know. It’s pretty sweet.”

She took a bite of the cookie I’d put on a plate for her and took another sip of tea. I ate some of mine too and glanced out the window.

“Harper, have you decided what you’re going to do?” she asked.

I looked back up at her and frowned. “Not really.”

“Are you going to keep the baby?”

“Yes.”

“That’s awesome. I mean, look at your stepdad’s place. I’d quit my job and live this up as long as I could if I were you.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“I’m just kidding. I know you’d never do that. Have you told them yet?”

“No.”

“Do you really not know who the father is?”

“I do know who it is,” I said, breaking off a piece of the cookie. I shoved it in my mouth and chewed.

“Who is it?” she asked meekly. “Is it Jeremy?”

“No. It’s Crash. My stepbrother.”

“Oh shit. That hot fighter? Oh shit. Honey. Does he know?”

“I told him yesterday. Actually, he figured it out.”

“Is he pissed? Does he not want a baby?”

“He does want it.
And
he’s pissed.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“I told him I don’t want to tell our parents. I also told him I’d considered saying it was Jeremy’s.”

“No wonder he’s pissed if he wants a baby.”

“He left his phone and hasn’t been back.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Don was considering leaving Crash his estate. But he said he was watching what kind of man Crash is. If we tell him, it could jeopardize Crash’s inheritance.”

“But do you think lying about it is going to make it any better?”

“No. I guess not. I just didn’t know how to deal with it. I’ve been keeping it all inside for weeks. This has all been so stressful to me. I haven’t known what to think or what to tell anyone. You were the first person I told. Which, of course, was probably a mistake.” I smirked at her.

“That’s fair. I deserve that. But, Harper, you need to tell the truth. If Crash wants to be this child’s father, then you have to let him be.”

“I know. You’re right. I haven’t been thinking straight. There’s been so much pressure at work and everything.”

“I get it. How do you feel about Crash?”

“I think he’d be a good father. His wasn’t there growing up, and I think he’s always held onto it.”

“How do you feel about him as a man?”

“I…I don’t really know. I care about him. I didn’t think I’d ever have feelings for a guy like him, but he’s different than I originally thought. He’s sweet and loyal and kind. I feel a real connection to him.”

“Do you love him?”

I sighed and looked out the window before taking another sip of tea. That was the real question, wasn’t it? It had been hanging over me for days.

“I think maybe I do. I haven’t known him for that long. But I can’t help it. I can’t help how he makes me feel. I can’t help what he does to my body and soul. I’m having his baby for God’s sake. It means something. It means everything. But that isn’t the only reason. He’s got me. Right here.” I patted my heart and felt it swell as soon as I admitted my feelings.

“That’s great, Harper. You’ve got to tell him. Does he feel the same way about you?”

“I think he does,” I whispered. I hadn’t realized it until that moment, but I did believe that Crash loved me.

Suddenly, a well of emotion burst in my chest and I had to see him. I had to find him and tell him.

I stood from the table.

“I’ve got to find him,” I said.

Ava stood up and wrapped me in her arms.

“Where do you think he is?”

“I have no idea.”

“Do you know the name of his gym?”

“No. I don’t know any of this stuff. I never asked.”

“You’re going to just have to wait for him to come home. When he does, don’t let that boy out of your sight again.”

She giggled and squeezed my hand.

“I’m glad we had this talk, babe. But I’ve got to get going. My boyfriend is waiting.”

I hugged her again, grateful that she’d come through in the end.

“Thank you, Ava.”

She walked to her car, and I waved as she pulled away. 

I woke up in the desert covered in sand with the bright sun glaring down into my eyes. The acrid taste of alcohol filled my mouth, and I pulled myself up to sitting, squinting into the red desert sand.

I told myself I’d never let myself get to this place again. My mother’s death, falling for Harper, finding out she was carrying my baby, these were not reasons for me to spiral downward. These were reasons for me to step up and be a man.

I had to get my head clear. I had to clean myself up and get to the gym pronto and sweat the toxins out of my system. I told myself this would be the last time I let myself get into this kind of trouble. Drinking and picking fights was not the kind of man I wanted to be for Harper and our baby.

I climbed down the dune and pulled off my boot to pour the sand out onto the pavement. A moment later, I was driving back to LA, ready to get myself cleaned up and back on track. I pulled up to the gym at about noon and met my trainer inside. I hadn’t been to the gym in a few days, and he looked at me knowingly with a deep frown on his face.

“You look like shit, Crash.”

“I got into some shit last night,” I said.

“Go get washed off and get to work.”

I went to the locker room, stripped out of my dirty clothes and took a shower. After I washed off, I went to my locker and pulled my workout gear from inside. I’d left everything else back at Don’s house, including my cell phone. I knew that Harper would try to get a hold of me.

My heart ached to call her, but I knew it was better if I left it alone. I needed to get the booze out of my system and work out my muscles. I needed to get my head clear before I talked to her again.

I went out into the gym and started going through the paces my trainer set out for me. First, I sprinted five miles on the treadmill, followed by stretches and training with the bag. I sparred with some of the other guys, working on my foot work, my wrestling holds, and my judo technique.

After a brief lunch and a quick rest, I got back at it again. I knew my muscles would be screaming at me the next day for spending an entire day working out, but I knew that’s what I needed to do. Alcohol had been my crutch for too long. I let it take over every time there was a problem that I didn’t want to face. I was tired of being that guy. It was time to be something else. Something better.

Knowing that Harper was going to have my baby required me to become a new man, someone I could be proud of. I wanted to be a real father, the kind of father that I had always wanted. I was determined to be that guy. I knew Harper would come around eventually.

She was overstressed with her working hours and the pregnancy hormones. Holding all of that inside had to be getting to her. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Tonight, I’d go back to Don’s house and have a long talk with her. I knew we could work things out.

As I punched the bag and felt my muscles work as hard as they could, one thing became crystal clear to me. I wanted to marry that woman. I wanted to make her mine in every way, and I wanted us to raise our child together. If Don disowned me, it didn’t make any difference. That wasn’t what mattered to me.

I’d rather be a good husband and a good father than a billionaire. I knew how to make a living. I knew that with Harper by my side, I would always stick to the straight and narrow. There were things in this life that mattered a hell of a lot more than money. Harper and my baby were those things.

I knew I could convince her. We could tell the parents when they got back and deal with whatever the repercussions were then. We couldn’t keep lying. I refused to let my child be a lie. I loved Harper. I’d do anything for her. I knew once she got past her fear and exhaustion, she really loved me, too. I could see it in her eyes when I made love to her. I could feel it in her embrace when she held me in the night.

I knew things wouldn’t be so simple. But we had to start somewhere. We had to make a stand for what was right and what really mattered. Together we could be a family. I knew that was the most important thing in the world.

After I finished my workout, I took another shower and put on a clean outfit from my locker. It had already been dark for a few hours, and I was starving. I planned to stop and get some Chinese take-out and bring it home for Harper. The parking lot was already empty. All the other fighters had gone home.

I approached my motorcycle. Out of nowhere, a steel rod hit me across the back and sent me reeling down towards the concrete. Sore from a full day of working out, I wasn’t as fast as usual. I sprang to my feet and faced my assailant. What faced me shocked me to the core.

Jeremy stood flanked by several huge men who looked like practiced fighters.

“What’s this about?” I asked. Hoping I could reason with these people.

“You’re taking my girlfriend,” Jeremy sneered.

“Harper isn’t your girlfriend anymore,” I said as calmly as possible. Rage was building in my gut, and I wanted to punch that rat-like little face of his.

“She’s carrying my baby, you asshole. How dare you touch her? How dare you even look at her?” Jeremey growled.

“It’s not your baby,” I said, clenching my fists.

“It is my baby,” he said. “She told me at the hospital two days ago.”

At that point, I lost control and lunged forward, punching the little man in the face. I felt the crack of his bone under my fist, and he reeled backwards, falling on his ass in a thud. I kicked him in the gut and in the ribs. He screamed for his thugs to take me down.

The men he’d brought with him were strong and skilled and their punches and kicks were all around me, on all sides, everywhere. I tried to defend myself, but it was four to one. If it had been one other skilled fighter, I would have had a chance. If it had been four unskilled fighters, I would have prevailed without question. But these men knew what they were doing, and there was no way that I could defend myself against that kind of muscle.

Before I knew it, I was down on the ground with boots slamming again and again into my ribs. The last thing I remember seeing was a boot slamming down into my temple. The world went black and all that I knew was pain.

The next thing I remember was the smell of disinfectant and the glaring fluorescent lights above me in the emergency room. I was disoriented and dazed. I couldn’t think straight and didn’t really know what was going on. They wheeled me into an X-ray room and bandaged up my wounds.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a doctor holding up an X-ray to a lighted wall.

“He’s got a couple broken ribs and a concussion,” the doctor said. My sight was still so fuzzy. I couldn’t see who the doctor was talking to. But then her face came into view as she stepped forward.

I could see the tears in her eyes as she touched my cheek.

“Who did this to you?” she said.

“Jeremy,” I said, my voice hoarse and distant.

“Jeremy?” she asked. “Jeremy couldn’t do this to you.”

“Hired thugs,” I explained.

“He hired men to beat you up? Why?”

“He thinks the baby’s his,” I whispered.

“Oh my God,” she said, kneeling down to take my hand in hers. She held it softly in her warm hands, caressing my skin with her fingertips. “I’ve messed up so badly. I’m so sorry, Crash. I’ve made so many mistakes since I got home from Brazil. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

“Of course,” I said. “I can always forgive you for anything.”