Page 26

James

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A fter our last plates are taken away, I glance across to Marie to ensure she ate enough. She seems to be eating like a bird lately, several small meals a day. Sometimes just a bite or two, and she’s only halfway through the pregnancy. How’s it going to be when she’s way further along?

I can’t imagine all of that weight pressed up into my organs, squeezing and shoving everything around.

Landon keeps calling my phone and I bend down to answer it. “What?”

“Hey man, can you and Alex meet me out on the terrace? I want to go over Logan’s surprise present and maybe I’ll be able to get a female’s perspective… I don’t want to embarrass them.”

I sigh and hang up, plucking Alex’s hand into mine and smiling at her. “Can you come with me? We can get some fresh air, a friend has a question about a gift for Logan and Bianca.”

She shrugs and follows me out, wrapping her slim arm around mine. At least Marie and the girls can have a break away from Alex. I’m ready to just call it quits tonight. I can’t stand how she talks to them and again with the baby shit. I just want her gone.

What did I see in her, seriously?

I already have several offers on my house and am definitely buying something smaller. She can go back to her vacation home or back to LA for all I care.

I see Landon standing alone under the standing heaters, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Alex squeaks and stiffens at my side and I basically have to drag her with me.

“Hey, man. What’s going on?”

Landon smirks at me and moves his gaze over to Alex. “Hey Drea, still fucking your brother?”

My jaw drops and I choke on my spit, I move away from Alex as if she’s on fire and blink at the small auburn-haired woman as if she’s a fucking stranger.

Drea?

I watch as the blood drains from her face and she wraps her arms around her stomach, trying to hide herself. Her green dress catches the lights of the lanterns around the terrace, making her look more angelic than a demon ever should.

“I…I…” She stutters and Landon chuckles darkly.

“I had a feeling you stuck around, waiting for another man to sink your claws into. Good for us that I can put a stop to this shit before it’s too late.”

Alex licks her lips and shivers, “I’m… I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I glare at her and step further away, closer to Landon. “What the fuck is going on?”

Landon shakes his head, not taking his eyes off of Alex.

“I met her a year ago, last Christmas. Gave me this whole sad story about her mother kicking her out, needing a place to stay.

We fucked. She kept traveling, telling me her mother gave her another chance, when really she was really jet-setting around the world meeting up with men that gave her money to fuck them.

She stayed with me whenever she was in town or had a break.

I was getting serious about her, wanting to propose, even.

She kept dropping hints. Talking about children and engagement rings.

“So… I felt like, why not? A ring on her finger would keep her around. I had enough money to take care of her if her mom kicked her out of her job and life again. She didn’t care about hockey, she really seemed to like being around me.

Anyway, James… Meet Alexandra Miller. Cheater, liar, and master manipulator.

If I had any idea she was still in town, latching onto my teammates, or hell, any other guy around here, I would have told you.

I told you a little about Drea, but never her full name. ”

I feel fucking sick. I shake my head and blink down at the woman who had me so fucking fooled for months…

a year. Over a year. Even if I was planning to get rid of her after this event, I never imagined anything so…

sinister and disgusting. “I started fucking her a year ago, too,” I grunt out and wave my hand around.

“Get the fuck out of here, Alex. Drea. Whatever the fuck your name is. By the time I’m back tomorrow, I want all of your shit out of my home. ”

She hasn’t said a word since Landon started talking and she keeps moving her gaze between us. “I can’t! I’m pregnant!”

I snort and rock back on my heels, shoving my hands in my pockets. I can smell the champagne on her breath from here. She’s been drinking heavily all night. “Yeah? Let me guess… It’s mine?”

She nods and lets the fake tears fall. I hold back laughter. “How do you explain all of the drinking?”

She waves her hand around and smirks. “My doctor said a little is okay. I’ve mostly had sparkling cider anyway. The same that Marie is drinking.”

I hum and tilt my head to the side. “What about… me being unable to have children?”

She steps back and shakes her head, not believing me. “No… you told me you just didn’t want kids! We’ve been having unprotected sex!”

I shake my head with a sad sigh, “Yeah, and what about the birth control implant that you never showed me? And the doctor’s office that told me you never had an appointment… at all that day? Everything is making so much more sense now.”

She gulps and winces. “Well… I had it removed because it was giving me headaches.”

I chuckle and step closer to her, bending down to get closer to her pale face. “I had a vasectomy… I didn’t fuck you until after I was cleared completely. I have no viable swimmers. At. All.”

She licks her lips and steps back shakily. “Vasectomies aren’t one hundred percent. Sometimes they fail.”

I laugh out loud, tossing my head back. “Oh… Okay. That’s why I’ve also been pulling out. That’s also not even remotely close to one hundred percent either… But I know for a fact you’re not pregnant regardless, and if you are… it’s not mine. Get the fuck out of here.”

Her plump, red, lower lip wobbles. Her auburn hair is falling out of the sleek style I paid to have it placed in.

She lets more fake tears fall before she screams as loud as she can.

She can give a damn banshee a run for their money, but she will never be able to change my mind, no matter how big of a fit she throws. What a fucking embarrassment.

“Fuck you both!”

She turns and storms back into the room, I race after her when she heads straight to the table that Marie is sitting at, Nolan kneeling down right beside her as they talk.

Marie looks up right as Alex picks up a solid crystal goblet and chucks it at her head.

I pluck Alex up into my arms and basically toss her at the security guards that race in once they hear Alyssa and Caroline scream. Marie is calming the table down and placing a white linen napkin on the top of her head, I feel like passing out when I watch it turn crimson.

“Call the cops. I want her charged, the woman that she attacked is pregnant.” I yell over to the guards and they immediately drag the screaming bitch out of sight.

I turn away and race over to Marie, pulling her up in my arms. “Nolan, in my wallet is a card for the driver that dropped her off. Get him on the phone and let him know we need a ride to the hospital.” I turn away with the girls on my heels, Landon and Nolan scurrying behind us.

“Alyssa, call Brenton. Better for him to know now before the hospital calls him.” Marie sighs and winces against my chest and I try to go as slow as I can, I don’t want to jostle her too much.

Logan races after us, Bianca right behind him looking like she’s about to cry. I wave them off and ignore them, letting Landon fill them in. I feel fucking awful, embarrassed as shit, but better that I know now before she tried to pull any shit when I told her I don’t want to be with her anymore.

Damn it.

Fucking hell. I’m never fucking dating again.

By the time we reach the doors, heading down the stairs towards the lot, the driver is waiting and is bouncing on his toes.

“Ms. Edwards, I hope you’re okay. I’ll get you to the hospital as fast as I can,” he yells up from the bottom of the stairs and helps me get her settled.

I nod to him and we get in the car, Landon and Nolan jumping in right before the driver slams the door closed. Alyssa and Caroline are both crying and Marie is trying to calm them down.

It’s like a fucking circus. I feel the blood soaking into my white shirt and I grimace when I glance down seeing how much she’s still bleeding.

“I’ll probably just need staples, I’m fine girls… I promise. Did either of you call Brenton?”

Caroline nods and sniffles, “He’s going to meet us there. He said he’s going to call them to let them know we’re on the way. Said he’s driving as fast as he can.”

Marie relaxes into my chest and I grab some napkins from the bar and switch out the linen napkin for those. There’s so much blood.

“Stay awake for me, Marie,” I murmur and she sleepily nods, her hooded eyes are glassy and tired. “Come on, talk to me. Tell me about how the nurseries are turning out.”

She hums. “They were pretty much done after you put together all of the furniture. The paint still looks perfect. We put the rugs down, the toys in the storage bins… I had to hold the girls back from washing all of the clothes already, we still have like a million weeks until they’re here.”

Nolan and Landon chuckle with me and Nolan clears his throat. “Well, we have another week off from playing, we can switch off staying with you until you’re better.”

Marie nods and clears her throat. “Thanks, guys. So what happened to the bitch?”

Landon bites his lip and glances at me. I sigh as I explain everything and tell her to go to my house and pack up her shit. I try not to laugh as I tell her about the ‘pregnancy’ and I let it slip that I recently had a vasectomy done so that I never had something like that happen, ever.

Marie stiffens and looks away when she hears that. But I’m not hiding it anymore. She knows better than anyone on why I’ll never procreate.

“It was time, plus I’m turning thirty in a few years. I don’t want any mistakes to happen.”

She nods and sighs. “Yeah. Mistakes.”