Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
West
Of all the guys in the league who could have been Joey’s father, it had to be DeMarco? I seriously can’t think of anyone else I’d be less thrilled with.
I’m such a dumbass.
She told me he played in the league, she even double-checked to verify he wasn’t on the Thunder, but I didn’t want to know so she didn’t tell me. And now we were both blindsided.
I know DeMarco well enough to know without a doubt he’s going to do something to make her—and probably me—miserable for the rest of the weekend.
Just because he can. I want to protect her but I’m not sure how, and more than that, I want to protect Joey.
He was obviously extremely uncomfortable around him, which is weird, because he wasn’t shy at all when he met Bodi and the other guys at the house.
More than anything else, I’m aggravated that he’s partially ruined our weekend. She’s trying to act brave, but there’s no doubt Serena is shaken up. If I’m honest, I am too. Not because I discovered who Joey’s father is, but because I feel this vague sense of déjà vu.
Just like when Briar’s ex came back in the picture.
She assured me they were done and she was with me.
I don’t think she ever cheated, but when it came down to it, her feelings for him were so strong that I couldn’t compete with their shared history.
Intellectually, I know it’s not the same with Serena and DeMarco.
They had the equivalent of a one-night stand, and he was an absolute douche to her when she told him she was pregnant. However, I’ve already watched how intense the pull between a woman and the father of her child can be. The last time it happened, it hurt like hell.
I don’t think I can go through it again.
Hell, I won’t go through it again.
I’ll walk away before I put myself in that position.
Just like I did last time.
I really hate that I’m even thinking about this stuff.
The immediate goal is to get through the weekend. Today is really the only day we’ll cross paths with him because I’m not competing in the skills competition or playing in tomorrow’s all-star game, so I’ll be sure to avoid him like the plague now that I know he’s here.
Before I headed off to my autograph session, I left Serena and Joey with Aspen and Maisie, after giving Banks a quick recap of the situation. He promised to let Aspen know what was up and that she would stay with Serena. Just in case.
Just in case what, I’m not sure. All I know is I don’t want DeMarco harassing her when I’m not around.
It’s hard to concentrate on the fans because I’m so worried about what DeMarco might be up to, but eventually I settle into a groove.
There are a lot of kids here, wearing my jersey, asking for autographs and pictures, and they deserve my full attention no matter what’s going on in my personal life.
The hour I’m scheduled for moves into ninety minutes before one of the coordinators comes to officially end the event, and I head out. Serena is back at the carnival with Joey, and we’re meeting by the photo booth because we want to take some silly pictures together.
I’ve just gotten to the door that leads into the convention area when I feel a hand on my arm.
“McGregor.”
Christ, I know that voice.
“What do you want, DeMarco?”
“How do you like my sloppy seconds?”
I know he’s just trying to get a rise out of me and it takes a lot of self-control not to punch him right in the face. Grind my fist into his nose and watch blood spurt out.
Jesus, I’m not usually a violent guy but he brings out the worst in me.
“There a point to this?” I ask in as even of a tone as I can manage considering my blood pressure probably just shot through the roof.
“That little boy is my son.”
“Now he’s your son? You didn’t want anything to do with him when she told you she was pregnant.”
“I wanted him—I just didn’t want to share him with some trailer park gold digger. I told her to get rid of it to save us both a lot of aggravation, but now that I know she didn’t, I want to get to know my boy.”
“You can’t just show up three years later and expect her to welcome you with open arms. She doesn’t want or need you in his life.”
“I don’t really care what she wants. He’s my son.”
“So you’ve said.”
He narrows his eyes. “You can’t take them from me.”
I laugh even though it isn’t funny. “You never had either one of them.”
“We’ll see about that.” He winks, with that annoying smirk that I’ve hated since the first time we met. “You know you always lose to me, McGregor. This time won’t be any different.” With that, he turns on his heel and walks in the other direction.
Mother. Fucker.
I’m definitely not telling Serena about what he said. I don’t want her to worry unless and until she has to. Most likely, he just said those things to get under my skin.
Unfortunately, it worked.
The rest of the trip is fun, but Serena and I are a little more subdued than usual. I know she’s not sleeping well because I feel her tossing and turning beside me. I didn’t say anything last night but this is our final night in St. Louis and I don’t want our trip to end on a sour note.
“What’s wrong, angel?” I whisper in the darkness. “Can’t sleep?”
“No.”
I turn on my side and pull her against me. “Talk to me.”
“I’m worried that Tony is going to try something with Joey. And legally, if he wants to make a fuss, I can’t stop him.”
“Is his name on the birth certificate?”
“No, but if he kept the texts I sent him, he could probably force a paternity test and Joey is his. I didn’t sleep with anyone else in that time period.”
“He’s never shown any interest before, though, right?”
“I was still only about eight weeks pregnant when he gave me the ultimatum, so no. No contact at all.”
“If he really wants to take it to court, we can fight him.”
“West, I don’t have the money for a court battle! And before you say you’ll pay for it, you know how I feel about that.”
“Are you really going to let your pride get in the way of protecting Joey?”
She sighs. “That’s not fair.”
“Maybe not, but if we’re going to be together, you have to let me in, angel.”
“Look who’s talking.”
I pause. “Is that comment about Briar? Because I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I don’t have anything to hide. I just thought it would be easier not to bring baggage into something new.”
“We can’t outrun our pasts.”
“No, but we should be able to put them behind us.”
“Apparently not always.” She sighs heavily.
I stroke my hands up and down her arm, the curve of her hip, the side of her thigh. She’s warm and soft and sexy, and even though I’d like to make love to her, I don’t think this is the time. She needs more from me tonight than sex. I’m just not sure exactly what that is.
“How can I help you relax?” I ask gently.
“By doing what you’re doing. Touching me. Talking to me. Letting me know you’re here for me.”
“I can do those things.”
“I don’t want this to come between us, West.”
“Do you still have feelings for him?”
“I never had feelings for him.”
“Then we don’t have to worry about it, angel.”
I say the words because I know that’s what she needs to hear, but I’m not sure I believe them.
Briar said all the right things. She assured me everything between her and her daughter’s father was in the past. He’d been gone for nearly five years and didn’t even know she was pregnant when he left.
A military-man-turned-spy or some bullshit.
He had all the right excuses to win her back even though I didn’t know it at the time.
I thought I could trust her and what we were building.
Turns out, I couldn’t.
And I don’t know how to reconcile how that made me feel with this new situation with Serena. It’s not fair to compare but my heart doesn’t care what’s fair—it only cares about not getting hurt. Kind of like the rest of me.