Chapter 5
Five
WRYAN
EASTPORT, RI
“ I can’t believe you were so irresponsible to get pregnant. Didn’t you take health in high school like the rest of us? Don’t you know that nothing but celibacy is completely perfect? At least a condom is ninety-nine percent effective, while the pill is somewhere close. Fuck.” J.D. rubs a hand down his face as he gripes at me in the elevator. I got home on Saturday, and he’s been on my case for the last couple of days.
“I think that’s enough,” Shakespeare says, coming to my defense.
J.D. turns to him, his eyes narrowing. “Why are you here again? Are you the father and just not wanting to stand up for my sister?”
Shakespeare pulls away from the wall and stands to his full height. He looks down at my brother, who is a few inches shorter than him. I had asked that we just tell my family he’s my friend, not my bodyguard. My family still doesn’t know about the attack in London.
“If your sister was pregnant with my baby, I would step up. I’m here because I’m her friend and she asked me to be here,” he growls.
I release a deep sigh and lean against the wall, upset that my life has come to this. Before I can argue back, the doors slide open on the main floor of the hospital, and I’m struck dumb for a moment.
“Tanner.” I gasp, and I can feel Shakespeare’s body tighten next to me as he puts his hand against my back. My brother grabs my arm to lead me out of the elevator, not noticing what is happening. I take him in. He cut his hair shorter, and his five o’clock shadow is thicker. My eyes meet his, the startingly green still holding the same intensity. For a brief moment, I see wonder pass over his face.
“Wryan?” Tanner looks between my brother, me, and Shakespeare. He then looks down at my very obvious pregnant belly. I’m wearing the cute dress I bought during our layover in New York. The long white tank dress falls to mid-calf, but the cropped sweater doesn’t quite hide the swell of my belly.
“Well, I guess you lied to me. Do your boyfriends know what kind of woman you are? That we fucked? That you cheated on them? I didn’t know you were into polyamorous relationships.” His words are bitter and full of anger.
My pulse kicks up, and my breathing increases. I hear the growl next to me and know Shakespeare is going for him, but my brother reaches him first. He hits Tanner hard in the face. I scream and follow them out of the elevator. I try to get to them, yelling for them to stop, but no one is listening to me.
“No, Tanner. It’s not like that. I didn’t lie,” I try to explain, but he doesn’t hear me. I start to move into the mix when I see my brother fall back, but then Tanner turns to Shakespeare. “No, Dax. Don’t hit him,” I scream.
Distracted, Dax turns to look at me. Tanner takes full advantage and lands a punch to the side of his head.
“You like my sloppy seconds,” Tanner yells as security tries to get in between them.
I can almost touch Tanner when someone grabs me and spins me away from him. The motion sets me off balance enough to make my head swim.
“You’re the father, Tanner,” I say before everything goes black.
Tanner
For months, I’ve been trying to find this woman. Now she’s right in front of me, lying in the bed, attached to monitors that are keeping watch over her and the baby. A baby I heard her say was mine just before she collapsed. The bigger of the two men she was with hit me, almost knocking me out. To be fair, I did sucker punch him. I shift my focus to the first guy who attacked me.
“Who are you to her?” I ask him, and he grits his teeth. I’ve seen him around the hospital; he’s a paramedic. J.D., I think is his name.
“He’s her brother,” the big guy replies. “I’m her friend.”
“What kind of friend?”
“That’s none of your business,” a woman says as she enters the room.
I recognize her—Ridley. Her husband was a patient of mine earlier this year. She’s followed in by a tall, blond man.
“Shakespeare, out now,” he says. The big man stands up and crosses his arms.
“Not until I know she’s okay and I can explain. Apologize. Say goodbye.” He acts like he cares for her.
“No, you overstepped your bounds. You know the rules,” the blond man says, standing next to Ridley.
“Julian, that’s enough,” Dr. Harker interjects as she steps into the room. She heads for the computer to read through Wryan’s chart. When I approach, she turns the screen away from me. This woman drives me crazy. Every time I’ve been around her for cardiac patients, she’s contradicted my treatments. “If you are going to cause strain or start fighting again, you all will have to leave.”
“I’m not leaving,” I say, and her brother and Shakespeare echo my sentiment.
“My patient needs peace and quiet. She doesn’t need this negativity. So far, her heart condition hasn’t caused any issues during the pregnancy, but this is the second time she’s fainted due to stress.”
“Second time?” J.D. and I both ask.
“You’re not supposed to tell them.” Wryan’s weak voice comes from the bed. Her eyes flutter as she looks around, eventually settling on me. I see the moment she remembers what I said.
I dreamed of getting her pregnant. Seeing her in that condition and accompanied by the two men set me off. I thought one of them was the father.
“I was going to look for you,” she says softly. “I wanted to find you.”
“He’s the baby daddy?” J.D. raises his voice.
“I won’t say it again. Keep calm, or I’ll have you ejected from the premises,” Dr. Harker says, pointing at J.D.
“Wry, I have to go. I’m sorry,” the other guy says as he takes her hand. He leans over her and kisses her forehead. Everything in my body coils, and I’m about to pull him away from her when a hand grips my arm. I turn to find myself face-to-face with Julian. He just shakes his head.
“I’m sorry too, Dax.” She squeezes his hand.
He walks out of the room, with Ridley following behind. I watch Wryan as her eyes focus back on me.
“He was only a friend. He’s been with me since shortly after I found out I was pregnant.” She presses the button to raise her head so she’s no longer lying back. I take in the changes to her body. Her breasts are fuller, and my child is all forward and a perfect round ball.
“How far along are you?”
“I’m twenty-four weeks along.”
“Were you going to tell me?”
“I think you should wait to have this conversation until you can do it alone. I need to talk to my patient first,” Dr. Harker says, and I turn to her sharply.
“I’m not leaving. If this pertains to my child, I’m not leaving,” I bite out.
“I’m not leaving either.”
“Wryan.” Another voice cuts through the tension. I turn to see Lucy, the education nurse, rushing in and pushing past everyone. “They said you fainted. Are you okay? Is it your heart? Is the baby putting too much pressure on it?”
“Your daughter’s heart is doing well,” Dr. Harker answers. “It’s just when she gets overwhelmed, she faints. After what happened in London, she promised me she would keep calm.”
“I tried. It’s not my fault all these men decided to be idiots.” Wryan sasses the doctor. I squeeze her foot, and she glances down at me, a flush spreading across her face. It makes me happy to see I still affect her.
“What happened in London?” Her brother approaches the bed. I almost want to apologize for the broken nose and black eyes he’s sporting, but he tried to break my jaw, which is still throbbing.
“It’s nothing,” Wryan says, and I watch as Dr. Harker shakes her head.
“Nothing? That’s what you’re calling it? Well, nothing has found out you were back in the States and has stepped up their game. Every day since Friday, multiple obscene letters and deliveries have been sent to your editor and publisher. Your website was hacked; Browser had to take it down. Plus, a couple of bookstores in New York City displaying your books in the windows were vandalized,” Julian interjects.
“What? You can’t take my website down. It needs to be up. I just had a release.” Wryan looks around in a panic. “I need to call Cortney and have her compensate the bookstores in some way.”
“I don’t think you’d want your loyal readers to see those pictures of you or read the words that were scrolling across the screen. Besides, the agency is working to track this person down and keep your true identity and location secret. Now I need to assign you a new detail because Shakespeare can’t keep his emotions out of it. If he had, he would have protected you downstairs instead of jumping into the fray.” Julian shakes his head and stares her down. “Thank goodness Rogue was nearby and got you out of the way.”
The machine starts beeping, indicating her heart rate has increased. I stroke her foot gently, but it isn’t helping.
“Where’s Eddie?” Dr. Harker asks.
Who the fuck is Eddie? Am I going to have to beat another man to get to my child? I need to start a list of everything I have to do. First, I need to get an attorney to protect my child and myself. I don’t know what Wryan has planned, but I need to be prepared.
“J.D. wouldn’t let him come in. He’s in the truck.”
“Julian, have one of your guys go get him,” Dr. Harker says, and now I’m really confused. Why would her brother not allow Eddie to come in?
“Baby, you need to tell us what really happened in London,” her mom demands.
“It’s just a fan who’s upset I’m changing my writing.”
“A fan?” I look between all of them.
“I’m a graphic novelist and author,” Wryan says as she turns to me. She’s working her bottom lip hard.
I push her brother aside and move closer. He grumbles at me, but I don’t care. “Wryan, you need to calm down for the baby.” I lean over her and watch as her eyes close. A tear slips down her cheek, and I’m broken in that moment. I did this to her. If I could have held my tongue and waited for her to explain, she wouldn’t be in this bed. I did this. I’ve always struggled with my temper, but I’ve never been jealous until her.
“I’ll be back.” I stand up straight and move to the door. When I turn to look at her one last time, I find her watching me. “My attorney will be in contact with you, Wryan,” I say before walking out. As soon as the door closes behind me, I look up to see Shakespeare standing there.
“She’s been pining for you. She needs to be protected—both her and her daughter. You don’t need a fucking attorney. Just give it a moment, and you’ll see what you’re doing isn’t good for anyone.”
“I’m having a daughter?” The words slip out, and my throat tightens.
“No, she is. You’re not unless you fix what you just broke.”
“I won’t let her use my child to get to my money.” Bitterness seeps into my voice, and I hate how the words taste wrong on my tongue.
He guffaws and shakes his head. “You have no clue who she really is, do you?”
“Wryan Westerbrook,” I answer.
“Yeah, that’s her real name, but watch this.” He walks over to the nurse’s station, and I follow. “Who here knows who Desiree Collins is?”
Several of the nurses blush, and a couple pull out books.
“I just bought the book her friend Elary Tanner wrote. It’s supposed to be an erotic romance, but it sounded so good. A one-night stand turns into forever,” one of the nurses says, and sighs.
I turn and make for the elevator as the nurses continue to gush. I need to figure this all out.
By the time I get home, I’m angry again and convinced she’s trying to get something from me. I take a long shower, debating whether or not to take myself in hand. I could easily fantasize about those bigger breasts of hers. In the end, I get out and towel off. I dress in a pair of loose sweatpants and head down to my gourmet kitchen. As I warm up some food prepared by my housekeeper, I take in the large house I purchased.
It's perfect for a family. Seven bedrooms, a gym, theater, playroom off the kitchen, and more. I went a bit overboard, imagining that I would find Wryan and talk her into having my babies and be with me. Now, as usual, I’m blindsided by the truth—she’s a liar. I sit down at my desk in the office and eat as I look her up online.
Wryan’s personal social media is private. Even her Pinterest boards are secret. But when I search for the two author names Shakespeare and the nurse mentioned, I get pages of results. I click on images, and thumbnails of Wryan as Desiree Collins at various comic conventions and book signings fill my screen. She was right there in that convention center with me. I could have found out who she was before, but it would have been her alter ego, not the woman I met.
Digging further, I find that a London Comic Con ended with an unnamed celebrity being shot by paintballs. This must be the incident they were talking about. I have to do something and decide to email my attorney for help.
When I finally head to bed, I lie there, tossing and turning, thoughts of Wryan and my daughter haunting me—imagining them dead at the hands of a faceless man. I also relive our night again, recalling the number of times I purposely didn’t use a condom, leading to the state she’s in now.
The next afternoon, I’m sitting at my desk at the hospital, going over a few patient notes, when my door bursts open without a knock.
“Hello, Ridley. Have a seat.” I’m sure she can hear the sarcasm in my voice. She smiles before pulling out a chair and sitting down. “What can I do for you?” I helped save her husband’s life when he was shot, and she’s told me over and over that she owes me.
“I’m going to help you.” She leans back, making herself comfortable.
“With what?” I sit back and try to relax, but I think I know what she’s up to.
“Wryan. I don’t normally give out client information, but since I’ve found Leif, I’ve become kind of a romantic.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already contacted an attorney, and I’ll be pursuing custody and visitation. I won’t be paying child support, either. There is nothing here for you to be romantic about.” I hate that it’s come to this, but my attorney thinks this is the best approach. He said it’s a scare tactic to get her attention. He’s also insisting I have a paternity test done.
She cocks her head to the side and purses her lips. “Is that really what you want to do? I’d think that if you could get along and maybe get together, that would be best for the baby and for Wryan.”
“That would be ideal, but I believe that she has already made her mind up. Besides, it’s too late; my attorney sent the paperwork via process server today.”
“You’re asking for trouble. Her family will make your life miserable if you hurt her. What I saw yesterday was a girl who was confused and a man who was jealous.”
“Let me try this first.”
She stands up and sighs. “Sometimes you men are pain in the asses. When you’re ready to fix it, come see me.” She drops a file on my desk before moving to the door. Ridley stops and turns back to me. “She hasn’t dated anyone since she hired us. Our guy developed a deep friendship with her and grew attached, but she turned him down, saying her heart belonged to someone else.”
As she walks out, I mull over her words. I open the file she left and find Wryan’s schedule for the next couple of weeks, her apartment address, her parents’ address, and information about where she’s been for the last several months.
I lift my cell from the desk and call my attorney to stop the process server, but he tells me it’s too late—she’s already been served.
I really fucked up.