Beyond Promise, Page 3

  “It is and it always will be. This is the only thing I’ve ever kept quiet about. I hated not telling you about this. Keeping it from you ate me alive. It really did.”

  “Well, that at least makes me feel somewhat better.” I gave him a wry grin. “I like the thought of you suffering as you held this secret tight.”

  “I might as well tell you everything.”

  “Wait. There’s more?” I asked, swallowing my surprise.

  He nodded. “Not like what you’re thinking, but yeah. There’s more.”

  The breeze picked up, and I glanced toward the woods behind Ayden. Now what?

  “You know the product Jason and Aaron originally created and sold to Aaron’s father?” Ayden asked.

  My brows furrowed in confusion. What did a security system have to do with Ayden fighting?

  “Yeah, what about it?”

  “I was talking to Jason about the fight, and he was asking me about my strategy.”

  “Okay…”

  “The security software they developed included motion sensors that monitored and predicted movement.”

  “How can they predict movement?”

  “It’s not always a hundred percent accurate, but they developed a method that uses algorithms as precursors. Apparently that was one of the many things that set their product apart. It was especially useful to predict a thief’s movements so when the silent alarms are going off, the police can track where they might go next in a building and meet them there.”

  “Wow. I had no idea, but what does that have to do with fighting?”

  “All of our fights are recorded. I tracked down hours of footage of my opponent, and Jason was able to create a simulation of sorts. Using the data, he was able to show me what to expect if I were to say land an uppercut or move to the left to avoid a punch. Of course, it’s not a hundred percent. No one can predict human nature, but it’s a tool I’m happy to keep in my arsenal.”

  “So that’s what you’ve been studying at night on the laptop?”

  He nodded.

  “Wow. I’m impressed, a little relieved and a little annoyed but mostly impressed.” I briefly glanced over the water and brought my eyes back to his. “So you’re feeling confident that you’ll be able to judge his moves as they come.”

  “I was confident about that before the software.” Ayden flashed a dazzling smile, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “You’re lucky that you’re so attractive.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Is that so?” he asked, taking a step closer.

  “Very so. Or you wouldn’t be able to get away with so much.”

  “I thought it was my personality that provided me the much needed wiggle room. I had no idea the mother of my child was so shallow,” he teased.

  “Oh, you knew what you were getting into with me.”

  “Possibly. I have seen things that others haven’t.”

  I smiled. “Who knew the one you’d end up with was the same one you had to shovel off the floor when she drank too much with your sister…”

  “That was in college and not your fault.”

  “We might be able to get away with saying that if it only happened once, but you saved me several times.”

  “At least we’ll have some good stories to tell our kid…”

  “Yeah, right,” I released a petrified yelp. “There is no way any college stories are coming from those lips of yours, especially if they’re about me.”

  “But think how responsible I’ll sound?” Ayden beamed.

  “Really? What were you and Mason doing hanging around those college parties? If I remember, you’re a few years older than me.”

  “Well… I mean that’s just irrelevant.”

  “That’s a big word.”

  His hands moved around my waist and up my back, pulling me into him.

  “Is all forgiven?” he whispered.

  “As long as you win.” My mouth curled up slightly as his gaze fell to my lips.

  “Never lost one yet, baby,” he murmured, and it felt like the very first time he kissed me as his mouth crashed down to mine.

  The feelings of need rushed through me as his mouth searched for forgiveness, and my world spun into the complicated web of Ayden Rhodes. The danger of what he was about to face created an odd sensation that made me ache with uncertainty and desire. As if sensing my longing, Ayden’s kisses intensified, and I stood on my toes as if every inch closer would solidify that everything was going to be okay. A shiver ran through me, his lips slowly releasing from mine, and I opened my eyes gradually, not wanting to let go of this moment. Being on the rocky beach with Ayden made me feel safe and far away from the troubles of the world, but it didn’t let me forget about the man who died by the hands of his opponent.

  I truly believed Ayden would win the match.

  I wanted to believe it with all my heart.

  I had to believe it.

  Ayden wrenched his gaze from mine and my stomach fell. Had he caught my trace of doubt? I would never forgive myself had he detected even a flicker of reservation.

  “I won’t let you down,” he whispered, tracing his finger along my jaw. “I won’t let either of you down.”

  And without warning a lump formed in the back of my throat. Hearing those words come from Ayden’s lips hurt my heart. I wanted nothing more than for him to walk away from the fight.

  “You would never let me down. Ever. Never. Ever. It’s impossible. You mean everything to me, Ayden. Everything.”

  He nodded.

  I knew if I asked him if there was a way out, he’d take that as me doubting his abilities, and I couldn’t have him thinking I held even the slightest hesitation. But with every fiber in my being, I wanted him to walk away. I wanted him to lose the money, give up the money, throw it away. It didn’t matter to me. But that was the problem. The money didn’t matter to Ayden either. The money wasn’t what drove him, which was why I knew he would be stepping in that ring no matter what. It was for the satisfaction of the win. It wasn’t about ego with Ayden. It never had been. It was about competence and being the best. He applied that way of thinking to his business and his personal life.

  I had no doubt he would be the best husband and best father humanly possible. It was his drive to be better and do better that made him the man he was—the man I fell in love with—and I certainly wasn’t going to ask him to change. I fell in love with all the parts of Ayden Rhodes, and we were in this together, all three of us. One way or another, we would get through this fight, and then we’d focus on our future together.

  I walked by the gym in our house and peeked into the large space where Ayden had been for the last hour. It never got old seeing him work out the way he did, his body glistening as he jumped rope, music cranked and pure determination running through his eyes. It was beyond sexy, and it explained how we were now planning for three. He was addicting—every square inch of him—and he brought out a side in me that threw caution to the wind.

  Needless to say, throwing caution to the wind only took one gym session, a sinus infection, and two rounds of antibiotics to create the perfect storm known as baby Rhodes. Thinking back on the shock of it all made me chuckle. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes when we watched the stick change our lives forever.

  Fear.

  Excitement.

  And pure bliss.

  Was it unexpected? Absolutely. But it felt right. Everything about being with Ayden felt right. My career was excelling. I enjoyed what I did during the day and I enjoyed who I did at night. Corny to say? Yeah. But I’d been around the Rhodes men far too long not to allow some of their humor to seep into my blood. It was inevitable. His jokes I used to roll my eyes at in college, were now highlights of my day.

  “Love ya,” I called into the gym as I passed by.

  “You too, babe,” he yelled back, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  Ever since the weekend at Mason and Tori’s, I’d been concentrating on the positives. It w
ould be his last fight. He was undefeated. He had an entire software program on his side. He would win. He always won. He had a great trainer. And he had more to lose than his opponent.

  The last thought nearly took my breath away.

  He had more to lose than his opponent.

  But what if he didn’t win? My hand unexpectedly caressed my stomach as I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. I got a glass of water and took a few swallows to calm my nerves. We would get through this. I glanced at the clock, noticing Gabby and Brandy were late. Trying to get my mind off the fight, I trundled over to the crockpot and lifted the lid. The pot roast smelled delicious, and by the looks of it, we’d have plenty for leftovers, which was good because in spite of everything I’d read about not eating for two, I swore I could now eat for ten. I placed the lid back on the pot and leaned against the counter, debating whether or not to tell Brandy and Gabby. Or maybe they already knew about Ayden’s opponent. If Jason developed the program, there was a high chance Gabby knew why.

  So much for not thinking about the fight.

  I turned on the television and watched the news with depressing event after event flash across the screen. This wasn’t helping me to get over the fight. I clicked on the channels determined to stay far away from news today. Landing on a DIY show, I placed the remote down right when the doorbell rang.

  I’d been looking forward to seeing Gabby and Brandy all day. Ayden and I weren’t planning to tell anyone other than Tori and Mason about our pregnancy until the wedding rehearsal dinner, but I was pretty sure they already knew.

  Yeah, they knew.

  I yanked on the front door and was surprised to see Ayden’s trainer staring back at me instead of Brandy and Gabby.

  “Hey,” Derek said, giving a slight wave and tweaking his duffel bag.

  “Come on in.” I motioned him in and took a step away from the door. Derek was very tall and imposing to most, but inside he was a big teddy bear. I’d gotten to know him over the last several months and often enjoyed his company at the dinner table. He was in his mid-forties, divorced, and his dating stories always made for a fun night. Not that we got enjoyment from others’ pain but his stories were pretty hilarious.

  “He’s upstairs. Staying for dinner?” I asked.

  “Not tonight. I’ve got a date.” He let out a sigh and sheepishly grinned. “I don’t know why I keep trying.”

  “What? What aren’t you telling me?” I pried.

  “Nothing.” He closed the door behind us.

  I folded my arms and furrowed my brows. He was hiding something.

  “Is it serious?” I asked. “Have you found someone?”

  Derek’s laughter boomed through the air and he shook his head. “Not at all. Alright. I’ll tell you, but you can’t judge.”

  “Why would I judge? I don’t judge. No way sir-ee.”

  “It’s my first match.”

  “Match? You met her while boxing?”

  Derek focused mostly on training others, but every once in a while, he was known to step back in the ring.

  His jaw tensed and he glanced around the room.

  “No. My first online match.” His voice was almost a whisper.

  I clapped my hands together. “Oh. My. Gosh. I’m so excited for you. Those services are supposed to do wonders.”

  “We’ll see about that. I might have another great story to add to the dinner conversation next week.” He grinned.

  “Way to stay positive,” Ayden’s voice came down the stairs. He glided into the entry and fist pumped Derek.

  “Exactly,” I agreed. “You’ve got to stay positive or there’s no point in showing up. If I was your date and felt like you didn’t want to be there…”

  Derek threw his hands into the air. “I get it. I get it. Enough about me. It’s you I’m here for.” He pointed his finger at Ayden.”

  “I’m all warmed up,” Ayden told him.

  “Yep. He’s been in the gym for over an hour,” I confirmed.

  Derek nodded and dropped his bag onto the ground, fishing out some belt weights. “Let’s get outside before it starts to rain.”

  Ayden gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Whatever you say.” Ayden opened the door and there stood Brandy and Gabby. They were grinning from ear to ear and looked suspiciously inside as they eyed Ayden, who was still shirtless.

  “Did we interrupt something? We can come back later.” Gabby started giggling.

  “Very funny,” I hollered over Ayden’s shoulder. “He’s training. Derek just got here and they’re headed outside.”

  “Sure he was,” Brandy yielded a wry laugh.

  Gabby and Brandy came inside and set their purses on the entry table. I noticed Brandy’s slight limp had returned. She hadn’t mentioned anything about her leg recently, but obviously that didn’t mean anything.

  “Like my decorations?” I asked, shoving the thought aside. I knew Brandy hated when we brought up anything to do with her accident, and I tried my best to respect her wishes.

  This morning I had decorated the entry table with mini pumpkins and dried leaves. I was quite impressed with myself, considering I’d never really been the crafty type of person.

  “It looks lovely,” Gabby said, taking her purse back off the table. Brandy did the same.

  “You didn’t even notice, did you?” I narrowed my eyes and they both exchanged looks.

  “It looks amazing,” Gabby said again.

  “And that’s my cue to exit.” Ayden gave me a wave and a quick hug to his sister, Brandy, before walking outside with Derek.

  “It really does look neat,” Brandy seconded.

  “But?”

  “But nothing. It looks amazing.” Gabby reached over and squeezed my hand.

  Brandy bit her lip and looked at the table. “I think that would be the perfect arrangement for an end table or somewhere a little smaller. It kind of gets lost on this huge table.”

  I glanced at the long foyer table that stretched the length of the wall and she had a point. The distressed wood table was probably five feet long and my arrangement, maybe, took up six inches of the table.

  “I don’t think she needs something that takes up the whole table,” Gabby countered.

  “I didn’t say that, but I didn’t even see it until she asked about it—”

  “And size isn’t everything,” Gabby interrupted, and then turned bright red as she realized how that could be misinterpreted. “Okay, size is important sometimes.”

  I started laughing, realizing that these two had already become like sisters, arguing and all, and Brandy hadn’t even officially walked down the aisle with Aaron yet.

  “Alright. I’ve got the perfect addition,” I said, remembering an embroidered table runner Brandy and Ayden’s mom had given me. I walked into the dining room and opened the drawer of the hutch.

  “What about this?” I asked, removing the burnt-orange table runner with embroidered pumpkins and leaves.

  “That is perfect,” Gabby agreed.

  “I thought you said it already was perfect,” Brandy laughed and Gabby rolled her eyes.

  I walked it over to the table, and we all worked on the display, placing my arrangement back in the center as the final touch.

  “That does look better,” I announced.

  “Yep. Now it says, don’t put your purse here.” Brandy smiled. “But back to the important stuff. What smells so delicious?”

  “Pot roast. I’m making pot roast.”

  “I’m so impressed,” Gabby said, following Brandy and me into the family room. “Our Lily is cooking and decorating.”

  “It’s almost like she’s nesting.” Brandy’s brow arched, and I smiled, not taking the bait. I knew her brother hadn’t told her, and I was eighty percent certain Mason hadn’t mentioned it either.

  “I’m not a bird.”

  “No, you’re not and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” Gabby assured me, and I chuckled. These two were exactl
y what I needed to relax. I’d been wound so tightly since the weekend I needed some comic relief.

  “Seriously, though, are you doing okay? I feel like there’s something beyond the obvious you’re not telling us.” Brandy took a seat on the couch, and Gabby sat in a wooden rocker near the fireplace. Ayden and I’d just bought it at an antique store in town. We both thought it would be perfect for when the baby came.

  “You do seem nervous about something.” Gabby nodded. “Is it the fight?”

  I sat down on the couch next to Brandy and rested my head on the back cushion.

  “Yeah.” I looked at Gabby. “Has Jason told you anything about it?”

  Gabby shook her head. “Nothing more than the usual.”

  “I wouldn’t be mad if he did…”

  Gabby’s brows furrowed in confusion as she slowly rocked in the chair, and I realized she actually didn’t know. Jason hadn’t told her the details.

  I let out a sigh and turned my head back and forth. “Turns out Ayden’s last fight is against someone who is also undefeated in the circuit he fights in.”

  “He’s gone against other undefeated fighters,” Brandy said, resting her hand on my knee in reassurance. She wasn’t thrilled about her brother fighting either.

  If only that was where it ended.

  “True.” I sucked my lip in and blew out air, trying to keep the worry at bay.

  “So that’s not all of it, is it?” Brandy prodded.

  “Ayden is about to step into the ring against a fighter who killed his last opponent.”

  Brandy and Gabby gasped before their expressions turned to horror. Gabby’s gaze fell to my belly and she shook her head. “Why is he still doing it?”

  “He’s gotta bail. You’ve got to make him throw in the towel,” Brandy almost whispered. “If our parents found out…”

  I shook my head. “I could never ask him to do that.”

  “It’s not a question about what you want. It’s about safety and Ayden’s life. This is ridiculous.” Gabby stopped rocking. “Why in the world would he do this when you guys are…” She didn’t continue.

  “Is it the money?” Brandy asked, but she knew her brother better than anyone. It had nothing to do with money.