Her Big Bad Mistake (6 page)

Pulling the ring off her finger, she sat it next to the bed. She needed the anger she felt right now. Becky wouldn’t leave if she let her heart win. She had to get away from Damon, from the boys. She would thank them later once she’d had time to think and knew what to do.

Once at her own hotel, Becky showered and rang to see if she could get an early flight to Chicago. Once she made sure everything was packed, she went to the airport, grateful she could get an earlier flight. Before she got on the plane she paused and did the most cowardly, despicable thing she’d ever done. She messaged all the boys:
Goodbye and thank you for keeping me company.

Trying not to cry, she got on the plane. Becky knew as the plane took off that she had done it all wrong, and what she did right now was the most selfish thing she’d ever done. She let the tears fall as she remembered the many times Damon had told her how much he liked that she wasn’t scared of saying what she felt, that she was easy to talk to. She cried harder as his words about her being kind to everyone and always thinking of others repeated in her head. Looking out the plane window, she cried for everything she’d done and what she should have done. She’d made too many big, bad mistakes.

The pregnancy stick mocked her with its two lines. It had been six weeks since Vegas. There were so many things she regretted. Her heart was broken and she missed her friends, Caleb and Jacob had called but she wasn’t ready to see them. Most of all she missed Damon.

A week ago she’d started her teaching position. She’d moved into a house with another teacher and they were becoming fast friends. Amanda was full of life and taught first grade at the elementary school down from the high school.

Becky had been depressed ever since she left Vegas. She’d done the wrong thing leaving Damon. She may have only been with him a short time, but she loved him and missed him with all her heart.

Covering her face with her hands, she groaned, “What am I going to do?” She’d only just started her job. Should she call and talk to Damon? Would he want to talk to her after all this time after what she’d done?

Amanda banged on the door. “You okay, Becky?”

Becky glanced down at the stick, then at the door, and shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay. Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath that came out as a sob. “Um… Yeah. Do you need the bathroom?”

“The game’s about to start and I never miss Damon kicking butt.”

Becky stared wide-eyed at the door. Surely she couldn’t mean
her
Damon. Fate was not being nice. Slowly getting up, she gathered her test and walked out the door. Disposing of her stuff, she washed her hands and went to the lounge where she sat and waited for Amanda who, fifteen minutes later, sat on the sofa with popcorn. Becky stared into space in disbelief of what she’d just found out. Amanda moved closer to her and offered some popcorn. Becky shook her head and took a deep breath, asking what she needed to know.

“So, this big hockey player Damon that you like, what’s he like?

Amanda’s face lit up. “He’s my favorite type of bad boy.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yeah, he dates all the time and he has a thing for blondes.” Amanda winked at her. “So, I have one thing he likes.”

Becky grimaced. She remembered Damon favored blondes.

“Damon is hot. Well, just look at him.” Amanda shoved a magazine with Damon and a gorgeous tall blonde on it at her. Becky’s breath hitched as she saw the date on the magazine was this week’s. She turned back to the article and read as she listened to Amanda. “Damon has the most fights record for the last couple of seasons. He parties and is seen everywhere, but get this, he has a soft side he does charity games like the one I’m watching today. I bought tickets for a game a couple of weeks into the season. I have a spare, wanna come?”

“Yes. Thanks,” Becky managed to whisper. The
yes
came out of her before Becky could really think it through.

“It’s six weeks away, but by then I’ll have you as obsessed with ice hockey as I am.” Amanda winked. “And Damon Chet.”

Becky burst into tears. All she could think about was that she was pregnant with a child by a man she still loved, but she knew he didn’t love her back. He’d forgotten about her. She stared through blurry vision at the image of supermodel Imogene hanging off him. The caption said they were dating. Becky remembered a conversation they’d had at dinner a couple of the night before she left…

“So you’re looking forward to teaching kids?” Damon had asked.

“Yes. I love younger ones and want a bunch of my own eventually, but the older kids I find easer. They understand things better and you can explain things to them. Do you like kids?”

Damon shook his head and she could tell he wasn’t a kid person. “No way. I don’t do kids. I’m not father material. Kids are a lot of responsibility, I don’t want that.” He shivered. “I have too many people already to look after. I don’t need another one.”

Becky had known then that the thing with Damon wouldn’t work out. Becky had always loved children and wanted at least one of her own. She was disappointed, but if Damon didn’t want something she really wanted she wasn’t going to push him.

She settled her hands over her stomach, protecting her child.
Crap!
Everything was changing. She glanced at the magazine again and anger consumed her.
Shit!
She was married to an arse. He was dating a woman while he was still to married her.

“Becky, what’s wrong?” Amanda’s arms came around her and Becky sobbed into her.

“I’m pregnant. What am I going to do?”

****

Becky called her parents but she couldn’t bring herself to tell them. The weeks flew by and she found everything she could on Damon Chet. Becky called him only to hang up, scared and unsure what to say. After a couple more weeks a message said the number was wrong or had been disconnected. She called Jacob and Caleb but couldn’t bring herself to ask about Damon or get his new number. Jacob kept asking to see her, but she wasn’t ready. She told Jacob she needed to get settled first.

She loved her baby more every day. Becky knew she was being selfish keeping the baby from Damon, but every time she saw him with a new woman or read about a fight he got in she covered her stomach and protected her child, their child.

The ultrasound was what broke her. Becky heard the little heartbeat and saw the small shape and knew she couldn’t be selfish and jealous anymore. She laid there stunned as she stared at the screen and saw her baby, Damon’s baby. She had to find a way to tell him, even if she called Caleb or Jacob and asked for his new number.

****

Damon was determined to find Becky. He found out she lived in Chicago, but nothing else. For all he knew she could be living just on the other side of town from him. He knew Jacob and Caleb had spoken to her and she’d told them she wanted to settle in first before she saw them. Surely by now she’d be settled in to her new job and life. Damon knew he shouldn’t have left it as long as he did, but at first he’d been angry she’d left him without even a goodbye. Then he’d slumped back into his old ways. He wasn’t proud of himself for that.

His work and life were falling apart. His teammates were rallying behind him but he just couldn’t do it anymore. He’d debated telling Jacob and Caleb everything, but chickened out every time. He was going to tell them the day after he got married, but he decided to wait and tell them with Becky. He’d hoped if they saw how much he loved her they’d both be happy for him.

Magazine reporters were following him everywhere and he couldn’t get any peace. He was surprised no one had found out about his marriage, maybe what happened in Vegas had stayed in Vegas. With Becky leaving him he hadn’t told anyone and didn’t plan on it. His agent was loving all the press and had Imogene or some other model turning up to events as his date. Damon was getting sick of women being thrown at him to pose for pictures. His agent kept telling him it was good promotion for him to be seen with these popular people. Damon had a feeling it was going to bite him on the ass.

Jacob and Caleb could tell something was up with him and he knew he had to tell them. The problem was, with his game suffering and his heart in pieces he needed friends, and he was afraid when he told them shit would hit the fan.

He had a game this coming weekend. He’d booked a meeting with a private investigator for the day after the game. He was going to find Becky. He was getting his wife back.

Becky sat in a bathroom at the arena, talking herself into going in and seeing Damon play hokey. Slowly she stood, took a deep breath, and told herself she had to see him. She’d told Jacob and Caleb she’d be at the game. They told her to call them after and they would see her. Becky hoped with Jacob and Caleb around, Damon would agree to see her. Her heart squeezed at the thought of being close to him. She walked out of the ladies’ bathroom and down to the spot Amanda had shown her.

Slowly she sat next to Amanda. She closed her eyes and told herself she could do this—she had to tell Damon. She had to stop being selfish.

Almost an hour later, Becky watched the scene before her, horrified. Two men were beating the crap out of each other, skating around on the ice as their teammates held each other off. The crowd went wild and Becky averted her gaze. Amanda screamed profanities at the team wearing red. The men before her were nothing like the ones she’d met at Disney World or stayed with in Vegas. They were animals.

Damon threw a punch that had his opponent falling back onto the hard ice. Becky winced as she sensed the thud of the guy hitting the ground. He was lucky he still had his helmet on, because otherwise Becky would bet it would have been a lot worse.

The crowd cheered and Becky shook her head in disbelief that so far in a hockey game there had been two fights and lots of attempted fights. She covered her stomach and debated if she should stay and watch the rest. This had been a mistake. She turned to Amanda, who had a huge smile on her face and watched the game with rapt attention. She had come with Amanda, would it be too rude if she left?

The crowd around her stood and pumped their fists and cheered as a goal was made by Damon’s team. Her stomach flipped as the camera zoomed in on his form. She settled in her seat and knew she had to watch at least this one game.

“Damon is on fire tonight, Becky. His games lately have been terrible. Tonight, though, he is in the best form I’ve seen him in years.”

Becky chewed on her lip and nodded, not taking her eyes of the man in question. “Lucky me.” She didn’t feel lucky, though, right now she was nervous and scared. She was glad she’d come but she wasn’t going to come again.

The seats Amanda had gotten were supposed to be some of the best in the arena. When the hockey players first come on and when they leave, you’re right next them. Amanda had said some would acknowledge you. Becky made sure she wasn’t there for the start of the game when the teams came out. She’d been too busy talking herself into coming in and sitting down to watch.

The game came to an end, and Damon’s team had won by a couple of goals. Becky didn’t think there was a way that the other team could have caught up.

Amanda was bouncing in her seat. “They are going to come by in minute. Let’s go to the side. I want to touch any part of Damon. He is just so hot, and if you don’t count the first couple of games this year he’s one of the best players.”

Oh, God
. Becky felt sick. She couldn’t see him or his friends, not after watching that game. Becky knew she had to tell Damon about the baby, but she was scared. It had been almost three months since she’d seen him. She darted her gaze at the exit door and took a couple of steps toward them, only to be grabbed by Amanda and pulled to the side where she could see the players at the gate ready to walk through.

Beck closed her eyes as Amanda screamed Damon’s name. She opened them just as the gate opened. Maybe Damon wouldn’t remember her. She rolled her eyes, she highly doubted that but right now she could dream.

Damon was the second to last player to come through and Becky felt like she was going to be sick. She pulled on her arm to get it out of Amanda’s grasp, but not before her gaze locked onto Damon’s. Becky felt like her heart missed a beat. Damon took his helmet off and Becky stumbled back as his intense gaze locked with hers. Amanda let her go to reach out to him. Becky felt her vision cloud as Damon took his gloves off. Becky frantically backed up but her way was blocked as more people gathered around.

Her whole body started to shake as security came over and tried to move Damon along but he wouldn’t go. He came to the side and tried to climb up. Becky knew she had to go. She turned and her whole world spun.

The last thing she heard was Damon yell, “Get the fuck off me! That’s my wife.”

Amanda, Becky’s friend, kept looking over at him and shaking her head. Sighing, Damon went over to her. “Hi, I’m Dam—”

“I know who you are. I just didn’t know you were the guy who did that.” She pointed at the hospital room. “To her.”

He took a deep breath and curbed his annoyance. “Look, I don’t know what Becky told you about me, but—”

“She didn’t tell me much, just that the baby daddy was a douche and she’d met him at Disney World and made the biggest mistake of her life later in Vegas. I didn’t ask anything more. She was going back to Australia before the baby was born and she couldn’t fly anymore.”

His anger rose and he clenched his fist. “Was she even going to tell me she was fucking pregnant?” He hit the wall and Amanda flinched.

“Yeah, she was, but she was scared. I didn’t know you were the father.” Amanda shrugged. “I probably wouldn’t have believed her.”

Caleb and Jacob came around the corner and saw him. They both had worried expression on their faces. Amanda turned and her eyes widened.

“Is Becky okay? What happened to her? Can I go in and see her? I should have insisted we see her when she called.” Damon cringed at the scared tone in Jacob’s voice. Shit, he should never have fallen for Becky when Jacob was interested in her.