Beyond Promise (3 page)

I bit my lip and looked over at Ayden and
now Mason, who was holding my overnight bag, and looked quite
concerned.

“Everything okay?” Mason asked, setting down
the bag.

“Nothing a few soda crackers won’t fix,”
Tori explained.

I stood up. “Sorry. Feeling totally fine
now. Honestly, I think I just got up too early and had too many
sweets at Gabby’s.”

Mason and Ayden traded glances before Mason
picked the bag back up and walked it down to the guest room without
saying a word.

Tori was already in the kitchen rummaging
through the pantry to find the soda crackers when Ayden and I
walked in.

“I can’t wait to have some stew.” I grabbed
a bowl and Ayden started laughing.

“Are you sure you should have some right
now?”

“Totally.”

Tori turned around from the pantry cupboard
with a box of soda crackers. “These are always nice to have with
stew anyway.”

She carried them to the dining room and said
nothing else on the subject. We all filled our bowls and sat around
the table. I glanced out the window and quietly took in the
shimmering waters beyond the bluff. The house was perched on a
cliff overlooking Forgotten Cove, giving way to a picture-perfect
view of the water. There was a trail that led down to the beach. It
was probably too cold to attempt a canoe trip over the weekend, but
it would be nice to wander down and roam the beach.

I took several bites of the stew and enjoyed
the delicious goodness. It was as if the other little issue never
happened at all and my taste buds were back in order.

“This is the best stew I’ve ever had.”

Tori’s expression softened as she took a
bite. “Thank you. I always remember my mom making it for us in the
winter.”

“It’s delicious,” Ayden agreed.

Mason didn’t say a word. Instead, he stirred
the stew endlessly, bringing none of it to his lips. Considering it
was supposed to be his favorite meal, I had no idea what was
happening between these two until he finally broke his silence.

“I don’t like what’s going on one bit.”
Mason’s gaze steadied on Ayden.

“What’s going on?” Ayden asked, his brow
quirked.

“You know exactly what’s going on. Does
anyone know?” Mason asked.

My heart started racing. What in the world
was he talking about? Had Mason figured out I was pregnant? But why
in the world would that bother him? My chest tightened as I watched
Mason glare at Ayden. It was as if some silent brotherly standoff
was transpiring, and Tori and I were stuck in the middle.

“No one knows,” Ayden replied. “We haven’t
announced it yet.”

“I’m sure mom already knows,” Mason
replied.

I watched Mason and Ayden stare at each
other without saying anything else, and I could no longer take
it.

“I’m sorry, but what is going on between you
two?”

Mason didn’t answer. Rather, he directed his
question to Ayden.

“So how long have you known?”

“We found out a week after the fight was
booked, if that was what you’re getting at,” Ayden replied.

My stomach knotted.

“And you’re still going through with it,”
Mason stated, shaking his head.

“We signed a contract. Besides, it will be
my last fight.”

Tori flashed me an uncomfortable smile.
“Congratulations,” she mouthed.

“Thank you,” I whispered back.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better
about this one?” Mason asked. “This guy is coming in from Russia,
Ayden.”

“Exactly. There is no turning back since the
contracts have been signed. We’d owe a quarter million if we back
out,” Ayden said, his finger tapping the table.

“Don’t act like you can’t afford it. It’s a
small price to pay to ensure…” Mason stopped.

I glanced at Ayden. The panic raced through
my system. I’d never seen Mason this worried over a fight before.
In fact, I’d never seen Mason worried. Ever. He was the more
easy-going brother and his reaction scared me.

“If a person makes a few mistakes where a
quarter million doesn’t seem like a lot, there will be nothing left
in very short order,” Ayden replied coolly. Very rarely did this
side come out of Ayden, and it usually only involved business
dealings when it did.

I understood Ayden’s point, but seeing Mason
this riled up did nothing but frighten me. No amount of money was
worth Ayden getting hurt or worse.

“What do you know about this fighter?” I
asked. I didn’t even know he was from Russia so obviously I had a
lot of catching up to do. I assumed he was an American fighter
because they always had been.

Mason’s jaw twitched, and he shook his head
as he stared at his brother.

“What?” I demanded. “What makes this fight
different?”

“The prize is three-quarters of a million,”
Ayden said, wrapping his hand around mine.

“So it’s the largest pot yet?” I glanced at
Mason and back at Ayden. I knew that wasn’t what made it
different.

“Yes, it’s the largest pot to date with the
potential to bring in even more since we’re the organizers and
promoters,” Ayden said, taking another bite of stew with his free
hand. It was like he thought holding my hand would calm me down,
but it didn’t.

He still wasn’t telling me something and
that alone had me concerned. Money had never been what made Ayden
step into the ring. Fighting started as a way to help his brother
pay off debt and turned into a passion for Ayden. He loved the
training. He loved the winning. He’d always won.

“This isn’t quite how I imagined sharing the
good news with your brother,” I said, eyeing Ayden and all he did
was nod.

The tension in the air was intense, and the
emotions inside of me were boiling over. I didn’t understand why
Ayden was being so evasive. He was never like that. We were always
open and honest about everything. He knew I worried about him
stepping into the ring. I didn’t hide it completely. I might not
have ever told him how I couldn’t sleep the night before, but he
knew it was rough. Why wouldn’t it be? Watching someone you love
step into a ring where his safety was at risk was even more
grueling. But there was something different about this match. I
could sense it. I sensed it even before Mason brought it up today,
and that had me concerned.

“Is this because you don’t really want it to
you be your last fight?” I asked. “I’ve never asked you to stop. It
makes you happy, and we all need to do what makes us happy.”

Ayden shook his head and let go of my hand.
“No. It’s not that. It’s time for me to throw in the towel after
this. I’ve got bigger and better things coming my way.” His smile
melted me on the spot, but Mason’s voice broke through my temporary
moment of swooning.

“I’m not going to let you get in the ring,”
Mason said softly.

“You really don’t have a say in the
matter.”

Tori’s eyes connected with mine, and I knew
she even knew the reason or reasons behind Mason’s worry and that
only angered me more. I’d done well over the months with my fiery
temper. I’d really done a good job of keeping it under control, but
everyone had limits and I was about to reach mine.

I adjusted in my seat so I could get a
better look at Ayden. I wanted to see what was driving him to make
whatever decision it was that even had his brother frightened for
his safety.

Ayden took a sip of water and relaxed into
his seat. He knew he had merely seconds before I was about to blow,
and neither of us wanted that for our weekend away.

One-one-thousand.

Two-one-thousand.

Three-one-thousand.

“The last person the Russian fought wound up
in the hospital,” Ayden said, sensing I was about to lose my
cool.

My pulse rang in my ears and my world began
to spin. Why in the world would he have agreed to fight someone
like that? I didn’t understand. Even before knowing we were
expecting, why would he be willing to do that to himself? What was
he trying to prove?

“And you’d risk that?” I whispered.

“Why don’t you tell her the rest?” Mason
asked, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

“There’s more? What do you mean there’s
more?” My blood pumped wildly through my veins. I knew it wasn’t
good for the baby so I tried to center my breathing. I needed to
calm down. I needed to be told the full story.

Ayden took a deep breath in. He flashed an
unsettled gaze at his brother before bringing his eyes back to
mine.

“The man died from his injuries three days
later.”

Tori and Mason stood up, glancing at both of
us. Probably worried red horns were about to grow out the top of my
head. But I only saved those for special occasions and usually not
for people I cared about.

“We’ll let you have some privacy,” Mason
replied.

I shook my head. “Nah. We’ll go outside. A
walk along the trail will let me digest the news better. It’s not
fair to chase you two out of your own home.”

They nodded and smiled nervously as they
walked to the family room that overlooked the Sound. I sat at the
table in a fog, wondering how and why Ayden didn’t tell me
something that was this important.

Ayden draped his arm over my shoulders and
brought me in close. He brushed a kiss along the top of my head and
whispered an apology, but I wasn’t sure for what in particular.

I let out a sigh and patted his knee. “Let’s
go for a walk.”

He agreed and slowly got up from the chair
as if he was afraid I might pounce on him. My expression must have
been conveying how I felt quite accurately. Ayden’s hand linked
with mine, and we walked out of the house, not saying a word until
we reached the path that led down to Forgotten Cove.

It was a peaceful place to think and talk,
but as we wandered down the trail, words didn’t even come to mind.
I was in shock that Ayden would keep something like this from me,
and it was almost like I didn’t actually care what his excuse was.
The secret of it hurt more than anything.

We walked past the garden where Mason and
Tori were working when I arrived. Most of the flowers had been cut
down to the ground with only a few woody stocks sticking out of the
ground that Mason missed while trimming.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Ayden said
softly.

I nodded and continued trudging down the
rocky trail. His arm snaked around my waist, and the cool breeze
nipped at my cheeks. I imagined a carefree weekend with Ayden, one
where we could regroup before his fight, and before we flew to
Bermuda to get married on the beach. Now, I was dealt a blow that
made every inch of me hurt with worry.

The earlier haze of the skyline had lifted
as I stared over the glistening water. Ayden’s steady breathing
calmed me as the cove welcomed us to a quieter place, away from it
all. The water lapped against the shore as Ayden and I stood
waiting for the other to begin. We were both stubborn, but we
weren’t stupid. We knew anything we said could help or hurt the
situation. I didn’t want to accuse him and he didn’t want to be
accused. So silence hovered thick between us until I couldn’t take
it any longer.

“I’ve never been someone who needed to be
protected from the truth,” I said, looking into Ayden’s blue
eyes.

He pushed his lips together as he thought
about what to say, his expression softening.

“No, you never have,” he agreed. “That’s
what I love about you. You’re strong, independent, beautiful.”

“Keep it coming,” I teased, kicking one of
the beach pebbles away.

Humor was one of the many things I valued
about our relationship. No matter what we faced as a couple, there
was always a way to bring levity to the situation. After all, life
was too short to get tangled in the weeds.

Ayden’s mouth broke into a smile and he
shook his head. “Funny, brilliant…”

“What a catch I am.”

“You have no idea,” Ayden said, resting both
his hands on my hips. “There isn’t anything I can say that will
change the fact I didn’t tell you. And I’m sorry.”

I nodded.

“But, honestly, I’m new at this whole
thing.” His mouth puckered, and he blew out a gust of air.

“What whole thing?”

His gaze fell to my stomach.

“You don’t have to treat me differently
because I’m pregnant.” I almost laughed, but I saw the tender look
in his eyes, and my heart actually broke slightly.

“I love you so much, Lily. The thought of
anything happening to you or…” He shook his head and combed his
hand through his hair. “I read that stress is really hard on
pregnancies. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize you or the
baby. I wish I hadn’t signed up for this fight.”

I let his words sink in. It was true. It
wasn’t only about me any longer. There were two of us along for
this ride, but my personality wasn’t one to sit back and watch life
go by.