Challenge: A Contemporary MMA Romance: Oni Fighters Book 3 (28 page)

“How do you know she’s not like all the rest?”

“I know because she won’t let you chase her off. A week or two tops and they’re gone. You’ve been with her for months. Either she’s one tough customer or you’ve not been trying real hard to chase her off.” It was probably a bit of both. “That’s how I know. I’ve been watching you flit from girl to girl for years.”

Had it been so obvious? Was it that clear?

Fuck, it must have been. Rachel wasn’t the only one who had said it.

Was I in love with Sophia?

Was that the truth? What was the truth?

Was this why my guts were churning more than ever lately?

I’d put it down to the accident.

I had some soul searching to do—my least favourite thing.

For a few moments, I chewed all that over.

“When’s my niece due? I want to work out when I can start teaching her how to dance. It’s my duty with two fighters for parents.”

Good fucking question. When was my kid due?

“Um, I don’t exactly know. I just know she’s about twelve weeks. And how do you know it’s a girl?”

“Well, dad-to-be, you’d better get on that. I want to know so I’m home. And fix things with
my
Sophia. I don’t want things to be weird between us. This is what concerned the hell out of me when you guys started hanging out. I didn’t want to lose a friend because you couldn’t keep your dick out of her.”

“What? You knew about us hanging out? You’re never here.”

She had the cheek to tap her nose and smirk at me. “I’ve watched your conquests over the years. I reckon I have a better idea where you’re going to go before you do.” She was too much. “Besides, I have my sources. Hard to keep a secret in this town.”

“Apparently.” I wondered now why we’d bothered and I answered my own question. Because I didn’t do relationships and I didn’t want anyone to think I did.

“Oh, get over yourself. You two are great together. You’ve got heaps in common.” We did actually have lots in common, plus, Sophia never normally annoyed me. I could hang with her and she didn’t get on my nerves. “…and, well, now you’re having a baby together. It doesn’t get more together than that.”

It didn’t, did it?

Fuck, we’d made a little life together.

I mentally groaned.

A few things in my future were going to suck.

* * *

E
ventually
, you can only toss and turn for so long, before daylight rolls around.

It was finally late enough. I picked up my phone and made a call I never expected to make. I knew he’d be up early. It was the way he was.

“Hello.”

“Anthony?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s Seth.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Seth, good to hear from you, Son. This is sure a nice surprise.” He sounded sincere and I wondered just how screwed up my perspective on all the events was. Could I be wrong? Was what Rachel saying correct? If so, why hadn’t anyone said anything?

“I need to talk to you.”

“Sure. Love to catch up. Your mother would love to see you too.”

Yeah, not so convinced about that!

“No can do, mate. I need to have a man to man about something. I’m not ready to see her again just yet. The last time wasn’t so great.” At least if he was a total dick I could flatten him. You couldn’t hit a woman, even if she was a psychotic bitch, I reassured myself.

“Okay. I understand.” Surprisingly, he actually did sound genuine, which threw me off even more. “I’m swamped today and tomorrow is crazy from mid-morning. How about we catch up for breakfast?”

I didn’t hesitate. If there was something I needed to know, I wanted to know sooner rather than later. There was no way I was living through more days like I’d had. “Sounds good. What time and where?”

We sorted out the details and ended the call.

Move over Dorothy, there really was a rabbit hole and I was about to dive headfirst down it.

“
Y
ou ready to go
?” Eden walked into the kitchen as I was pushing down some oatmeal and juice. So far, my stomach was co-operating, although, I was far from trusting it.

“Yeah, just give me a sec.” I finished the last mouthful before rinsing my bowl and glass and putting them both in the dishwasher.

My mum walked in. “Oh, you’re here already, Eden.”

“Yeah, Mum. Parking can be horrific at the hospital at this time of day.” We both knew that from recent experience with Seth.

She looked pensive. “I should come with you.” No, I loved my mum but I couldn’t have her in on this. Eden and I had started this road together and that’s how it would continue until Seth decided what role, if any, he wanted.

“Thanks, Mum but we’ve got this. Besides, I think Seth will be meeting us there.” Hopefully, that would keep her at bay.

“Oh, okay.” She hated hospitals anyway. We all did. Sometimes, they were just a necessary evil.

Somehow, we managed to extract ourselves out of the house and into Eden’s SUV. It was only when we were well underway that I let out a long sigh and allowed myself to relax a little.

“She’s just worried.”

“I know and I feel like a bitch for not including her, but there’s only so much I can cope with at the moment.”

“I know. Have you heard anymore from Seth?”

When Eden and I had spoken yesterday afternoon, I hadn’t heard squat from him.

“He called me late last night and we talked for a while.”

“Oh, and…?” She seemed surprised. I wasn’t really surprised, more hopeful. I just knew Seth had it in him to come around. Thing was, it had to be his decision. He had to decide he wanted us.

“Apparently, Rachel turned up night before last and read him the riot act.”

Eden’s eyes bugged out. “Really! She’s such a cute little thing. I’ve always thought she looked like one of those adorable sugar plum fairies.”

“Don’t let looks deceive you, she’s as cut throat and tough as they come. What she endures dancing would make grown men cry.”

“Well, if you say so. I guess I don’t know her like you do.”

“Anyway, she also dropped on him a whole heap of stuff about his past.” I gave Eden a little more detail about Seth’s childhood and I could see how it affected her.

“That poor little boy!”

“I know right! But he has to get past that, Eden. Yeah, it can’t have been great but we all have crap in our pasts.”

“That is pretty horrific, you must admit.” Eden was a sympathetic soul.

“Yeah, and we didn’t survive a damned fire?”

“We did. We were also almost adults though. I think the timing matters. Stuff like that happening in early childhood can really shape a kid’s thinking because they have no other experience to compare it to.”

I hadn’t thought of it like that.

“I guess.”

“So, what’s the next step? Is he coming this morning?”

“I don’t exactly know. He said he’d think about it. He’s going to see his step-father and that is huge. I thought there was no way he’d ever speak to him again from what I could ascertain.”

“Shit, whatever Rachel said to him must have been big.”

I nodded my head in agreement. “I know. He was cagey though, so I’m guessing he’s skeptical until he’s satisfied he has the truth.”

“That’s understandable. I don’t think there could be a much worse feeling than suddenly realizing a cornerstone of your beliefs is, in fact, incorrect.” There was Eden again.

“Oh, come on. Don’t cut him too much slack. He’s a grown man. At some stage, he needs to make adult decisions.”

She nodded. “True. But it’s a proven fact men are much slower to mature than women.”

“I’m not going to argue with you there,” I said sarcastically.

Eden was silent for a while.

“You’re a good person, Sophia. You don’t give up easily, particularly with people.”

“What choice do I have? It’s not like I’m about to go and hook up with someone else when the guy I actually want is still in the picture. He’s the father of my child and I guess I’ve had glimpses of just how good it could be between us if he was prepared to let go and give it a chance. I’m sure he wants to, but fear holds him back.” I was trying to be mature and understanding of his fears. I had mine as well, they were just different and not about commitment.

The traffic Gods were unusually kind to us and we managed to get through the congested freeways without delays due to accidents. Parking that was another matter. We’d been driving around for fifteen minutes, when finally, I said, “Carpark Fairies, we need a carpark.”

Bugger me, Eden rounded the end of the turning lane and there was a carpark.

“That little trick works every time,” Eden said with a giggle and a head shake at the incredulity of it.

“Never fails. I should have remembered it earlier.”

A few minutes later, we were back in Dr. Collins’ waiting room. His offices were attached to the hospital. I’d had the blood test yesterday as he’d instructed at my local collection rooms.

“Are you feeling excited yet?” Eden whispered to me from her seat beside me.

There were a few other women in the waiting room, all in various stages of pregnancy and all with male partners. I was the only one here sans bump and with my sister. It felt a little weird.

In fact, we got quite a few looks. A couple of the men were openly giving us the once over. My skin-tight jeans and fitted top allowed every curve to be seen.

I guess people expected women here to have an obvious baby bump. People regularly looked at Eden differently because of her scars. She’d also become quite well known because of Xander. Eden stood out and people recognized her from the TV or social media. They may not follow or know her but the scars were enough to trigger their memories. Neither of us had “bumps” which I guess created more silent speculation. It was just human nature.

“Miss Sommers.” The receptionist caught my attention and gestured for me to approach the counter.

“Hi, I need you to give me a routine urine sample.” She passed me the little container. “Bathroom is out the door and then the first door on your right. Just pass me back the specimen when you’re done.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled and discretely showed Eden what was in my hand. She nodded her understanding.

A couple of minutes later, I sat down beside her, mission complete. At least now, the other occupants of the waiting room knew who the patient was. It was almost comical to watch their covert curiosity satisfied.

“What time was your appointment again?” Eden asked.

“Ten fifteen.” She checked her watch.

“We could have got a coffee.”

“I don’t drink coffee anymore, apparently.”

She grinned. “It’s so funny—ironic really. I finally start drinking it after years and you give it up.”

Yeah, that was pretty funny.

“Don’t worry, your turn in this chair will come and then you can give it all up, again.”

“We’re not going to try for kids until Xander gives up fighting.”

“He’s never going to give up fighting.” I hated to burst her bubble.

“Not martial arts. Pro-fighting is what I meant.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Well, it does to him and me. That’s all that matters.”

“Yep, it does.”

I kept casting little glances at the door wondering if Seth was about to walk through. I had faith in him even if he didn’t have faith in himself.

Just yet.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent any time with Anthony by myself. It really had been years. Sure, I’d seen him a time or two on the odd occasions I’d been in contact with the family. Sometimes, there just was no way to avoid shit, as much as you wanted to.

The café he’d chosen was a little off the main drag and really quiet. There was only one person in the place and that was my step-father.

Anthony stood when I entered the café, probably a good thing, too. He’d aged a lot and he looked like the world had given him a beating. This made total sense to me. For some reason, the silly prick was married to my mother. That was enough to beat the life out of anyone.

He held out his hand and had a warm smile on his face. Both acts were unexpected.

“Seth, Son, you’re looking well.”

I shook his hand and shrugged at his comment about my appearance. Looking well. That was relative, I figured.

“Anthony.” I’d never called him Dad. We’d not been close and, truth be told, I never really did understand why.

We took a seat opposite each other in the booth. Anthony was not at all the man I would have expected my mother to marry. Regardless of my feelings towards her, there was no denying she was stunning. Even in her early fifties, the woman could turn heads anywhere.

Anthony, he was another story. He was shorter than my mum by a good two or three inches and had moved into the keg-on-legs category. For the first time ever, I realized his eyes were blue and they looked as if a hint of humour lurked there for the right occasion.

He shook his head and a little smile tweaked the corner of his mouth. “Gosh, you look like your uncle, Phillip.” Uncle Phillip was mum’s younger brother. He was my height, or rather, I was his height and, yeah, I did look a lot like him. Only difference was I was bulkier. I hadn’t seen him in years either. I was going on memory alone and a couple of images I’d caught of him on Facebook.

“It’s not the first time I’ve heard that.” I knew I didn’t take after my father at all. He’d had dark eyes and brown hair. The memory of standing there staring at those brown eyes in death will haunt me forever.

The waitress made her way over and we both ordered coffees and breakfast. There were a few long moments of awkward silence before Anthony spoke.

“How are you recovering after the accident? You look like you’re moving okay.”

I nodded. “Yeah, getting stronger and more mobile everyday. It’ll be a while before I’m back to what I would classify as total fitness, but I’m making solid progress.”

“I’d expect nothing less from you.” A look crossed his face that I would have sworn was pride. That couldn’t be right? We’d never gotten along. Why would he feel that way?

“It’s habit, more than anything, after all these years of training. It feels weird not to be super fit.”

He patted his rounded belly. “I guess I could use a little training as well.”

“It’s never too late to start. It’s about striving for progress, not perfection,” I said politely. He’d gone to seed and we both knew it. Only he could attempt to reverse the effects of good living.

Anthony chuckled and cleared his throat. “So, Rachel told me she went and visited you the other night. You two had quite an interesting conversation from what I’m led to believe.”

I’d expected no less and I was actually pleased. It would save me the effort. One thing I knew for sure was that Rachel would have relayed what had transpired between us to her father in exact detail. They were very close.

“We did.” I kept my answer short and to the point. I was still very uncertain where I stood with Anthony as the man I knew, to the Anthony in front of me. My memories and the man in front of me were not meshing. It was like two different people.

The waitress returned with our order and the first sip of black coffee was definitely welcome.

“So, Rachel tells me you’ve been seeing Sophia Sommers. Irena mentioned it also. Although Rachel’s thoughts on the matter were definitely more positive than your mother’s.”

“Yeah, Soph was in the hospital when Mum decided to grace me with her presence.” I saw the irritation at my tone, when talking about my mother, flare in his eyes for a split second before it passed.

“She essentially called Sophia a floosy and a few other unpleasant things. I guess she’s less than impressed now that she knows Soph’s pregnant.”

Anthony covered a laugh with a cough. Yeah, I could just imagine how Mum had handled that little piece of information when either Rachel or Anthony spilled the beans to her.

“That probably sums it up effectively.” He said diplomatically

“I don’t even understand why she cares who I sleep with or who I have a relationship with for that matter. Makes not one bit of sense to me.”

He nodded slowly as if assessing me, except he was looking but not seeing. It was almost as if he’d momentarily drifted off.

I took the break in conversation to take a few mouthfuls of the omelet. It was excellent, much to my surprise.

I watched Anthony do similar, then put his knife and fork down.

“Look, Seth, we can sit here and dance around it or I can just tell you what you need to know. Rachel told me why you’re struggling to commit to Sophia, well, at least in her opinion. With a baby on the way and a woman counting on you, you deserve to know the truth on a couple of different fronts and it’s probably going to be a big shock.”

I sat back and pushed my half-eaten breakfast aside. My appetite had suddenly disappeared.

A baby on the way and a woman counting on me
.

“There’s no easy way to tell you any of this and I’m not even sure at which point to start. The full truth has only recently become apparent to me as well. I’ve been wanting to have this conversation with you for a while now, but your mother made me promise not to unless you sought us out.”

My mother. Why did I know this was all going to come back to her? What the hell had she done? How did the witch have so much control over people?

I braced myself, and had no idea where this was going to go. “Spit it out, Anthony.”

He nodded. “Let me start from what you know then work a little to and fro.” I watched him take a mouthful of coffee as if to both lubricate his throat and give him the steel he’d need to get through whatever he had to tell me. It was blatantly obvious to me he’d prefer the coffee was actually Scotch but that wasn’t typically served in a suburban café at seven a.m.

“I know you were there the day your father died. I know you found him and I also know that you overheard your mother and your father arguing beforehand.”

Yep, nothing new there. I’d been living with those nightmares for well over twenty years and still they were crystal clear and showing no signs of fading any time soon.
Wasn’t I lucky?