The Ultimate Fight (20 page)

Unfortunately for her, his excuses would continue and magnify before he
r very own eyes. An entire month had passed with her not being able to see the man she thought loved her and she him. Being worried about the sudden drop off the face of the earth, Rita found herself extremely ill. Thinking it was just her emotions getting the best of her, she ignored all the signs that something was going astray.

Several months passed with her trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel to pull herself together to push through school. One day while working in the diner she had been battling with some serious cramps to the point that she was limping around the diner. However that wasn’t her breaking point, that belonged to the man she had fully given herself to. Devlin strode into the restaurant as if nothing ever happened and he hadn’t gone missing seven months ago without a mumbling word.

“Hey sweets, miss me?” Devlin grinned down at a distraught Rita.

“Miss you? MISS YOU!” She growled.

“You are making a scene. I know I’ve been missing for a bit but some things came up. Why don’t you stop by the Motel 6 tonight and we can discuss this in private?”

“Are you mad? I wouldn’t go anywhere…” She started to light him up but instead she fell to the floor in excruciating pain. The patrons of the diner looked to see what the confusion was, seeing her bawled up on the floor.

“Rita, what’s the matter?” He asked in a panic.

“Get me to a hospital. Something doesn’t feel right.” She demanded and he obliged.
Rita didn’t catch on to the fact that he knew the city awfully well to live in another state but let it go. Arriving at the emergency room, the nurses rushed her to the back area telling the male accompanying her to have a seat and they would be with him shortly. The news Rita got after being examined, would have killed a weaker person.

“What the hell do you mean I’m in full blown labor?” She yelled. “I’m not pregnant!”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to break the news to you in this manner but you are not only pregnant, you will be delivering in about ten minutes.” The doctor placated losing patience with this irate woman who swears she can’t be pregnant.

“Would you like for us to direct the father to the maternity ward to be with you ma’am?” The nurse that wheeled her back asked.

“Maternity ward? Father? Shit, Devlin!” She screamed as another wave of pain rushed through.

“Call him, let’s go!” The doctor wailed. After she was settled in the delivery room, several curse words and
some hex like chants were directed towards a shocked Devlin. He was pale as a ghost watching this young woman he had been creeping with push something the size of a bowling ball out of her vagina.

“Devlin, I fucking HATE YOU!”

“Why me?”

“You did this… And abandoned me for months… then you pop back up… as if it’s nothing.”

“It can’t be mine?” Everything seemed to come to a screeching halt at his offensive words towards a woman who is in labor. Even the labor seemed to have ceased for a minute to process what just flew from his mouth.

“You son of a bitchhhh!!!”

“Okay Rita, I need you to concentrate.” The doctor tried changing the direction of this altercation. Several deep breaths and pushes later, a bouncing baby boy was wailing at the top of his lungs. Rita cried with both disbelief and joy at her beautiful baby that she didn’t even know she was carrying until now.

“Would you like to cut the cord?” The doctor asked Devlin. He was shaking his head declining any part of this.

“I can’t be this baby’s father Rita.”

“Well you are. I wasn’t with anyone else.”

“We can do a blood test right now as everyone is here at the moment.” The nurse interrupted.

“Yes.”
Rita quickly agreed wanting to prove herself for some reason.

“No that won’t be necessary.” Devlin spoke up. “You don’t understand I’m married with a family. I can’t do this to them. What I’m saying is I can’t and I won’t be this child’s father. I’m sorry…”

“Married? Family?” Rita asked unsure if she heard him correctly. “Is this some sick joke to you?”

“I’m afraid not. Look
Rita, you’re in college, you don’t have any means to look after a baby. Why don’t you just put it up for adoption? No one would be the wiser.”

“
Why you bitch-made punk, have you lost your rabbit ass mind? There is no way in hell I’m giving my child up for adoption. Furthermore I will know and so will you. Now if you choose to ignore this very real fact then that’s on you and your conscience.”

“You didn’t even know you were pregnant until now. What woman could go through an entire pregnancy and not realize it? A dumb naïve little girl, maybe.”

“Get out!”

“I won’t help you.”

“GET OUT!”

“I think
its best you leave sir.” The nurses were glaring daggers into Devlin as if they could rip him to shreds at this very moment. The doctor wasn’t far off. Feeling the wrath from everyone in that room he left and never looked back. In that moment, Rita vowed to never fall for the same mistake again and to only love the one she held in her arms forever more.

Damon remembered the story as if it were freshly told by his beloved mother. The last time he was in Little Rock, he went to the cemetery to visit her gravesite. If it weren’t for Mya and her parents, Damon would be totally alone. When his mother became ill while he was away at college, he barely made it back in time before she was gone forever. Throwing himself into a fit of fire hot rage, anger, and something akin to pure depression he almost lost his mind.

His mother had been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer that spread too rapid for any treatments to attempt to slow
its progression. Mya never left his side, taking as much time as needed to be there for him every waking moment. She made sure he ate, slept, and even bathed. His parents made sure all the business side of Rita’s passing was taken care of. Mya and her mother planned the funeral to the last detail. Her father had been a sort of father figure since he became friends with Mya back in middle school.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Thinking about my mom and Mya.” Damon said to his intimate friend whom he had been seeing for the past year without anyone knowing.

“Mmm Mya huh?” They mockingly rolled their eyes at the mention of the infamous
Mya
. “So when do
I
get to meet this
Mya?
”

“Soon.” Damon was back to being evasive. Every time someone asked to meet Mya he would avoid the conversation all together.

“You are so elusive when it comes to meeting with your
best friend
. Are you sure there aren’t any secret feelings for her that you are afraid to venture into?”

“I’m 100% positive there’s no feelings rather from me to her or her to me. She is hung up on Barron. I told you that.”

“And who are you hung up on?”

“Myself.”

“Pretentious much?”

“You like it.”

“Actually…”

“Oh so now you don’t like me?” Barron stared trying to predict the answer and was almost fearful.

“No… I love you.”

“When did you come to this conclusion?”

“You know what forget I said anything.”

“Why?”

“You are such a cynical ass. The only person you ever show any love towards is the infamous
Mya
. And don’t give me that look. Yes I am a little envious of her and the love you two share. You openly express everything with her and I’m just an afterthought. Do you feel anything for me? You know what don’t answer that. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to take the answer.”

“Come here.”

“Oh I forgot, I’m where you get your rocks off at.”

“Can I speak now or do you prefer to continue with this rant? By the way that makes no damn sense might I add.”

“Shut up! Go ahead.”

“If you would have let me finish, I was going to tell you I love you too but you
r rant got me to thinking.”

“Think
ing… Wait you love me?”

“Let’s get this straight first off. Yeah we have been seeing each other for a year but you will not dictate even a centimeter about my relationship with Mya. Do you understand? I will not stand
for the snide comments or emphasis on her name anymore. None of it. I will introduce you to her in my own time, when I’m ready. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

“If we are going to take this further and you love me seriously. Then you got to trust me. If you don’t we may as well end this shit right now with a
fuck you and have a nice day
. I haven’t been with anyone but you for the past year no matter how much new booty is thrown in my face on a regular. I trust that the same goes for you.”

“Of course. You are all I want to be with. I was just tired of feeling like a dirty little secret.”

“You are just as much to blame as I am in that department. Preferring not to scrutinized or put under a small microscope. Those were your words correct?”

“Fine, fine… Damon I love you.”

“I love you too now show me.”

“With pleasure.”

~

“Baby girl, how you feeling?” Damon asked Mya over Skype.

“I’m good, how are you doing?”

“I’m straight.”

“Uh-oh, what’s going on? And don’t tell me nothing because I know it’s something.”

“I wasn’t going to say nothing, smart ass.”

“I’ll own that. Now dish…”

“I met someone.”

“AHHH!!!!”

“Damn girl… sensitive speakers here chick.”

“Sorry… tell me the details.”

“We met a year ago in Colorado when I had the fight in Aspen.”

“Pause, a year ago? So that’s how we do it now?”

“My-my, if you don’t shut the hell up and let me finish.”

“Fine but I will have my say, nicca!”

“Noted.” He sarcastically drawled. “As I was saying it was like those cheesy love stories. Eyes met, signals exchanges, drinks bought, got drunk, and woke up the next morning wanting nothing more but to continue said tryst. Been meeting since then while I’m on the road when time permits. Declaration
s of love have been exchanged and that my dear Mya is what I like to call, end of details.”

“Wow, as vague at that was I not only understood it but I felt it.” Mya said dreamingly. “Wait just a minute you smooth buster… back this choo-choo up, did you just say declaration
s of love was exchanged? Since when did the enigmatic Damon fall in love?”

“Hell beats the hell out of me, you already know how I roll. Fuck and duck…”

“Yes I do know you. Ooh-wee my baby is in love.”

“You are one to talk.”

“I know, I know don’t remind me. So when do I get to meet the one who has captured the love dodger himself?”

“Soon.”

“Okay soon, don’t make me steal your phone and introduce myself. You know how I do.”

“Yeah unfortunately I do with you doing just that on
ce before. But enough about me, where are you right now?”

“At the gym with Barron. He just got done sparring. No wonder they call those hands deadly weapons. That shit looks painful.”

“How did he react when you returned from the Bahamas?”

“He seems cool but you know how that could be.”

“Yeah I know. So…” Damon stalled for a minute. “Have you confided in him our little secret?”

“NO!”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s on a need to know basis. If he don’t ask, I sure as hell ain’t telling.”

“That’s wrong Mya.” Damon chuckled.

“Not really. I kind of like the jealous fits he goes on.”

“Why is that?”

“You sure you want the answer?” Damon nodded. “Let’s just say, I have a different walk when he is done.”

“Yup… Too much damn information… I think I’m going to be sick.” Mya couldn’t help but bust a gut laughing at Damon’s response.

“No but seriously, we have always had an agreement Damon.”

“I know baby, I just don’t want to be the cause of any issues between you two. It would eat me up inside if our secret was the cause of you not having your man.”

“And I never want you to feel that anything is your fault. I told him before, you have been there for me for way longer than he has.”

“We go back like fo’ flats.” Damon and Mya laughed hard to that old saying.

“Love you sugar bear.”

“Love you too boo.”

~

Davey tipped around the corner trying to get a better view of who this broad was video chatting and what they were talking about. When Damon’s mug was plastered over the screen, the wheels started to turn. ‘How could he use this predicament to their advantage?’ Unfortunately eavesdropping didn’t catch the entire conversation, just the ending talking about some secret they were keeping from Barron. Davey was sure he would be very intrigued to know that ole girl was keeping secrets and from the sounds of it they were scandalous.