The Roles We Play Page 10

  Pops laughed out loud. “If you want companionship without complications, get a damn dog. Not a wife and child.”

  Mark groaned. Pops was right. How did he fix this? He saw Kelly’s phone lying on the floor. Miracle of miracles, it wasn’t broken into a million pieces. “I guess I have a phone call to make, huh?”

  “If you don’t, I will.” Pops stood up and held out his hand to Mark. “Do the right thing, son. Kelly will forgive you when she realizes it’s for her own good and the good of that baby.” He slowly made his way out of the den.

  Mark stared at Kelly’s phone for a long time. He prayed Pops was right about Kelly’s forgiveness because if he made this call, she was going to be one angry, hormonal ball of rage. Recalling the last number on the phone he took a deep breath. Trevor answered on the first ring.

  “Kelly? Oh God, baby, please don’t be angry. Look, I’m getting on a plane. I have to see you.”

  “Trevor, it’s Mark. Look, man, you and I need to talk.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kelly slept restlessly that night and it had nothing to do with her protruding belly getting in the way, though that didn’t help. She tried sleeping on her right side, her back, and finally settled on the left side with four pillows strategically positioned. When she was finally comfortable, she looked over to see Mark staring at her.

  “Did I wake you? I’m sorry.” She reached out and took his hand. He brought it to his mouth.

  “It’s okay, babe. I didn’t figure either of us would sleep tonight.” He put his other arm over his eyes.

  Kelly had noticed his restlessness in the last couple weeks. Each morning, he woke with the sun and went for an hour-long run through the hills. He would come back and take a shower before he had to leave for work. The airport had rearranged his schedule so he only had to work nights a couple times a week. Kelly reluctantly admitted she enjoyed those nights. Having Mark in her bed was both wrong and right at the same time.

  They hadn’t intentionally started going to sleep together, but after many nights crying herself to sleep, she’d asked Mark to hold her until she could rest. It was a matter of habit now. He still had his apartment and he hadn’t technically moved in, but after six months, who cared about technicalities? In some states, they would be considered married under common law.

  The one thing their relationship lacked was anything sexual. Mark had never instigated and neither had she. If she had to guess, that was the reason he wasn’t sleeping. Her playboy had gone without sex for six months and was getting antsy.

  “Mark?”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “Do you, uh, would you feel better if you had sex?”

  He turned his head and gaped at her like she had three heads. “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind.” She huffed and wished she’d never said anything. “It was a dumb suggestion.”

  “Kelly, I won’t lie. After six months, I could use a good round between the sheets. Wait, you’re not going to purchase me a prostitute are you? ‘Cause I know you’re not suggesting I sleep with you.”

  “Well, I guess I am. I know you’re not used to going this long.”

  “If that’s your version of seduction, I’m shocked as shit that you’re pregnant.” They both began to laugh and Kelly became tickled. The whole idea was ludicrous. Mark rolled closer to her and cuddled her. “Do you really mean with you? Can you even do that?”

  “I’m pregnant, Mark. Not broken. We can…do other things…if you want. I mean, not that I’m really the best candidate to sleep with. But hell, I’m here.”

  “Oh, baby, you really know how to talk to a man,” he deadpanned and nuzzled her neck as she giggled. “Be still my beating heart.” He blew a raspberry against her skin.

  “Oh my God. Stop being a dork. I’m just trying to help.”

  “Ah! I feel a stirring in my loins,” he hollered with a Scottish accent and tickled the spot under her ribcage that always made her giggle. She laughed harder until she had tears in the corner of her eyes.

  “Watch it or I’ll knee you in the loins.”

  His hands clapped over his crotch. “Please don’t, lass, I happen to be very attached to my loins.” They lay together until their laughter faded. Mark gazed down at her and pushed a strand of hair from her face. “I love to see you smile. You haven’t done that much lately.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been hell to live with and you’ve been so amazing.”

  “It’s nothing. I mean, your gassy-ness is gross, but—hey.” Kelly punched his arm and he chuckled. “You need to remember something. Everything I do is for you and this baby.”

  Kelly leaned up on her elbow and smiled down at him. “I’ll never forget what a great friend you’ve been. I really will give you a kidney.”

  “I’ll need a liver first. You’ve driven me to drinking, woman.” He chuckled and rubbed his chest. “Maybe I can have both. It’ll be a matching set.”

  Her brows furrowed as she looked into his eyes. “Mark, I’ve never blamed you for anything that happened between Craig and me. You’re nothing like him. I know that with every fiber of my being. Sometimes I have to wonder if you do, though.”

  The breath left his lungs and he blinked up at the ceiling. “Damn it, Kelly, now who’s been watching too much Dr. Phil?”

  She laughed and lay back down. “It’s called mood swings. Give me five minutes and it will go away. I’ll be back to my bitchy self.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning Mark rose with the sun and left Kelly sleeping in the bed. The morning routine they had created worked in his favor today. Cell phone in hand, he took off to go on a morning run. While he was out, he called Trevor’s personal number. Trevor was at a hotel by the major airport under the name Bauers. He’d rented a car so he could come to the estate. Both men knew Kelly was going to shit bricks when Trevor showed up on their front steps. He’d be pissed that Mark hadn’t mentioned the whole pregnancy thing.

  Sometimes the less people knew, the better…at least for now. The moment Trevor laid eyes on Kelly, he would get the picture.

  Kelly was getting out of the shower when Mark came back. “Morning, babe!” He kissed her forehead and cupped her cheek. “How are you feeling today?”

  “I’m okay. Feeling a bit awkward after last night.” She stepped away from him, comfortable even though only a towel was draped across her chest. “Did I cross a line? I don’t want things to be weird because I made this arrangement something you don’t want it to be. Mark, you can go out and do your thing. It’s not like we’re married—”

  “Kelly.” He shut her up with a chaste kiss. “I’m cool. We’re cool.” Not that it’s going to matter in the next couple hours anyway. “Look, why don’t we have breakfast with Pops out on the patio? You can bring your camera, take some of those flowery, estrogen-filled pictures you like.”

  She nodded and her expression warmed again. “I thought I should take some pictures of myself, you know, with the baby bump.” She lovingly ran a hand over her belly.

  Mark reached out and followed her hand. Even if it wasn’t his child that grew in there, the little guy or girl was special to him. “I think that would be great.”

  “I’ll go fix breakfast.” Her smile was genuine and that was the prettiest thing he’d seen lately.

  A few minutes later, he sat on the patio with Pops while Kelly dished out food. The way she carried on about a recent photo shoot was clearly her way of avoiding the subject of last night. Pops listened, but kept eying Mark and his watch all through breakfast. He hoped Kelly didn’t notice how tense they both were.

  When Trevor still didn’t show up, Mark suggested Kelly go into the sitting room and read while her food digested. Heartburn was a real problem at this stage and she needed to take it easy after such a large meal. It would also put her closest to the front door.

  He volunteered to clean up the breakfast dishes. Mark had his hands in the soapy water when he heard the doorbell. It took monumental contro
l to stay in the kitchen. But when he heard a feminine scream and the front door slam, he took off running.

  Kelly stood in the entry, her hands over her mouth, staring at the closed door.

  “What is it?” Mark asked, taking her shoulders in his hands.

  “Kelly,” called Trevor from outside. “Open the door, baby. You can let me in or I’ll bust in.”

  “What in the devil is going on down here?” Pops made his way down the stairs.

  Kelly shook her head wildly and backed away from Mark. “No. He can’t be here. He’s going to be so mad at me.”

  “Kelly.” Mark sighed. “It’s time.” He opened the door and Trevor rushed in. Without so much as a hello to anyone else, he took Kelly in his arms and kissed her.

  Mark watched as his best friend slowly returned the kiss, slowly raised her hands to his collar, and eventually pulled him closer.

  He turned away. The heartbreak of the moment was unexpected.

  “Now that’s how you spark a fire,” Pops muttered from beside him, his white eyebrows high on his head.

  Mark couldn’t compete with that. On some level he didn’t understand, it shattered him. In the recesses of his brain, he’d actually begun to get comfortable in Trevor’s shoes. Now that bubble was burst. Even knowing Kelly wasn’t meant to be his, he’d grown closer, more invested. That was a foolish mistake on his part. The truth of it punched him in the gut.

  * * * *

  Trevor kissed Kelly with all the passion and zeal he’d built up over the last few months of not seeing her. He didn’t think or pay attention to who might have been in the house to see them. His quick movement caught her off guard, just like he wanted. Damn, how he’d missed her. Not communicating had been agony. Hearing her anger on the phone last night had torn his heart out of his chest. Nothing could have kept him away, even before Mark told him to come.

  He slipped his arm around her lower back and pulled her closer. She resisted at first, but eventually leaned into him. That was when he noticed something was different. Her stomach pushed against his a lot.

  Kelly broke their kiss when he tried to reach down and touch the bulge he hadn’t noticed in his rush to kiss her. “Stop.” She backed away. The way she stared with such painful longing was killing him.

  His eyes followed the movement of her hands. Kelly covered her belly protectively. He saw what he’d missed in his moment of crazed kissing.

  “You’re—” He looked at Mark, Pops, and back to Mark. “Yours?” He took a step towards the other man, hell bent on pulverizing his head if the answer was yes.

  Puffing out his chest, Mark looked him dead in the eyes. “Nope. Yours.”

  His. Kelly was pregnant with his child. Trevor ran his hands over his head. Could this be possible? They’d been together numerous times, but she’d said a pregnancy couldn’t happen. He’d been foolish enough to believe her. “You lied?”

  Kelly threw her hands up in the air and glared at Mark. “See? This is why I didn’t want to tell him yet.” Then she turned her angry gaze to him. “Of course that’s your first thought. No, I didn’t lie.” Kelly seemed to gather herself. “I didn’t think it was possible. I was wrong. Obviously.” She pointed both hands at her belly and crossed her arms over it protectively. “Trust me, the next time they suggest follow up consultations, I won’t ignore it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? My God, Kelly. We’ve talked since this happened. You never said a damned word. How could you keep this from me?” Trevor thought he might faint. Talk about a kick to the balls. He was going to be a father. He reached out and braced himself against the wall, bent at the waist. “Oh, shit. Is the room spinning for anyone else? Seriously, I think I might be sick.”

  “Welcome to my world,” Kelly scoffed.

  “Come on, son.” Pops slapped him on the shoulder and guided him into the sitting room. A surge of jealousy spiked through him when Kelly sat next to Mark on the opposite side of the room. That was his woman, the mother of his unborn child, and she couldn’t even sit by him.

  He repeated his previous question to Mark this time. “I think a head’s up would have been nice.”

  “I didn’t want you to freak out and bail.” Mark flinched when Kelly turned her glare in his direction.

  “I meant months ago, damn it,” Trevor growled at Mark.

  She gasped and popped to her feet. “You talked to him?”

  “This is for the best, Kelly.” He instinctively put his hands over his crotch.

  She looked at Pops, whose lips thinned into a scowl. “You too?”

  Her grandfather tugged Mark off the couch. “Let’s leave them to it. ‘Cause she will shoot the messenger.”

  “No, Mark. I thought we talked about this. We agreed that I would decide when to tell him.”

  “It’s past time. You know that.” Mark held her by the shoulders and touched her cheek. Their easy affection burned in Trevor’s gut. “We got too comfortable, Kelly. You and me playing house isn’t going to work anymore. I’m tired of being his stunt double. You need the real father of this child, not me.”

  “I’m sorry, you what?” Trevor stepped up to Mark. Images of barefoot and pregnant Kelly kissing Mark as he came home from work sent his temper through the roof. Every muscle in his body tensed. “What the hell does that mean? Playing house?”

  Mark rolled his eyes. “Back off man, I’m just taking care of my friend.”

  “Yeah, he was here. Unlike you,” Kelly said.

  “So that’s how it is? You thought you would step right on up and take my place?” Trevor might not have been around the last few months, but Kelly was his and that baby in her belly damn sure was. Mark had no right to keep him from it.

  “It’s not like that.” Mark met his challenge and nudged Kelly behind him. “Kelly needed someone.”

  “And here comes her hero. Ready to save the day once again. Is that why she didn’t call me? Because you just have to be the savior every time she gets in a bind. Is this your fault? This entire house is full of liars.”

  Mark reared back and threw a punch right to Trevor’s jaw. Kelly screamed as Trevor recovered. That was all it took to push him over the edge. This sonofabitch kept Kelly and their child hidden. He wasn’t about to let Mark ruin his chance at a family. As soon as he found an opening, he knocked Mark in the gut, folding him over in pain.

  Mark might have been taller and wider, but he didn’t have the years of martial arts training that Trevor did. Mark would swing and miss; Trevor would duck and hit. It wasn’t enough to seriously hurt him, but it did slow him down. If he put Mark in the hospital, Kelly would hate him for sure. But that didn’t stop him from beating his nose in.

  He had Mark on the floor and was ready to knock the asshole out cold and end this shit. He reared back and his elbow caught something but he didn’t care. The blow he delivered knocked the fight out of Mark. His opponent went slack, groaning as he rolled over to his side.

  Trevor got to his feet and wiped the blood from his knuckles. His ears rang and his heart pounded out of his chest. This was nothing like practicing with his personal trainer. That was child’s play compared to a real fight. Adrenaline flowed through him right along with his anger. He barely heard the sniffles behind him over his labored breathing.

  When he turned, he saw Kelly on the floor, holding her hands over her face. Her fingers were bloody. Pops knelt next to her to help her sit up.

  It took Trevor a second to realize what had happened. That’s what his elbow had banged into. Shit. “Oh hell! Kelly.” He reached for her, but she crawled away, hiding behind Pops.

  She held up one hand to ward him off and the other protected her stomach. “Don’t hurt me. I’m sorry, please don’t hurt the baby. Please.” She covered her face and her stomach with her arms, bracing for an impact that would never come. Over and over again she sobbed and pleaded for mercy. “Don’t hurt the baby. I’m sorry I got pregnant. Please, don’t kill the baby.”

  The entire scene halted
. Her words struck the men in the room like a wrecking ball. Kelly wasn’t in the same place with them. Not mentally. She was stuck in her past, reliving the nightmare from years before, doing everything she could to protect the innocent baby in her belly.

  All three men reached for her. Trevor was the closest but she scrambled away and called out for Pops, begging him not to beat her. Even Mark was met with sobs and pleading.

  Trevor blanched and froze where he knelt. His brows drew up and his mouth hung open. She thought he was going to hit her? Her fear knocked the breath from his lungs. Kelly cowered behind her grandfather like a child. Dear God. He would never hurt her on purpose. Didn’t she know that?

  “Son,” Pops said softly. “Why don’t you just leave? I think she’s had enough for one morning.”

  “Yeah.” Mark spat from behind him. “You’re good at leaving. Should be simple to do it again.”

  “You too, punk.”

  “Me? What did I do?”

  “You threw the first punch.” Pop’s voice held authority the younger men recognized. “Now both of you clear out of here before you upset my granddaughter more than you already have.”

  Mark stomped off and the sound of the back door slamming made everyone flinch.

  “Kelly,” Trevor whispered. He wanted to beg and plead but he was so damned angry at everything. How had their reunion turned to shit so fast? “I’m sorry, baby. Can you hear me?”

  It took her a moment to figure out where she was. Her wide eyes darted around the room and her hands pawed at Pops when she recognized his face.

  “I’m here sweetheart, you’re okay.” The old man shushed her until she nodded and was able to stand up. She rubbed her hands over her stomach over and over again, nodding as if to reassure herself that she was still carrying the child.

  “Kelly? Baby?” Trevor’s voice cracked, but he didn’t care. Seeing Kelly so out of her element of mental control shook him to his core. She’d suffered more at her ex-husband’s hands than she’d let on. He might never fully understand what she’d been through.