Beautiful Storm (San Francisco End Game #1)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Amelia

How quick can one get a divorce processed? Because now that I have the signed papers, I’m willing to pay a ridiculous amount for a lawyer to get this done without issue. I need to be free because life just threw me another curveball.

Game two of Storm’s pre-season ends with another win, and while the players go off to celebrate, I head back to my office to make notes. We weren’t required at the game, but I wanted to get a sense of a game day for the players. I’ve experienced it from the sidelines, but never behind the scenes. And God, was it interesting, witnessing the way they get into the zone.

I’ve just sat down to type up my ideas when I realize I must have left my notebook in the locker room. Of all the places. Usually, I make notes directly onto my tablet. But when I’m around the guys indifferent levels of undress, I’m uncomfortable using a device. It’s their private space and we’re about to intrude on it with cameras. I don’t want them to think I’m getting footage before I’m supposed to.

I check the time and make my way back to the rooms. I should be safe going in now because the guys would have left a while ago. But still, I don’t take my chances, calling out as I enter.

“I’m coming in,” I practically sing, laughing to myself when I don’t get a response.

Once inside, it takes me all of twenty seconds to find my notebook, but when I turn to leave, I startle, finding Luke standing in the doorway.

“Looking for some ‘dirty laundry’?” he seethes, catching me off guard. I’m used to his teasing but this is different. Still, I huff out a laugh and roll my eyes, holding up my notebook.

“It’s none of your business,” I snap back. “But if you must know, I left this behind.” I wave the notebook back and forth.

“Right, okay.” Luke huffs under his breath, shaking his head before walking over to his locker, seemingly more pissed off than usual. And I can’t let it go.

“What’s your problem this time?” I ask, popping my hip.

“You don’t know me, remember?” He throws his comment over his shoulder. “Why do you care?”

“You’re right. I don’t care. I have no feelings…good, bad, or otherwise. I don’t know why I asked.” I move to walk past but he turns and stalks toward me, backing me into the lockers on the opposite wall.

“You had a lot of feelings when I was fucking you.” His hands cage me in as he leans closer, until we’re almost nose to nose. “Could I elicit those feelings now? Or do you need permission first?”

Permission? “What?” As I focus on his expression, his hand drops to my waist before sneaking under my top, his fingers setting my skin on fire. My breath hitches, but I hide it behind a cough as I subtly clench my legs. “I told you I’d never let you touch me again and that hasn’t changed.”

I bend to duck under his arms but he lowers himself until we’re eye to eye again, and while he respects my wishes and drops his hand from my body, it doesn’t matter. My skin still burns from his touch. There’s no denying that he affects me. But it’s all physical. My brain will win this time.

“Tell me,” Luke asks, his breath warming my skin as he moves closer to whisper in my ear. “Is that something you want? Me not touching you. Or is it something you vowed to avoid? Because your reaction says otherwise.” He leans back and his eyes drop to my heaving chest, distracting me from his strange words as I bite back a curse. Why is my body reacting to him?

“It doesn’t matter,” I huff out. “ Nothing is happening between us again. Now please let me move.” My heart races as I wait for him to respond, but it’s not out of nerves. It’s racing because my traitorous body wants what he’s offering, but it doesn’t change what we’ve been through. Or how much he hurt me.

Our one-night stand shouldn't have happened, and I refuse to let it happen again.

I stare at him in defiance until he finally nods. “As you wish.” He steps back and turns away, leaving me alone and confused. What the hell was that?

My breathing quickens when he walks away, and as I straighten up, I’m dizzy. I try to move but when I do, I lose my footing, falling back against the lockers. “Ouch, dammit.” What is going on?

Luke freezes by the door before his gaze locks on mine, a hint of concern set in his features. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I blink a few times before shaking my head. “I’m fine. I just lost my balance,” I lie. I’d rather not talk to him about my personal problems.

“And you say you don’t feel anything for me.” He raises a challenging eyebrow until I roll my eyes. “Have a goodnight, Amelia.” He chuckles. “See you around.”

He disappears around the corner, and I sit down the second the door clicks shut, rubbing my head as I blow out a breath and try to make sense of what happened.

Does he want me? Or does he want to rattle me? And either way, why am I letting myself be rattled?

When I’m feeling better, I head to my office to work, and by the end of the day, I’m exhausted. Pair that with my dizzy spell and I’m worse than ever. I should be sleeping better now that Preston’s signed the divorce papers. It’s only a matter of time before it all goes through. So why am I so tired? It’s like some invisible stress is draining the life out of me, and the one thing I can attribute that to is Luke. Having him close is getting to me. But I don’t knowhow I can fix that.

M y knees bounce as I wait for my doctor. I’m no longer convinced that it’s stress—there’s something wrong. And I need to find out what before it affects my work. More than it already has. I can’t afford this time off. Not now that I’m finally getting my chance.

“ Goddammit! ”

“Everything okay, Miss?”

Shit . Where did he come from? “Yes, Of course. Sorry. I was just talking to myself. All is good. Unless you count the reason I’m here and”—the nurse gives me a strange look—“never mind. I’m good. Thank you.”

“Great. The doctor will be in soon.”

“Thank you. Again.” The nurse, whose name I didn’t catch, disappears out of the room faster than he came, leaving me anxious again. What’s taking them so long?

“Okay. Okay. I’m here.” Doctor Roland walks in with a smile on her face. “Nice to see you again, Amelia.”

“You too.” I try to smile back.

She glances down at the file in front of her before looking up in concern. “I saw you a few months ago, so I’m guessing it’s not an annual checkup.”

“No, it’s not. But it is something we’ve spoken about before.”

“I’m listening.” She maintains a straight face, but I know she’s going to judge me.

“As we’ve discussed, I don’t sleep well when I’m stressed and…”

“Yes.”

“This is different. Some afternoons I struggle to keep my eyes open, and this time around I’ve been getting dizzy spells too.”

Dr. Roland frowns a little as she flicks through some paperwork. “Has this been happening since our last visit, or more recently?”

“More recently. Last few weeks maybe. Right about the time I started my new job.”

“Okay. Let me check the symptoms of the contraceptive we’ve got you on so we can rule that out. You’re still taking it, right?”

“I am.” Not that I have a sex life, but I take it like clockwork.

My legs bounce again as she types away at her computer, and I try to remember if my pill has ever affected me before, but I’d been off it for so long, I can’t remember.

“Your pill doesn’t explicitly list fatigue or dizziness, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the cause. How about we run a few tests, and if we can’t find another reason, we can try swapping to a different option.”

“Perfect.” I sigh in relief. “That would be great.”

I hadn’t considered the pill being the issue. If that’s all it is, I’ll be laughing.

“ Y ou’re pregnant,” Dr Roland says as I stare at her wide-eyed. I heard her the first time but it’s taking me a second to process it. I blink a few times with the words rolling around in my head, my expression undoubtedly marred with confusion.

“Sorry, what?” That can’t be right.

“You’re pregnant,” she repeats for the third time, her lips pulled into a smile though I can tell she’s holding back, waiting for my reaction.

“I can’t be pregnant.” I shake my head. This is crazy . “I’m on the pill.” We just discussed that. “I…”

“You’ve only been on the pill for a few months. You likely got pregnant before you started.”

Shit.

“I’ve…ahh…” My face scrunches as I admit the truth. “It’s not possible. I was already taking the pill when I…” God, this is embarrassing. “I’ve only had sex once in the last six months, and it was after—” Oh God. No. No. No. No. No. The blood drains from my face.

“Amelia, are you okay?”

“No.” My breath quickens and a fresh wave of dizziness takes over me, my fingers biting into the armrest of the chair as I fight to calm myself.

“Pregnancy doesn’t have to be scary.”

My gaze lifts to hers as I process what she’s saying, what she’s telling me. “I’m pregnant .” I’m pregnant with Luke’s baby. “But how?”

“How long had you been taking the pill when you had sexual intercourse?”

“A week? Maybe two? I— Oh God.” Realization hits me and I feel nauseous. “I… I… Is it bad? Have I hurt it? The baby. I didn’t know.” I suck in a deep breath, but it’s pointless. I can’t get any air. “I…I would have stopped taking it if I’d known. But I purposely kept taking it to skip my period so I had no idea and—”

Dr. Roland steps forward and tentatively squeezes my arm, cutting me off. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Amelia. It’s okay. The pill isn’t always as effective in that first month and can also be affected if you don’t take it at the same time every day or skip a day.”

God, I can’t remember. Did I skip a day? I guess it no longer matters how. It’s happened.

“As for any distress you have for your baby… You should book an ultrasound to make sure the baby is healthy and happy, but there are generally no risks associated with taking the pill during pregnancy. It’s not recommended, but it shouldn’t be a cause for concern.”

“Thank fuck.” Oh Jesus. “I’m sorry. Shit . Ohh… I’m sorry again.”

Dr. Roland laughs. “I’ve heard worse in my lifetime.”

“Still, I’m sorry. What about eating and drinking? I haven’t been careful with my food choices. I’ve had sushi. And while I’m not a huge drinker, I have been drinking.”

“If the ultrasound comes back clear then none of those things are a concern. Just keep them in mind moving forward.”

“Of course. What do I do next?”

“Going by your last mentioned period, I’d estimate you’re about thirteen weeks along, but we won’t know for sure until you’ve had an ultrasound.” Thirteen weeks? How the hell didn’t I notice that? “Here’s a list of places we recommend.” Dr Roland continues speaking, completely unaware of my internal freak-out, and I work hard to pay attention. “You should call as soon as possible as it can be hard to get appointments even if you’re past the twelve weeks. But rest assured, there’s no cause for alarm at this stage. While you wait, I suggest you look after yourself, rest, and drink plenty of water.”

“Yes, definitely. I will.” Somehow… around my fast-paced, always on my feet, demanding job.

I stand to leave, smiling despite being a little spaced-out.

“And Amelia?” Dr. Roland waves to get my attention, hitting me with her warm smile when I finally glance her way. “Congratulations.”

Congratulations? “ Thank you.” I’m having a baby.

What the hell am I going to do?

Hayley’s quick to her feet when I enter the waiting area, and I’m grateful she forced me to let her come. As I walk, she stares at my face, analyzing my expression, and her own face drops. “Fuck! What’s wrong?”

“Can we talk when we get outside?”

“Okay, but you’re freaking me out.”

“Good, that makes two of us.”

I pay for my appointment and rush out the door, making it two steps before turning around to panic. “I’m pregnant, Hayley,” I blurt, almost knocking into her as she steps out the door. “I’m tired. I’m dizzy. I don’t feel like myself. And yet that thought never crossed my mind. I can’t be pregnant. I don’t have time to be pregnant.” My body shakes as reality sets in. What am I going to do? What—

Hayley grabs my shoulders to still me, before moving me away from the oncoming foot traffic. Despite standing in front of a busy medical center and pharmacy, I hadn’t noticed a single person walk by.

“I thought you were on the pill?” she asks, never one to beat around the bush.

“I was. I am . But I'd only been taking it for a week or so when I…” I wave my hand as though that will explain what I mean, and when Hayley nods, I continue. “In short, it wasn’t as effective as usual.”

“ Bloody hell .”

“ That is an understatement.” I start walking again, needing to move as my head swarms with questions.

“Don’t hit me for asking, but didn’t you wonder why you weren’t getting your period?”

I shake my head as she moves into step beside me. “Nope, I was skipping them on purpose. They say it’s a fake period when you’re on the pill anyway.”

“Shit. I do the same thing. How are you feeling about it all?” Hayley hesitates. “You just had the divorce papers signed and—”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” I brush off her question. That’s the last thing I need to be thinking about right now.

“I’m…ah…I guess I’m getting in early to say you don’t need to go back to that asshole. We can work this out. I’ll be there for you.”

“What asshole?”

“Preston.”

I come to a halt, and someone behind me curses when they almost bump into me, not that I care. I’m more focused on Hayley. “You think it’s Preston’s?”

“You don’t?”

“No. I haven’t slept with him for almost a year. It has to be Luke’s.”

“You didn’t sleep with him that night you went over to collect the last of your things?”

“No. God, no. I would have told you that.”

“ Shit . But how can it be Luke's? Weren’t you already on the pill by then?”

I cringe and turn away. “I didn’t take it the first month I got it. I started a week or so before sleeping with Luke. And the condom broke.”

“ Fuck .”

“Yep.”

“But also…maybe fate intervened. I mean how often does a condom break at the same time someone messes up their pill?”

“What?” Is she serious?

Hayley grimaces before shaking her head. “Never mind. We’ve got this.” She clasps my hand as we begin walking again, giving it a squeeze. “What happens next?”

“Next…” I let out a long sigh.

I wish I knew. For years I tried hard not to get pregnant. Preston and I first had sex when we were seventeen. And while we didn’t have sex often, I’d still panic every month, worried we’d somehow mess up. Then after we got married and while my career was stalled, the idea of getting pregnant lost the fear it once had. I got excited by the idea. Preston got excited by the idea, and we started trying. Or at least, letting it come naturally if it happened. Our sex life never changed, but we both knew there was a possibility of it becoming something.

Though, after a year, it still hadn’t happened.

How can I have been having regular sex with someone, with my husband, and never have so much as a late period? But after one night with Luke… everything changes.

A pit forms in my stomach until I make the decision to look at this in a practical sense. To keep emotions out of it for now. “Next…” I say, my eyes meeting Hayley’s. “Next, I have to arrange an ultrasound, then I have to sort out my life and try not to let this affect the Storm project.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Hayley lies, making me smile.

“Oh…and I have to tell Luke.” Smile gone.