Page 74 of Payback
Chapter Eighteen
It had been four months since Loran proposed to Bella, and while they mingled in a fancy ballroom, celebrating the wedding of one of his teammates, Loran realized his life had never been better. The construction on their house had started. Bella was finalizing the plans for his mother’s little dream home. They were living together at his place. A wedding date had been set and his team had just signed him for another five years.
He was a lucky man. And he never let a day pass without giving thanks for all his blessings. And Stella, the woman who’d reminded him how important it was to do just that.
Ethan handed him a drink, before raising his glass. “To the man who put that smile on my sister’s face. I owe you.”
Loran tapped his glass against Ethan’s before letting his eyes drift across the room. Bella was chatting with a small group of his teammates’ wives, wearing a purple scoop neck dress that hugged her curves and made his mouth water.
“I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since she agreed to be my wife.” He still couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, even when he tried. “Still doesn’t seem real, to be honest.”
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked, sipping his drink.
“Bella.” He shook his head, trying to put into words what only his heart seemed able to express. “It’s like I knew from that first exchange with her that she was the one. Even before I met her, which is crazy.”
“Not so crazy,” Ethan said, smiling. “Sometimes you just know.”
“Losing my shot with her…” He still hated thinking about how stupid he’d been. “It changed everything for me. I knew I had to get her back. Didn’t know how or when, just that I couldn’t give up.”
“Persistence pays off,” Ethan said. “No one knows that better than we do.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
He’d almost lost hope a time or two, but if he had he wouldn’t have been standing in this room, sharing a smile with the woman he loved, while imagining their future. It was all coming together. Their house was underway. Bella’s business was thriving and she was planning their dream wedding.
As she crossed the room, her eyes fixed on him, he felt something shift as uneasiness crept through him. Her eyes were clouded with an emotion he couldn’t read and he thought he’d seen them all.
“Looks like your fiancée wants to talk to you,” Ethan said. “I’ll catch up with you later, man.”
“Yeah, sure.” Loran reached for her hand. It was ice cold. “Hey, baby. Havin’ fun?”
She nodded, but her eyes were watery. “Can we step outside for a minute? I need a breath of fresh air.”
“Sure.” He set his drink down on a nearby table and slipped his jacket off, setting it around her shoulders before they stepped out on the balcony. “You okay?” he asked, trying to calm the fear racing through him. She wasn’t herself. Something was wrong. He’d sensed it earlier, but accepted her excuse of stress and fatigue, when he pressed her about it.
She shook her head and his stomach plummeted.
“What’s wrong?” When she didn’t respond, he curled his hands around her shoulders. “I need words right now, Bell. Please, I’m going crazy not knowing what the hell’s wrong or how to fix it.”
A tear slipped down her cheek before she dropped her head. “You can’t fix this. It’s too late. I screwed up and I hate myself. I’m so sorry.”
His first thought was that she’d cheated on him, but that was crazy. Bella loved him. She didn’t want anyone else. But she travelled a lot for business. If she’d had a one-night stand with a stranger, after a few too many drinks, he’d… lose his mind. The thought ofhisfiancée sharing her body with another man. He couldn’t handle that.
“Just tell me what you did.” So he could decide if he needed to hunt someone down and beat him within an inch of his life for taking advantage of a woman who never would have complied without the benefit of alcohol. That he knew for sure.
She brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks. “I went to the doctor today.”
“The doctor?” His mind raced while the cheating scenario took root. Unplanned pregnancy? STD? What the hell was she going to tell him?
“I had a miscarriage, Loran. I didn’t even know I was pregnant, but—”
“Wait! What?” He gripped his forehead, trying to process what she was telling him. “Was the baby mine?”
She gasped before slapping him across the face. “You bastard! How can you even ask me that!”
White hot rage, at himself, spiked before being displaced by shock, sadness, and fear. She’d been pregnant with his baby. And lost it. And he just accused her of sleeping with someone else. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Baby, I’m sorry, I—”
