Love Deserved, page 9
“Then you better make a choice. Don’t keep me waiting. Nobody knows what will happen if you do. Ayden could wreck his car or get stung by a scorpion. Or something could happen to someone else.” Her eyes lowered back to my stomach as I covered it again.
“Are you threatening my baby?”
Izzy shrugged. “I never said I would do anything. But I would hate to see something happen to the precious baby you’re carrying. Think Ayden would stay with you if you lost it?”
I snapped.
As soon as I lunged for my sister, I wrapped my fingers around her neck. My muscles flexed as I applied pressure, but I was no longer holding anything. Izzy’s body spun away before I could choke her. In her place stood a face that provided me with relief.
Ayden had returned.
~Ayden~
* * *
From the moment I stepped back inside the arena and spotted Izzy standing in front of Mia, I broke into a sprint. I didn’t need to hear their conversation to know they were arguing. When Izzy pointed her finger in Mia’s face, every instinct inside me screamed at me to protect my fiancé.
As I rounded the corner of the bar, Mia poked Izzy’s chest with her finger and frowned at her. Whatever they were discussing, it was getting uglier by the second. I had to end their confrontation.
When I was two feet away, I heard Izzy mention my name. The next thing I knew, Mia lunged for her sister. I gripped my ex’s shoulder and jerked her back before the situation escalated.
Izzy stumbled away from the bar. Then Mia was in my sight. As soon as I saw the relief in her eyes, I pulled her to my chest.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now that you’re here.”
“What the hell is going on?”
Mia said nothing. She clung to me and pressed her face against my neck. I squeezed her tighter, trying to chase away her fears. Whatever they had discussed, it had made her tremble.
“Calm down,” I whispered the words in her ear as I glared at Izzy. She was standing near the railing that separated the bar and the dance floor, sneering at her sister.
“What happened, Mia?”
She took a shaky breath. “Izzy’s making threats, just like I knew she would.”
“What type of threats?” I unburied her head from my neck and gripped her cheeks. Tears were already sliding down her face. “Mia?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Just get me out of here, Ayden. If not, I’ll hurt her.”
And here I thought her tears were from fear. She was angry, and rightly so. I wasn’t sure what type of threats Izzy was making, but it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t allow my ex to hurt anyone.
“Come on. Let’s go.” As Mia kept her arms around me, I led her to the corner of the bar. Izzy studied both of us. I was sure she would try to cut off our path. The instant I noticed her body flinch, I pointed in her direction. “If you take one more step, it will be the last mistake you make. Leave us alone, Izzy.”
“But Ayden, I need—”
“I don’t give a shit what you need.” My jaw ached the harder I clenched my teeth. “Don’t talk to us, don’t look at us, don’t even think about us. We’re finished with your games.”
I said nothing else. I was out of words for Izzy, anyway. She’d come between Mia and me too many times. I wasn’t allowing it to happen anymore.
Mia said nothing after we made our way through the bar. Thankfully, no one witnessed our confrontation with Izzy. Most guests headed to their suites around four o’clock to prep for dinner, take a nap, or do whatever they needed to do. They often returned around seven.
As we made our way to the exit, I waited for Mia to speak. When she remained silent, I took her to the golf cart and helped her inside. Maybe she didn’t want other people to hear us. Or perhaps she was afraid Izzy was following us. I couldn’t deny I’d wondered the same. Hell, I checked behind us several times as we left the arena. Before I put the cart in forward, I did it again. Once the coast was clear, I drove away.
Within a few minutes, we arrived at our building. I parked the cart, escorted Mia inside, then we walked to her suite. Once the door clicked closed and the lock engaged, I eased her onto the sofa.
“Will you talk to me now?”
“What do you want me to say? You heard what Izzy said.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t hear the entire conversation. When I found you, you were ready to beat the hell out of her. What did she say?”
Mia grimaced. She placed her hands over her belly and gazed at them. “She threatened me—us.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood. “What do you mean, she threatened us? Are you talking about you and me?”
“No. Izzy threatened the baby and me.”
My heart pounded at the thought. I pulled Mia close, hoping to comfort her. “What did she say?”
Mia looked at me. The tears in her eyes shimmered under the light. The stressful situation with her sister was getting the best of her, and I felt helpless to make it better.
“Izzy wants me to either give up Music Haven or you.”
The laughter coming from me wasn’t because I found what she said humorous. It was from nerves. And anger. My ex had officially lost her mind.
“Your sister is crazy. I don’t need to explain that to you. Don’t allow her to upset you.”
Mia eased out of my embrace and shook her head. “It’s not that simple. Believe me, I want to ignore her, but she said if I don’t give one of you up, I’ll lose everything. She knows I can’t legally sign over my rights to Music Haven.”
“Does that mean you have to break up with me?” When she nodded, I gritted my teeth. I wouldn’t allow my ex to get away with this harassment.
“Let me handle Izzy.”
Clinging to my arm, Mia shook her head. “You can’t. She knows she doesn’t have a chance with you. She told me if she can’t have you, neither will I.”
“She doesn’t get to make those decisions, Mia. This is our life and our relationship.”
When Mia winced, I drew her back into my arms. Her breath beat against my neck. It soothed the violent storm raging within me. I wanted my ex to disappear from our lives. If I had the connections to make it happen…
No. I would never arrange for someone to die. My anger was controlling me right now. I needed to calm down and focus on what was important—protecting my fiancée and my child.
“You said she threatened the baby, too?”
Mia swiped tears off her cheek and nodded. “Izzy said she wasn’t a patient woman and that if I didn’t give her an answer soon, terrible things would happen. She taunted me about delivering in jail and then swore she would help you when you got the baby. She said she would take care of our child like her own.”
As she lost control of her emotions and planted her face against my neck, I held her close. I processed her words, dissecting each one when I realized what Mia said.
“Why did she say you would be in jail when you delivered?”
“Because she plans to have me arrested for causing her miscarriage.”
Chapter 10
~Mia~
The moment I passed Izzy on my way backstage, my skin chilled. She didn’t acknowledge me, so I wasn’t sure she’d seen me. After making threats against Ayden, the baby, and me, she’d kept her distance for the last three weeks. Her absence made Thanksgiving enjoyable, and every day since then. Had Andi and Bentley not spotted her leaving the arena earlier, I would have assumed she’d left.
I should have known I wouldn’t get that lucky.
Glancing at the box in my hands, I set it on a table near the dressing rooms. The new sound producer had handed me the box when I checked on him earlier. It was some of Wesley’s belongings he’d found in the office.
I wanted to set the box on fire, but I couldn’t. Wesley’s lawyer had already sent a certified letter asking for the items to be returned. I would much rather burn them.
Sorting through the items, I double-checked to make sure none of Music Haven’s property was inside. It wouldn’t be the first time I caught Wesley trying to sell a piece of equipment. The last time he did, it helped me discover his expensive drug habit.
I skimmed the box, happy to see nothing inside belonged to my company or me. He had old porn magazines, a bottle of liquor, and CDs from his personal collection. Aside from his degree, most of the items were junk.
Grabbing the flaps, I prepared to close the box when something else caught my attention. An envelope lay on the bottom with a few pictures sticking out. I reached inside the box and lifted them into my hand. Some photos were of my employees, females in particular. Judging by the poses, he took the pictures without permission. When I returned them to the box, I made a stark discovery. The next few pictures were of my sister. My face burned when I realized she was naked.
Why did Wesley have nude pictures of Izzy? Were they old or recent?
Unable to view the rest of the photos, I placed them back inside and set the box on a nearby table. Wesley and Izzy had a past. They conspired together frequently. The photos had to be related to a stunt they’d pulled on me. I refused to give it another second of my time.
Everything disappeared from my sight as a pair of hands covered my eyes. Fear rushed through me. Was it Izzy? Surely she wasn’t stupid enough to attack me with a bunch of people standing close by.
Within a matter of seconds, I pulled the hands away from my eyes and spun around with my fist drawn. If Izzy had brought this fight to me today, she would regret it. I didn’t want to have a physical confrontation while pregnant, but I would defend my child and myself at all costs.
“Hey. It’s just me.” Ayden’s voice broke through the panic exploding inside of me. Once I realized it was him, I hurled myself into his arms.
“God, Ayden. Don’t scare me like that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Is everything okay?”
Nodding at him, I drew in a deep breath of his cologne. I enjoyed the scent, allowing the crisp, cool tones to settle my anxiety. I hated feeling on edge. That wouldn’t change until Izzy disappeared from my life. She was losing her mind. I had to get her to leave.
Ayden tipped my chin higher. As soon as I gazed into his eyes, he winced. “I really am sorry. I wanted to surprise you. It was a stupid thing for me to do, especially after Izzy threatened you.”
“It’s okay.” I touched his cheek as he lowered his mouth to mine. I enjoyed the warmth of his lips as he kissed me. It was tender, passionate, and enough to chase away my fears.
When he pulled away, I released a sigh. Whenever Ayden was near, I was content. It was the times when we were apart that I worried. Thankfully, we hadn’t spent too much time apart since we reconciled. He spent most of his days following me around, opening doors, pulling out chairs, and running after files. At one point, Andi asked him if he was trying to replace her as my assistant.
It was a joke, of course, but I appreciated everything he was doing. He made sure I was eating and not stressing myself out. The best part was the private moments we got. Ayden loved placing his hand on my belly and talking to our child. It always melted my heart. He would be a fantastic father and husband. He had already improved my life.
“So,” he began as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, “what’s on the agenda tonight?”
“Honestly, I don’t have any plans. I’m caught up with work. Why don’t we spend the evening in the suite? I’m too tired to deal with people tonight.”
“Alone time with you? I’ll never complain about that. You should take a shower. The hot water will soothe you. I’ll order us some dinner.” He kissed the end of my nose and began rubbing my shoulders. “Once we finish dinner, we can curl up with a movie, and I’ll give you a full body massage.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Full body, as in every part of my body? Even those, uh, delicate spots.”
Ayden laughed softly, then winked at me. “Definitely the delicate spots.”
How could I refuse him? He was offering dinner, a movie, a massage, and mind-blowing sex. It sounded like a perfect evening.
“You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet, Mr. McAllister.”
“So it’s a date?” One of his brows rose in a taunting manner. Then he wiggled both. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I nodded. “Good. Let’s get going. I’ll race you to the suite.”
“Race?” I laughed harder as I patted my tiny bump. “Only if you give us a head start.”
Shaking his head, Ayden chuckled as he led me to the stairs near the main floor. “You can’t use your pregnancy as an excuse.”
“But it’s precious cargo—very fragile.”
Clasping his hand around mine, he nodded this time. “That it is.”
As he leaned his forehead to mine, we spent a moment gazing into each other’s eyes. Our relationship should be like this. When no one was interfering, Ayden was the sweetest, most thoughtful person I knew. The stress from our exes brought out sides of us we should never have seen. At least we’d worked through those difficult times. Now we had a bright future ahead of us.
When Ayden finally pulled away, he winked at me and faced the stairs. “See you at the bottom.”
He gripped the rails with his hands and lifted his feet off the ground. After swinging them back and forth, he flung himself forward and jumped to the ground, skipping the steps.
“You’re gonna hurt yourself one of these days doing tricks like that.” I chuckled.
“Nah. I have these long legs to help me.”
I rolled my eyes, then gripped the rails. Ayden waited for me at the bottom of the stairs. He checked his watch like he was growing impatient, then he folded his arms over his chest.
“Come on, slowpoke. I have a hot date with the most beautiful woman in the world. You’re slowing me down.”
“What a lucky woman.” I chimed in. On the next step, the ground shifted beneath me. “Oh god!”
I was falling, but didn’t have time to react. As I braced for impact with the ground, I covered my belly with my hands to protect the baby. Instead of hitting the ground, warm arms wrapped around my back and legs.
“I’ve got you.” He whispered the words as he scanned my face. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” I gazed at him as he carried me away from the steps and helped me stand. My heart beat so fast it made me shake. I was trembling. How could I not? The thought of what could have happened to my child terrified me. “God, Ayden, if you hadn’t caught me…”
My vision grew blurry as tears filled my eyes. The horrible thoughts racing through my mind prevented me from speaking. I couldn’t say the words.
“Relax.” Ayden stroked my back as he held me close. “You’re both safe. I’ll always make sure of it. I promise.”
His words soothed me. As my heartbeat returned to normal, I glanced behind me to the steps. “What caused me to lose my balance?”
Ayden approached them and leaned forward to study each one. I examined them too, but nothing about them looked unusual. All the screws were intact. There were no cracks, and nothing was lying on them.
“Do you see anything?” I asked.
Shaking his head, Ayden leaned toward the second step until his nose was a few inches away. Then he rubbed his finger across the wood before sniffing it.
“Son of a bitch,” he mumbled.
“What’s wrong?”
Rubbing his fingers together, he studied them before looking at me. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s grease.”
“Grease?” When he nodded, confusion spread through me. “Why would grease be on these steps?”
“It must have been something someone carried backstage. I can check with the stagehands to see if anyone knows anything. You should call maintenance to have someone clean this up.”
I didn’t want to say what I was thinking. Perhaps I should, but I wondered if my paranoia was getting the best of me. Had someone dripped grease onto the steps while carrying something backstage, or had Izzy sabotaged them, hoping to make me fall?
~Ayden~
* * *
The moment Mia and I stepped out of the arena and continued toward the golf cart, I noticed a white cargo van pulling away. It reminded me of one of the courier-type vehicles that made smaller deliveries. The dust cloud around it made it hard to see.
“Hey, you two.” Andi’s voice drew my attention to the main parking area in front of the arena. She walked our way, holding a medium-sized brown box with a bunch of holes at the bottom.
“Hey, Andi. Did you get my text?” Mia asked as she held on to my arm.
“Yep. The maintenance crew is on their way to clean the steps. Are you okay?” Andi touched Mia’s shoulder.
“I’m okay. Ayden and I are going to spend the evening in my suite tonight. Will you text me if you need anything?”
“Of course. Oh, wait. Before you leave, this is for Ayden.” Andi lifted the box higher. “A new delivery service dropped it off. It’s time-sensitive. They asked if I could make sure you received it right away.”
Releasing Mia from my embrace, I accepted the box from Andi. I wasn’t expecting a delivery, other than the results of the DNA test Chris sent to a second lab. This box clearly wasn’t those results, but I made a mental note to text Chris later. He’d messaged earlier, letting me know he wanted to speak with me when he returned from his trip.
Perhaps he had the results or information on when I would receive a letter. I would love to prove to Izzy and everyone else that the child she lost wasn’t mine. Maybe then she would leave Mia and me alone.
“Thanks for accepting the package for me, Andi.”
“No problem.” She smiled before facing Mia once more. “I gotta go. I need to verify the steps are clear before posting the updated rehearsal schedule. You two enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you. You and Bentley do the same.” Mia chuckled as Andi gave her a thumbs-up and then sprinted inside the arena. Once she was out of sight, I became the center of Mia’s attention again. “Are you planning to open it?”
