Challenge: A Contemporary MMA Romance: Oni Fighters Book 3 (25 page)

“Yeah, I’m wanting to start looking for another rental as well,” I threw in. I’d been thinking about it for the last couple of weeks. I don’t know why I hadn’t mentioned it to Sophia earlier.

“Thanks, but I’m not sure I feel right taking your money.”

“If we’re buying, the vendor pays your fee right?” Xander asked her.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then, you can happily take the money. We’d be paying anyway. Just remember to look after us when the boot is on the other foot and we’re the ones flipping the properties.” Xander joked it off and I saw her relax. The discussion turned to hot suburbs and the benefits of apartments versus houses. For not the first time, I realized just how good fighting had been to Xan, Dane, and me. How many guys our age could sit here and talk about expanding their property portfolio?

Half an hour later, we were eating dessert. Sophia was pushing some fruit salad around her bowl, Xander was eating the same, just with a lot more enthusiasm. The rest of us were enjoying the fruit with generous helpings of whipped cream and trifle.

“Nope, can’t say I miss fight preps,” I joked as I slid another spoon of all that calorie-laden goodness into my mouth.

Then, I caught a sideways look at Sophia. She looked about the same shade of green as the melon in her bowl.

I leaned over and whispered, “You okay?”

She gave me a terse nod. “I’m fine,” she whispered back. There’s something I’d been hearing a lot of recently. As I returned my attention to my bowl, I noticed Eden passed a worried glance at her.

It was Tori who finally said it, “Are you all right, Soph? You’ve gone the most ghastly colour.”

Sophia didn’t answer, rather she threw her serviette on the table and bolted, knocking over her chair in the process. A second later Eden, Tori, and Carol were on their feet charging after her.

I rose to my feet as well and began to head that way, not quite sure what the protocol was for something like this. I wanted to be there for her but whose place was it? At what point did I outrank a mother and sister? I hesitated at the door and cast a glance back to the table towards Xander and Noel.

“Your woman, your call, man,” Xander said as if reading my thoughts.

I moved slowly down the hall towards the bathroom. I could hear worried voices but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

“I hope it wasn’t something she ate.” It was Carol.

“No, Mum, she’s been sick for the last couple of weeks.” This time it was Eden. I hung back not exactly knowing what to do.

“Here, Soph, wipe your face.” That voice was Tori’s.

“What do you mean she’s been sick for the last couple of weeks,” I heard Carol ask of Eden and the unmistakable sound of a person tossing their cookies again.

I winced. Throwing up was the worst and that sounded horrible.

I moved silently to the doorway and was close enough to hear Eden hiss, “Sophia, how long is this going to go on for?”

That didn’t make any sense? You threw up until you were done, right?

“How long is what going to go on for?” I asked, not understanding what Eden meant at all.

Four heads shot up to look at me, and Sophia looked like she’d rather the earth swallow her than have me here.

“Nothing. I’m just sick,” she protested and turned her head back to the porcelain bowl, her body sagged against the floor.

“Sophia. This is ridiculous,” Eden hissed at her again.

“What’s ridiculous?” Carol asked, as confused as I was.

“Eden, you promised. I’m not ready.”

“Yes, I did, but this was before you insisted on being totally stupid and irresponsible about it. You’d be stupid enough to go back and train tomorrow too, wouldn’t you?”

Now, I was really worried. What the hell were they on about? Was this what Sophia had been so cagey about?

“What’s going on, Sophia?” her mother patiently demanded.

I saw Sophia’s head shake from side to side, her eyes briefly met mine and all I could read was a pleading. But I didn’t understand what she wanted.

Then, her eyes left mine and her words were little more than a whisper.

“I’m pregnant.”

“What?” he demanded from the door in a harsh whisper.

I could feel the eyes of my sisters and mother on me. I didn’t really care. All I wanted to know was what Seth was going to make of this.

Somehow, I got the courage to override the fear and lifted my head to see what he was thinking.

“I’m pregnant.”

His face had gone white and I was suddenly worried he was in danger of sliding down the wall to join me on the floor.

“You’re what?” Mum screeched.

“Pregnant. Having a baby, Mum,” I argued back. The third time I said it was surprisingly easy.

Then, I heard more footsteps pounding down the hallway and Dad poked his head in beside Seth.

“What’s happened?” His voice was full of worry.

“Your daughter’s pregnant, that’s what’s happened.” Mum sounded half hysterical already.

“What!” Dad bellowed and turned to Seth in one move. “Yours?”

Seth looked stunned. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

It was getting so out of hand. I could picture Dad taking a swing at Seth and a full-on brawl erupting in the hallway. Eden must have been thinking the same thing, only she acted quicker.

“Guys, how about you all go and wait in the lounge or outside or something while we get Sophia cleaned up.”

Dad turned and stalked off, mumbling something under his breath. Seth stood there looking at me with total blankness. That blank look scared me more than any possible emotion I could imagine crossing his face.

Tori passed me the toothbrush mug she’d rinsed out and filled with water. I gratefully took a sip.

Mum was taking deep breaths and obviously trying to figure out what to say.

“Was this planned?” she finally asked.

I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “No, I thought that was obvious.”

“Have you not been responsible?”

That did it!

“Mum, leave it,” Eden pleaded.

I was in two minds right now about my older sister. I wanted to kiss her and wring her neck. I was so pissed at her for backing me into this corner. I also felt like there was a weight lifted from my shoulders. Now, I just needed to deal with the fallout.

My recalcitrant stomach finally seemed stable and strength returned to my body. I rose to my feet.

Was it possible to feel both trepidation and determination at the same time? Because that’s how I felt as I made the short walk from the bathroom to the lounge room with my mother and sisters in tow.

Dad was standing in the dinning room looking out to the back yard. Seth was standing staring out to the front yard. Xander was sitting in the single chair in the middle of the room, in what felt like preparation to act as referee or bouncer, if need be.

Eden walked over and perched on the arm of the chair Xander was sitting in. Mum and Tori took the lounge.

I took a deep breath. I still had no idea what I was going to say, just that I had to say something.

“Let’s start with the basics. I’m pregnant and the baby is Seth’s, of course.” He spun around.

“How?” he accused and I knew it was all going to go downhill fast.

“Maybe we should go somewhere and talk about this privately…”

“Oh, now you come up with that great idea—that ship’s sailed babe and you waved it off from the dock. How long have you known, Sophia? A week, two weeks a month? More? How many times have I asked you over the last few days if everything was okay?”

I’d never heard him so angry. He hadn’t even been this pissed at his mother and he hated her. He was right, and I felt so ashamed of my actions.

“You could have told me any time. Fuck, you could have told me last night. Took care of birth control, did you! You lied to me again. Sure…guess you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant twice.”

“Seth,” I hissed dying of embarrassment.

“Hey! That’s enough. I don’t appreciate you calling my daughter a liar.” Dad spun around and glared now.

“Well, I can’t see how it’s any other way. Maybe you need to explain, Sophia.” His voice was low and menacing, between shooting daggers with his eyes at my father and glaring at me. “On second thoughts, don’t. I’m going to ask the questions and so help me God you are going to give me a straight answer, you understand.”

I nodded once unable to form words.

“Did we ever not use protection except for last night when you assured me it was okay because you took care of it with the doctor? That’s what you told me.”

I couldn’t believe he was doing this, here! He seemed to have no qualms laying our sex life out for my parents and sisters to see. I would have gladly died on the spot to end the horror that was unfolding. The kicker was, it was my doing. I could have had this conversation privately with him a hundred times and I hadn’t.

“Answer me, Sophia.” His voice was cool, calculating, and even more pissed off.

“No, we always used protection, and yes, I did lie to you last night.” My voice caught on the last word.

“Why?”

And that was it…I broke.

The tears that had been threatening broke and my voice was choppy between sobs.

“Because I wasn’t ready to talk to you yet. I’ve got this fight coming up and I didn’t plan a baby. You had the accident and then my job.” I sagged against the wall and let my body slide to the floor. My head in my hands.

The next question came. “How long have you known?”

“Officially, since the day Eden and I were late home. Unofficially, the day before. The doctor needed the blood tests to be sure.”

“How long have you suspected?”

I knew what he was asking he thought I’d known about this for weeks.

“I promise you, I didn’t suspect anything until I went to the doctors after I fainted at training.”

“What? You fainted and I’m only just hearing about this now. Noel this is crazy,” Mum shrieked.

“She didn’t know Seth. I was there when the doctor suggested this could be the reason she was sick. She was shocked at the suggestion.” Eden was quietly defending me as always.

He nodded his head. “That’s right, you were there. When my supposed girlfriend found out about our baby. Does something strike you as wrong about this picture, Eden?”

“Leave her alone, Seth. It’s not her fault. It’s me you should be angry at.” Eden may have brought this shit to a head but she didn’t deserve to cop crap from Seth. That was all on me.

“Already there, babe.”

Eden shifted from the arm of Xander’s chair and he rose carefully, as if not to spook Seth or my father who were glaring across the room at each other. “Okay, everyone let’s dial it back a bit. This is going to, fast get out of hand. Let’s not go saying shit that becomes hard to take back.”

“So, are you going to do the right thing by my daughter, Seth?” my dad asked.

Oh, this was crazy.

“Don’t go there, Dad. I don’t even know if I’m keeping the baby yet,” I blurted without thinking between tears.

“What? So, you’re telling me you’d get rid of our baby without even talking to me. You’re unbelievable.” Seth now looked like a caged animal and I could tell it was taking all his control not to storm out or hit something.

“I’ve got this fight…”

“Not anymore you don’t,” Xander put in quietly. “Don’t even give it another thought or consideration. It’s over. The baby’s your only concern. Fuck, if I’d known…” I heard him mutter.

I caught the edge of a look of thanks that passed silently between Seth and Xander.

“You’d really have an abortion without telling me? A fucking fight was more important than our baby?” he accused.

“I haven’t made a decision.”

“Wrong, sweetheart. We haven’t made a decision.” There was nothing sweet about the way he said it.

I’d had enough. Yeah, I was in the wrong, I got that. I knew that but I wasn’t a bad person, was I? I just wanted to be happy. I’d wanted to be happy with Seth…and I’d more than likely blown it all.

“How could I tell you? You were struggling with the fact there was an us, plus recovering from the accident, let alone add in an unexpected baby to the mix. I was terrified I’d lose you,” I shouted back at him.

He jerked back as if I’d hit him.

“You still should have told me,” he spat.

“Yes, I should have,” I hollered back, “and it pains me to admit I was too damned scared to think straight. I knew what was right and I should have done it. I’m just so confused about everything. ”

It was Eden who rushed over and wrapped her arms around me, trying to offer me some comfort in this cyclone of emotions, accusations, and confusion.

“How far along are you, Sophia,” my mum asked quietly.

“Almost twelve weeks.”

I could see Seth’s mind working, trying to remember when. He’d been away on a couple of trips around that time I could easily understand why he was struggling. “The doctor figured it out. It was the night of your accident.”

I watched his eyes lose focus, as if he was no longer with us in the room. Then, they snapped back and he looked at me with something on his face I couldn’t begin to read.

“Fuck,” he snarled and stormed from the house.

Silence descended for a second before Xander sprang into action.

“I’ll go.” He dropped a quick kiss on Eden’s forehead without breaking stride and was out the door after the father of my child.

God, what was I doing? I had no clue.

Or did I?

What I thought was going to be my fight was over. Now, I had an even bigger and more important fight to win. The one for Seth’s heart and the fate of our baby lay in the balance.

I
was just about
to pull away from the curb when the passenger door opened and Xander dived in. I glared at him and slammed my foot to the floor. The turbo kicked in and we shot forward. Alone—I just needed to be alone to sort through the shit in my head.

That night of the accident! For weeks I’d been trying to remember what happened, then today, it all came tumbling back.

I remembered all right. I remembered every single fucking thing.

I braked hard and took the corner at the end of the street, fast enough to cause the tyres to squeal in protest, before booting it again.

“Okay, that’s enough, Seth. You’re just driving again after the last wreck. I know you’re pissed but this isn’t the way to solve it.”

I took a deep breath and eased off the throttle. As much as it pained me, I knew he was right.

“Do you even know where you’re going?”

“No fucking clue. I just had to get out of there.”

“Head to my place. We can hang there and not risk doing damage to anyone else.”

“What are you my fucking baby sitter or something now?” I growled.

“Apparently. Seems like you fucking need one, mate. I’m not going to let you do something stupid twice now.”

What?

“Are you a fucking mind reader or something?”

Xan was shaking his head at me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. But one thing I do know is I’m not about to let you blow the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Best thing that happened to me.

Which bit? Sophia? Well, I’d almost got there with that. At least, I thought I had. Now, I didn’t know how I felt. She’d lied to me. Not only had she not told me about the baby, she’d lied again last night.

Then, there was the baby. What the hell? I wasn’t cut out to be a father, was I?

Those questions played over in my mind as I drove to Xander and Eden’s. I pulled up outside and Xander placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s go and sort this out.”

I gave him a curt nod and got out of the car and followed him in. What other choice did I have? Sophia might be in denial but I wasn’t going to be.

“You want to hit bags for a bit first or you just want to get straight to the talking part? Your problem, your call.”

Bags sounded good.

I hadn’t felt the slap of leather against my fists for weeks and weeks.

I moved through to Xander’s home gym which was, in fact, a fully equipped private dojo. I knew the space well. Dane and I had trained here many times with him in the past.

“No point tearing your knuckles up unless you want the pain.” He threw a set of gloves at me and I striped off my shirt and kicked off the vans I was wearing, leaving me in nothing but cargo shorts.

I pulled the gloves on and secured the Velcro with my teeth.

“Floor’s yours, man.”

I moved to the heavy bag and planted my feet and got to work with some quick hard punch combinations. I loved the feel of my fists hitting the solid resistance of the bag then jumping on it’s chain. I mixed it up with some elbow strikes and really let rip.

Up until a little while ago, I couldn’t remember worth a damn—now, I couldn’t forget.

That night played over and over in my head.

I remembered it all.

Fucking her against the wall. Collapsing to the floor, then Sophia snuggling into me and telling me she loved me. Laying her on the bed, my flight from her room, the ripped condom.

All of it.

I remembered it all.

Right up to the point I felt my stomach drop as the car went over the edge.

Every last detail, I remembered.

My fists bit into the bag time and time again. Then, I decided to see what I was really made of and added some upward knees.

It felt good to be moving, good to be hitting. Good to drown out the emotional pain with exertion.

“Don’t even think about throwing a kick, Seth,” Xander warned in his Sensei voice.

Fuck him too! I wasn’t one of his bloody students. I’d kick the damned bag if I wanted to.

I let go with a couple more knees, then rotated back to unload with a whipping leg kick.

“No, Seth,” Xander bellowed.

It was too late. I let fly and felt the pull as soon as I started the rotation.

The top of my foot hit the bag and it jolted up in protest on the chain that secured it to the steel beam overhead. The reverberation ran up my leg and collided with the pain running down from the injury I’d just put on my hip.

“Fuck!” I bellowed and staggered back, my hands going to my hip.

“How bad?” Xander barked and leapt off the couch he’d been watching from.

“Not sure,” I gritted out.

“Lay down on the mats. Let’s see what the range of motion is and ice it.”

I did as he instructed, pleased to have the weight off it to help ease the pain. He dropped to the floor beside me and placed one hand on my hip and the other on the shin of my bent leg. He slowly started to rotate my hip through the different planes of motion. The pain only really came on when fully pushed to extension points.

“I don’t think you’ve done too much damage. Let’s get some ice on it anyway.” He hopped up and went to the fridge off to the side. A second later, he was back with a couple of those gel-filled sports ice packs. He wrapped them in a light cloth.

“Drop your shorts down so I can get as much area as possible,” he instructed.

“I don’t swing that way, man.” I tried to laugh it off through the pain.

“Shut the fuck up, idiot. You’ve got enough shit to sort out without being a dick as well. Maybe if you didn’t do stupid shit like just before, you wouldn’t be in this mess.” He was pissed at me.

I wisely held my tongue and loosened my pants far enough for him to apply the icepack the way he wanted.

Then, he got up and headed back to the fridge. He came back with a couple of bottles of water and a towel which he threw at me.

“Take a drink, towel off, and start talking. Hopefully, you can’t do anything else impulsive and stupid from the floor.”

Impulsive and stupid
.
Pregnant. Accident. I love you, Seth
.

Words—all of them—flying around in my head, making me feel shit and do shit I didn’t want to think or do.

Cause and effect.

There it was, all for me to see.

I knew what had set this crazy chain in motion and this was one giant rollercoaster ride that wasn’t going to quit anytime soon. I was strapped in and at it’s mercy, regardless what I did.

Reality took a hell of a bite out of me. I couldn’t run anymore. Now I had to deal.

“You’re right, man. It’s a series of impulsive and stupid decisions. You absolutely called it.”

He snorted. “Hardly surprising, Seth. I’ve known you for twenty odd years. I know what you’re going to do before you do it in most cases. Maybe it’s time to wise up. Regardless what you think, you’re not indestructible, nor are you stupid. So, I don’t get why you act like an immature arsehole a lot of the times. You seem hell bent on self-destructing half the time and the fuck I’m going to sit here and watch you do it. This time it’s my sister-in-law and my unborn niece or nephew at stake.”

The sharp pain in my hip was a very poignant reminder of what he was talking about.

“Start at the beginning and let’s see if we can figure this out and come up with a plan that’s going to work.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted Xander in my business and I certainly didn’t want him all over my arse. It didn’t look like I was going to get much choice in it, though. He was right. I did do stupid shit when the gnawing or the pain got too hard to handle.

“I should have taken her back to my place. I should have grabbed a cab from the party and headed back to my place.”

“Then, why didn’t you?” he asked.

“We were trashed. My car was a few houses down from her place. Her folks were away. We just didn’t want Tori to cotton onto us being together. I should have left it there. I figured we’d head to bed for a bit, I’d sober up, and then bugger off home. Should have gone home rather than gone back to her house.”

“Sounds like the first mistake you made was getting trashed. Why the hell do you drink like that?”

“Haven’t done it since that night, mate. Not even felt like it. First drink I had was a beer with Dane the other night. One beer. Didn’t even feel like another. I guess I just get a bit carried away and next thing I know, I’ve gone too far. I’m not a drunk, I just like to party.”

“The problem is you go too hard. You don’t know when to call it quits.”

“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black, mate?” Xander could talk; he was the king of pushing it to the limit.

“I push it to the limit in the cage, and only the cage. I don’t do stupid shit to put other people at risk. Wise up.”

“Sophia and I decided a few weeks ago we weren’t going to party like that anymore.”

“Well, I guess the fact that you both recognize it, is something.”

His tone indicated he was hardly convinced, Xander didn’t say anything more, rather waited. It was my story to tell after all.

“I know now why I took off.”

He nodded slowly. “Figured as much when I saw the look on your face back at the Sommers’ place.”

Had I been that transparent?

“When she started talking about stuff, that night all just kind of came flooding back. I’d had a few glimpses of images before but nothing made sense. It was just a crazy jumble of disconnected shit in my head. Now it all makes sense. I know what happened.”

Xander looked at me and waited and waited.

“And? What was it that happened?”

I scrunched my eyes up and let out an exaggerated breath. I didn’t want to tell this story. There was no way I could spin it that didn’t make me look like a grade A pussy.

“Truth is, Xan, I’m embarrassed as hell by what I did. All I can say is I was under the influence of alcohol, but even that excuse seems weak to me now when I look back at what I did.”

“Well, hanging onto whatever you have stuck in your head hasn’t helped you. Spit it out and get it over with,” he prompted.

“Yeah, easy for you to say, mate. Your life’s all together and tied up in a neat little bow,” I countered, frustrated that he couldn’t see this was difficult for me.

“It wasn’t always like that, Seth. In fact, it was probably about where you are right now minus the destructive streak. Eden was the one that helped sort the shit out in my head.”

I must have missed a lot of that. I came back from the mines when those two already seemed tight.

He gave me another pointed look. “Neither of us are getting any younger here, mate. And your kid is getting closer to arriving every second, whether you’re happy about it or not…”

It was a low blow, delivered with pin-point precision, exactly as he intended.

My kid.

I was going to be someone’s father.

The magnitude of that was starting to sink in.

“We’d just had some of the hottest sex I can remember.”

“Yeah, that bit I don’t need to know. Little too close to home for me, Seth.”

Yeah, I guess it was, now that I thought about it. I really needed to work on engaging my brain before my mouth.

“We were chilling out afterwards, and then she said it…” I remembered that feeling of terror clear as day. I remembered feeling like I couldn’t breathe, like I needed to run, and I did.

“Said what Seth?”

“That she loved me.” I nearly choked on the words as I forced them out. So, why did it send me so crazy then and not when she’d said it since?

He sat up straighter.

“She passed out and I high-tailed it out of there.” I saw his eyes narrow and I knew I was in the shit for that too. “In my defense, I did leave her water and paracetamol beside the bed. I also ran into Tori in the hall. I told her I’d brought Soph home and that she was hammered, to keep an eye on her.”

“And you didn’t think that maybe you should have stayed to make sure she was okay? You’d been partying with her, you’d fucked her, and then you leave her because you’re too much of a candy arse to deal with a woman telling you she loves you. Well done, champ! Great work!”

I winced, looked like I’d be lucky to have a mate after this as well. What hurt even more was he was exactly correct. I’d fucked up big time. I needed to accept a big chunk of the responsibility for this situation. “Yeah, it was a dick thing to do. And I can’t offer any more of an excuse other than I freaked out.”

Xander twisted his head and cracked his neck in frustration. “I’m guessing there’s more?”

“Yeah. I know why she’s pregnant.”

Xander snorted. “Really?”

I ignored his richly deserved sarcasm. “That was the other reason I freaked. Condom broke. Soph didn’t know. Still doesn’t. I only just remembered.”

“Fuck! When you screw up, you really do it well, don’t you!”

I didn’t even bother to try and defend myself, I was on a hiding to nothing. “Yeah, it’s a definite talent.”

Neither of us said anything for a moment.

“So, where’s your head at?”

And wasn’t that the question of the century? My head, my heart, my gut—they were all warring. I was a fucking mess, even my chest felt tight.

“I don’t even know where to start to work through it. You know my story, most of it anyway. My family is so fucked up, it’s not even worth talking about. You know I always keep things light and fun because, fuck…the other option has terrified me and it’s never been an option.” There, I’d admitted to feeling probably more overwhelmed than I could ever recall. “Normally, Xan, when everything gets too much I divert my attention to some new challenge. Take on a fight, go try to get another qualification. Go fuck some other chick. You know that. Well, in case you didn’t, that’s why.”

He looked over at me with what I’m sure, bordered on pity. That didn’t feel good at all coming from probably my oldest friend.

“Yeah, I know. You become a crazy overachiever to avoid having the headspace to process anything else and any other spare second you spend partying. I did the same when I focused on setting up Onigashima. Burying yourself is easier than dealing.”