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32
Betts
Ifelt like I was hit by a freight train. Todd had come blasting in, accusing me again of sleeping with Mikael and now having his baby. Before I could really respond, Pete showed up to take me to see his sister's duplex. I couldn't be sure, but I suspected the look on Todd's face was deciding that Pete must be the baby’s father. I couldn’t be sure because he stormed out, leaving me standing there stunned.
My initial instinct was to go after him, but then the anger and hurt kept me in my spot. He'd essentially accused me of being a cheater. And a liar. And then he left without hearing the truth. He, of all people, should know that the media made stuff up. He’d used that to his advantage on more than one occasion.
Then there was the fact that he’d had sex with me. A lot. And it didn’t occur to him that he could be the father.
It hit me that this was the point. He didn’t want the truth because he didn’t want to be my baby’s father. Perhaps this was his way of denying it. He could clear his conscience if he believed the baby was somebody else's and I was the type of woman to cheat on a man. That was what really stopped me from going after him.
Sure, I wanted him to believe me and know the truth, but mostly because I wanted more from him. But tonight, he showed his true colors. His ability to care for people was limited. His wife had come across as a gold-digger, but maybe she just got tired of competing with Todd and his business. Todd was struggling to raise his son, and tonight it was clear he didn't want another one. So, I let him go.
"Hey, Betts. Is everything all right? Are you having problems at work?" Pete asked as he stepped into my apartment.
It took every bit of strength I had to pull myself together. "Yes. Everything's fine. You know how it is at work."
He gave me a sympathetic nod. "You would think being an elementary school teacher was easy-peasy and without bureaucracy, but you would be really wrong."
I managed to smile.
"So, shall we go see the duplex?" he asked.
I didn't really want to go, yet it was now clearer than ever that I was going to be a single parent. I needed to take control. That didn't mean I wouldn't try to tell Todd the truth, but I knew that I was on my own. He didn't want me or the baby.
So, I went with Pete to see a possible new home for me and the baby. The duplex was nice, but I wasn't ready to commit to it yet. The truth was, my mind was still whirling at what happened with Todd, and I knew I couldn't make a decision under the influence of hurt and anger.
The next day,I drove down to Henderson to work at the rink. The entire way, I was wondering what everyone on the team was thinking about the story and the picture posted online last night. The first thing I planned to do was put the kibosh on it with the media and everyone at work. After that, I would drive back to Las Vegas to the corporate headquarters and deal with the marketing team up there and their response to the story. And then I’d deal with Todd.
As I made my way through the hallways of the rink, a few people were looking at me in a way that I felt like they had read the story and were talking.
When I arrived at my office, Mikael was standing outside. Just what I needed. I glanced around, wondering who could be there to see him waiting for me. It would be bad enough to have staff around, but if there happened to be a sports writer or photographer, it would be even worse.
“I made the news people go away,” he said.
God, I wanted to hug him. “Thank you.”
Then he dropped to one knee.
"What are you doing?"
"I know I'm not your baby's father, but I will marry you and raise the child as my own."
I reached down, grabbing his arms and pulling him up to his feet. "The last thing we need is to end up in the media again with the news that we’re engaged."
"But that is my intent."
I took a deep breath so I wouldn't take all my anger and frustration out on him. "You’re a good friend, Mikael, but we can't do that. I appreciate your offer, but it wouldn't be fair to you or the baby." It wouldn't be fair to Todd, too, probably, although at the moment, it felt like he deserved it.
Mikael shrugged. "I just wanted to help you because you have helped me."
I nodded. "And I appreciate it. The best thing that you can do now is to tell the truth. Tell it to everybody. Tell it to the team and anyone else who asks. I'm going to do the same. But we really have got to stop the story."
He smiled and gave me a salute. "I will do it."
He exited my office, but right after him, Naomi walked in. She had an expression on her face that was a mixture of hurt and anger.
"I hope you're going to tell me that the news about your having Mikael's baby is not true. I know I've been preoccupied with the triplets, but we're still friends, aren't we?"
