Love Deserved

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

~Mia~

Will you go with me? Check yes or no . . . Or maybe text yes or no. I can’t make checkboxes.

I read over D’s text one more time, and it made me chuckle just like it did the first time I read it. If anyone else saw the message, they’d think he was asking me to date him, but I knew what it was about. Tonight’s party, the one I would be leaving for in a few minutes.

Last week, when he first asked me to be his date for the evening, I assumed it was a joke. When he brought it up again this morning, I told him I didn’t know if I would even be there. My stomach wasn’t feeling the best and my body felt drained.

The book my obstetrician recommended said that fatigue was normal during the first trimester of pregnancy, but that ended a couple of weeks ago. I just entered my second trimester. Why wasn’t I feeling better?

Pushing the thoughts aside, I tapped my phone screen and typed a reply to D. My finger hovered over the send button a moment. After I pushed it, I bit my lip, somewhat regretting my choice.

Yes

I had no reason not to go with him. He’d been protective of me since coming back into my life, and that protective side of him increased after I passed out at the hospital. Since Ayden left for tour, D checked on me every day, made sure I was eating when I could, and that I didn’t work late.

My phone chimed when he replied with another text.

Perfect. I’ll see you on the dance floor. I’ll be the one wearing the black and red horned dragon mask. Let’s have fun with this. We’ll keep everyone guessing who’s under the mask.

Laughing out loud this time, I shook my head and typed in another response.

Your voice is very distinct, D. Do you plan on not talking?”

As I waited for his response, I slid on my heels, pulled my mask over my face, and stood from the side of the bed. One glimpse in the mirror and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The scarlet-colored dress was beautiful, but the sheer midriff had me paranoid. I didn’t look pregnant and the lace covered my skin, but it made me self-conscious.

Another chime drew my attention back to my phone. I glanced at it this time, noting that D’s response was short and to the point.

My lips are sealed.

Then I’ll see you on the dance floor around eight, Mr. Stone.

See you then, beautiful.

His last text caused my cheeks to flush. The whole time we were dating, he used to call me beautiful. It was his pet name for me, kind of like some people called each other babe, dear, or honey. D called me “beautiful”. Even before we started dating, when he was a pompous jerk and his compliments sounded more like insults, he still called me the same thing.

The memories tugged at my heart. As if thinking about Ayden hadn’t hurt me enough. I was supposed to be using the time he was away on tour to decide if I wanted to resume our relationship when he returned. He was supposed to be doing the same. I wasn’t sure if he was, but I knew one thing for sure. He didn’t have to think about how his decision would affect our baby.

I did.

Yes, it was my fault he didn’t know. I realized that and accepted the repercussions, but it didn’t make my decision any easier. Neither did loving him. He may have left thinking I hated him, but he was wrong. It’s why his departure hurt so much and why I couldn’t tell him goodbye the day he got on the tour bus. Had I gone to see him off, I knew I would have told him I was pregnant.

A knock on the door sent my thoughts scattering. I crossed the room and opened it without checking to see who was on the other side. I had a feeling I knew who it would be anyway. Of course I did. She was coming to check on me like she did every day.

Andi’s smiling face greeted me. Then her eyes trailed over my dress. Her mouth fell open as she whispered one word. “Whoa.”

“Thank you,” I teased.

“You look amazing in that dress. I still can’t believe you’re—”

“Watch it,” I warned her.

“Sorry.” She readjusted her mask as she waited for me to close the door and join her in the hallway. “There isn’t anyone in this building that can hear us right now, so don’t worry.”

We made our way out of the condo, stepping into the cooler air. The sun was setting behind one of the valleys toward the west. The warmth it provided felt good on my skin, but the breeze had me regretting my decision not to bring my wrap. At least it would be warm inside the arena.

“Are you feeling okay this evening?”

I glanced at Andi as we gathered the bottom of our dresses, making our way across the grounds toward the arena. “I’m tired, just like every other day. I keep waiting for this burst of energy I’m supposed to be getting in my, uh . . .” I peeked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear us, “in my second trimester.”

“If you’re tired, your body is trying to tell you to slow down. I can take part of the workload off you, Mia. You should get more rest.”

“Impossible. If I’m not busy, I’m thinking about Ayden. Do you realize they’re due back in another month and I’m no closer to making a decision about our relationship than I was before he left?”

Andi opened her mouth to say something but decided not to when we passed a few staff members. Four of the guys from the maintenance crew were chatting with a couple of security guards. All smiled and wished us a good evening as Andi and I walked by.

The moment we were out of hearing range, she looked at me again. “Maybe you haven’t made a decision about Ayden because there isn’t one to make.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“You love Ayden. He loves you. Now there’s . . .” Her eyes lowered to my waistline and then made their way back to mine. “Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something.”

“You’re forever the optimist, aren’t you?”

She shrugged while sporting an impish grin. “All I’m saying is this. Things aren’t over between you and Ayden. You can deny it if you want, but you know it’s true.”

Even if she were right, I wouldn’t tell her. I couldn’t deny how I felt about Ayden, but it still didn’t mean we were meant to be together. When would she realize that? My inability to decide came down to one thing. Our child. I had to do what was best for the baby.

Making our way inside the arena, I considered taking a detour to the bathroom but decided not to. I needed to go inside and find D. Any other time, I’d head to the bar and have Max fix me a glass of his special Witch Brew, but alcohol was off limits.

As soon as we entered the bar, I gazed across the arena, admiring the people on the dance floor. Since this was a special occasion, I made arrangements to have tables brought out to the main level, but the majority of the space was left for dancing.

Waving at a few guests, Andi and I walked to the edge of the dance floor. Couples twirled and spun as gowns in an array of colors swayed to the rhythm of the music. I couldn’t count one person who didn’t have on a mask.

This was where D promised to meet me. Thankfully, he told me what his mask looked like. I wouldn’t be able to pick him out from the crowd had he not described it.

“Everything looks so pretty, Mia. Once again, you’ve transformed this place into a beautiful masquerade ball. I can tell this event’s popularity is increasing.”

“You’re right. We sold three times as many tickets this year as we did last year.”

“Guess we should probably mingle with the guests. Maybe some mysterious stranger will whisk me away for a dance. I just wish it was Bentley who was doing it.”

My chest tightened at Andi’s response. Slumping my shoulders, I motioned her to lead the way. I followed her toward the row of stools at the bar. She approached the CEO of one of the local banks and began a conversation.

It didn’t stop there. We worked our way down the bar, chatting with each and every person. I followed her lead, shaking hands, welcoming people to the ball, and thanking them for coming.

Once we made our way around the left side of the bar, we proceeded to the right. We were halfway there when I sensed something weighing on me—a heavy gaze. I found a pair of eyes staring at me from a black and red horned dragon mask.

D.

He was standing near the edge of the dance floor between the two bars. As soon as Andi spotted him, she stopped walking and looked at me. “Who is that, and why is he staring at you?”

“It’s D, and he’s not staring. He’s waiting for me.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “What do you mean, he’s waiting for you?”

“He asked me to be his date tonight. It’s just as friends, not a real date, and it’s just for a couple of dances.”

She thought it was a bad idea. I could tell by the way she shook her head and averted her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. There was no time. One of the techs from the lighting department approached, asking for her help. Before she walked away, she glanced at me again and sighed. “Enjoy your dance. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

I waited until she was out of sight before looking at D. His eyes trailed over me, met mine again, then he offered me his hand.

He led me further onto the dance floor but not far from where we had been standing. Once he faced me, I placed my hands on his shoulders. When his hands rested above my hips, I tensed. I didn’t want him near my abdomen.

While I might not be showing yet, I noticed how firm my belly had become a few days ago. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Then D would ask questions.

Relaxing my muscles, I allowed him to pull me closer. He didn’t say a word once our eyes locked. Instead, he led me into a slow dance as the music changed.

During the time we spent together in L.A., he’d comforted me on more than one occasion. That included hugging me. Being close to him shouldn’t feel weird, and yet it did. His firm muscles held more tension than usual.

Was D nervous about being close to me? Perhaps that was the real reason behind his mysterious text earlier. He mentioned that he wanted to keep everyone guessing who he was, and he was willing to remain quiet to keep up the ruse. I thought he was doing it as a joke, but now, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was wrong.

Maybe he was doing it to protect our reputations, preventing the rumor mill from spreading stories about us. He knew I was undecided about my relationship with Ayden. This was his way of enjoying my time without anyone connecting us and causing problems.

With each day that passed, I appreciated him more. Part of me wished I was still in love with him. It was our breakup that helped him mature into the man he was now, but my heart wasn’t on board. It beat vigorously for another . . .

“I’m glad you asked me here tonight. I didn’t realize how much I need this.”

A smile crept over his lips. He nodded at me but never said a word. This was his way of keeping up the charade, and I had to play along.

“The last couple of months have been stressful with Izzy losing her baby, Ayden and I separating, and my . . . health issues.

This time, his arms tightened around me like he’d flinched at what I’d said. Much like Ayden, he knew something had happened to me at the hospital, but he didn’t know what. I still hadn’t mentioned my pregnancy to him. It had been tempting, but I couldn’t say anything to him before I told Ayden.

Even so, I wanted him to know I was okay and how much I appreciated what he had done for me.

“D, I hope you know how much I value our friendship. I know we’ll always care about each other, but there are times I wish we still loved each other the way we used to.” I glanced at his chest, trying to steady my voice as much as find the right words to say. “I wish I loved you the way I love Ayden.”

When I looked at him, he nodded. For a moment, I lost myself in his eyes, the way they burned into me, the emotions they carried within them. D wanted to say so much, and maybe he would have if he hadn’t come up with this crazy idea to be my mysterious date for the evening. Yet what he didn’t say with words, he showed me in the way he held me close, the way he hung on my every word, and how he stared at me like I was the only person that mattered.

Ayden used to look at me the same way, and had up until a few months ago. I missed him. I missed us. Unfortunately, with my sister hanging around, we’d never get to be us again. I couldn’t keep putting Ayden through hell because of Izzy’s jealousy. If he found someone else to love him, someone that wasn’t me, maybe my sister would let him live his life in peace.

Then again, if Izzy’s wasn’t acting out because she hated me, it meant she loved Ayden. It was a sick and twisted kind of love, but love nonetheless. If this were the case, my sister would never let him be happy with anyone except her.

I had to face it. As long as Izzy was at Music Haven, Ayden and I couldn’t be together. She would always be there to interfere.

The heat of D’s body chased away the chill that ran down my spine. With one flex of his muscles, he pulled me to his chest. I found something familiar in his gaze, and yet, something about it was different.

Perhaps I was making myself feel weird because I was carrying another man’s child inside me.

No. It wasn’t the baby. It was something about D, the feel of his firm body, the heat of his embrace, the warmth of his breath against my cheek. We shared a bond—a friendship—but this . . . This wasn’t platonic.

As he lowered his head toward mine, I half expected him to whisper something to me. Instead of leaning toward my ear, his lips grew closer and their warmth radiated to mine. I stood in disbelief. Perhaps this was why he wanted his identity to be a mystery.

D was going to kiss me.

My heart slammed against my chest. Unsure of what to do, every muscle in my body was screaming at me to back away. My feet felt as though they had become one with the ground. I couldn’t move.

D’s breath teased my cheek as he tugged at my mask. There was no time to react. Just as he peeled it away, I broke free of his embrace. My chest heaved with heavy breaths as I stood in front of him, staring at the mask in his hands.

Why did he remove it?

“What are you doing, D?”

Staring at me in silence, he held my mask in one hand as the other went toward his. He caught the edge with his finger, drawing it over his face. By the time he yanked it off, all I could do was stare in disbelief. No wonder the connection between us was off. The man standing in front of me wasn’t D.

It was Ayden.