Page 132 of Beautiful Storm

“Now?”

“You’ve been avoiding my calls, why else—”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I cut him off loudly, before scanning the lot. The private lot for players and staff. “How did you get in here?”

“A friend. It doesn’t matter. The point is that I needed to see you in person. To talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“Oh, we have plenty, but first, you’re pregnant with my grandchild. Surely that warrants a conversation.”

“Okay. Yes, I’m pregnant. But you knew that a month ago, didn’t you? You’re here because of Luke.”

“That’s ridiculous. Your mom called and I have a right, Am—”

“Excuse me? You lost all your rights the moment you left. Actually, you lost your rights long before that.”

“You’ve labeled me as the bad guy and yet you’re with someone exactly like me. What kind of guy do you think I was when I met your mom? Hasn’t she ever told you? Warned you away from guys like me? I was on the college basketball team, I slept around, and I never wanted to settle down. But then guess what? I thought I’d try something different. That I’d sleep with one girl for a while. And within a month your mom got pregnant with you…” He trails off as my eyes widen and a pit forms in my stomach.Why hasn’t anyone told me this story?

“I’m going to guess by the shock on your face that you’ve realized it’s history repeating itself.”

“You’re not half the man Luke is. You have no idea—”

“Everyone knows his reputation, and if they didn’t, the current articles circulating are filling them in. I’m not saying this to hurt you. I’m trying to prove a point. If you don’t think I can change, what makes you so sure that he can? You were always so naive, Amelia. So—

“Stop.” Luke’s booming voice echoes from behind me before he rushes forward and stands between us, his hand restingagainst my hip as he moves me behind him. “Say what you want about me, but stay the fuck away from Amelia.”

“Or what?”

“I’ll make you.” Luke gets up in his face, but I grab the back of his shirt to pull him away. Not that it works. He barely budges.

“Yeah, right.” My dad—Damien—sniggers. “You’d fuck up your entire career if you did.”

“Try me.” Luke stands his ground, his fists now clenched by his sides. “Amelia means more to me than any of this.” He waves back toward the stadium. “I don’t give a fuck what happens to me. So I suggest you leave before I ask my friends to help remove you.”

I turn slightly to find Reed and Thomas hovering near the door, and I have to bite back a groan. Now they’re all risking their careers for me.

“Go, Damien. Please,” I beg, my eyes boring into his, hoping that if he actually cares about me like he says he does, that he’ll give in and walk away. He stares back at me, anger in his eyes until a moment passes and they finally soften.

“I want you in my life, Amelia. That’s all.”

“Just go.”

My body deflates as he turns and walks away, but I wait until he’s gone before allowing myself to crumble.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Luke

I. Am. Raging. It takes everything in my power not to go after Amelia’s deadbeat dad until she grabs my arm and almost falls to the ground, struggling to suck in air. The anger drains from my body along with my blood as panic takes over me, a memory of her panic attack in the attic flashing through my mind. “Amelia, what’s going on?”

She shakes her head as tears prick her eyes and my heart seizes. “Amelia, please.” Dropping to my knees, I pull her into my lap and wrap my arms around her, locking her into my protective hold. “What happened? What did he do before I got here? Are you hurt?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Thomas and Reed take a step forward, but I subtly shake my head, silently telling them to go back inside.

Amelia shifts in my arms before pulling back to look at me. “I’m not hurt,” she whispers. “Not in the physical sense.”

“Fuck, Amelia. You should have let me go. I wanted to hurt him. I held back because you tugged on my shirt.”

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