Page 71 of The Bad Girl and the Baby

Chapter Eighteen

She’d been avoiding him.

Matt sat in the coffee shop across from the gym and waited until the light went on in the living room upstairs.

It had been three days since his mom had made her momentous announcement. Monday, Darcy had called him and left a message saying she couldn’t make it that night. Something important had come up.

The same yesterday and today.

They needed to talk about this. His mom and dad had another week before they were scheduled to return to Australia. They’d extend their visit if they needed more time to sort out paperwork, but if it was a definite no to the adoption, then they would leave as planned. They’d been pushing him for an answer he didn’t have.

He got the impression his mother believed it was a foregone conclusion—that he’d jump at the chance. Maybe that’s what Darcy thought as well. But it wasn’t only his decision to make—maybe legally it was, but morally, Darcy had as much say as he did. Why couldn’t his parents have lived here, close by? Then he might not have questioned it. But Australia was half a world away. It was weird, but he’d been trying to imagine his life without Lulu—the freedom, living back on base, his dream job without the guilt that he was putting his life at risk. But the image just wouldn’t gel in his head. He’d never wanted a family. Lulu would be happy with his parents, with a mother and father, and the added bonus of a big sister. He might not have considered them perfect parents, but they’d learned from their mistakes. They’d done a fabulous job with Hannah, and Lulu already loved them.

He should be sitting here working out ways to persuade Darcy it was for the best, that she wouldn’t lose access to Lulu. There were great ways to keep in contact now—all the same, no amount of FaceTime was as good as a cuddle. So instead, he was putting it off, hoping she would beg him not to go ahead with it. Take the decision away from him. Say no, to keep Lulu with him. And he’d have to because… Hell, he didn’t know why it mattered so much. He had this horrid, nagging feeling gnawing away at his insides that he wasn’t only going to lose Lulu, but he was losing Darcy as well. But you couldn’t really lose something you’d never had.

So tonight, he’d ignored her text message and here he was.

He tossed some cash on the table and pushed himself up. He glanced once more at the apartment but couldn’t see any movement. Maybe she wasn’t even here. Maybe she hadn’t been lying and something had come up.

Time to find out.

There was no answer when he rang the intercom at the entrance in the alley. He tried again and then pulled his phone from his pocket and hit her number on speed dial. The phone rang five times and then went to voicemail.

“Let me in, Darcy. I’m not leaving until you do.”

Of course she could just ignore him, and he half expected her to. She could be amazingly stubborn—he’d learned that in the weeks since he’d met her. But a second later, the door clicked. He pushed it open and headed up the stairs. At the top, the door to the apartment was open and Darcy stood there, leaning in the entrance, all badass attitude. She wore black jeans and a black tank top, both of which matched the very impressive black eye she was sporting.

What the hell?

He came to a halt only inches away. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing.” She accompanied the word with a shrug.

Reaching out, he stroked his finger down over the swell of her cheek, and she gave an almost imperceptible wince.

“I was in an exhibition match last night. It’s what I do—no big deal.”

So she hadn’t been lying; she had been out last night. “Did you win?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you do it?” Last time they had talked about her going back on the fight circuit, she’d been undecided.

Another shrug. “Why not?”

He could think of at least one reason—hedidn’t like it. If she wanted to fight, then she could fight with him. But maybe that wasn’t an argument to get into right now. If ever. He just shook his head. “Can I come in?”

Her expression clearly showed that she’d rather he didn’t—when and why had he become the enemy? Again. But she shifted to the side so he could pass, pulling back to ensure they didn’t touch. Then she closed the door behind him. He stood for a moment in the hallway. He was pretty sure they were alone, which was good; he didn’t think he could handle Regan’s sarcasm just now.

He followed Darcy into the kitchen. She pulled a couple of beers from the fridge and handed one to him, then gestured to the table. He sat down and took a sip of his beer, studying her and trying to subdue the urge to find out who had given her the black eye and go kill the bastard.

She leaned back in her chair, not looking at him, sipping from the bottle of beer.

“Come on, Darcy,” he said. “You can’t ignore this. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She put the bottle on the table, then pursed her lips. “I think it’s a fabulous opportunity for Lulu.”

“If it’s so good, why have you been avoiding me?”

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