“What?” Beckham said, turning to Roxie.
She knew her eyes looked wild and she shook her head, but still couldn’t say anything. Tears fell, but she didn’t know if the tears were new or from all she’d just told him.
“I didn’t believe it was true, but now I’m not so sure,” Anthony said, staring at Roxie. “We came over here to do damage control with the press, but it looks like the joke might be on us. Is Leo Beckham’s son, Roxie?”
“Are you kidding me? Leo?” Beckham looked at everyone in the room, as if the facts were striking him like bullets, one right after the other.
Her stomach fell. She realized how this might look. She’d been distant and angry from the beginning, trying to do everything she could to keep him at a distance. Instead of using it to her advantage, she’d been shaken that the press had taken their pictures. Most dancers would have killed for any press, but she’d been the opposite of what he’d expected every time.
And he’d taken her virginity and forgotten about her. She had every reason to be bitter.
She knew it didn’t look good, but she couldn’t seem to stop shaking long enough to defend herself. This day—it was one too many slivers of insane.
Beckham walked within a foot of Roxie, all earlier softness gone. He stopped in front of her and put both hands on the wall, on either side of her face. He leaned down until they were about an inch apart.
“Who is Leo, Roxie?”
“My son,” she whispered.
“You have a—that little boy is yours?” He shook his head, but his eyes still didn’t seem focused. “Why didn’t you tell me you have a son? Is he mine?” His voice was quiet but harsh.
She shoved him away from her. She felt like she was looking at a stranger.
“No, he isn’t yours! What the hell are you thinking?”
“Let me see a picture of him.” He pointed to Nate and grabbed the paper out of his hands. A picture of Leo and Roxie was blown up. He sucked in a breath and sat down, staring at the picture.
When he looked up at Roxie, his eyes were tortured. “I know Leo. I met him. At the audition, I met him. I saw him again yesterday. Mavid,” he whispered. He shook his head. “He’s … a great kid.” He looked at the ceiling and stood back up, walking close to her. “Here’s what the hell I’m thinking: he looks like me! I’m thinking, how the hell did I not see it the very first time we met? I’m thinking, you’ve been hating me since you got here and I haven’t fully made sense of it. Until now…” He ran his hands through his curly hair and pointed at it and then the picture of Leo. “His hair is just like mine. His eyes are the same weird color as mine … the way we-” His voice broke and he hit the wall next to him.
Roxie jumped. She was terrified and ready to bolt. “I told you why I hated you. And Leo looks like his dad.”
“I didn’t realize how much you really hated me. Now I know. I just … I can’t even believe this. I want to get to know him.” He took a jagged breath. “Fuck, Roxie. How could you keep this from me?”
“He is not yours,” she hissed.
He studied her face. “Look at me and show me the truth. Right now I only see lies. You’ve been lying to me all along. Why didn’t you tell me you had a son?” He laughed, but it sounded hollow. “We slept together. Don’t you think you should have told me that little fact about yourself?”
Pain zigzagged through her heart and she staggered back against the wall. “I’ve just tried to do a good job. And yes, I’ve gotten carried away with you. I’ve … lost my mind … about you. Again.” A sob escaped and she clamped her hand over her mouth, the tears pooling into her hand. “I’ve missed Leo so much, I cry every time I talk to him. I’ve never been away from him like this. He’s come to see me throughout the tour, and I figured you’d meet him when the time was right. I just needed to get through the tour. I didn’t expect…”
“I’d like to get a paternity test,” he said. As if she hadn’t spoken a word. “If you won’t willingly do it, I’ll get a court order to make it happen.”
She gulped and looked everywhere but at him. “I only came here to dance and to provide for Leo. It’s obviously not working. I need to leave-” She stopped when he grabbed her arm.
“You’re not making sense. We have more than worked, we’ve had something between us from the very beginning … or at least, the beginning that I can remember. But that has nothing to do with this. Or maybe everything to do with it. I just want to know the truth! Why aren’t you telling me the truth?” he asked desperately.
“You’re not listening. I am telling you the truth! I have raised him and loved him and he is just fine without someone who is a drunk, drug-addicted, woman-chasing dick of a father. He’s mine. Now, let go of my arm.”
“You conveniently left out the time frame of when we slept together. How long ago was that? And what happened? Did we not use a condom?”
Roxie swallowed but didn’t answer.
Anger washed over him like a red haze. He had tunnel vision for Roxie and she had to grip the wall to keep from crumbling to the floor.
“You fuckin’ answer me, dammit. You don’t get to go silent on me anymore,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ve been drowning in those eyes from day one. I just didn’t realize they were going to be the death of me.”
The infatuation and lust unraveled around her, dropping instantly. The genuine affection she’d recently felt for him shriveled up. She’d thought they might actually be falling for each other, something real this time, but could see that was gone nearly as quickly as it came. They say there’s a fine line between love and hate, but since it wasn’t really love yet, it was so easy to dive right back into hate.
When Nate spoke, Beckham jumped back. For a moment, Roxie had forgotten anyone else was in the room.
“You can settle this easily, Roxie. Please don’t make it complicated. I’m sorry we bombarded you today—we didn’t even know you’d be with Beckham—but it looks like you have some explaining to do. Beckham deserves to know the truth. If this drags out in court, it will be a huge spectacle and cause an untold amount of grief for all of you. Reporters are already all over it. If we settle it quietly, it will become old news fast.”
Roxie looked at Beckham, not even trying to hide the terror in her eyes. She touched his arm and her hand was shaking.
“Please, believe me.” Her lips trembled. “He’s not yours.”
Beckham moved back until his legs hit the couch. He sat down and stared at Roxie, his eyes lifeless.
He looked at Nate and Anthony. “Can you find out how to get a paternity test done quickly? I want to be absolutely positive one way or the other.”
“It will be easy if you are both agreeable to it,” Nate said. “We can get someone to come test all of you—I don’t think it takes very long to get the results. Roxie, you won’t resist a DNA test, will you?”
She shook her head. “No. But it’s a waste of time.”
“Find someone who is reliable and can keep their mouth shut,” Beckham said, ignoring her.
Nate nodded and immediately started dialing his cell. “I’ll be right back.” He held his finger up and left the bus.
“I’ll just give you two a moment.” Anthony backed out of the bus.
She could feel Beckham’s eyes on her. She avoided looking at him.
“Why won’t you tell me when it happened?” he asked.
“I feel just as sucker-punched as you, Beckham. The three of you all staring me down with hungry eyes when we’re discussing my son. I can see now why you might wonder if he’s yours, but it never crossed my mind that you would since he isn’t. I met his father right after you and went out with him because, silly me, he looked a little bit like you.”
“I’m sick of your smart-ass mouth,” he muttered.