Chapter 14

She'd expected to feel that familiar jolt of pain that always seemed to come whenever something reminded her of him. Instead, she felt nothing...absolutely nothing, but the shock of seeing him in person.

He grinned and took a step back. "I thought that was you," he said as his eyes appeared to assess her. "You look good, sugar."

Her stomach clenched at the sound of his endearment for her as a quick flash of revulsion sliced through her. "Don't call me that," she nearly spat.

His grin faltered. "Oh...sorry. I wasn't thinking." An uncomfortable silence fell between them before he motioned to her belly. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks," she murmured as she placed a protective hand over her baby.

"When are you due?"

"August," she replied and watched as his eyes flared with awareness. Good, she thought. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who'd been left stinging from the results of his actions.

"The twenty-sixth?" he asked tentatively.

"Sixteenth," she replied.

He nodded, then stuffed his hands into his front pockets and rocked back on his heels. For a moment another uncomfortable silence fell between them. "Look, Lexi," he began. "I know I'm probably the last person on the face of the earth you want to see, but before you bolt, could I just have five minutes of your time?"

Defiance lit through her like an instant torch and she folded her arms. "Why should I agree?"

He actually had the nerve to look sheepish. "You shouldn't and if you don't want to, I'll understand. I know you hate my guts and rightly so, but I know you're a better person than to just walk away out of spite."

She wasn't quite sure how she felt about his backhanded compliment. Plus, she had to admit that some part of her was curious about what he could possibly have to say. "Fine. Five minutes." She glanced around, noting the lack of people. "But not here. Let's go to catering." It was important for her to have witnesses just in case word made it back to Roman before she had a chance to tell him.

They walked into catering and Lexi noted the gazes that turned in her direction, then the whispers began. Rumors would no doubt be flying all over the company before the cameras would start rolling for Smackdown later than night. It would be just another aggravation she'd have to deal with later. She swallowed hard and pointed to an empty table. Once seated, she folded her arms, a gesture meant to convey the distance she needed to keep from him. "What are you doing here?"

"From time to time, the executives at Sci-Fi like to cross promote Haven. They have a deal worked out with WWE for that to happen. I've wanted to talk to you the last two times I'd been here to promote, but you avoided me the first time and you'd already flown ahead to England for the world tour when I was here the second."

He leaned forward in his chair and rested his arms on the table. "I'm really glad I got a chance to see you this time."

"Why?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side and shot him a defiant stare. "I think you're feelings for me were pretty clear the last time I saw you." After everything he'd put her through she'd be damned if she was going to make this easy on him.

His lips thinned and he nodded. "I deserved that shot."

"You deserved a lot more than just that shot," she snapped as her anger slowly began to build.

"You're right." He nodded without so much as a fight. "I do. I was a bastard to you and you'll never know just how sorry I am for everything that happened."

She stiffened at his apology. "Are you? Are you really, Adam, because you've had four years to apologize. Yet, all I've heard from you is silence."

"I was drunk," he shot back. His voice loud enough to cause heads to turn before he lowered it again. "I was three sheets to the wind that night. Shit face drunk and Lita had been teasing me for weeks."

"That's your excuse," she snorted. "Too much alcohol and a weak constitution?"

"Damn it, Lexi, I don't even remember the incident." He raked a hand over his now short hair. "I woke up hung over the next morning horrified to find Lita in my bed and you missing." He looked at her now and she could see the pain in his eyes. "I started calling people trying to locate you. Jericho was the one who told me what I did and then about the accident. I practically flew to the hospital, but your father and Uncle Jim refused to let me in to see you."

He lowered his gaze to the table and sighed heavily. "I found out you were pregnant and that you'd lost the baby, later that day when Chris confronted me. Right before he threatened to pound me into dirt for hurting you."

Lexi nearly smiled at that. Chris Jericho had to be her closest best male friend. At the request of her father Chris had taken her under his wing when she first started and they'd grown close as any two people could be without being romantically involved. It occurred to her that with him away on tour with Fozzy, she had yet to tell him about the pregnancy. She filed that thought away with a mental note to revisit it later as she turned her attention back to Edge.

"I found out about your due date from Stephanie some time later." he finished. When he looked up again there were tears in his eyes and Lexi felt her resolve hedge just a little. "I'm so fucking sorry, sugar."

"Don't," she snarled and blinked back her own need to cry and held up a hand. "I said don't call me that."

He swallowed hard and nodded. "It slipped." There was anguish in his expression and in his tone as he spoke. "I've spent years regretting what I did and wishing I could fix things between us."

"You never tried," she pointed out, her own voice now barely a whisper and rough with emotion.

"I did a few times right after the accident, but your father intercepted my attempts. He warned me to get lost and told me that if I truly loved you the way I said, to prove it by leaving you alone and letting you heal." He pointed to her belly and gave her a small smile. "I'm glad to see you've been able to find the happiness I couldn't give you." He wiped at his eyes. "I mean you are happy, right?"

Wayward emotions and elevated hormones jumbled her mind, yet through the fuzzy haze of unresolved grief and regret thoughts of Roman slowly surfaced. An automatic smile now tipped her lips and she nodded. "I love Roman so much. He really has been the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Adam's smile grew. "I'm glad, Lexi. Really glad to hear that. I realize you'll probably never be able to forgive me for what I did, and I wouldn't expect you to, but at least I can go on knowing you're finally happy."

"I am happy," she replied and realized that despite all the stupid nonsense going on in her life, she really was grateful to have Roman's love and protection. "I guess in a way I should be thanking you."

He arched a curious brow. "Why is that?"

"Because if things hadn't played out the way they did, I might never have met Roman."