He stepped in front of her. "I'll take you. Don't walk."

"I'm not walking." She struggled to catch her breath again and talking was only making it worse. "My friend is picking me up."

"Grace, he fucked up, okay? He was drunk. Doesn't even remember. I know he wouldn't willingly hurt you like this. But you guys can get through this."

Yet another agonizing blow to take. Alex knew all along. She thought of how odd everyone had behaved at Sal's house the day Melissa showed up. Were they all in on it? She glared at him. "Get through this! He's having a baby with that bitch and..." It really sunk in. Her fairy tale future with the guy she was so hopelessly in love with was over. Just like that. "I'll never get through this, Alex. Never." She sobbed and tried walking around him and he attempted to stop her. "Let me go. I have a ride. I have to get out of here."

"Then wait for your ride here."

She shook her head. "I'm meeting him up the street."

"I'll go with you and we'll wait together."

She ignored Alex and dialed Joey, a tough feat with as much as her hands shook. She could barely speak when she asked him if he could pick her up. She kneer ="0" w he hadn't understood much of what she said only that she needed to be picked up and he quickly agreed.

"Where's he picking you up?"

"He'll call when he's close and I'll let him know where I am. I need to walk."

They walked silently for a few blocks. Then Alex finally spoke, "Gracie, alcohol is the devil. It fucks up so much shit. I only hope that you can forgive Sal-eventually. You really do mean everything to him."

The fact that Alex knew everything all this time was utterly humiliating. She wanted nothing more than to be away from him-all of them.

She'd finally managed to stop crying and now she felt a boulder sized lump in her throat again. Her entire life was defined by one devastating event after another that changed everything. This was just another one. She only hoped that like all the other times she'd be able to survive this. Her phone rang and she let Joey know where she was.

Without responding to Alex or even acknowledging that she'd heard anything he said they continued to walk in defening silence until Joey pulled up next to them.

"Sal's gonna come looking for you, Gracie. You know that," Alex said as she reached for the car door. "I don't want this to be goodbye."

Grace refused to look at him.

He touched her arm but recoiled when she flinched. "Maybe not right away. Take all the time you want but your job will be waiting, no matter how long it takes... I'll miss you."

Unable to hold back the devastating tears she got in the car with Joey, pulled the door shut and locked it, not looking at Alex.

"What happened, sweetie?" Joey asked his voice full of concern as they drove away.

She waited until Alex was out of sight before completely falling apart.

Sal banged the steering wheel. He should've told her before. He knew this was going to happen but the pregnancy-that came out of nowhere. Although the thought of there being no condom anywhere in the room had popped the idea in his mind a few times he didn't think he could be that unlucky. Sure, he knew he fucked up, but he didn't think it could it get any worse than it already was.

Traffic was the pits. Of course, he'd have to be clear across town when he got the call. After calling Alex back several times to no answer he'd called the restaurant and was told Alex had stepped outside with Grace. Apparently, he hadn't taken his phone with him. Grace had obviously turned her phone off because his calls were going straight to voicemail. He left one saying he loved her and begged her to give him a chance to explain, but he didn't her call back after that.

It would be a miracle if Grace was still there when he got back. His phone rang. Finally, Alex was returning his calls. "What happened?"

"She's gone, man."

"Home? Did she take the car?"

"No. She left the keys here. Wouldn't even let me give her a ride."

Sal gulped, the dreadfulness of this was sinking in. Grace was gone. "You let her take the bus?" He took a quick right nearly sideswiping someone.

"No. She insisted she'd get a ride so I walked with her a few blocks until her friend picked her up. Sal, how you gonna fix this?"

"I dunno. But I have to." He really did. He couldn't lose Grace. He just couldn't.

He hung up with Alex and raced to Grace's apartment building. He still didn't know which one she lived in so he knocked on the first one he came to on the third floor. That much he knew. The older lady that answered either really didn't know what apartment Grace lived or wasn't willing to part with the information. He quickly knocked on the next one. No one answered. After banging on a few more doors, he finally got a man who pointed him to Grace's apartment. Her mother answered in a robe. It was after noon and she looked like she'd just woke up. "Is Grace home?"

Her smile turned into confusion. "I thought she was working?"

"She was but she left."

She shook her head, saying she hadn't come home but invited him in. Sal declined and took off in a sprint. He'd try Joey and Taylor's next. He cursed himself as he rushed down the stairs. He should've gone there first. One of them had obviously picked her up and she probably figured he'd come looking for her here so she must've gone there instead.

At first no one answered the door at Taylor and Joey's either. But he heard voices inside. "Gracie, please just let me explain it's all I want. Then I'll go away I promise."

The door flung open and a red eyed Joey stood before him, leaning against the door. "I'd like to hear your explanation before you put her through any more. You have no idea what you've done to her." His face screwed up and he took a deep trembling breath. "This is killing her and that kills me. Do you understand?"

If this was the only way he'd get a chance to explain then he had no choice. "Listen to me, Joey. I don't remember anything about that night. I didn't spend any time with her the evening all us guys went out. I got totally wasted and somehow she ended up in my room the next morning. But I don't remember anything about it. She told me that we'd been together and that I'd texted Grace the night before. I didn't even remember that. But I swear to you I would never do anything to risk losing Grace."

Joey nearly fell when the door was yanked open further and Grace stepped up. Sal felt the life sucked out of him when he saw her devastated face and how bloodshot her eyes were. "But you did and now she's pregnant."

"Baby, I'm sorry. I'll do whatever I have to-"

"There's nothing you can do! You said you loved me and I believed you!"

"I do love you!"

"Stop!" She started toward him, arms flailing but Joey held her back. "Dond hek. heit ever say that to me again! I hate you!"

Taylor came out from behind the door and helped Joey hold her back. "You should go now, Sal," he said, pulling Grace inside.

"Grace please-"

"No, you please, Sal! Please leave and never come back because I want nothing to do with you ever again!" She collapsed onto Taylor's chest and he held her.

Joey cried openly now, too, smoothing her hair, then turned to Sal, eyes as broken as his own heart felt. "You need to go."

He closed the door leaving Sal standing there frozen, feeling a sense of utter hopelessness come over him. He hated himself for what he was putting Grace through, as if she hadn't had enough heartache in her life already.

His whole life nothing had ever been impossible. Hearing anyone even use the phrase, That's impossible, made him angry. There was nothing that would ever stand in the way of his dreams and goals. Where there was a will, there was a way. Now he'd finally hit an unforgiving wall of impossible. Aside from hoping Grace could somehow find it in her heart to forgive him, there was no way around this. He'd lost her and the reality nearly strangled the life out of him.

He left there feeling like his entire world as he'd so perfectly molded it, had just come to an explosive end. He never thought he'd feel like this, but without Grace, nothing mattered. He saw no joy in anything he accomplished from here on. How could one person have such a huge effect on another one's life? The nightmare that haunted him for weeks now was a reality.

His phone rang as he drove still feeling the haze of overwhelming hurt and doom-Sofie. Great. He'd be hearing it from everyone soon enough. Let the tongue-lashing begin. He deserved every bit of it. He clicked the earpiece and answered.

"Tell me it's not true, Sal. Tell me you didn't actually sleep with that bitch."

Sal took a deep unbearable breath. "I wish I could, Sofie."

"Why? Why would you do that? How could you?" She sounded ready to cry.

Shit. As if he didn't already feel like the biggest dick on the planet. He explained again, the story sounding lamer every time he told it. Being drunk was no excuse, but it was the only one he had.

"Have you ever considered maybe nothing happened?" Her voice went from devastated to suspicious.

"Sof, she's pregnant. Something happened."

"No. That doesn't mean anything. Even if something did happen, it may not be yours. I hate to say it, but women can be evil and I saw it I her eyes the day she insulted Grace, this bitch is as evil as they come. I wouldn't trust a word she says."

Sal sighed, feeling dead inside. "I dunno, Sof. I'll have to look into it all. I wasn't planning on just taking her word. But the fact remains she woke up in my room that morning."

Sofia was quiet for a moment. "Have you talked to Grace?"

"Yeah." The image of her distraught face and her words came at him again. I hate you! "It's o i> hever. She wants nothing to do with me anymore."

"Well, you can't give up."

"I don't think there's any way to fix this."

"Where there's a will there's a way, Sal. Aren't you the one always saying that?"

"I know but-"

"No, no buts. I'm calling Romero."

"For what?" The last thing he wanted was for the whole world to be in on his stupidity. But who was he kidding? With Melissa pregnant with his kid, everyone would know soon enough.

"This doesn't end here, Sal. Melissa doesn't get to win this easily. I have serious doubts about this whole thing. And I'm sorry, but if it turns out that she really is pregnant and this is your baby, I'll love it just as much as I'll love my nieces but I will never accept her as part of my family."

Sal knew that much already. Even if his brothers would somehow find a way to tolerate Melissa, if necessary, Sofie wasn't about to be that gracious. In fact after seeing her reaction to Melissa showing up at his house, it'd be best to keep those two out of the same room, especially now.

After hanging up with Sofia he did what he dreaded most, but knew he had to. He called Melissa.

CHAPTER 28.

Melissa answered on the first ring. Sal pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and parked.

"I had hoped to give you the news firstut it Sal leaned his elbow against the door and rested his head on his hand, feeling completely drained. "Mad doesn't even begin to explain what I'm feeling right now, Melissa."

"It's not like I planned this."

Sal rolled his eyes. "I want proof before I accept any responsibility whatsoever."

"How dare you!"

"Don't act surprised. You know damn well I'd be stupid to just take your word for it. In fact I question the validity of the pregnancy all together."

"You really think I would make something like this up?"

"Yes. I really do." Sal wasn't about to fall for her feigned hurt act. She'd just cost him the one thing he knew with all certainty he could never replace. There was no room for compassion here-none at all.

"I have proof."

"And that would be?" He waited, eyes squeezed shut.

"I'll show you the pregnancy test. I've taken three now and they're all positive."

He was almost relieved. "Not good enough. Unless you take it in front of me, I wouldn't put it past you to have had a pregnant friend take it for you. If not, I'm sure anything can be faked these days."

Her forced laugh was a loud one. "Your arrogance is beyond belief. That I would do such a thing just to land the great Sal Moreno, obviously the most eligible bachelor in La Jolla is ridiculous. Though I wouldn't mind us havimg a civil relationship for the sake of our child. I'm not asking you to marry me, Sal. But don't forget what I do for a living okay? I know my rights."

"Even having my kid, you wouldn't land me. Besides I'm not an eligible bachelor remember? I have a girlfriend." He wasn't about to give the satisfaction of knowing she'd accomplished what she so aggressively set out to do. "And I don't need to be an attorney to know I have rights, too." He opened the door to his car. The dull headache he'd begun to feel the moment he got Alex's phone call alerting him of Melissa's visit and announcement had now grown into a full blown migraine.

"She's still clinging to you even though she knows you cheated on her? How pathetic."

That brought him to an enraged abrupt stop, taking a deep breath he tried to remain as calm as possible. "There's nothing more pathetic than a girl who jumps in bed with a guy who's rejected her repeatedly. You knew the only way I'd ever fuck you again was if I was totally wasted. I'm only glad I don't remember any of it." He took a deep breath trying to calm himself before he walked in the restaurant. "Just so you know, nothing short of a notarized written note from your doctor will convince me you're pregnant."

Sal massaged his temple as he walked in the back door of the restaurant. She was quiet for a moment probably letting his insult simmer.

Silence. And even though that silence brought with it an ounce of hope that maybe she was ly "I've already made an appointment to see my doctor. I'll just wait until then and bring you the note. After that we can get on with how we're going to handle this. I know you're angry now but I do hope you're going to want to be part of our lives, Sal."

"First things first, Melissa. And the note alone is not gonna cut it. Even it were notarized I'd still have to run it by someone to make sure it's authentic." Sal hated sounding like such a dick but Melissa may have single handedly ruined any chance of complete happiness he may ever have. The last thing he wanted to discuss was any kind of relationship with her. "I gotta go. Let me know when you get the note."

He expected the mood from the other employees to be somewhat somber but he didn't expect the cold shoulder and downright haughtiness from some of Grace's closer friends. If it were for any other reason he might be irritated by it but he was just as pissed at himself as they were. He'd never forgive himself for the pain he'd caused Grace. If the pain of knowing he'd lost her was this excruciating for him, he could only imagine what she must be feeling, knowing he'd done this.

Sofia was on the phone in the back room when he walked in. "Perfect. Oh, he just walked in. Let me make sure." She looked at Sal. "You stayed at the Hard Rock Cafe that night in Vegas right?"

Sal nodded. He knew Sofia was adamant about this but it surprised him that she was already on the phone with someone about it.

"Yeah, it was the Hard Rock. Okay. Thanks."

She hung up and smiled big at Sal. "Romero said he might be able to get the tapes from the casino that night you were there. He said casinos hold on to their surveillance tapes for months or in some cases, years. Normally we'd need a court order to get a hold of them but," she winked, "good ole Romero has connections."

As much as Sal appreciated the effort, it was too hard to get past the hopelessness of the situation. "Sof," he said, plopping down in the chair, as the memory of Melissa unzipping his pants came flying at him like a slap across the face. "She was in my room that morning. Her damn panties were on the floor. Romero is better off looking into whether or not she's lying about being pregnant. That's probably the only thing we can hope for at this point, because even if she's not, Grace won't be forgetting and much less forgiving the fact that I cheated on her." He shook his head disgusted with himself. "And with Melissa of all people."

Sofia shook her head also. "And you call women nave? You don't think that psycho bitch would have it in her to plant her stink ass panties in your hotel room? I put nothing past her." She opened the cabinet and pulled out her purse. "Now that you're here I can leave."