by Tina Saxon
We sit and Aiden doesn’t waste any time pulling a picture out of his pocket. “Do you know this woman?”
He hands a picture of Jessie to him. Brooks looks it over, flicking the corner of the picture with his finger. He studies it for a minute and shakes his head. He releases a sharp exhale and then looks up at Aiden.
“Do I need to get my lawyer in here?” His tone is sharp. He holds out the picture for Aiden to take back. Well, that answers our question. He knows her.
“You might. But it’s not what you think,” Aiden says, putting the picture back into his back pocket. “Her name is Jessie Carver.”
“I know Jessie,” he says.
“When was the last time you saw her?” I ask.
“What is this about? Is Jessie hurt? In trouble? Dead? What?” he demands, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the desk. Aiden hesitates and looks at me. I can tell he’s having a hard time telling him. He knows how it feels to be blindsided when someone tells you that you might have a child.
I sigh. Just rip the Band-Aid off. “Jessie just had a baby,” I blurt out. Brooks’ eyes open wide. “And we think it’s yours.” He stands so abruptly I jump. His chair rolls back, hitting the window. He stalks to a bar in the corner of his office, pulls out a glass, and pours himself a drink. Lifting it to his lips, he swallows the entire drink. He puts the glass down and grips the edge of the bar so tightly his knuckles turn white. I can see the muscles in his back tighten through his shirt. He’s calculating the possibility in his head.
“I haven’t seen her in five months,” he grates out. He stares down at the bar as he speaks. “She blew out of my life as fast as she blew into it.” He turns and leans against the bar, crossing his arms and feet. “Why are you coming to me about this? Why isn’t she?”
Aiden sits up taller, crossing his foot over his leg. “She told me I was the father.”
“There you go,” he says, throwing his hand in the air. “Why are you bringing this to my door? Congrats, man.”
Aiden nods. “We did a paternity test. It’s not mine.”
Brooks runs his hands through his hair haphazardly. “She told you it was mine, then?” His voice raises as he starts to panic.
“Not exactly,” Aiden responds.
He looks like he’s about to explode, so I stand up and walk toward him. “We did a familial DNA test.” He glares at me like I have two heads. “It’s a DNA test that looks for a match of people already in the system,” I explain. “There was a match.”
“I’ve never had a DNA test, so I shouldn’t be in any system. You guys have the wrong person.”
Aiden stands up now. “No, but your biological dad is.”
Brooks stares at Aiden—hard. His face turns to stone. “How the fuck do you know who my biological father is?” he sneers. He drops his arms to his side and clenches his hands into a fist. He reminds me of Travis when I wouldn’t tell him my real name. Dangerous.
“I was undercover, working for Travis. He had me check up on you every now and then,” Aiden says, shrugging.
“This just keeps getting better and better.” He starts to pace.
Oh, little brother, just wait. We’re not done.
He mumbles a few things under his breath. He stops pacing and lowers his head. “Why did she try to pass it off as yours?”
“Because of me,” I whisper. He looks up and pins his hard stare on me.
“I don’t understand.”
Aiden starts talking before I can explain. “Jessie and I were friends with benefits in college. Nothing else. I went away on an assignment…” Brooks raises a brow in question. “Yes, Travis. Addison and I met during that time and when I got back into town, we ended up reconnecting. Long story short, Jessie freaked out, thinking we would be together someday. Did some stupid shit but nothing too crazy. Until now.”
Brooks nods his head. “Until now,” he says slowly. “So, I’m an innocent bystander in this fucked-up situation? I might have a kid because someone is trying to get revenge on you?”
“You are innocent,” I say, sighing. “But she sought you out specifically.”
Brooks head tilts to the side. “Why?” His voice turns defensive. I swallow hard. I take a few deep breaths and ready myself. My mouth feels like I just ate a cracker. Why am I so nervous? It’s not like I’ve kept this secret from him.
Aiden starts to say something, but I jerk my head at him and shake my head.
“Okay, somebody needs to start talking,” Brooks says.
“When Aiden was working for Travis…that’s when we met,” I say.
“Yes, Agent Roberts already covered that,” Brooks states matter-of-factly.
“I know. What he didn’t say was how we met. My mom was killed when I was ten. I knew Travis had something to do with it, I just didn’t know how.” I stop, wondering how much Brooks knows about Travis. When he doesn’t say anything, I continue. “I went to find out who Travis was. Another long story short, Travis didn’t kill my mom.” As if the pieces of the puzzle start fitting into place, Brooks narrows his eyes at me. I nod my head and flash a lopsided smile. “Travis is my father, too.”
Brooks spins around and pours himself another glass of whiskey. I hear him murmur, “Talk about an insta-fucking-family,” before downing his drink.
***
“What now?” I say as Aiden holds the door open for me, and we walk out of Brooks’s building.
Aiden slips his hand through mine, stopping me, and glances down into my eyes. “I think we have a wedding to plan.” He wags his eyebrows.
I drop my shoulders and my lips turn downward. “Really? That’s it. You’re moving onto the next thing?”
He looks around and shakes his head slightly. “Addison, that up there,” he says, pointing up at the building, “that is not our problem now. That is between Brooks and Jessie.”
“But Presley is my niece. And soon to be yours, too.”
“This is exactly what Jessie wanted. Don’t let her come in the middle of our life.”
“I’m not. We’re still going to get married, Aiden. But…” I pause, wondering why I feel like I need to do something, “…I mean I haven’t even seen her in person.”
“No. We are not going to the hospital.” I stare at him. His jaw is set and his eyes have me pinned. I cross my arms and huff at his domineering posture. A loud horn pulls my attention toward the street. People are starting to get off work, crowding around us.
“Fine,” I snap when it’s obvious he’s not going to back down. “But that up there…” I point up, mimicking him, “…that’s my brother, and we just turned his world upside-down. We left him pissed off and confused. I feel like I should do something.”
Aiden blows out a breath, his expression softening, and he takes a step toward me. I cross my arms in defiance. “Addison, he has a lot to think about. I know you’re having to deal with new feelings for a brother and a niece that you didn’t know you had until a few hours ago, but everything can’t be dealt with today.” He grabs my arm, unwrapping it from my body, and then my other arm. He pulls me into him and rests his forehead on mine. “Let me have tonight to celebrate that I’m not the father. Tomorrow, after Brooks has time to let this all sink in, we’ll call him and talk some more.”
I close my eyes, feeling like shit now. Crap.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how this has affected you.” I open my eyes and gaze into emerald eyes. I rub my hand along his jawline, his five o’clock shadow rough against my palm. “Tonight, let’s celebrate. No more talk about Brooks, Jessie, or Presley.”
“One last thing I want to say before we stop talking about them…thank you for standing next to me, supporting me even when you didn’t know.”
“I did know and there isn’t anywhere else I wanted to be than by your side. You’ve stood by me through a lot worse, even when I destroyed you with my words. You fought for me. For us. It was my turn to do the fighting.”
Chapter seven
“I swear, I’m telling him you have gonorrhea.”
Sydney, mouth full of water, bursts out laughing, spraying water everywhere. I just told her about Brooks. Everything from him being my brother to him being Presley’s father. The first thing she asks is if he’s single. Really? That’s what she got out of the whole story?
“I’m totally kidding,” she says through her laughs. I roll my head against the lounger, over to her direction, and push my sunglasses up, narrowing my eyes. “I am!” I shake my head, not believing her. We just finished working out and now we’re lounging by the gym pool. Aiden is still working out and will bring Lexi here to swim when he’s done. I figure I’ll enjoy this free few minutes and soak up some sun before they come out.
“I don’t believe you.” I look back toward the sky, pulling my sunglasses down.
“What? We could be real sisters. He’s also hot and a millionaire,” she says jokingly.
“I think you have enough men in your life.”
“Seriously, I was kidding.” She leans over and hits me on the shoulder. “Anyway, I just have one man in my life.” I look over at her again and raise my brows in surprise. She shrugs and reclines. “Damon and I have decided we are going to be exclusive.”
I bolt up. “Really?” I like her and Damon together, I just didn’t know if they would work out because of her hooking up with Max a few months ago.
“Yep. We’ve been seeing a lot of each other, and he asked me the other day what I thought about us being together. I told him I really like him. I mean, hell, I’ve always liked him. He’s the one who couldn’t commit.”
“And Max?” I say, wincing, not wanting to bring it up.
“We talked about it. I told him it was a one-night stand on a drunken, emotional night and it meant nothing. Max said the same thing to him.”
“Did it really mean nothing?”
Syd sighs. “Max are I are nothing alike. It was never more than a sexual attraction. I never really liked Max.” She looks at me, waiting for a response. I just nod. I don’t think that’s all it was, but who am I to say anything. “I really, really like Damon.”
“I know.” I lean over and pick up my water bottle. The sun’s heat has sweat running down my chest. After I take a much-needed drink, I continue. “I’m happy for y’all.”
“I think you guys getting engaged and having Lexi around, he’s starting to want to settle down, too. He’s questioning where he wants his life in a few years.”
“And that’s with you?”
“Oh, gosh! We’re still too new for that conversation. He’s just…reevaluating his player ways.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s…oh!” I stop talking when I think about our wedding.
“What?”
“So, our wedding… You’re my maid of honor and Max is Aiden’s best man.” She nods her head in understanding. “Is that going to cause any problems?”
“Hopefully since Damon will be in the wedding, too, it won’t. I guess we need to have another conversation.” She throws her head back and moans a little. “Why did you let me sleep with Max?”
I sit up tall again as my mouth gapes open. “Are you kidding me? When have you ever taken my advice about who not to sleep with? And don’t act like I haven’t tried to warn you. Many times, in fact!”
“Many times?” She tilts her head in my direction.
“Oh, you want me to name them? Let’s start with Jack and then there’s—”
“O-kay!” she says, interrupting me. “It’s a little concerning that you remember names, but you don’t need to continue naming my indiscretions. Just because I can enjoy a man’s body and you can’t—”
“I definitely enjoy a man’s body,” I say, interrupting her and staring at Aiden walking out, holding Lexi’s hand. His hair is disheveled from working out. I admire every inch of his muscular body. His turquoise board shorts hang low on his hips, and I bite my lip to stop my mouth from hanging open.
Sydney follows my stare to Aiden. “Alright, you win.” She grins. “I think I need to get in the pool to cool down,” she says, fanning herself. I chuckle and stand as Aiden walks up. “Come on Lulu, let’s go swim.” Lexi jumps up and down and runs to Syd. I watch them jump into the pool and turn toward Aiden.
He flashes a megawatt smile, wrapping his hands around my waist. “What exactly are you winning?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I already know.” He wags his eyebrows, amusement dancing in his eyes. One thing is for sure, the confident man who was missing the last month is back in full force. He trails a finger down my arm and my body shivers. With a sly smile, he leans over and whispers in my ear, “I’ll give you the prize later.”
I try to think of a witty comeback, but all I can think about is his prize and where I plan on putting it. Oh, my. I turn away, hiding the flush on my face. Not the place, Addison. I lie back down on my towel and look out at the pool, ignoring Aiden’s cocky smile and sexy body. He opens his towel and places it on the lounger next to me.
“Addie, look!” Lexi screams from the side of the pool. She does a cannonball and bobs back up from her arm floats. “Did you see me?”
“I did. You made a huge splash,” I respond, holding my arms out wide.
“I considered signing her up for swim lessons,” Aiden says. “I’ve heard they have a great program here.”
“It doesn’t surprise me. They have everything else here.” We bought a membership last month because the boxing gym isn’t very kid-friendly. Lexi loves it here. There’s a huge treehouse in the kid area as well as a climbing wall, kids’-only basketball court, computers, anything a kid could want to do while their parents work out. “I think it’s a great idea, especially since she’ll want to use the pool a lot.”
“Well, that and I’ll feel more comfortable with her around the pool at the beach house if she knows how to swim.”
I glance over to him as he watches Lexi swim. His hands are behind his head and his stomach muscles contract as he laughs at something Lexi does. His body is sexy, but it doesn’t come close to the man he is on the inside. The way he cares for Lexi’s wellbeing makes my heart happy. For a quick second, I think about ten little kids all stockpiled on top of him, laughing and playing. I shake my head clearing that image. No freaking way. I do not want ten kids. This is all Aiden’s fault, saying he wants ten of them. He had to be kidding, right? I look back out at the water to Syd and Lexi as they sing “Ring around the Rosie.”
Thinking of kids turns my thoughts to Presley. “Have you talked to Ryan?” I say, skirting around the real question I want to ask. Does Jessie know we know about Brooks? It’s been three days since we visited Brooks, and I haven’t brought it up. Aiden did confirm Brooks was the father, but other than that I haven’t heard anything else. It’s still a sore subject with Aiden, so I haven’t pushed it. I tried to call Brooks, but he’s not answering my calls.
“Yes,” he says, looking straight ahead.
“Aiden.” I wait until he turns his head in my direction. “And…” I say, wanting him to continue.
He grunts. “Jessie left the hospital a couple days ago. I guess she went back to New Haven. She knows the father is Brooks,” he says. “That’s about all I know. It’s about all I care to know.” I sink back into my chaise lounge. I wish it was that easy for me, but Presley is my niece. It’s hard not to think about her wellbeing.
From the corner of my eye, I see Aiden sit up and swing his legs around. He reaches over and his hand covers mine. “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to Ryan and find out how Presley is doing.”
I chew on my inner cheek and nod. “Thanks,” I whisper.
“Now, let’s go swim. I’m burning up,” he says, pulling me up, throwing me over his shoulder, and jumping in. I try not to scream, but it slips out anyway. When we surface, I hear a whistle being blown. I wipe the water from my eyes and look around, making sure Lexi is okay. It blows again. When I look over at the lifeguard, he’s staring at me and Aiden shaki
ng his head. I turn to hide my smile and splash Aiden.
“You got us in trouble,” I snicker, sticking my tongue out.
“Sweetheart, you knew I was trouble the second you laid eyes on me,” he says, flashing a salacious smile. My heart beats faster, remembering him walking in the door. Trouble doesn’t even begin to cover what I thought when his emerald eyes met my turquoise ones.
Chapter eight
“Nope, we’ll be home alone,” I say seductively into my phone, walking up to Aiden’s front door. I had planned on surprising him with dinner at his place, but right when I answered his call, the security guard downstairs said hello and Aiden immediately knew where I was. Busted. “Lexi is out with Sydney for a few hours.” Aiden growls into the phone. “You better hurry up,” I say before ending the phone call.
I’m thinking about the things we can do without having to worry about little ears as I open the door. My mind is so distracted with Aiden and what’s to come, I don’t register it until it’s too late. Someone is standing in the entryway. Pointing a gun right at me.
“Shut the door, Addison,” Jessie grates out. I quickly look her over. Her eyes dart to the door and back to me. “Now!” I flinch at her demand. There’s a desperate air that surrounds her. She’s rocking back and forth from foot to foot and the hand that’s holding the gun shakes.
“Okay, Jessie. I’m shutting it,” I say, putting up my hands. I still have my phone in one hand. Unfortunately, Aiden’s not on the line. I shut the door but not all the way, hoping when Aiden gets here he’ll be able to hear us before coming in. I’m also hoping she doesn’t notice.
As soon as I turn around, she tells me to drop my phone and kick it away. I do what she says because it’s obvious she’s unstable right now. She looks like shit. Her button-up shirt is askew and her hair looks like it hasn’t been washed in days. Then it hits me. Presley.
“Jessie, where is Presley?”
“No!” she snaps, shaking the gun at me. “You don’t get to ask where Presley is at. She’s not yours!” My chest tightens, worrying about the safety of Presley. Please, God, let her be okay.