by K. C. Crowne
I thought the lawyer expected me to jump up from my chair and hug him or something. When I stared back at him with a blank look on my face, he asked me, “Did you hear me, Cyrus? All ten million dollars in assets, along with his homes and—”
I stopped him before he could continue listing off everything my father had amassed during his lifetime. It truly made me sick. “I heard you.”
He leaned back and steeped his fingers, studying me for a long while. I had nothing to say to him, and I was ready to get the hell out of there.
“If that’s all, can I leave? I really should get back to work.”
“You have no other questions for me?”
“No, not really.”
“Then I guess you’re free to go.”
I didn’t really have to get back to work. I’d closed for the day. I had the rest of the afternoon and evening off, because I knew I’d need it. I left the temporary office that my dad’s attorney had set up and didn’t even look back.
I was now a multimillionaire. Not that I needed my dad’s money; I did well enough on my own without it. I didn’t need anything from him. He’d already tried to buy my love with money when he was alive, and it sure as shit wouldn’t work after he was dead.
My mother was waiting for me outside. She hadn’t wanted to meet dad’s lawyer; there was still a lot of bad blood between them after all these years. She’d not been invited either. Only me. But there she was, sitting on a park bench outside the offices, waiting for me to come out. I joined her on the bench.
“What are you doing here, Ma?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” she said, taking my hand in hers. My hand was easily three times the size of hers, but she squeezed it anyway.
When I looked at her, I could see the damage my father had done to her. She had a scar across her cheek from when he’d hit her with a vase, slicing her face open. I’d been eight when that happened, and I could still remember the blood. She’d refused to go to the hospital and let it heal on its own. She’d comforted me that night as I cried myself to sleep in fear. She had needed comfort, but she chose to take care of me instead.
I looked away, ashamed. I was only a child, but still, it felt wrong for me not to have said or done something. Maybe if I had, none of the bad shit that came later would have happened. Maybe someone would have believed her and not let that asshole take me away.
“I’m fine.”
“What did the lawyer say?”
“That I get it all - all ten million, plus whatever the properties are worth. He had several more than I’d realized, including a vacation home in Iceland.” I chuckled mirthlessly, shaking my head. “Fucking Iceland, like he ever went there.”
“You know your dad,” she murmured. “It was more about having it than enjoying it.”
I nodded. “Well, I’m sure as shit not going to enjoy any of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want a dime of his money.”
“Cyrus, think about all the good you could do with it.”
I nodded, lifting the corners of my lips slightly. “Yeah, you’re right. First, I’m going to buy you a house and a new car with it. I’m going to give you everything he stole from you, then donate the rest to as many charities as I can find.”
Mom reached out and took my face in her tiny, wrinkled hands. “Think about the future, Cyrus.”
“What future?” I scoffed.
“Your future children. College is expensive, and you’ll want to give them the best life you can. With this kind of money, you can do that.”
I hated breaking it to her, but the words slipped out before I could stop myself. “I’m not having kids, Mom. It’s not in the cards for me.”
“You’re still young, Cyrus,” she admonished quietly. “Don’t say that just yet. You might meet a lovely woman who wants children and change your mind, and then what? Think about all the good you could have done with your money then, all that you could have given your wife and babies.”
I sighed. She’d never understand. It wasn’t simply about not wanting kids; I just found it hard to believe it was the right thing for me. I wasn’t sure I lived the type of life that lent itself to a family. In one way, I was a lot like my father - I enjoyed working. My work came first, above all else, and I didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
“I’m meeting Grant for drinks,” I muttered, trying to change the subject. I hated letting my mom down, but there was no way around it. She wanted to be a grandmother, but I wasn’t sure I could give her that.
“Have fun,” she said, her smile spreading and her eyes twinkling. “Maybe you’ll meet a nice girl while out.”
I sighed. No use in arguing, right?
Ooo000ooo
“What’s up, man? That’s the second near perfect shot you missed tonight.”
I stared at the balls on the table as if seeing them for the first time. I’d been so stuck in my head, I hadn’t even realized I’d fucked up again. Normally, Grant and I were head-to-head at pool, evenly matched. But tonight, I might as well be handing the game over to him.
“Nothing,” I muttered.
“Is this about your dad?”
Grant knew a little about my dad already, not too much. He knew that he was the reason I went into the military. I’d had the opportunity to go to any school of my choice - Harvard, Stanford, Yale, but he’d have paid for it and I didn’t want my father paying a dime toward my education. Grant knew all of this, and he also knew of his passing, but he didn’t know much else.
“Not really,” I said, scratching my chin. “I think I fucked up today.”
“What did you do now?” he asked, hitting the eight ball into his striped ball, sending it straight into the hole.
“Well, I hooked up with my competition today.”
“Hooked up as in you two had sex?”
“Yes.”
“And by competition you mean…Josie Parker?” He took a long swig from his beer bottle, and eyebrow lifted.
“You got it.”
“Damn, you really did fuck up then.”
“Why? What do you know about her?”
I put my pool cue down, no longer interested in the game. Grant followed suit and motioned for me to join him at a nearby table. I took a seat and drank from my beer as I waited for him to answer my question.
“She’s one of my sister’s friends. They went to high school together,” Grant said. “Don’t get me wrong, Josie’s a good girl. She’s sweet as hell, smart too. She works hard—”
“I hear a but coming.”
Grant sighed. “But she’s complicated, Cyrus. I’ve known her for many years, and her life is a mess right now. I can’t help but feel a little defensive about her, knowing all that she’s been through.”
“She told me about the abusive ex.”
“Yeah, well, it’s more than just that.”
“What is it?”
“It’s not my tale to tell,” Grant said, taking another swig from his bottle. “You’ll need to talk to Josie. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you what’s going on. But you have to be worthy of her trust.”
“Well, I’m not looking for anything long-term, you know.”
“Then my advice is to stay away from Josie. She doesn’t need the drama right now.”
“Who said anything about drama?” I leaned back against the booth, arms crossed.
Grant shrugged. “I know you mean well, that you wouldn’t hurt someone on purpose, but Josie’s had enough shit to last a lifetime. If you don’t mean to be serious with her, stay away. It’ll be best for everyone involved.”
I didn’t say anything for a long time. I contemplated Grant’s words and feared I’d already fucked up. We were already competitors; there was enough tension between us as is.
“She’s a good woman, Cyrus. If you decided you wanted to, you know, settle down, she’d be good for you, I think. Piper and my sister are both good friends with her, so I’m a little prote
ctive, but I don’t mean to scare you away if you’re interested. Just, if you’re not…”
“How’s Piper, by the way? Happy about getting engaged?”
Grant grinned at me, seeing right through my attempt at changing the subject. He finished his beer and answered, “Yeah, she’s good. Never thought we’d be where we are, but life’s funny like that sometimes.”
“And the kid? How’s he doing?”
Grant smiled even wider. “Caleb is doing great. He’s in therapy after what happened after his dad died, but he’s adjusting pretty well. He’s a tough little guy.”
Caleb was the reason we’d met. I’d heard about the little boy getting kidnapped from the local sheriff, who called me in to help with the search. We’d searched all night for the boy, and eventually he was found after a traumatizing ordeal.
“No kid should have to go through something like that.”
“Yeah, I agree.” Grant stared at me for a long time before asking. “So what do you think about kids? You wanna have them someday, or not?”
I sighed and turned the bottle around in my hands, focusing on that instead of the question at hand. “I don’t really know. I’m scared I’d be a fuck up like my dad was.”
“You wouldn’t be like him, though.”
“I won’t know until I try, and let’s face it, I’d rather not find out after fathering a child of my own. I wouldn’t want to do that to anyone.”
“Well, then, if you’re not sure you want a family, maybe it’s best you stay clear of Josie. At least until you know for sure.”
“You’re right,” I grumbled, shrugging my shoulders to release some tension. “You’re absolutely right. Now can we change the fucking subject before I walk out of here?”
Grant chuckled. “Sure, man. Want me to go back to beating your ass at some pool?”
“Sounds better than beating my ass for sleeping with your friend’s sister,” I griped. “Christ.”
We were both laughing, though. He was right, and he’d made his point. Stay away from Josie until I had my shit together – which, to be perfectly honest, was probably not going to happen anytime soon. If ever.
Ooo000ooo
“Daddy!” a little boy’s voice called, and for some strange reason, I knew he was talking to me. I turned and found myself in a park, surrounded by trees and playground equipment. It was the same park near my house in Kentucky, but we weren’t in Kentucky. The mountains in the distance were one hundred percent Liberty.
A little boy ran toward me from the swings, and when I knelt, he threw himself into my arms. I was taken aback, unsure what to do, so I hugged him. When he pulled back, I looked into his eyes, and it was like staring into the face of my younger self.
A soft, feminine voice spoke to me as well. “Cyrus? Are you ready to go home?”
I looked up to find Josie standing behind the boy. Her hair was pulled back in a top knot, and she was in her yoga pants and workout gear, like usual. Except her belly was swollen and growing with a baby. In her arms was another child, a toddler slightly younger than the little boy beside me. A little girl in a pink dress and a bow in her hair.
“Ready to go home?” I muttered. “What do you mean?”
Josie laughed. “Stop messing around. I’m tired. And the kids need to eat dinner and bathe before bed.”
She turned and walked away, and the little boy hugging me followed her, looking back at me and beckoning me to come with them. I couldn’t remember walking anywhere – one minute we were at the park, the next we were inside a spacious house, sitting around the dinner table.
“Your son made this for you today,” Josie said, handing me a piece of paper.
I took it and stared at it, unable to make any sense of it.
Josie continued. “He said it’s a picture of the two of you hiking together. He really wants you to take him up to the top of the mountain.”
I stared at the paper even longer, watching the shapes and lines shift into place, drawing out exactly what she was describing.
“My son?” I looked at the little boy again. He grinned at me with spaghetti sauce all over his face.
“Yes, your son, silly,” Josie said. “You also have a daughter, or did you forget about her too? Oh and the twins will be here any day now…”
“Twins?” I choked on the words.
“Just kidding!” she teased, looking at me with concern. “What is with you tonight?” She rubbed her belly. “No, just another little boy. The last one too, I might add. I love kids, but three is more than enough, don’t you think?”
“Three kids? I have three kids?”
“Don’t you want this life, Cyrus?” Josie looked at me with such a pained look on her face.
I sat at the table in silence, contemplating what was going on around me. I had a wife and two-point-five kids. A nice, big house. My kids stared at me with love in their eyes, not fear. And even though I knew it had to be a dream, I felt content.
The dream life felt right…until I pulled myself out of the dream and back into reality. I sat up in bed, sweat dripping down my face. I was alone in my bedroom. The house was quiet and dark. It was two in the morning, and I was utterly alone.
I laid back down, thinking I should feel relieved. I was in my bed, in my home. Not at a table surrounded by children. I remembered their sweet faces; they looked so much like me, but also like Josie.
Would that be so bad, I pondered for a moment.
“Yes,” I answered out loud. “Because you don’t know the first fucking thing about this woman besides the fact that she’s hot.”
That was a lie. I’d run in similar circles as her for months. I knew she was smart, active, feisty, and determined. All qualities I admired in a woman. She was strong as hell, and not just physically. But that wasn’t enough to be dreaming about a family with her.
I closed my eyes and silently cursed my mom and Grant for putting these ideas into my head in the first place.
There was no way I was about to settle down. No way in hell.
Three fucking kids? Me? That was simply laughable.
Chapter 7
Josie
I was greeting my morning regulars and prepping for the first yoga class of the day when a familiar face walked in. He held his head down and tried to rush into the classroom, but I stepped in front of him.
“Ben? You’re back for another class?”
He shifted his gaze from the floor to just past me and over my shoulder, a sheepish expression on his face. “Yeah, umm, don’t tell Cyrus, okay?”
“Why not?” I cocked an eyebrow and fought a smirk. “I thought he was the one who put you up to this in the first place.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t know I’ve decided to come back.”
“Why did you choose to come back”
He shrugged.
My smirk widened. “Let me guess. You liked it, didn’t you?”
“No, it’s good for me to learn about other fitness regimens. Good for my future career, yes. Can I go in now?”
I didn’t want to make one of my customers uncomfortable, no matter how surprising his identity might be. I stepped aside and motioned for him to walk into the classroom, holding back the laughter until he was in the room and far enough away to not hear it.
He enjoyed yoga and his fragile masculinity made it impossible for him to admit it. I would have a ball telling Elle about it later.
I was just about to head into the classroom myself, thinking everyone had arrived, when the front door swung open again.
A tall man in a business suit sauntered inside. He was definitely not dressed for yoga. He had black hair that was slicked back and to the side to cover up a receding hairline and a clean-shaven face that didn’t look that old. Something about him put me on edge, possibly his posture or the way his nearly black eyes honed in on me as his lips spread back into an almost predatory grin.
“Can I help you?”
“Are you Josephine Parker?”
“Yes.
What can I do for you?”
He reached out his hand, and I noticed he was holding a card. I took it from him and read it. Lionel Buchanon. Attorney-at-law.
“I’m confused. Am I being sued or something?” Every hair on my body stood on end. I had a bad feeling about this. Lawyers didn’t just show up out of the blue unless something was wrong.
“I’m here to talk about your son, Ms. Parker.”
Those words nearly knocked me off my feet. Only my closest friends knew about Milo. Most of Liberty had no idea I had a son; I’d kept the pregnancy and everything a secret. He was the reason I had practically disappeared and nearly lost all my friends. I had to keep myself hidden for the entire nine months, and even afterward. Only the people I trusted the most knew.
I wanted to play it cool, pretend that the guy was wrong, but found myself stammering and at a loss for words. “I don’t— I mean, what are you talking about?”
“Don’t play coy with me, Ms. Parker. I think we need to find a place and time to talk. Meet me at Smothered in Love around noon.”
He didn’t ask me to be there. He outright told me I had to be. And just as quickly as he’s come into my business, he was gone. I was dumbstruck and scared. There was only one thing the man’s appearance could mean - Wade knew about Milo somehow.
My heart raced, and I felt light-headed. I reached out to the wall to hold myself up. Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling very good at all, like I might pass out. I wanted to do nothing more than to run home and check on Milo, but there was a classroom full of people who’d paid for a yoga class, and God knew I needed the money. I couldn’t risk losing their business at a time like this.
I steadied myself and took a few deep breaths, telling myself that maybe it had nothing to do with Wade. But of course it did. What else could it be about?
But I was so careful. How could he know about Milo?
I wasn’t about to get any answers just standing there. I had to get on with my day. I had to keep going, for Milo’s sake. I walked into the classroom and put on my best fake smile and got back to work. It wasn’t my best class, but I did my best to keep my feelings in check. I went through the moves and poses, trying to focus on my breathing and to relax, but it was impossible. There was no relaxing until after I knew what the hell the lawyer wanted.