by Wendi Zwaduk
“Daddy, really!”
Rexx sat up, his hands moving from Pia’s butt to her waist. His blue eyes blazed and his mouth opened and closed. “Jade! I told Glyn to let me know when you were here!”
“Jaden! We’ve missed you.” Pia rubbed her slightly protruding stomach. “Does she know our news?”
“I haven’t had time,” Rexx growled. “Give me a moment with her and then we’ll see.”
Primping, the woman stood. “I hope you’ll accept me in the family.” She stuck her hand out, and Jaden just nodded. Pia shrugged. “I’ll be back later, Rexie. Miss me when I’m gone.”
Jaden forced the bile from her throat. So her father had the right to want human contact. Yes, he was a grown man who had primal urges…but with the blonde bimbo? Sheesh. Darby Haydenweir would pass out if she wasn’t rolling over in her grave.
When Pia left the office, Jaden sucked in a long breath and spoke. “So… this is what you do with yourself when you’re—” She hooked her fingers in the air. “—working. I’ll bet you get a lot done. Are you going to make her an honest woman?”
Buttoning his shirt, Rexx stood at his full six feet. “You aren’t an angel, my dear. I see that little video of you has over seven hundred thousand hits. Nice job. I knew I could count on you to take one for the team.” He slid his arms through the suit jacket sleeves without looking her in the eye. “I hadn’t planned on the clip showing quite as much. For that, I’m sorry.”
“You masterminded it?” Her blood ran cold. “I don’t believe it.”
“I wanted a little necking, some petting. Not nudity and absolutely no drug use. Still, he was a bit below you. He’s a cop, for God’s sake. He’s nothing more than a public servant. If you wanted a man of the law, I’d call your friend Bobby or maybe Jeremy. He’s playing a cop on Daytona Homicide. He’s a much better suitor.”
Clenching her fists, Jaden stepped in front of her father. “Marlon’s a damned good cop and he lost his job on account of me.”
“Good. He’s a shit. He protected my little girl from the prying eyes of the public too well. The world’s a better place.”
Realisation washed over her like a splash of ice-cold water. “I didn’t want to believe my instincts, but it was you all along. You sent that jerk to ruin my chance of having a life of my own!”
“I did no such thing—this time.” He adjusted his collar and rolled his shoulders. “Besides, it’s nothing you haven’t done in the past. Call Joe a bad decision I regret. Bastard cost me an extra fifty K.”
“That’s it. You sent the blond fan to hunt me down and when he found me, you sent another guy, maybe the same one—I don’t know—to follow me. You allowed them to record me and for what? The magazine? Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Your father.”
“You of all people should’ve protected me from creeps like that—not encouraged them. That was a special, private moment and you stole it from me.”
“Hank did his job and should leave you alone. If Joe’s bothering you, then I’ll have Hank take care of him.”
“What? Are you now a mob boss, too? Tell your goons to leave me alone. I’m not a celebrity any longer. I’m Jaden Haydenweir, regular citizen.”
“You’re right.” Rexx picked up his phone and spoke in low tones. After a long moment, he dropped the handset onto his desk. “Your little follower is all gone and you can call off Hutchins. His services aren’t needed. Now, what did you come here for? I know it wasn’t for a touching family reunion. My relationship with Pia hasn’t gone public yet.”
Relationship not public? Every magazine and pop culture outlet had images of Rexx and Pia Reardon. “Even if I wanted to say I missed you, I can’t. I came here for my trust money.”
“I assumed as much. You have to use it for charity. Enlighten me with your scheme, if you have one. How will that benefit the magazine? What are we going to see Miss Jaden Haydenweir, public citizen, do to get the press to pay attention?”
“Walk out of here with my head held high and go back to peace in Ohio. You can have your piece of ass and I can have my freedom.” She snorted. “I’ll leave you alone so you can make the tabloids churn.”
A flicker of emotion lit his eyes for a split second. “Is that all you think I want you for?” His voice cracked.
“No, I know it is.” She grinned. She’d got under his skin. Good. She rolled her tongue around her mouth. The furry kids needed her, and if she worked fast enough, Judi would get to see her wishes come to fruition and Marlon would be in her arms. “Why don’t we discuss the terms of my trust fund money?”
Rexx snorted. “Your mother wrote it into her will that once you turned twenty-one, you received two million dollars, but you have to use it for a philanthropic purpose. Fat lot of good that did. She also stipulated that I can’t touch it. I was her husband! I should’ve been in charge.”
“If you’re not, then who is?”
“Your Uncle Gene.”
“Fine.” Uncle Gene liked her as she was. Heck, he practiced law in jeans when he wasn’t in court. He’d help her in an instant. “I’ll give him a call and let you have your life.”
“Rexx?”
Jaden glanced over her shoulder as Pia re-entered the office, clutching her belly. “You need to feel this! The baby kicked. Our baby moved.”
Baby? Our? The handful of crackers Jaden had eaten in the car made their way up her throat. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy that her father had someone or sick because she knew what future lay in store for the baby.
“I’ll let you have your privacy, Daddy.” Jaden flicked a lock of hair from her eyes and forced a smile. “It was nice to see you.”
As she left the front office, Glynnis followed her to the elevator. “You can’t walk out on your father like that.”
Again Jaden spun on her heel. “I didn’t, but why do you care? He wants his only daughter—his only child until now—to bare her body for the sake of his magazine? I’m supposed to be a cokehead, riding around drunk in the back of a limo so he can sell glossies? Come on. I’m sorry I took this long to figure him out, but I’m not sorry I’m leaving. I deserve better!”
“She’s right.”
Jaden’s eyes widened. Her father, with his hands folded and his head down stepped into the foyer. “Glynnis, please run down to Mr Gaughan’s office. I want to see the prelims on next week’s spotlight.”
Glynnis snorted and pressed the elevator button. When Ron opened the car, she walked in, but not without a final snarky comment. “He should’ve given you up when he had the chance. Worthless brat. You’re just like Ira.”
Ron rolled his eyes and closed the door, shutting out any further comments. Jaden shuffled her feet and stared at the black carpet. She hardly knew Glynnis, so why did the woman hate her so?
“She’s right and she’s not.”
Jaden crossed her arms. “How? She’s a raving lunatic.”
Rexx sat on the desk. His shoulders sagged. A long sigh escaped his lips. “Honey, it’s complicated.” He crossed his arms. “I can’t live the lie.”
Gripping her handbag, Jaden edged to the chair in front of Glynnis’ desk. Her heart pounded behind her ribcage. “What lie? And why is she talking about someone named Ira?”
Rexx dropped into the seat next to her. “There’s so much you need to know and so many things I did wrong. It’s high time you found out the truth.” He rubbed his forehead, the creases deepening. Crinkles formed around his eyes. “An hour ago, your former boyfriend called and read me the riot act. He was completely right and I deserved his anger. And just a few moments ago, I stood there caressing Pia’s stomach, feeling the glimmer of life I helped create, and it hit me right over the head. I can’t screw up another life. I won’t.”
Folding her hands, Jaden studied her father. The cool demeanour melted. For the first time, she noticed the streaks of grey lacing the jet-black strands of hair and the thinning areas at his temples. The sparkle that once lit his eye
s had diminished.
“Marlon’s got a mouth on him, but he cares about you.” He span the ring on his middle finger—his one reminder of Jaden’s mother. “I’m not even sure how to tell you. It’s a cluster-fuck my Delish people would love to get their hands on.”
“Tell me, Daddy.” Even if she didn’t want to hear it, she needed the truth.
“Here goes.” He sat up, squaring his broad shoulders and nodding. “I’m not your father.”
She slumped in her seat. “Yes, you are. You’re my dad as much as you are to Pia’s baby.” Not her… Things didn’t make sense. Tears pricked her eyes. “What are you saying?” She clenched her fists. Her words came out in a scream. “Who, then? Who do I belong to?”
He sighed again and his voice cracked. “Your mother never wanted you to find out. She wanted me to keep the secret because Ira Lambert was such a jackass. He beat the living hell out of your mom because he could. He slept around on her and refused to believe you were his. When I met your mom, she’d just finished making the movie Mirabella and had broken things off with Ira. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, but the moment I saw her, I dropped to my knees and professed my undying love. She was so beautiful and full of life.” He paused and scrubbed his palm over his mouth. “She was pregnant with you when we married. I didn’t care. I wanted a little girl to spoil.”
Thoughts raced through her mind. Ira Lambert? The photographer from back in the Hamptons? No wonder she’d screwed up her life—it was in her genes. Maybe that was how she’d allowed things to go to hell with Marlon…
And now she was in the same predicament—pregnant and alone.
“When you were five and your momma got sick, I got so angry. The damage from Ira’s beatings took their toll on her body. I knew it wasn’t your fault, but my anger won out against my common sense.” Rexx pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. No one knew about the discrepancy until Glynnis found the adoption papers. Ira never wanted you and your mother insisted I adopt you. I did in a heartbeat, but every time I looked at you after she passed, I saw him. I’d lost her despite my best attempts to save her. In my anger, I took it out on you.”
Jaden covered her face with her hands. So many crushing moments came to mind. Ira Lambert had worked for Rexx and never bothered to tell her the truth. He didn’t want her any more than Rexx had. Even though her heart broke, she needed more answers. “So why let me run wild? Why did you let me act like a fool in front of the entire world?”
“Because I thought I didn’t care. Each time you screwed up, I blamed it on Ira. I couldn’t bring myself to believe I allowed you to run loose.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “But you’re my father.”
“And I’m sorry I ruined your childhood. My actions screwed up everything.” He shook his head, leant forwards and braced his elbows on his knees. “The reality of Marlon’s phone call and Pia’s pregnancy made me see things in perspective. This little person will grow up and make choices. I can’t allow the same stupid decisions I made with you ruin another life. Things between you and me will never be perfect, but I’d like both my children to know I love them.”
Stunned by his confessions and his apologies, Jaden’s voice broke into a whisper. “So why did you have that man create that internet clip? You not only destroyed my faith in you, you obliterated Marlon’s life.”
“I told him to catch you two in the act of making out—not sex. Too many things happened with Pia, finding out she’s was pregnant, doctor’s appointments… I let the goons have too much leash and they bit me in the ass for it. Blinded by my own stupidity, I tried to believe that he somehow got your okay for the video, even though I knew otherwise in my heart.” He crossed the room and wrapped her in an embrace. “Please let me make this up to you. I can’t bring your mother back and I can’t fix my mistakes, but I can help you with your dreams.”
The change in his demeanour shocked her. She couldn’t process the gravity of his statements, but if he wanted to be a part of her life in a positive way, she’d make him work for it. “You want to help with my wishes or buy my love?”
Rexx’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he cleared his throat. “Little girl, I can’t buy what I don’t deserve.”
“You’re right.” She stood and smoothed her skirt. “You don’t deserve my forgiveness.”
“Jaden, please?”
He’d said the magic words. She turned slowly and looked him straight in the eye. “Let one of your many vice presidents—one you truly trust—take over the magazine for a while and come with me to Ohio. Bring Pia. The fresh air clears the mind and heals the body. Call it a honeymoon of sorts.”
Rexx bobbed his head. “Might be a good place to raise the baby.”
“Good place to be a grandpa, too.”
He froze and his eyes widened. “What? Did you say…?”
“That’s the funny thing about the video. I can’t erase it, but it hardly seems important in the grand scheme of things, and no, I’m not pregnant.” She brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Even if I don’t get Marlon, it was worth it.”
“Did you know he called me?”
“I was there. I heard it all.”
Rexx rubbed the dusting of hairs on his chin. “I don’t think so. He called about two hours ago. Made a pretty convincing case.”
“For what? Your head on a platter?”
“For your hand in marriage. He said the children needed a stable home. How—how did I not know about four children?”
“I have two cats and two dogs. Four furry kids.” She spun her mother’s ring around her middle finger. Marriage. Marlon still wanted her? Even after everything? “I hope you told him it was my decision.”
“I did.”
“Good. I’m not ready to be married anyway.”
“You put the man through hell and won’t marry him? You’ve got your mother’s sense of humour.” Rex stood and tugged her out of her chair, wrapping his arms around her. “You look more and more like Darby every day. I’m glad I didn’t lose you completely, too.” He stroked her hair. “You said you had a plan for your money. What do you want to do, honey?”
“Create an animal oasis for older folks who don’t want to give up their pets and a shelter for pets whose owners can’t take care of them anymore. It’ll be a place for those animals who have done nothing wrong but have nowhere to go—kinda like me.”
“I’m so sorry I made you feel so alone.” Her father tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I’m in. What do I need to do?”
“Come with me to Ohio. There’s someone I want you to meet, but first, can I use your phone? I need to make a call.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Sunday nights suck.”
Marlon checked the blank screen on his cell phone as he walked out of the department towards his Jeep. After the three months since the fiasco at the hospital and the phone call to Rexx, he still felt like shit. He’d got his job reinstated, so he should’ve been on cloud nine. He replayed Mac’s words over and over. “Your drug test came back negative and the clip looks spliced. Your record in the last ten years speaks for itself. I’m glad to say, welcome back.”
Orange sunlight glistened off the windows of the department, but the chill of the November evening stirred around him. Without Jaden, things weren’t so sunny or warm. Who could he blame? The media? Not entirely. They intruded on his life, but they hadn’t shot the video. Her father? Damn straight. If he’d sent the goon, he could rot in hell. Still didn’t take the sting away.
The urge to call her and apologise for walking out nibbled under his skin, yet he didn’t press the buttons. She’d escaped enough stints in rehab and lied her way out of hospitals the last time she’d been in California. Would she ever really kick her habits?
As he neared his vehicle, the aroma of flowers danced on the bitter breeze and a figure moved in his peripheral vision. He knew the scent. “Jaden?”
His former lover, in the flesh and clutching
an enormous navy purse in front of her stomach. She still glowed, but the light wasn’t as bright in her eyes. “Hi.”
“Hello.” His heart ached at the need in her voice and the way her chin quivered. Loneliness barely scratched the surface of his feelings.
“I thought we could clear the air a little.”
“You know my number.”
“What I need to say has to be said in person. Want to go to the diner? It’s warmer.”
“I’ll be all right here in the open.”
“I’m not sure where to start, but I just need you to listen.” Her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the bag. “I love you, but I can’t accept your asking to marry me
“Because you’re seeing Bobby?”
“Bobby has nothing to do with the fact that you don’t trust me.” She dropped her voice to barely above a whisper. “You need time. I need time. Plain and simple. But I thought we deserved closure.”
A beep split the tension and made Jaden jump. “Oh my God. Dammit.”
“What?”
“It’s Bobby. One of the goons is unaccounted for.”
“Does he have a location on this person?” He braced his feet and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. Marlon rubbed his temple and glanced at the line of cars parked on the opposite side of the street. “What did the missing goon look like?”
“Mid-twenties. Craggy eyes with thick brows. His name is Joe Sutton.” Her gaze snapped to his. “You have a bead on him, don’t you?”
He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Look to your right. Is that him?”
She turned her head a fraction of an inch and the colour drained from her face. The man fitting Jaden’s loose description sat in the driver’s seat of a green dented late eighties model Ford, a smile curling from ear to ear as he waved a silver device in his hand. His other hand rested inside his jacket. Did he have a gun, too? Marlon wasn’t sure and he refused to find out without some sort of backup.