by Lacey Black
“Mom, look. I drew a picture of me and Dad,” Ryan says, holding up a drawing of two stick figures, one shorter one and one taller one wearing a cape.
“That’s great, Ry. We’ll have to take it home and put it on the fridge,” I say to my son.
“No, I want Dad to take it home and put it on his fridge,” Ryan says innocently before handing the picture to Reid.
The gasp I hear next to me is so loud it draws attention from the tables surrounding us. Jon’s eyes are practically bugging out of his head as his eyes bounce between Reid and Ryan. Monica appears to be all ears now as she inches closer to the table, waiting to get the scoop. Apparently, Reid hasn’t mentioned the fact that he’s a father to even his right hand man. Interesting.
“Did I just hear what I think I heard?” Jon asks; his eyes focused solely on Reid’s steel gray ones.
“We’ll talk about this Monday,” Reid says in a harsher, hushed tone.
Ryan’s eyes sweep over his dad’s flushed features, and I know instantly what he’s thinking. He’s afraid he did something wrong. His eyes start to shine, but it isn’t from excitement anymore. No, it’s from unshed tears. And if the way his throat is bobbing is any indication, I’d say it’s safe to say that he’s fighting to keep his emotions under control.
“Will you excuse us a moment,” I say as I extend my hand towards Ryan. I don’t even look at Reid as I quickly usher my little boy away from the table.
When we reach the back of the restaurant where the restroom is located, I kneel down and turn to my son. “What’s wrong?” I ask Ryan.
“Dad didn’t say he liked my picture,” he whispers just as a tear streaks down his face. “And he seemed mad that I gave it to him,” he adds just as he unleashes a sob that rips my heart from my chest.
“Hey, hey. No. Your dad loves your picture, Ryan. And he wasn’t mad that you gave it to him,” I start but stop when I’m all but picked up and moved aside. Stunned, I can only stare as Reid bends and gets down to Ryan’s level.
“Hey, champ. Is everything okay?” Reid asks full of concern.
“You didn’t like my picture,” Ryan whales through big crocodile tears.
“Are you kidding me? I loved your picture. I can’t wait to go home and put it on my fridge,” Reid says with a smile.
“Then why did you look so mad?” Ryan asks innocently.
Reid takes a few seconds to collect himself, looking up and over at me for help. There’s nothing I can do to help, buddy. You dug this hole, now you climb out.
“That was my friend, Jon. I work with him, and I hadn’t gotten around to tell him that I was having lunch with you and your mom. So he was really surprised when he saw us,” Reid says. “I, in no way, was mad at you for that picture. I love it. Thank you so much,” Reid adds before leaning in and placing a kiss on the top of Ryan’s forehead.
His apology seems to be enough to suffice Ryan’s need for clarification, because the next thing I know, Ryan throws himself into Reid’s arms. Their hug is tight, the sniffles of my son’s earlier crying fit a distant memory.
“Ready to have lunch and go see the aquarium?” Reid asks, those gray eyes full of light again.
“Yep!”
Ryan takes off towards our table, Reid and I slowly bringing up the rear. “I have no idea what just happened, but I know I messed up,” Reid says quietly.
“He thought you were mad at him for giving you the picture. He could feel your reaction to his statement, Reid. Little kids are like sponges. They absorb everything. I know you weren’t mad at him, but he thought you were,” I tell him as we approach our table, Jon and Monica nowhere in sight.
“I wasn’t mad at him, I just hadn’t said anything to Jon yet. This wasn’t how I wanted to tell him about Ryan,” Reid says.
“I figured that much out. But you need to remember that this is not just new to you, but new to Ryan too. He’s feeding off of our reactions and your words, using them as guidance.”
“God, I have so much to learn,” Reid mumbles, and I can’t help the small bubble of laughter that erupts.
“Yeah, you’re about to get a crash course in Parenting 101,” I say as he holds my seat out for me.
The rest of the lunch goes off without a hitch. Ryan reverts right back to his happy mood, scarfing down most of a cheeseburger and order of fries. My chicken sandwich, on the other hand, hit my stomach like a piece of lead. I can’t stop thinking about how Monica’s eyes and smile appeared to assess me quickly and find me lacking. I know I’m not the typical type of woman Reid surely goes for, and honestly, it’s not like he’s going for me now. We share a son.
That thought brings my mind crashing back to another realization. Reid is going to date. Reid is going to have strange women around my son. He’s going to find someone and settle down with them, and where does that leave us? I feel that Reid’s in this for the long haul, but what if the little woman isn’t? What if she treats my son badly or tries to replace him with kids of her own?
“What just happened there?” Reid asks, his eyes assessing me intently as he slips his credit card out of the small folder on the table and signs the slip inside.
“What?” I ask, stunned.
“You just went somewhere in your mind. I could see it. And I’m guessing it wasn’t a happy place,” he says with those eyes of coal holding me hostage.
Instead of answering him, I turn to Ryan. “You ready to go?” There’s no way I can tell Reid where my mind went. At least not right now.
Reid doesn’t say a word as he follows behind Ryan and me. Ryan’s doing all he can to keep our slower pace, but I can tell his desire to run ahead is strong. When we reach the entrance to Shark Reef, Reid pulls out his wallet immediately and pays the fees. Swiftly, we’re granted access into the giant aquarium.
As Ryan bounces up to the first wall of glass we see, I feel Reid’s eyes on me. I try to ignore his gaze, but like two magnets, I’m pulled towards him, uncontrollably. “Talk to me.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, trying to play coy, but knowing that I fail miserably.
“What were you thinking about back at lunch?” he asks. Stopping and glancing over at Ryan where he’s plastered to the glass, watching sea turtles, he turns to face me. Reid places both hands on my shoulders, essentially holding me in place and making sure I can’t turn away.
I could try to blow him off and come up with some other story, but something tells me that Reid will see through it. Huffing out a deep breath, I look up into his eyes, trying to put on my ‘casual’ face. “Look, Reid. This is none of my business, but I realize that you’re going to date women. I know that you’ll have people in and out of your life. What you need to understand is that Ryan hasn’t had that before. He’s used to having my every bit of attention focused on him.
“And now he’s going to want that with you. So, the only thing I ask is that you remember that when you introduce him to women,” I say, that last word all but biting my tongue.
“You’re afraid I’m going to traipse women through my house like the Macy’s Parade at Thanksgiving?” he asks, his eyebrows wrinkled and his eyes crinkling with laughter.
“Don’t laugh. I know you will,” I say before quickly adding, “And not that I care or anything, but just remember that Ryan should be your main focus when he’s around.” I huff on emotions that I didn’t realize I had. The thought of Reid wrapping his arms around someone else all but drops me to my knees. I have no idea where that came from. Reid and I shared one night–one amazingly perfect night–but besides Ryan, I’ve had no hold on him since.
“Dani,” Reid says as he steps closer, invading my personal space, his arms still firmly holding my shoulders. When he runs his big hands down my arms, I shudder at the unexpected desire coursing through my body.
“Dani, I don’t want to parade women in front of our son. You need to know that I’m a very private man. My personal life and business life rarely collide. What may or may not happen after hours i
n the privacy of my place will never affect Ryan. Ever. You have my word.”
His words do help soothe the rapid beat of my heart, even though it does nothing to soothe another ache I suddenly feel. I know Reid hasn’t been a monk since our night together. I know there have been women–and since my mind is a ruthless bitch, I imagine there have been lots of women. But I can’t get over the thought of Reid sharing the same intensity, the same passion, the same hunger that we shared that night all those years ago.
“And for the record,” Reid starts, pulling my attention back to him. “I don’t want just any woman filling my bed. I don’t want any woman to scream out my name when I’m buried deep inside her. I want you. And if there’s one thing you’ll learn about me, Dani, it’s that I always get what I want. Always, baby,” he whispers moments before his lips take mine.
His kiss is like gas to my already burning libido. Suddenly, I’m wishing we weren’t in the middle of an aquarium, surrounded by families and little eyes. Instantly, I wish we were alone where we could rediscover each other’s bodies.
But we can’t. Not right now.
I pull back quickly, wobbling on my own two legs. Before either of us can say anything, a voice calls out to us. “Mom, Dad, come look at this crocodile,” Ryan says, his voice clearing away the lust-filled haze.
“Dani, you need to know that I don’t date. And even if I did, I just found out I have a son who’s going to be eight years old. That is what I am going to focus on right now. But I will also tell you this,” Reid starts as he steps close again. “If something happens, it will be with my son’s mother. There’s an underlying current that pulls me to her–always has. So, while we’re not putting labels on anything at the moment, know that I’m interested in exploring this intense chemistry that I know you feel too. Know that I’m coming for you, Dani. I’ll wait until you’re ready, but I can guarantee that it’ll be soon. Very, very soon.
“Now, let’s go see the crocodile with our son.” Reid casually places a firm kiss in the middle of my forehead, reaches down and grabs my hand, and pulls me off towards Ryan.
My heart never stood a chance.
Chapter Fourteen – RSVP
Reid
“Legal is delayed on the Riviera contracts because their Board of Directors are no longer backing the President of the Board’s decision to sell,” Carly says in the background. Hell, she’s been talking for the last ten minutes and I haven’t a clue what the fuck she’s said.
“Reid!” she exclaims as she slams her hand down on my desktop. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she asks, concern written all over her beautiful face.
“Nothing,” I respond automatically, clearing my throat as I look down at the latest financial report on the Riviera property.
“Reid Hunter, that’s the biggest crock of crap I’ve ever heard. I could have just told you there was an elephant in the room and you wouldn’t have blinked an eye,” Carly says.
I look around the room instantly as if I were going to see some magic elephant sitting in the corner somewhere.
“Just distracted, I guess.”
Distracted? What’s more distracted than distracted? That’s where the fuck my mind is. Dani. Ryan. I can’t get them out of my head. It’s been over a week since our trip to Shark Reef, and I’ve spent almost every night at their house–leaving to go home to my empty house when Ryan goes to bed.
I haven’t worked past six o’clock in the past eight days and the result is a pile of work anchoring down my desk, filling up my email. But I can’t seem to stay away from them. The one night I wasn’t able to go over to their place, I was miserable and thinking about them the whole night. A dinner meeting with the President of the Board for Riviera had been in the works for weeks. Hell, months. But the entire time I sat there listening to the man drone on and on about how their profits have been falling and investors are pulling, all I could think about was whether or not Dani was asleep yet and whether Ryan brushed his teeth before bed. But knowing Dani as well as I do now, I know that she made sure he did before bed.
It took every ounce of control that I had to not excuse myself and leave the meeting. Jon kept giving me that look, like he knew exactly where the fuck my mind was. Oh, he knew that I wasn’t mentally present at that meeting. If it wasn’t written all over my face, it surely was a dead giveaway when I missed important details of the conversations and he had to speak on my behalf.
The Monday after our lunch and visit to Shark Reef, I knew I’d have my best friend in my office before my first cup of coffee. What I wasn’t expecting was for him to beat me in. Jon was already sitting in one of the leather chairs across from my desk when I stepped off the elevator, well before seven o’clock.
I barely had my briefcase deposited on my desk before the Great Inquisition began. When I told him I hadn’t taken a paternity test, I thought he was going to leap across the table at me.
“You’re a fucking idiot if you think someone–even someone like Dani–won’t take advantage of you the first chance they get. Screw your fucking head on, Hunter. It’s one little fucking test.”
“I will not let you speak about Dani in any other manner than respectful. Do you hear me?” I seethe at my best friend. “I know. I KNOW, Jon, that that boy is my son. I feel it right here,” I yell as I pound on my chest, just over the location where my frozen heart once sat dormant. A heart that only truly started beating again in the time I’ve spent with Dani and Ryan.
“Reid, I’m not suggesting that Dani’s like the others,” Jon starts before I cut him off.
“She’s nothing like the others,” I reply directly, looking so deeply into his eyes that I can practically see his brain. “Nothing.”
“What about Bravado?” he asks, his eyes wild with concern.
I look across the desk at my best friend. It’s the first time that I’ve thought about that deal since I signed on the dotted line. There’s no backing out. By the end of the year, I’ll own that company, and he’ll own my soul. “The deal is done.”
It had taken us a good ten minutes to cool down from the heated exchange. Jon was adamant about getting the blood test, but I stand by my decision to omit it. I don’t need some stupid piece of paper to confirm what I already know. It’s a moot point, and I won’t subject Ryan to any sort of unnecessary testing.
It’s been a little tense with Jon since that Monday morning blow up. I’m just glad it didn’t come to fists. Not that I would have backed down from him, but I would have been unhappy to walk away from a ten-year friendship. And I would have walked away. In the end, if I had to choose between Jon or Dani and Ryan, I’m one hundred percent sure that the only thing my best friend would have seen was my back as I turned the other direction.
“Did you hear anything I just said?” Carly huffs, her annoyance crystal clear.
“Sorry. What were you saying?” I ask, adjusting myself in my seat.
“The wedding. It’s next weekend. RSVP’s were due last week so I put you down for one. Your suits will all be hanging in your closet upstairs -” Carly starts, but I cut her off.
“Two.”
“What?” she asks, confused as ever.
“RSVP for two,” I tell her. Her big brown eyes just stare at me.
“Reid, I don’t want to be rude here -” she starts, but again, I cut her off.
“You called me Reid,” I say with a smile.
“Yes, I did,” she says with a fluster. “Anyway, I don’t want to be rude, but I really don’t want you bringing one of your money-hungry floozies to my wedding.”
It takes me a moment to absorb her words, and when I do, I can’t help but bust up laughing. After a few seconds, I look over at her shocked face and only laugh harder.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
“You,” I say through my laughter.
“What did I say?” she asks, clearly dumbfounded.
“Money-hungry floozies?” I ask, eyebrows sky high as the smile spreads widely across my fac
e.
“Well, they are, Reid. You may not be able to admit it, but I will. Every time I send some flashy little piece of jewelry to one of their houses, all I get is phone calls–phone calls that you clearly avoid–telling me how much they appreciate your generosity.”
“Those are parting gifts,” I tell her.
“Do they know that?” she asks.
“I never lie about my intentions, Carly. Never.”
“So tell me why you’re RSVP’ing for two,” she asks.
“I’m bringing a date. And NOT a money-hungry floozy. I’m bringing someone that I’m sure you would approve of. She’s a schoolteacher named Dani.”
“You’re shitting me. Does Tara know?” Carly asks, referring to my little sister and Carly’s best friend.
“Why would my sister know? It’s none of her business.”
“I’m pretty sure she makes it her business,” Carly quips with a grin.
“That she does. But to answer your question, no, Tara doesn’t know her. Yet. You’ll both meet her at the wedding.”
“Wow. If you’re bringing this woman to an event where your sister is going to be there, I’d say this could be serious,” she adds.
Is it serious? The thought of being without Dani causes panic to set in. My days are spent thinking about her and my nights spent dreaming of her and only her. So is this serious? I’d say it’s pretty fucking serious.
“Anyway, there’s something else you need to know,” I say.
“Besides the fact that you’re bringing a date to my wedding? Or maybe the fact that I’ve heard you laugh more in the last fifteen minutes than I ever have in the five years I’ve known you? What else could there possibly be?” she asks with a smile.