A few firemen stalk out of my house and there are some other ones who are currently pumping loads of water into my garage that’s attached to the house. At least there aren’t any flames anymore. I close my eyes and release a choppy breath.
Terror was flowing through my veins when I woke up from hearing the smoke detector blare when I was dozing on the couch. I could smell the fire and called 911 as I was heading for Denise, grabbing her to get out of the house as soon as possible. Then she started crying about her stuffed animal, the one she can’t live without.
I made sure she was away from danger and since the house wasn’t filled with smoke like it is now, I rushed back in to grab her stuffed animal but hurt my ankle as I was getting out.
One of the firefighters is standing before me, his eyes fully focused on Denise instead of me. His lips are moving though his words fly right past me. Instinctively I know he wants to check Denise to make sure she’s okay. I place her on her feet as the guy squats down to her level.
I can’t believe this is happening. I shift on my feet and another flash of pain shoots through my ankle. What was I thinking running back up those stairs, garage on fire, smoke starting to fill the freaking house? All to get Denise’s stuffed pig to make her feel safe and not have her lose everything. All while she could have lost me, dammit, I’m so stupid.
“I should have let the pig burn,” I mutter.
“Excuse me?” the firefighter in front of me says in shock.
Laughter comes from the man who has his back to me but is checking over Deni to make sure she’s okay.
He shoots a quick glance over his shoulder and yet I can’t see his face. “Don’t mind Malone, pigs are a touchy subject with him.”
Malone.
Grady. Scott. Malone.
The Grady Scott Malone? As in the father of my child Malone?
That can’t be. The man he refers to doesn’t look like the man I had sex with almost four years ago. Though, the voice of the man who just threw those words over his shoulder does sound very familiar.
“You’re all oink-kay there, little princess,” the firefighter in front of my daughter quips. “Want me to check out the little pig you’re holding? Does he, or she, have the same pretty eyes? I’ve only ever seen such pretty eyes once in all my life.”
“My momma gave them to me,” Deni beams.
I swallow hard as the firefighter turns, making our gaze collide.
“Lee?” he croaks.
I simply reply with, “Grady.”
Though, the firefighter on my left is the one who quips, “Yeah?”
Grady steps closer to me and tells the guy on my left, “Can you keep an eye on the little girl for a moment? I need to talk to her mother in private.”
He wraps his fingers around my elbow and guides me away but the moment I put weight on my ankle is when I almost faceplant into the grass. If it wasn’t for Grady catching me and holding me upright that is.
“You’re hurt?” he snaps in an angry tone.
“Yeah, well, I had to rush up the stairs to grab her pig. The house wasn’t filled with smoke when I ran inside but when I rushed back out the smoke was suddenly so thick, it made me stumble and I think I twisted my ankle. But hey, I saved the pig,” I ramble while more anger is spreading his face.
I take a step back, careful not to put weight on my ankle.
“It was a damn stuffed animal, Lee. You risked your own life for a toy?” he hisses in my face underneath his breath.
I’m nearing my breaking point with the turmoil of emotions ripping through me. “She can’t sleep without her little piglet. She never even leaves the house if the damn thing isn’t—” I suck in a choppy breath. “I shouldn’t have. I know, okay? But the house wasn’t on fire and the smoke wasn’t . . . I couldn’t let her down.”
His gaze swings to Deni and back at me. I can tell by the look on his face he’s counting in his head, wrapping his brain around the fact she might just be his.
“How old is she?” he asks.
Without thinking I blurt, “She’s yours.”
Grady keeps staring at me. We’re surrounded by people who are making themselves busy with saving my house and yet we’re wrapped in a moment where there’s just us. We’re locked in a staring contest while our brains are in overdrive. He doesn’t say anything and it creeps me out.
“Grady, please say something.” He still doesn’t respond so I snap in a loud tone, “Grady!”
The firefighter who was looking after Denise comes rushing toward me. “Yes, ma’am?”
Confusion hits me. “Nothing, I’m just talking to Grady, and—”
Now he’s the one who’s confused as he says to Grady, “Mind telling me why she’s pointing at you while she’s addressing you with my name?”
My gaze bounces between both men and Grady winces.
The man who was looking after Denise shakes his head and holds out his hand for me to take. I accept it and give it a little shake and the moment our hands disconnect he says, “Grady Scott Malone, ma’am. Nice to meet you. And this here is Kain Lawson. Sorry for the mix up. And I also have to ask if you have someone who you can call to stay with for the night.”
I’m still processing his words, not understanding what’s going on when there’s a hand pressing on my lower back. “She can stay with me; I have a room at the hotel in town.”
I whirl around and take a step away from the man who gets on my nerves each time I have to deal with him; Gordon. My ankle can’t support my weight and it makes me stumble forward. Grady . . . no, wait, not Grady; Kain Lawson. He’s the one catching me again to steady me on my feet.
“I’m not staying with you, Gordon,” I can’t help but snap at him, and I know he doesn’t deserve it but like I said, he gets on my nerves. “And what are you doing here anyway?”
“Boyfriend?” Kain grunts out his question as he makes sure I’m stable so he can step away from me.
“Employee,” I absently reply.
“I wanted to swing by to let you know I arrived today instead of tomorrow. I figured we would need more than a day to talk things over, so I booked a room for two nights. When I drove onto your street I saw what was happening. Like I mentioned, you’re welcome to stay with me,” Gordon offers again.
“You’re staying at a hotel, Gordon. I can obviously get a room for myself and Deni.” I place my hand on my thigh and close my eyes for a moment to deal with the pain shooting through my ankle.
“Come on, Leontine, I’ll take you to the hotel,” Gordon says.
Kain steps in front of me. “She’s not going to the hotel. She is however going to get her ankle checked out.” He easily scoops me into his arms as he continues, “And Gordo . . . she’s not alone, she’s the mother of a toddler in case you forgot to notice.”
Kain swings his head into Grady’s direction. Crap. It’s weird calling him that while I have a completely different face and memories connected with that name.
“Can you take care of Deni, and bring her over later, while I get her mother’s ankle checked out?”
“I can’t leave her,” I squeak and try to wiggle out of his grip.
“Stop. I don’t want to drop you and I’m also guessing you don’t want Deni to see her mom in pain when they check out your ankle. Besides, he’s bringing her to you later. And Grady here has a pig named Petunia, he’s married and will take good care of your daughter. He also has a brother, Grant. He works with the police and their father used to be the chief. See? Deni couldn’t be in better hands.” Kain doesn’t say anything else or wait for a reply but stalks to the ambulance—which finally arrived.
“You have a pig? A real one?” Denise gushes and some of my anxiousness fades.
Denise has always been a very social kid who loves people. Even more when she can talk about her love for pigs. Also, the reason why she’s so fond of her stuffed animal since she treats it as if it’s a real life one.
Come on, Leontine, they are firefighters. Human heroes
who help people. I mentally give myself a pep talk.
“Okay,” I croak and feel tears finally starting to spill due to all of my emotions ripping me apart.
I have never left my daughter in the care of total strangers, and I always make sure she’s taken care of. Hell, I rushed us out of the house at the first smell and sight of smoke but ran back in because she wouldn’t stop crying about her stuffed animal, afraid it would be hurting all alone.
Everything is blurry and I barely process the turmoil of events as I finally arrive at the hospital and end up with the news that I have a sprained ankle. I’m staring at my ankle—wrapped with an elastic bandage—and still can’t wrap my mind around the fact it will take at least six weeks to heal. I’m going to need crutches to keep weight off my injured foot for at least the next three days.
“Mommy!” Denise squeals before she rushes toward me.
I’m about to brace myself for impact. Even if I’m in this wheelchair, it won’t stop Denise from jumping onto my lap. You simply can’t hold back a dynamite three-year-old who loves the life out of you. And I will never deny her—or myself—for that matter.
Kain squats down and holds out his hand. “Careful there, little rascal. Your mom hurt her ankle. Come on, let me show you the fastest and safest way to give her a hug.”
I have to swallow due to the lump in my throat and I hate all of these emotions ripping me apart. I’m a strong woman, dammit. One who always handles things herself. Though, in this moment, I feel like a complete failure.
The shitty new obstacle of not being able to do a lot of things myself allows emotions to overtake my body, making me a complete mess. Kain lets her climb on his thigh so Denise can throw her tiny arms around my neck and hug me tight. Again, with the damn tears, why won’t they stop?
“I’m okay, pumpkin,” I croak.
Her tiny arms disappear and I’m staring at Denise while she’s now sitting on Kain’s hip.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Kain shakes his head and releases an uncomfortable chuckle. “I’m good with kids. Me and Deni bonded while we were waiting on you, isn’t that right?”
Denise nods furiously. “He made someone bring ice cream for me.”
Ice cream? He made someone bring her ice cream?
“We agreed not to tell your mom. Otherwise I’ll get in trouble for trying to bribe you,” Kain fake whispers.
“Bribe?” Denise questions on a giggle.
“That’s when you use stuff to make others do what you want,” Kain easily supplies.
“Very educational,” I mutter and I hear him snort.
He pierces me with his gaze and asks, “Can she sit on your lap?”
Without a second thought I reply, “Of course she can; it’s my ankle that’s hurt, not my whole body.”
He seems satisfied with my reaction and ever so gently places Denise on my lap. He guides me out of the hospital and my mind is already running a hundred miles an hour. I was supposed to have a meeting with Gordon tomorrow to talk through some of the matters at hand with the company since my father died quite suddenly.
I know he traveled three hours and booked a room to have more time here but to be honest, I’m not feeling up to dealing with Gordon, let alone deal with the company. Mainly because I know for sure my grandfather secured the company so it functions flawlessly without any interference.
He hired someone to give him more time to spend with us. It was a recent thing since he was also in the middle of negotiations to hand over the company, either to sell, merge, or hand it over completely to only oversee and interact every now and then.
I started out in this company as an event planner while going through college and worked my way up. I know everything there is to know to run this company. Though, I still kept planning conventions since I love that side of the company. But when Denise came into my life, I made sure she was my one—and only—priority.
“Can you give me a lift to the hotel?” I question, mentally hitting myself on the head for not thinking things through before I got into this wheelchair and let him guide me out.
“All taken care of,” he simply says and heads for a dark blue SUV.
He puts Denise in a car seat that looks brand new and helps me get into the front seat. I have to wait for him to get back from switching the wheelchair with crutches to discuss things further. I seriously dislike not knowing where and what to do next.
When Kain finally takes a seat behind the wheel he simply shakes his head and tells me, “You and I need to talk. Your ankle gives me the opportunity to make some decisions for you and seeing you can’t go back to your house you’re going to stay with me for the time being. Now, we won’t get into this with the little one in the back flapping her pretty little ears, so we are going to settle in at my place, order food, and when she’s sleeping we’re going to have a long-ass talk.”
“Don’t say ass,” I hiss underneath my breath, frustrated at being robbed from cursing his ass out because my daughter is in the backseat.
He shoots me a smirk and says, “It’s a normal word; everybody has one. Though, some are nicer than others, but still.”
Frustrating man. I swing my head to the side window and decide to ignore him. I glance over my shoulder to double check if Denise is okay because she’s awfully quiet in the backseat. To my surprise I see that all of her attention is focused on a handful of tiny books.
Kain backs up the car and mutters, “Like I said, I’m good with kids. I was raised in an MC clubhouse along with many other kids, basically it’s one large family. Even though I’m adopted, I’ve never felt the lack of a blood connection matters. The love, safe haven, respect, friendship, and loyalty is stronger than being squeezed out of a person and not having a connection at all while being raised and living in the same house.”
I swallow hard at his words. Four sentences and yet it highlights what was lacking in my life and how hard I fought for a change. It’s the very reason I wanted to get pregnant; to give my child everything I missed and embrace the love I receive in return.
“You’re adopted,” I muse, more to myself than to him.
“Yes. But my adoptive parents made damn sure I knew exactly who my biological parents were.” The words he gives me are harsh and a sneer to what I kept from both him and our daughter.
We fall silent, and I’m still lost in my own thoughts when the SUV comes to a stop in front of a large house with a double garage. Kain parks and orders me to stay in my seat. I can’t believe this is the same man I had a one-night stand with almost four years ago. Though, I shouldn’t judge since he just found out he’s a father. It irreversibly is going to mess up his life.
Another problem added to the pile I’m already dealing with. I should have known it was coming when I decided to move to Sunnyville, but the confrontation still hits hard. I take a deep breath to regain some strength and brace for what’s to come; dealing with having Denise’s biological father in our lives and how we move forward from here on out.
CHAPTER TWO
– KAIN –
I stare at the little three-year-old girl sleeping in my guest bedroom. She’s a carbon copy of her mother and the timing fits with our one-night stand in Vegas almost four years ago. Hard to believe I have a daughter, though deep down I know she’s mine.
Gently closing the door and leaving it slightly ajar, I make my way down the hallway and into the living room. Leontine is on the couch, her leg perched up on cushions and she’s wringing her hands.
“I want a DNA test, and if she’s mine—”
“She’s yours, but please don’t take her away from me,” she says in a tiny and pleading voice.
I want to lash out about how she’s kept Deni away from me all these years and yet . . . I’m the one who gave her a fake name. The name of a dude who’s married. Dammit what a major fuck-up.
“I’m going to be in her life, complete shared custody, understood? She’s going to know I’m her father as soon as possible since she’
s still young enough to adjust without any weirdness in between.”
“I did try to reach you when I knew I was pregnant. I called, but they said your wife had an emergency and that you were out for the day. I thought . . . you cheated . . . married. It . . . it was never my intention to keep her from you,” she says with a little more snap to her voice.
I rub a hand over my neck as I mutter, “When you have millions linked with your name people tend to want you for different reasons as soon as they know who you are. That shouldn’t be an excuse, I know. And I should have given you my own name, and for that I’m sorry, and I only have myself to blame.”
“And I’m sorry I wanted to get pregnant,” she blurts and I swear my whole body freezes in place as an ice cold shiver runs up and down my spine.
“Say what?” I growl, not believing she might have wanted to set me up by getting pregnant.
“The whole millions linked to your name and people want you for different reasons? That’s the story of my life. Growing up my father only cared about running the company and left me with a nanny, and later sent me to boarding school. Most of the time I was all by myself without any emotion or affection. My father tried to be there for me in his own way, but there was a hole in my heart I yearned to fill.”
She draws in a shaky breath. “I wanted to change my life and give everything I had to give to make a change. That, and my father wanted me to marry Gordon for the sake of the company. To him we were a good match. A good match like a damn business deal,” she seethes and waves her hands.
She’s caught up in her own rant and isn’t even looking at me. “I did some research and there are websites out there where you can meet up with a man who willingly donates . . . you know. But then I ran into you. One look and I wanted you with my whole body. I’ve never had the whole full-blown lust thing, and all I wanted to do was give in. And then you were amazing, the whole night was amazing, and then morning came and I was so ashamed and disgusted with myself . . . I ran. I figured it was a fifty-fifty shot. I mean, how can you get knocked-up in one shot? Ugh.”
Flameover: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) Page 2