by Chloe Walsh
"So, pretty much the same as he is now?" I said with a smirk. I couldn't stand Kyle's father. He was horrible. Even if he hadn't offered me money when I was pregnant to disappear–something I'd never told Kyle–the way he had treated Kyle was enough for me to hate him forever…The man made my skin crawl.
"Pretty much," Linda agreed. "I don't know where he came from. If you had met Frank when he was alive, you'd understand what I mean. He was an incredible person, Lee." Linda smiled dreamily. "The only thing Frank passed down to David was his looks," she confessed. "Sometimes I wonder how David fathered Kyle and Michael. They're nothing like him…thank god for that."
"I beg to differ," I muttered. Mike was just as bad as his father. Derek's face flashed in my mind and I felt like growling. "Mike is a chip off the old block."
"No," Linda said in a stern tone of voice. "No, Lee, he's not. He's made a few poor choices, but the boy is good at heart. You're blinded by loyalty. Michael had it hard–nothing compared to Kyle–but growing up with David wasn't exactly a picnic for him," she said. "Kyle had a horrific introduction to life, but I am so incredibly grateful that David didn't raise him. He didn't have a chance to sink his claws into him…David did Kyle a favor by staying away from him."
I didn't have an answer for her.
"Things would be very different for you and Hope if Kyle had been raised by his father, Lee," Linda said softly and I immediately tensed and looked down at my daughter. I knew what she meant. If Kyle had been raised by his father, there was a very high possibility that I would be a single mom right about now…"Although, if Frank had lived he would have loved that little girl," she mused. "His gene pool is still strong," she gushed. "Just look at those blue eyes…"
"Didn't Frank love you back?" I asked in confusion. "How come you never married or lived together?"
Linda smiled sadly. "Yes, in his own way he loved me, but Frank was fiercely loyal to his wife's memory–very much like Kyle is to you. He never loved me the way he loved her." Linda sighed heavily. "I stood faithfully by his side for nearly thirty six years, gave up my dreams of having children of my own, and in all those years he was never truly mine. She was the love of his life and he was the love of mine."
"That's…so sad, Linda," I whispered as I wiped a tear from my cheek. "I'm so sad for you."
"Don't feel sad for me," she said as she reached over and grasped my hand gently. "I had thirty-six wonderful years with the man I loved. He may not have loved me the way I wanted, but he gave me the world, Lee." Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she smiled at me knowingly. "And the sex was out of this world. The man was gifted."
Uh…I barely managed to restrain my hands from covering my ears. "That's very…nice," I mumbled, red-faced and mortified. "Sounds like he was very, uh…generous."
"He was," Linda agreed dreamily. "Except when it came to giving his heart. He only gave it away once, and when his wife died, she took it with her."
"So, she got the best of him," I stated as I tried to make sense of what she was telling me. I was finding it really hard to understand why Linda wasn’t bitter. I know I would be. I'd been in her shoes once, when I suffered months of being second best to Rachel. It was one of the most hurtful things I'd ever endured and I couldn’t imagine spending the best years of my life feeling that pain. That constant feeling of worthlessness-of not being good enough–it could break a person. It had broken me… "And you…" I looked up at her face and frowned. "What did he give you, Linda–besides a job and a generous sex life?"
She looked down at Hope and smiled. "He gave me Kyle."
"You really love him, don’t you?" I said, my voice thick with emotion.
"It's impossible not to love Kyle," Linda chuckled. "You should know that better than anyone, Lee. He has something inside of him, something special. Given the chance, he's gonna show the world what he's made of. Boy's gonna shine. Just you see."
"No wonder Kyle worships you," I whispered, more to myself than to Linda. She was an incredible person and would have been a wonderful mother…No, she was a wonderful mother. She was a mother to Kyle.
Linda stood up slowly, achingly slowly, and moved towards the mini bar in the corner of the room and for a moment I thought she was going to pour herself a drink until she knelt on the floor and pulled a set of keys out of her jacket pocket. "Kyle's a top shelf drinker," she joked as she unlocked the drawer that was embedded in the bottom of the bar. "I doubt he's ever looked close enough to know there's a drawer down here." I watched in fascination as she removed a thick brown folder from the drawer before closing it and locking it.
"What is that?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me as I stood up and walked over to her.
"Kyle's life," Linda said. "Or at least his life from the age of twelve." She placed the folder into my hands and smiled. "Take care of this for him, Lee. He doesn't know it exists and he's not ready to handle what's inside yet. Keep it in a safe place until the time comes. You'll know when he's ready. Give it to him then."
"I am so confused right now, Linda," I confessed. "Why are you giving this to me? Why can't you give it to him?"
"He's yours now. This falls on you," she whispered. "There's no more I can do for him." I could have sworn I saw a deep pain in her eyes, but when she blinked it was gone, replaced with her usual crinkled kindness. "Protect him, Lee, and stand by him. He's going to need you."
"What's going on…?" My question was interrupted by the sound of the office door swinging open.
"That fucking man," Kyle hissed as he stormed into the room with his jacket thrown over his arm and his tie hanging loosely around his neck. I leaped in surprise and Linda placed and gentle hand on my arm to calm me. "Linda, you're gonna have to go through that will, word for fucking word. I cannot work with him anymore. I can't."
"Calm yourself, Kyle" she chuckled as she winked at me before walking over to my fiancé. I stood with my mouth hanging open, holding god knows what in my hands. What the heck just happened?
"Don't let him antagonize you," she crooned as she patted Kyle's slumped shoulders as he leaned over his desk. "That's what he wants, Kyle. You know this. Your father wants you to screw up. Don't give him the satisfaction."
'He doesn't know it exists and he's not ready to handle what's inside yet.'
With Linda's words of weirdness drumming in my ears, I slipped the folder behind my back before moving over to my daughter's stroller. Kneeling down, I tucked the folder into the basket underneath her seat and covered it with some diapers.
"You okay, princess?" I heard Kyle ask. Peeking up, I nodded and smiled as reassuringly as I could.
I was okay.
I hoped he was, too.
****
Kyle
"Have you been taking you meds?" I asked Lee as she stepped out of the bathroom. She had to take a tablet every day to make sure her body didn't reject her new kidney. The doctors had also warned us that her skin would burn more easily because of the anti-rejection meds. I'd bought a truck load of sun-cream the day I brought her home from the hospital. I was so nervous about messing this up. It wasn't like making a normal mistake where I had a chance to fix it. This was her life. Anymore mistakes could kill her…
"Yes, Kyle," she replied as she swept her hair back from her face before securing it with a hair tie. She was walking slower than her normal snail pace and it was bothering the hell out of me. If she didn't feel well she needed to tell me. I hated feeling powerless and Lee's health made me feel that way. She was so fucking fragile and she didn't even know it. I knew for a fact that was her second shower today and she'd been moving around like an old lady. If she thought she could hide the fact that she was in pain from me with a smile then she was wrong.
I watched as she climbed onto our bed and crawled over the bed to where I was resting against the headboard. "Kyle, I'm okay," she assured me as she kissed my cheek. "I promise. I'm just tired and Hope is getting heavy. She actually pulled herself along on her belly today. It was just for
like two minutes," she gushed as she sighed happily. "But it was amazing."
"You need help," I muttered. Christ, I couldn't turn my back on the woman for a minute. Maybe I should have kept her in the hotel. At least I had staff to do the things she shouldn't be doing. I knew she was upset that I made her stay with Linda when I went to Denver, but I'd needed to be focused when dealing with my father and worrying about whether Lee was okay or not was something I couldn't afford. I trusted Linda. I trusted the woman with my life. She was the only person I would entrust the safety of my girls to and if she would come with us, I would move her into the house with us this very minute, but the woman was set in her ways.
Knowing the girls were safe with Linda was the only thing that kept me calm during my meeting with David. If I could fire him I would, but I'd be going against my grandfather's wishes. David and Mike were to have employment in the hotel chain for as long as they desired and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. The only positive thing was the fact that David was based in our hotel in Denver and I used the hotel in Boulder as my headquarters. I was stuck with Mike working here, but I'd take him any day over his daddy.
David Henderson was a fucking snake. He was watching every move I made, especially since the shooting. I knew he was waiting for me to screw up and I knew he wouldn’t think twice about swooping in and trying to take over. There wasn’t much he could do with regards to a takeover. I didn’t answer to a board. I didn’t answer to a soul–well, with the exception of Linda. All of this was mine. Solely and completely on my shoulders. But David wanted this particular hotel. There was nineteen others, besides this one, and I could relocate him to any one of them, but it wouldn’t appease the fucker. Frank had started here. This was where it all began. He'd built his empire from the ground up and this place had been his pride and joy–his most prized creation. I wasn’t a sentimental person, but I guessed that was what was driving David. He wanted the reins of his father's centerpiece. That was the impression I got when he started sprouting shit during our quarterly meeting this morning…I was distracted and he was lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce. I couldn't afford to make a mistake. I couldn't take my eye off the ball. Not around him. Asshole…
I'd been expecting a battle when I brought Lee home, but she'd surprised me by being all cuddly and clingy instead. I wasn't complaining. I loved a cuddly, clingy Lee. I'd take that version any day over a silently seething Lee. But, Jesus, I definitely needed someone here to keep an eye on her. I couldn't take her everywhere with me and I didn't want her on her own. Rubbing my face with the palm of my hand, I sat forward and pulled her gently onto my lap. "Is this place too much for you? Is it the stairs? What do you need, princess?"
"Kyle," she said in a firm voice as she cupped my cheek. "I am fine. I'm going to get tired sometimes and yes, there will be days when I will have some pain. But that doesn't mean I'm dying. I need you to relax. And no, I don't need help, okay?" She focused her stare on me. "I'm doing better. I'm getting stronger."
I heard what she was saying, but my fear was overruling her logic. "You heard the doctor," I muttered. "No heavy lifting or strenuous activity for six months."
"And I'm not," Lee coaxed as she stroked my chest with her hand. "I haven't been doing any of those things. Calm down. I unpacked a few cases and bathed our daughter. Nothing hardcore I swear."
"No contact sports." I listed off another rule as my brain went into overdrive.
"You forgot to add no babies for the first year," she said sarcastically as she used her fingers to list off each rule. "Which isn't likely since I only have one tube and haven't had a period in a year," she muttered before adding, "or no breastfeeding." I flinched with guilt.
All your fault, asshole…
"Princess…"
"Take my temperature daily," she growled adding another finger as she climbed off my lap. "Weigh myself daily. Take a weekly urine sample. Maintain a healthy diet. Have a low salt intake." She stared meaningfully at me. "Do you want to scare us both to death by going on and on about something we can't change?"
"No," I mumbled awkwardly.
"Then stop worrying about something we can't change," she said as she climbed under the covers. "You are going to give yourself blood pressure."
"Check blood pressure…" I blurted out before wisely shutting my mouth.
Lee rolled her eyes at me before turning on her side–away from me. "Stop talking, Kyle," she said with a sigh.
After a few minutes of me keeping my mouth shut, Lee rolled onto her back and grinned up at me. "Wow, you actually listened to me," she teased. "I'm shocked."
"I have been known to listen on occasions," I smirked. "But you might wanna memorize this moment because it probably won't happen too often."
"Oh no," she squealed as she sat up quickly. "I forgot the turkey, Kyle."
What the hell…"The turkey for what?" I asked her, confused as fuck. Talk about a conversation turner…
"For thanksgiving tomorrow," she said quietly, eyes wide and lonesome. Her brows furrowed for a moment, her expression pensive and I knew she was thinking about thanksgiving last year… God, I was such an asshole to her. She'd been pregnant with the twins–neither of us had known–and sick all day. She'd stayed in her room all day and every time I'd worked up the nerve to go upstairs and talk to her, she'd been locked inside that god-awful bathroom, vomiting her heart out. Jesus, thinking back to those days made me feel sick. The suffering she'd endured…Even now, a year later, I was still mad as hell at myself for not recognizing the signs. "Did you forget it was tomorrow, too?" she asked in a soft tone as she looked down at me.
"No, baby, I remembered," I said in a gruff tone. I knew thanksgiving was tomorrow and I also knew that we had an unlucky streak when it came to the holidays. The way I was feeling right now, all I wanted to do was boycott every damn occasion and wrap her up in my arms. "Screw the turkey," I told her. "And forget about Thanksgiving. Let's do a Halloween on it and pretend it's just another day."
Lee worried her lip as she looked up at me with wide gray eyes. "You're sure you don't mind?"
"Positive," I murmured as I settled down on my back and pulled her on top of me so that we were chest to chest. "So, did you have fun with Linda?" I sighed heavily and stroked her back. "I know you're pissed that I dragged you out of bed so early, but I can't concentrate worth a damn when I'm not with you."
"Yeah…" Lee frowned for a moment and chewed on her lip. I was instantly suspicious.
"What happened?" I asked. "You know something, don't you?"
Her eyes widened to the point that I thought they would fall out of her head. "How do you do that?" she demanded.
"Do what?" I asked with a smirk. "Know when you're hiding shit from me?" She nodded eagerly and I burst out laughing. She was so innocent. "You do realize that you've just admitted you're hiding something from me?"
Her brow furrowed for a moment before her lips curled up in a smug little grin. "That's blatant trickery," she teased as she sat up and straddled my hips. "Do you want to hear a little bedtime story, Kyle?"
Fuck, I didn't want to hear a story. I wanted her to keep wiggling.
"It's really juicy," she purred as she rocked back and forth on my junk. Jesus…
She beamed down at me and I shook my head in amusement. "What did you do, princess?"
"Not me," she sniggered. "It's something your grandfather did." She frowned for a moment before smiling. "Well, it's more like who he did."
"Uh," I groaned. "Sweet Jesus, no, of course I don't wanna know who my grandfather did." Especially since I had a fair idea of who she was talking about. I'd walked in on a 'moment' between the pair when I was fourteen. I tried to keep the image locked in a box in the darkest fucking corner of my mind. No way was I opening that can of worms…
"He was with Linda," she blurted out with a laugh, clearing enjoying my discomfort. "For years, Kyle. They were a couple…" she whispered as she waggled her eyebrows. "Sexually."
&
nbsp; "Ahhh," I shouted closing my eyes. My brain was screaming 'la la la.' "Please Stop, princess. I can't hear this shit."
"What's wrong, Kyle?" Lee purred as she stroked my chest. "Old people have sex too."
"Lee," I warned, all notions of fun-time fading fast as my dick went into hiding.
"Sexual Intercourse, Kyle," she squealed. "Your grandpa and Linda, doing it…maybe even on your desk."
"Fuck," I groaned as I sat up and tossed her off my lap. "You really know how to ruin the mood, don't you?"
She flopped onto her back and cackled. "Your face," she laughed. "Oh, god, your face was priceless." Her shirt rode up as she squirmed on the bed laughing, revealing the lace white panties she had on, and my dick perked up once again.
"You wanna talk about sex," I grinned as I leaned over her. "You wanna make me squirm?"
She nodded her head as she grinned up at me. "Correction. I made you squirm."
"Funny," I purred as I sat back on my heels and grabbed the edges of her panties. "Well, I should probably return the favor then, shouldn't I?" Her eyes widened as I dragged her panties down her legs before pushing her thighs apart.
"I'm sorry," she breathed, eyes wide and cheeks pink.
I grinned and shook my head slowly. "No you're not," I teased as I settled between her legs. "But you will be."
****
Lee
"Sorry about this, baby," Kyle mumbled as he pulled on a pair of gray sweats and grabbed a hoodie from the dresser drawer. Kyle received a frantic phone call from Marcus about twenty minutes ago, who had demanded he come straight to the hotel. "I know it's late, but he's freaking the fuck out."