Fake it Baby

by Tia Siren

  I nodded. My voice seemed to have escaped me. “Staying,” I croaked out.

  Another one of those slightly evil smiles spread across her face before she winked. “Yep. We’re staying.”

  Lord, help me. My plans for the future evaporated, and I experienced one of those moments of pure panic. I couldn’t live in the same town with Ashley if she wasn’t mine. I could never bear to see her with another man, or my child with a man that wasn’t his father. My life had just been turned upside down in the best way imaginable, but I had no idea if it would work out.

  Lord, help us all.

  Chapter 19

  Ashley

  I knew it was wrong, but I got a great deal of satisfaction from telling him we were staying. I could see the shock and horror on his face. He wanted to ask but was too afraid. How could he ask about the farm when I had just gifted him with a son? That had been my plan. I’d wanted to throw him off, and I had. He’d been so smooth and calculating. He’d thought he had already won, but he hadn’t.

  “Uh, so, are you going to be living at the farm?” he choked out.

  I smiled again. “I am.”

  He nodded. “Oh.”

  I had to laugh. The whole situation was too good not to laugh. I had practically done cartwheels last night when I’d discovered I could save the farm. I had planned to go into the bank on Monday and take care of it without telling Brock a thing, but then the idea of telling him to his face popped into my head. That was too good to pass up.

  “We’re going to be neighbors,” I said, poking him a bit more.

  “You’re keeping the farm?”

  He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the idea. “Yes.”

  “How? How did you pull that off?” he asked, clearly not believing I had the means to do it.

  I grinned. “I liquidated everything: my business, most of my stocks, and I am selling my loft. The bank has agreed to stop the foreclosure proceedings upon receiving the large chunk of money I’ll be paying Monday and the promise to pay off the remaining past-due amount once my loft sells, which will be soon.”

  He was shaking his head. “Wow.”

  “Yep.” I winked. “You’re stuck with me.”

  His shock and joy turned into anger. I had expected it.

  “It won’t last. You’ll get tired of living in a small town and pick up and run away again. You’re only doing this to get at me. Once your dad is back on his feet, you’re out of here. You know that. I certainly know that, and I’m sure your family knows that, too.”

  I shrugged. His words didn’t bother me. There was nothing that could destroy my elation. I finally felt as if I were settled. This was my home. The farm was where I wanted to raise my son. It had taken some time, but I now knew I could be successful. Living here didn’t mean I could never take vacations or travel. This place would be my center.

  “I’m sorry to tell you that isn’t the case at all. I’m staying, Brock. I’ve learned my lesson. I hurt a lot of people when I took off. I’m very sorry for that, but now I’m here to stay. Running away seemed like the right thing back then, but I’ve grown up a lot.”

  He smirked. “We’ll see.”

  “Brock, we need to be able to get along for Jasper’s sake. You don’t have to believe me—I don’t care if you do—but don’t be a dick. I want Jasper to know he has two loving parents who can make nice with each other. I’m not going to be fighting and arguing with you every step of the way. I hope you can be a grown-up and think of your son instead of holding on to the past,” I told him, trying to be nice, but he was starting to piss me off.

  “Well, history is the best predictor of the future, right? I’ll feel better once we get a custody agreement in place. That way, when you decide to pick up and run, again, I will have a say in where you try to take Jasper.”

  I bit back my anger, but I wouldn’t let him get me riled up.

  “Fine. There’s something else I need to say.”

  He rolled his eyes. “This should be good.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “Knock it off.” I leaned in close and lowered my voice. “We can’t hook up anymore. We need to be able to have a relationship that isn’t dirtied up by sex.”

  “Dirtied up? That’s a new way of putting it.”

  “You know what I mean. Sex complicates things. We have to be civil, and I don’t want a sexual relationship giving either one of us the wrong idea about our relationship,” I said.

  There was anger in his eyes. “Trust me, Ashley, I certainly don’t have the wrong idea. It was just sex. You really need to get over yourself.”

  “Don’t be mad, Brock. You know we aren’t good for each other. Yes, we are still physically attracted to each other, but that could be a dangerous thing for us. I don’t want to fall into a relationship with you based on sex alone.”

  “Got it. Any other bit of news you need to tell me? Any more rules about my life I should know about?” he asked, clearly pissed.

  “Brock, please don’t be so angry. I want this to work. I am not trying to make your life difficult. I want to be able to talk to you without you thinking about sex or wringing my neck, which I can tell is exactly what’s on your mind right now,” I joked.

  He didn’t find my humor funny. “Nope. What you are seeing here is complete disgust. I hate that you think you can dictate everything. You have this idea that you’re the center of whole damn universe.”

  “Oh joy, you and Anna have bonded. Did she tell you what an evil sister I am?” I said in a whiny voice, meant to mimic the whining Anna had been doing since the moment I’d gotten home.

  He shook his head. “Again, it’s all about you. I have to go. I have other things to do that, believe it or not, don’t involve you.”

  She shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll sic your lawyer on me. I’ll be waiting. I do have a lawyer of my own if you want to do it that way. Personally, I think that will make matters worse and end up costing us a lot of money, but that’s up to you.”

  He smirked. “Money going to be a problem?”

  “Nope, because I am an excellent photographer and I can find work anywhere.”

  He stood up from the table, still holding his coffee. “I have to go,” he repeated.

  Instead of getting in his truck and leaving, he made his way to the small playground area. “Hey, Jasper, I’m leaving now, but I promise I’ll be seeing you real soon.”

  Jasper climbed off the toy he had been on and gave Brock a big hug. Brock dropped to his knees and hugged him back. The sight warmed my heart. I prayed Brock’s anger would lessen and we could have a good relationship for the sake of our son. I wanted Jasper to feel loved by both of us and not like he had to tiptoe around us. Brock and I would be spending a lot of time in the same places, and starting off like this was not good. We needed to be friends, or at least tolerate each other.

  It was hard to imagine we had once been so crazy in love and now he couldn’t stand to talk to me. I knew I had brought it on myself, but it still stung. Deep down, I felt a little something for the man who had fathered my child, but I couldn’t go down that road again. That had blown up in my face the first time. I wouldn’t do that to myself, to Brock, or to Jasper. It was best if we kept our distance.

  Brock stalked by me without saying another word.

  Jasper came over and crawled onto my lap. “I’m glad he’s my dad. He seems like a nice man. He promised to take me fishing one day soon.”

  I smiled. “He did, did he? Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. I bet you Grandpa has a fishing pole you can use.”

  Jasper pushed his glasses up his nose. “Maybe Grandpa can go with me and my dad.”

  I bit back a laugh and my very adult retort. “Maybe, but not until Grandpa gets to feeling better,” I said instead, not wanting to burst his little bubble.

  Another twinge of guilt hit me as I realized how badly I had destroyed family connections for Jasper. My dad and Brock were not on good terms because of what I had done. Before I’
d taken off, the two had had a good relationship. They had been a lot like father and son. Jasper wouldn’t get the chance to have family get-togethers with all his family in one place. It was a little sad, but I knew it was more the norm these days than the odd case.

  “You ready to go home?” I asked.

  Jasper climbed off my lap, “Yep. We need to go help Grandpa move the circles.”

  “Move the what?” I asked.

  “The circles. The big sprinkler things out in the cornfield. Grandpa told me all about them and how we have to move them to make sure all the corn gets water,” he said with a great deal of authority.

  I laughed. “Oh, okay. I think I better help then. That sounds like a big job.”

  He nodded. “Yep. That’s why Grandpa asked if I could help him.”

  “We have a lot of work to do, Jasper. I hope you’re going to help me get the farm and the house all fixed up,” I told him, thinking about how much work there was to be done.

  It was a daunting task, but I was looking forward to the challenge. I decided to document the progress with pictures. The sheds needed fresh paint, as did the house. The porch could use some sprucing up, and I needed to make one of the rooms into a great room for Jasper.

  “What color should we paint your room?” I asked.

  He thought about it for a second. “Brown.”

  I cringed, but it was his room after all. Maybe I could do a light brown with some blue. I smiled, thinking about our future on the farm. Jasper would finally have room to run and dig to his heart’s content. It was a great, safe place to raise a child. I wouldn’t have to be looking over my shoulder constantly, making sure he wasn’t talking to strangers or in danger of getting hit by someone on a speeding bike. I felt at peace with my decision. My dad had protested a great deal, but I’d assured him it was what I wanted. He had finally agreed and admitted he was happy to hear it.

  Now I had to tell the rest of the family. I knew Leslie would be thrilled, but Anna and Hank would not be quite so excited. It was really none of their business. They could pitch fits if they wanted. I didn’t care. They didn’t have to worry about Dad or the farm any longer. I was back, and I would make sure everything was taken care of, me and Jasper.

  I pulled into the driveway and looked over the farm with a fresh set of eyes. It was mine. I had a place to call home. I couldn’t wait to get started on the improvements. First I needed to pack up the loft. That was not a chore I was looking forward to, but the sooner I got it done, the sooner I could get back here and start settling in.

  “Look! There’s Grandpa!” Jasper shouted from the back seat.

  “I see him. What’s he holding?” I asked, squinting my eyes.

  “It’s a sign, Mom.”

  When we got close enough to read it, I had to fight back tears. My dad had made a sign that read “Welcome Home.”

  I knew he was happy. I hoped this was what he needed to get him through this illness and back on his feet.

  Chapter 20

  Brock

  It seemed I was living in a nightmare. I had dreaded coming to the office today, but I couldn’t hide forever. Anna had called my cell to let me know the developer had been calling the office since eight. I was only a little surprised to know she was already at work. I had put off going in until I absolutely had to.

  Now I was getting an earful from the developer.

  “I’m sorry,” I repeated for what had to be the tenth time. “It was completely unexpected. I had no idea his family had that kind of money.”

  I listened as the man berated me for wasting his time and money. He went on to make threats about my ability to find another developer to partner with in the future. I hoped he would calm down and not blackball me, but deep down, I knew it was a real possibility. The man could ruin my career if he wanted to.

  I managed to get off the phone with him with the promise to call him later today. I still had a sliver of hope that the deal could move forward. Ashely could have been bluffing. She knew how much I wanted this, and it could all be a way for her to get back at me.

  “Anna?” I hollered, feeling extremely agitated. “I need you to call Ashley, please.”

  I heard the wheels of her chair rolling. Instead of getting up and coming to the door, she wheeled in front of it. “What?”

  “I need to talk to Ashley. Can you please call her for me?” I repeated, not in the mood to deal with their family drama.

  She rolled her eyes. “I’d rather not.”

  “Anna, I am not asking you to call her and invite her out for coffee. This is business. Get her on the phone. Please,” I added.

  “Fine,” she said. As she wheeled away, I heard her grumble under her breath, “I don’t know why you can’t just pick up the phone and call her.”

  “Because you’re the secretary!” I shouted.

  “Blah, blah, blah.”

  I now understood why Anna couldn’t hold a job for longer than a couple months. She was good at what she did when she wanted to, but her attitude sucked.

  “There!” she hollered.

  I looked down at the phone and saw the light indicating someone was on the line.

  “Ashley,” I greeted.

  “What, Brock?”

  “I need to know if you’re playing games or if you’re really serious about paying the farm’s mortgage.”

  “Games? Of course not. Why would I make that up? I’m heading out to the bank shortly. I’m just waiting for the last of the money to clear and be deposited. Then I’ll be signing papers and taking care of that ridiculous second mortgage that nearly cost my dad his home,” she mumbled.

  “How?”

  “I already told you how.”

  “I guess I didn’t realize photography paid so well,” I mused.

  “It does, sometimes. I invested a lot of my money instead of spending it on fancy trucks and big homes,” she added.

  The snide comment did not escape me. She thought I squandered my money.

  “A house is an investment,” I pointed out.

  “I guess. To some people it’s a home, a place to raise a family and make memories.”

  “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” I quipped.

  “Memories can be made anywhere. I wasn’t interested in flaunting my earnings. I chose to invest so I could retire early and put my son through college. I don’t need everyone to know how successful I am by buying fancy things,” she said, scorn in her voice.

  “Oh good. You found your soapbox. That high horse that you favor is right there where it usually is, and look, you’re right on top like always.”

  She sighed. “I don’t want to argue. You can’t be mad at me for wanting to save my family’s home. This is our home. It means something to me, and you had to know I would never let you take it without a fight.”

  “I expected a fight. What I didn’t expect was for you to win.”

  She laughed.

  “Dammit, Ashley. Do you know how much money you are costing me? This isn’t a laughing matter!”

  I couldn’t see her, but I knew she had a smile on her face—that shit-eating grin that said she had won.

  “Brock, it isn’t about the money. This is about family. My family. It’s about your son getting to grow up in a stable home with both his parents nearby. He won’t have to fly back and forth. Just think of the money you’ll save on airfare,” she added with a giggle.

  “This isn’t funny! You may have ruined my entire career. I put a lot of money into closing this deal. This could have put me on the map. I would have had developers lining up to work with me.”

  “Boohoo,” she sarcastically muttered. “If your career is taking the homes of good people and turning them into parking lots, shame on you. If that’s the case, I’m glad I ruined your career. That’s not a career, Brock. That’s something only a villain does. Unless you have set your sights on being a super villain, relax; I just saved your soul,” she teased.

  I wanted to scream. Sh
e thought this was all so hilarious. She had no idea. Or maybe she did and that was why she was taking such pleasure in ruining everything. I wouldn’t put it past her to celebrate my demise with a bottle of champagne.

  “I can’t believe you,” I muttered.

  “Believe it, baby. Anyway, did you want to set up a time to see Jasper? Maybe I can meet you at the park and leave you two alone for an hour or so.”

  My head was spinning. She had ruined what would have been a huge success for me, and now she was playing nice and offering me time to spend with my child? She was deranged. She was pretending we weren’t in the middle of an argument about her ripping a fortune right out of my hand without blinking an eye.

  “You can’t dangle Jasper in front of me and expect me to forget all about how you just cost me a shitload of money, Ashley,” I said. “It’s not like I can forget what you’ve done, especially since I have a very wealthy, angry developer calling me every five minutes!”

  “I’m asking if you want to see your son. Nothing more. I don’t care if you are being harassed by a developer that wanted to bulldoze my house. Really, that is the last thing on my mind.”

  “Of course you don’t care. You aren’t the one losing everything,” I said. I instantly regretted showing her any weakness. She would capitalize on it.

  Another deep sigh came through the phone. “I need to know now, Brock. I’ll be going back to New York tomorrow and will be gone a couple days.”

  “Why?” I blurted out, holding on to the hope that she’d been joking about staying.

  “I have to pack up my loft. I’m selling it, remember? I have to sell it to pay off this damn debt,” she grumbled.

  I took some satisfaction in knowing I had thrown a wrench in her plans as well. My world wasn’t the only one getting shaken up.

  “You don’t have to sell it. You could forget about the farm and keep your loft,” I offered.

  “Whatever. Not gonna happen. I’m coming home, Brock, and I am buying my dad’s farm. That isn’t going to change. Deal with it.”

  “Are you flying? Driving?”

  “I’m driving. Jasper will be staying here, but I certainly don’t want you stopping by and upsetting my dad. He has enough on his plate without you adding your nasty attitude to the mix. You’ll have to wait until I get back if you want to see him. I’m serious. Do not go out to my house,” she warned.