“Okay?” Mia rolled her eyes. “Only you would describe that guy as okay, El. I’m telling you, your standards are way too high.”
“Maybe.” If I told my best friend the truth—that the only man able to meet my standards these days was her soon-to-be brother-in-law—she’d trip and possibly land in a cast that would clash with her elaborate wedding gown, and it would be all my fault.
“Deacon mentioned you went out for lunch with his brother yesterday. How’d that go?”
“Okay” wouldn’t have begun to describe that kiss, but I refused to acknowledge that Damon lit me up in ways poor Miles couldn’t even imagine. “We, uh, kind of got into it. I told him I was dating Miles, and let’s just say he didn’t take it well.”
I needed a second opinion, and no one knew me better than Mia. I didn’t want Mia to feel caught between our friendship and her future family, but I had dibs on her, which meant I should have been able to count on her honest opinion, even when Deacon’s brother was the man in question.
“Don’t leave me hanging,” Mia said, scowling when the preprogrammed treadmill forced her to jog. “Tell me everything.”
At least Mia wasn’t playing Switzerland. That was an encouraging sign. If I’d ever needed her two cents, now was the time. “He acted as though he was jealous, but when I…” I bit my lip, trying to find words that wouldn’t make me sound like a total ho. “Propositioned him, he backed off.”
Mia’s jaw dropped as she punched the button to stop the treadmill. “You propositioned him?” She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before she stepped down to stand next to my machine. “And he wasn’t interested? I can’t believe that. Damon has been after you since the first time he laid eyes on you. I would have thought finding out he had serious competition would have made him more willing to seal the deal.”
That was what I’d been counting on. A small part of me, the part that secretly liked it when a man opened my door or held out my chair, had hoped he would fly into a jealous rage and show me, rather than tell me, how much he wanted me. “I thought so too, girl. But that’s not the way it went down at all.”
“Hmmm, I wonder if he’s running scared. Could be he’s afraid of what he’s feeling for you and he’s not willing to acknowledge it just yet.”
“Oh God, here we go again.” Mia had been torturing me with her fairy tales for as long as I could remember, and now that she’d found her real-life Prince Charming, she was more determined than ever that I follow in her glass slippers. No. Way. In. Hell. “Not everyone wants to be Cinderella, you know. I don’t need a handsome prince to sweep me off my feet.” I wiggled my eyebrows as my machine shifted into cool down mode. “Unless of course I wind up flat on my back.”
“You’re so bad,” Mia said, giggling as she snapped her towel ineffectually, barely grazing my leg. “So what are you gonna do? Are you going to keep seeing Miles?”
“Why not? It’s not like Damon is stepping up.” Given the choice, I would gladly have forsaken all other men for a few weeks of action with the tabloids’ favorite bad boy, but since it seemed that possibility was off the table, a girl had to keep her options open.
“Did he tell you why he had to go out of town so suddenly?” Mia asked, stepping on the scale in the corner of the room.
“He’s out of town?” I was glad the treadmill had stopped because I might have been the one taking a nosedive. “Since when?”
Mia planted her hands on her hips, glaring at the numbers on the scale. “I told Deacon cooking all of those fancy meals would catch up with me! My wedding is right around the corner, and I can’t afford to gain any weight if I want to fit into that dress.”
Any other day, I would have felt her pain, but today, I was experiencing some of my own. “Where did he go?”
“Who?” Mia asked, frowning.
With a heavy sigh, I stepped off the treadmill and walked over to her to capture her angelic face in my hands. “For God’s sake, woman, would you focus? Where is Damon, and when is he coming back?”
Mia grinned, pointing at my sweat-soaked chest. “Ha, I knew it. You’re as crazy about him as he is about you. Admit it, girl. My future brother-in-law could be the man you’ve been waiting for all your life.”
“Yeah, my real-life Prince Charming,” I said sarcastically. If I hadn’t yet convinced her that I relished the idea of being a horny cougar someday, she’d never get the message. “He even kisses like—”
“You kissed him?” Mia squealed, tearing my hands away from her face as she squeezed them.
“Ssshhh.” I blushed when I caught a cute guy on the leg press smiling at me. “Are we tweens or what? He’s not the first guy I’ve kissed.”
“Yeah, but I was beginning to think it was never gonna happen. Talk about moving slow. You’ve known each other for, like, eight months. That’s seven months longer than you normally date a guy before you go to bed with him.”
She wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t appreciate the implication I was easy. I wasn’t. I just happened to prefer sex with real men to a quickie with my battery operated standby. Call me crazy. “Yeah, but Damon and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends.”
“I wonder why he backed off so suddenly?” Mia asked, leading the way to the changing room. “Remember when you first met? He was coming on so strong for the first few weeks, then it was like he…”
“Lost interest?” I knew Mia would never say that, even if it was what she was thinking. “Yeah, I’ve wondered about that too. Well, you know what? I’ve wasted enough time speculating about what his deal is. If he doesn’t want me, I’m sure I can find someone who does.”
“Speaking of which, you haven’t told me who your plus one will be for the wedding. Can I assume it’ll be Miles?”
I’d been leaving my options open in case Damon found his manhood again, but given the fact he’d left town with his tail between his legs after leaving me high and dry, I was beginning to suspect he’d never find it. “Yeah, I guess that’s a safe assumption.”
Chapter Five
Damon
I wasn’t surprised they’d asked me to come to their house while Dalia was at school, but that didn’t mean I would leave without catching a glimpse of my daughter. I’d come all this way. I couldn’t leave until I’d looked into those big brown eyes again.
“Thank you for coming.” Andra stepped back, gesturing for me to enter.
I took in my surroundings, thinking how different my daughter’s life would be if her mother weren’t so stubborn. The house was tiny and old with a couple of piecemeal additions jutting out the back. There was a fenced backyard, but judging by the questionable neighborhood, it wouldn’t be prudent to let kids go outside without supervision.
“I was surprised you called.” I followed her into the small living room, noting that it looked tidy, though worn and a little tired. Zeroing in on the framed photos cluttering the tables, I picked up one. My daughter. My heart clenched at the sight of her frilly pink dress and matching socks.
“She was about six months old in that picture,” Andra said softly. “She was such a good baby.”
That I’d missed out on so many years with her pained me. First steps. First words. I would never get those back, and I felt an overwhelming urge to punish the woman who’d taken that opportunity from me. “I want to provide for my daughter, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You decide.”
“I suppose you think your money will buy you the right to see her?”
I turned to see a man who mirrored me in coloring and stature lingering in the small foyer leading to the living room. “You must be my daughter’s stepfather.” I didn’t offer my hand, knowing he probably wouldn’t accept it.
“I am Dalia’s father,” he said, taking a step closer. “Make no mistake about that.”
“Please,” Andra said, sighing. “Enough posturing. We’re here to try to work this out.”
Remembering my goal for an amicable resolution, I stepped back,
giving Nic a wide berth.
“Did you get Johnnie down for his nap?” Andra asked her husband.
“Yeah.” Nic sank into a worn armchair next to his wife. “He’ll be down for a while.” His eyes flicked to mine. “It’ll give us a chance to talk.”
I nodded, claiming a seat on the sofa across from them. I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to pace, to work off some of my nervous energy, but I couldn’t let them know how unsettled I felt about this meeting. “Your son,” I said, hoping to find neutral ground. “How old is he?”
“Almost seven months,” Andra said, smiling. “They grow up so fast.” Her sharp intake of breath told me she wished she could take those words back.
“That’s why I don’t want to waste any more time,” I said, praying I could make them understand. “I want to be a part of Dalia’s life. I’ve already missed out on so much. You’re parents. Can’t you understand how I feel?”
Nic rolled his eyes. “You think you’ve earned the right to call yourself a parent just because you have good swimmers?”
“Nic,” Andra said, shooting her husband a warning look. “Remember, you promised.”
This could easily spiral out of control, and I didn’t want that. As angry as I was, I had to put Dalia first. “I know you’ve done your best to provide a good home for her.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nic asked, leaning forward. “Just because we don’t live in some mansion and have chauffeurs take our kids to school doesn’t mean—”
“I didn’t mean to insult you,” I said, raising my hand. Clearly the man felt intimidated by my family’s wealth and nothing I could say or do would convince him I wasn’t there to judge him. “I know Dalia is well loved and well cared for. And really, that’s all that matters to me.” I knew she was because I’d had our team of investigators learn everything they could about her life. Their thorough reports had indicated she was a happy, well-adjusted little girl who loved school, her friends, dance, and gymnastics.
“If you know she’s happy, then why are you trying to mess everything up?” Nic asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can’t you imagine what the stress of this is doing to us, to our family? Why the hell won’t you just leave us alone? Dalia doesn’t need you. She has me!”
“Sssh,” Andra said, touching her husband’s forearm. “Please. I don’t want to wake the baby.”
The fact that that was her only concern fueled my fury. “Dalia is my daughter,” I said, clenching my teeth. “That means I have some rights.”
“A daughter you said you didn’t want,” Nic said, glaring at me.
I glanced at Andra, whose eyes were trained on her husband. It became clear to me that she’d fed her husband a story about what had really happened between us all those years ago. That meant I had a choice to make. I could tell him the truth—that Andra had never given me the opportunity to be a father—or keep her secret and hope I could use it as leverage to gain access to my child.
“I’m not the same man I was then,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “While it may be true I wasn’t ready to be a father then, I am now.”
“Right.” Nic chuckled. “Doing shots with half-naked lingerie models really makes me believe you’re ready to settle down and be a role model to an impressionable kid.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised they’d seen photos of me with Eleni. As much as I wanted to see Dalia, I wouldn’t let them disparage the woman I cared about. “Eleni isn’t just some lingerie model. Her best friend is marrying my brother. The picture you saw—”
“That one picture isn’t our only concern,” Andra said. “It’s all the other pictures.”
“What are you talking about?” I glared at her, hoping to convey the message that she was skating on very thin ice. “What pictures?”
“You two are obviously seeing each other,” Andra said, forcing herself to meet my gaze head-on. “There have been other pictures of the two of you together.”
“So?”
Andra sighed. “Damon, we’re not here to judge your lifestyle, but you have to know you can’t bring that kind of woman into a little girl’s life.”
“That kind of woman?” I asked, fisting one hand in the other. “What the hell do you know about Eleni?” I wanted to tell them that she was more than the façade they saw in some glossy catalogue. She was kind and compassionate, a survivor who’d made it on her own. She was loyal to her friends and honest, which was a hell of a lot more than I could say for myself or Andra.
“All you have to do is google her,” Nic said, looking disgusted. “Pages and pages of pictures of her with different men, getting loaded, staggering out of nightclubs in clothes that make her look like a streetwalker.”
“If I were you, I’d shut my goddamn mouth,” I said, pointing at him. “Or I’ll shut it for you.”
Nic smirked. “I told you, Andra. She could be our daughter’s stepmother if we’re not careful. Is that what you want?”
“What I want is for all of us to calm down,” she said, raising her hands. “This is getting out of hand. Your friend may be a nice person, Damon, but those pictures speak for themselves. I can’t have someone like that in my daughter’s life. Dalia’s too young to learn about drinking or hangovers, and I don’t want her to get attached to this woman you clearly care about when she could lose her if you two break up.”
It wasn’t fair of them to judge Eleni because she liked to have a good time. I did too. That wasn’t a crime. “I’m sure if you googled me, you’d see I’m no better.” I pointed it out because I knew they already had. “But the pictures you see online don’t tell the whole story. They represent a single moment in time. People change. I’ve changed.”
“I’m sure you’ve tried,” Andra said, offering a half-smile. “But with your lifestyle…”
She didn’t have to state the obvious. I could never give Dalia the kind of secure, normal life they could, not with the paparazzi hounding me for their next money shot.
“You won’t even give me a chance, will you?” I said.
“If Dalia found out I wasn’t her real father, it would crush her,” Nic said. “Is that what you want?”
Of course I didn’t want to hurt her, but I didn’t think it was fair to keep the truth from her. I didn’t want her to grow up to find out the truth on her own, show up on my doorstep, and demand to know why I’d never fought to have a relationship with her. I closed my eyes, hanging my head. “I don’t want to hurt her. I just want to get to know my little girl. Is that too much to ask?”
“Yes,” Nic said. “It is. You had the chance a long time ago, and you blew it. You don’t get another chance.”
I looked at Andra, waiting for her to interject, but she said nothing.
“I’ve done everything in my power to become the kind of man Dalia would be proud to call her father. I may not be perfect. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, but haven’t we all?” I looked to Andra for support, knowing she could understand how hard it was to live a lie. “I want the people closest to me to know about Dalia. I want my family to be able to have a relationship with her.”
“Never,” Nic said, jumping up. “I don’t want her to have anything to do with those people.”
“Those people?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. “Just who the hell are you talking about?”
“Your brother’s almost as bad as you are, and I think your old man’s even worse.”
“You don’t know them the way I do. They would love Dalia, and she would love them.” I could stand them attacking my character, but I drew the line at them coming after my family. Demi and Deacon weren’t saints, but they’d made the world a better place, contributed millions of dollars every year to philanthropic causes, including children’s charities. In spite of his many faults, Demi loved children and couldn’t wait to be a grandfather.
“Well, she’ll never get the chance to love them ‘cause she’ll learn about them over my dead body.”
Right about now, th
at was sounding like my best option. “Do you really think you can win?” I demanded, deciding it was time to take the gloves off. “You think you can beat me? I have judges on speed dial, a roster of lawyers that would put Alan Dershowitz to shame. You want to go up against me, be my guest. But I can promise you won’t get your happy ending. I will.”
Though if the press caught wind of this, none of us would be happy—least of all Dalia, who was my biggest concern. I was used to the unwanted attention, but my innocent daughter didn’t deserve to be the object of a media storm.
“But Dalia won’t,” Andra said, reaching for my hand. “Can’t you see she’ll be the loser if we go to war over her?”
“You think I wanted this?” I asked, withdrawing my hand. “You did this. Not me.” I stopped just short of letting her secret slip. “I just want to support my daughter, to spend some time getting to know her better, but you won’t let me do that. What am I supposed to do, just carry on with my life and forget she exists?”
“Why now?” Nic demanded, bracing a hand on the doorframe as he stared me down. “Why didn’t you want her in your life before?”
Andra shot me a pleading look, forcing me to think fast. “I saw her. Those big brown eyes of hers still haunt me.” That much was true. I hadn’t been able to get that angelic little face out of my head.
“I never expected to see Damon again,” Andra said to her husband. “No one was more surprised than I was when he walked into the café that day.”
“He should have kept walking,” Nic said, scowling. “Saved us all a lot of grief.”
A sound outside the window made Andra jump. “Oh my God, it’s the school bus. What’s she doing home now?” Looking at her watch, she said, “She shouldn’t be home for two more hours.”
Damon (Starkis Family #2) Page 5