by Harlow James
“How does she feel about this?”
I sigh and then reach for my phone, curious if she’s texted me or not yet this morning. “I’m not sure that she knows, but I’ll warn her.” I shoot off a text to her and then stuff my phone back in my pocket.
“I like her, Wes. I didn’t get the chance to discuss anything with you on Friday given the whirlwind of that day and evening, but she’s exactly the type of woman I could see you with.”
“Believe me, I’m accepting that reality as well, although showing up with her the other night definitely rubbed my father the wrong way.”
“Screw him,” she spits, grinding her teeth together. “That man should be the last one telling you how to live your life.”
“He’s afraid that bringing Shayla to the event is going to draw unnecessary attention to the truth behind why I’m here.”
“Well, he should have thought about that before he instigated this entire mess.”
I agree, but still, his warning is in the back of my mind. The most important aspect of building this facility is controlling the narrative behind it. If the truth gets out before it’s finished, it will take away from the positivity of it all.
She places a few items in the fridge and then turns to me. “So, you didn’t answer my question. Where are you headed today?”
“I’m off to see Nolan and Lydia.”
Her eyebrows rise and she grabs the dry cleaning off the counter and encourages me to follow her to my room so she can deposit it in my closet. “And how is that going?”
“Well, this will only be the second time I’ve been able to see them, but Lydia says Nolan is excited about the facility.”
“As he should be. And he still doesn’t know who you are?”
I shake my head. “No. Lydia thought it was better this way. He was so young when the accident happened too, so I don’t think he recognizes me.”
She nods slowly. “What about Shayla? Does she know about Nolan and Lydia.”
I inhale deeply and then take a seat on the edge of my bed. “No. I decided not to tell her everything until the facility is finished. That way, at least she can see all that I’ve done trying to make the situation better.”
She arches one eyebrow at me. “Don’t you think that’s risky?”
“Yes, but Shayla has issues when it comes to men. Hell, she’s fought me several times on trivial shit already. We’re finally in a solid place after the gala. I don’t want to ruin it.”
Grace walks up to me and playfully smacks me upside the head. “If she has issues with men, don’t you think that you lying to her and keeping secrets is just going to confirm her issues?”
“Well, when you put it that way …”
“I love you, Wesley, like a son. And because of that, I’m begging you—tell her. Tell her everything as soon as you can.”
Frustrated and getting more antsy by the second, I stand from my bed and run my hands through my hair. “What if she leaves, Grace? What if she never looks at me the same way? I made a mess of my life all those years ago and I’m still cleaning it up.”
She places her hand reassuringly on my arm. “If she’s the woman I think she is and you feel for her as strongly as you do, you have to believe that she will understand and appreciate your honesty. But keeping things from her is only going to make matters worse.”
I nod, knowing she’s right. Grace is always right. “I’ll think about it.”
With a shake of her head, she leaves my room while muttering, “Stubborn ass.”
***
“So, have you given any thought as to what I asked you about a few weeks ago?” I stare across the room at Nolan from my spot on the couch in Lydia’s living room. The light from the sun comes through the front window and produces a glare off of the metal beneath him, making me wince before I adjust my position and wait to hear what he has to say.
His face lights up as he reaches for a notebook beside him. “Yeah. I’ve been writing down ideas as they come to me, waiting to share them with you.”
“Sorry I couldn’t come back sooner, but life has been crazy.” A crazy whirlwind of business and making time for Shayla now.
“Yeah, I get it, I guess.” He shrugs and then opens up to a page he has bent at the corner before his smile builds. “I was thinking—what if the facility had a superhero theme?”
I can feel my lips curl up. “Okay. Tell me more.”
He raises his hands in the air as if he’s painting a picture of a scene. “Like, maybe there’s a mural painted on the main wall when you enter of The Avengers, but each one of them has a disability—one in a wheelchair, one is blind, one is missing a leg… something like that.”
Astonishment fills my voice. “I love it.”
Nolan’s entire face lights up as I feel the couch dip beside me when Lydia joins us. “Yeah?”
“Yes. It’s perfect.”
“He’s been so excited to share that idea with you,” Lydia chimes in, handing me a glass of water.
“My friends and I have been brainstorming ever since you told me about it. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is.”
He sighs and then his eyes go wide in excitement again. “Cool. And what they were wondering is, will there be activities that they can join in on to, like sports and stuff? Or will it only be for kids like me?” he asks, gesturing down to the black and lime green wheelchair he sits in before me—a physical reminder of the harm I caused in his life before I ever got a chance to leave an impression that was good.
But that’s what I’m doing here—building a legacy and giving this boy a safe haven where he can thrive despite his physical limitations, making amends in some small way for how our paths crossed and both of our lives changed forever in the blink of an eye.
“Everyone will be welcome, Nolan. Inclusion is important, especially if your friends want to be a part of what we’re doing. We can hold events where your friends and you can play sports together for sure.”
“Sweet.” He beams and then turns his attention to his mom. “Can I call the guys and see if they want to come over and tell Wes more of our ideas?”
“If that’s okay with him,” she says as she turns to me and waits for my answer.
“Of course. I want to hear it all. This is exactly why I needed your input, Nolan. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
The smile he offers me soothes the blackness that still resides in small corners of my heart, the areas that probably won’t ever heal, tainted by my indiscretions and mistakes. The sound of his wheelchair moving down the hall carries away from us just as Lydia leans closer to me and whispers.
“Thank you for this, Wes. He hasn’t stopped talking about it for two weeks.”
“I can tell that he’s excited.”
“Excited doesn’t even begin to cut it. I know my son has friends at school and overall remains positive about his situation, but lately his spark has been diminished. Part of me knows it’s hormones, but the other part thinks he’s a boy that wishes he could do things all of the other boys could. He needs a place where he can belong and talk to other kids that understand his life. I have a support system online in Facebook groups and such, but it’s so different than actually having people to turn to in real life. Between work and driving Nolan to doctors all over southern California, it doesn’t leave much time for anything else, something like what this place will give him.” Fresh tears fill her eyes and she reaches up to brush one away as it falls.
“I’m sorry, Lydia,” I croak out, reaching for her hand. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get here, but my life took a turn that day too. I know that I’ve been able to take care of you financially, but money doesn’t fix everything—it won’t fix his spirit and it won’t buy back time—and that’s what I’m hoping this place will help do for him too.”
“I still can’t believe how this all happened,” she sighs, shaking her head while looking back down the hall. “One day we need to tell him who you are to h
im, you know that, right?”
I nod. “Yes, but let’s wait for the facility to be finished first before we do that. I want him to know that although I’ve caused him harm, I’m desperately trying to make up for it, although nothing I do will ever repair the damage I’ve done.”
“It’s not your fault, Wes. I’ve told you that. It was an accident. If you hadn’t shown up …” she starts just as the sound of Nolan returning to the living room startles her, her mouth clamming up instantly.
“They’re on their way.” Nolan rolls right into the same place he was before, pushing his dirty blonde hair out of his face, catching me off guard with how much he reminds me of myself at his age. “So you’re really cool with the superhero idea? I figured after you told me that comics were one of your favorite things, you might like it. But I don’t know, I don’t want it to be cheesy.”
I slide closer to him on the couch, reaching out to place my hand on his knee, even though I know he can’t feel it. But I feel it—the connection between two people who survived, fought their own demons, and came out stronger on the other side. “It’s perfect, Nolan. Superheroes represent strength and hope, and anyone that walks into this facility needs to know and feel that too. Everyone faces a battle at some point, and injuries happen. But that doesn’t mean we stop fighting, right?”
He nods in agreement. “Right.”
“So having that be the first thing people see when they walk in sets the tone. We fight together here, and no man gets left behind.”
Chapter 21
Shayla
I’m racing across campus, my feet flying beneath me as I tuck my bag in tight to my body so it doesn’t swing out and nail someone in the head, or worse, the junk. I’m about to be late to class for the first time ever, and it’s all Wes’s damn fault.
Well, more his cock’s fault, but since that incredible appendage is attached to him, I’m going to blame the entire man.
I stopped by his office between working at the coffee shop and my afternoon class on this dreary Monday, a habit I’ve developed in the weeks that have passed since the gala. That hour or so of seeing him always makes an otherwise long and treacherous day a little easier to get through.
However, apparently I was on the menu for an afternoon snack, which in retrospect I really shouldn’t complain about. Wes had me coming on his tongue in record time and then I finished him off with my mouth. But then the two of us decided that wasn’t enough, so we partook in some wall sex before I glanced at the clock and realized I was going to be late for my midterm.
Which is why I’m running, faster than I would normally pace myself during a morning run, that’s for sure. As I see my building up ahead, I sprint for the door knowing this professor is a stickler for being on time, especially on test day. If you are more than five minutes late, you take a zero on your exam. It’s in his syllabus, which you sign and agree to on the first day of class.
By the hair on my chinny chin chin, I squeeze through the door just as he closes it, glaring at me before trudging back down the steps in the auditorium to the bottom of the room where the whiteboard and his desk are located. I survey the room for a seat since my normal spot is taken, and then it suddenly dawns on me that all eyes are on me. That detail shouldn’t be surprising since I dramatically entered the room just a few seconds ago, but these aren’t the looks of people irritated by someone being late—no these are the same type of looks I’ve been garnering since my picture started showing up in magazines a few weeks ago.
With my chin held high, I find a seat in the front and plop down, fishing out my pencil and waiting for my test to be distributed as the seer of their gazes continues to burn through me. But it’s not hatred I feel—it’s intrigue, judgment, and perhaps just a tiny hint of jealousy as the recognition of my face next to Wesley Morgan, the hotel billionaire, has made blending into the background damn near impossible now.
After I finish my test, I gather my bag and exit the auditorium, eager to get back home so I can relax finally after a stressful day—with the exception of the orgasms Wes dished out, of course.
As I walk through the door, Chloe comes running up to me dramatically, clutching my arms while widening her eyes.
“Help me, Shayla!”
“Help you what, Chloe? Is everything okay?” I search the apartment as if an intruder might jump out at any moment.
“No. I’m dying,” she cries dramatically, crumbling into a ball on the floor. “I’m dying of boredom! If I have to pick up one more pile of dogshit off the sidewalk, I’m going to scream!”
Staring down at her as she clutches my ankles and curls her body around me, I reply, “Uh, you’re kind of screaming right now.”
“I’m just …” she sighs, lying flat on the ground now so she can stare up at me, her arms and legs spread out like a starfish. “I’m tired of the same thing every day. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the life changes? Where’s the surprise that turns my shitty day into a great one? I’m not talking about winning the lottery here, but maybe just someone paying for my coffee ahead of me in the drive-thru, you know?” Then she gestures to me with her arm. “And here my best friend is falling in love with a billionaire, and I’m over here walking dogs and picking up their shit while they look down on me as I do it. I swear,” she pauses as she glares at me, “Sir Francis literally raised his nose in the air and huffed at me as I closed the plastic bag over his massive turd this morning, Shayla. I’m losing my dignity one piece of poop at a time and I need something to snap me out of this funk.”
I crouch down on the ground and smooth her hair from her face. “I know, Chloe. I get it. I think I felt a little like that before Wes appeared.”
Her head turns toward me, her smile tight-lipped. “And I’m happy for you, Shayla. But where’s my billionaire, huh?”
I chuckle at my best friend. “I’m sure there’s one out there for you somewhere.”
My phone rings in my pocket, so I reach back to fetch it and instantly smile from the name on the screen. “Well, hello there, handsome.”
“Ugh! So unfair,” Chloe whines again, rolling around on the floor like a child. I step over her and further into the apartment, setting my bag on the counter.
“Hey, beautiful. Miss me?”
“Always, even though it’s only been a few hours since I saw you.”
“I know. We need to fix that.”
“I’ll see you at the end of the week,” I reply, knowing that trying to orchestrate a meet up with Wes during the week cuts into my study time. As much as I’d love to see him every day, we both agreed it was easier to keep the middle of the work week free so we could both concentrate on our other responsibilities.
“Well, about that. I just got a call from Hayes.”
“Okay …”
Wes clears his throat. “How would you feel about going to Vegas this weekend?”
“Vegas!” I shout, which gathers Chloe’s attention as she rapidly moves to stand and hover over me.
“Did he say Vegas? Please tell me he said Vegas,” she pleads, hands clasped in front of her.
“I take it from Chloe’s reaction that you’re interested?”
“Can she come too?”
“Of course. Waverly will be flying with us as well.” He mutters something else, but his hand must be blocking the microphone on his phone.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, sorry. I was just talking to Sheryl. So, what do you think? We would leave Thursday evening and probably come back late Saturday or early Sunday.”
Chloe steps in front of me, eyes wide and full of hope. “This weekend in Vegas? We have to go!”
“But I have to work,” I argue as her shoulders slump.
“I’m sure your boss will understand.”
“Will he now?”
“Well, seeing as Hayes is now part owner of Loft 24, I’d be hard-pressed to say Manny might just have to listen to his boss.”
I turn away from Chloe, slowly inching my
way down the hall to my bedroom. “You know, it’s really sexy when you order people around.”
“People? Or you?” he replies, his voice deepening into the tone that drives me mad.
“I guess a little of both.” I never saw myself as one who would hand herself over to someone else physically before, but with Wes, it’s almost instinctual. The man commands my body and mind so effortlessly, it scares me sometimes—especially since I’ve never experienced that before.
“Well, then perhaps I need to order you to come with me.”
“Wes …” I start, thinking of all of the reasons why I shouldn’t go. It’s halfway through the semester and the end is always the worst, especially with my final paper hanging over my head. Missing a few days of work will definitely tap into my bank account when I need money so I can pay my bills this month. And I’m sure that something crazy and unexpected will happen while we’re there because, hello? It’s Vegas.
“Shayla, I’d really like you to come with me, sweetheart. Hayes wants me to see the new club he’s investing in, help him figure out a few things on the one he’s having trouble with, and a surprise visit to our Vegas location would put my mind at ease on how operations are going. It wouldn’t be the same without you, and both you and Chloe deserve a little fun.”
“God, I knew I liked him!” Chloe shouts, scaring the shit out of me as I jump and turn around to see her standing in my doorway.
“How did you hear him?”
“The volume on your phone speaker is up way too loud.” She waves her hand through the air and then continues. “But I think you should definitely listen to the guy, Shayla. Otherwise he might punish you. Although, seems you like that now, don’t you?” She winks at me as I roll my eyes.
“Fine. We will be ready to go Thursday night,” I relent.
“Fuck yes!” Chloe shouts, running down the hall. “We’re going to Vegas! We’re going to Vegas!”
I pull the phone away from my ear and mouth to yell at her. “Chloe, shut up before the neighbors complain about you again!” Wes’s laugh rings out from the phone as I place it back up to my ear. “Sorry about that.”