He brought the plate to her, sat it down on the coffee table, and handed her a knife, fork, and napkin.
“Eat,” he ordered. She rolled her eyes. She lifted a forkful to her mouth as he went into the kitchen. When he returned he brought a beer for himself and a glass of wine for her.
“The wine might help after you get something on your stomach.” Touched by his thoughtfulness, she took his advice and ate as much as felt comfortable, then sipped on the wine.
“Feeling better?” He put his arm behind her on the back of the sofa.
“Much.” She scooted closer to keep her voice down. “I was afraid Blake was going to ruin the party yesterday. My stomach has been upset ever since then.”
“He won’t bother you again. Not if he’s smart.”
“I don’t know if Aria and Declan noticed what was going on, but I was afraid he would make a scene. I knew if Declan came outside and saw him that he would have been angry. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt—especially because of me.”
Falcon frowned, but his eyes flashed dangerously. Though he was touched by her concern, he was also humored by it.
“Sweetheart, no one’s going to get hurt as long as Blake keeps his distance.” He placed his hand on her knee. “Just trust me on this, okay?”
He gave her a reassuring kiss on her head.
A surprised Aria walked in on the scene. She looked from one of them to the other with a puzzled expression on her face. She spoke to Falcon, but never took her eyes off Paige.
“Declan and the guys are going out front on the porch to smoke cigars. They sent me to find you.”
He lifted Paige’s chin and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be back.” He politely nodded to Aria and went in the direction of the men. Aria watched until he had gone outside before turning back to Paige. She sat in the seat Falcon had just vacated to catechize her friend.
“Girl…I want details.”
Falcon enjoyed a good cigar, as did the other men. It was just the three of them- himself, Declan, and Carter. He took a seat beside Carter as he listened to Declan’s conversation about Karas’ birth and how being a father had already changed his outlook on life.
“I’m telling you, everything I do has a different meaning since the baby was born. Even my business is more focused. I don’t ever want that little girl to go without. It’s crazy how much I love her. She has become the most precious thing in the world to us.” He focused on the sun hanging high above the horizon line. This was the most relaxed Falcon had ever seen him. He was sitting in one of the weatherworn chairs with his feet up on the railing. His expression was one of deep thoughts. He puffed on his cigar until the head of it glowed, then released a cloud of the aromatic smoke.
“We watch her when she’s sleeping, you know? It’s difficult to explain. Sometime it’s hard to believe that she’s ours.”
“It’s tough for me to believe you’re married with a kid,” Carter chimed in. “I never even expected you to get married. A lot’s changed in a couple of years.”
Declan gave his brother an inquisitive look “What about you? When are you and Aimee going to make it official?”
“I’m not the one who’s stalling. She’s got the ring on her finger but I can’t get her to pick a date.” Carter nodded toward Falcon changing the subject. “Seems Grey over there is dating your wife’s girlfriend.”
Dumbfounded, Declan sat up. “Really. You’re with Paige?”
Falcon’s grin was a confirmation causing Declan to fall back in the chair. “Well, I’ll be damned.” The corner of his mouth curled up as he gave him a mischievous look. “Blake will be sorry to hear she’s off the market.”
“He already knows.”
The friendly atmosphere chilled under his icy words. Declan and Carter both waited for him to elaborate. He leaned forward for a more personal conversation and rested his arms on his thighs. The cigar dangled between his fingers.
“How well do you know Blake? Either of you?”
“I guess as well as most of the group,” Carter shrugged. “I met him through my brother. When Declan had the accident, Blake called all the time to see how he was, and when he got better the three of us went to Hawaii together. It’s not like we’re good friends.”
Declan’s expression sobered. “Why are you asking?”
Falcon needed answers. There were things that didn’t add up. “Have you noticed anything different about him? Because the guy sets off red flags for me.”
“You mean as far as Paige is concerned?” Declan shrugged. “Aria told me he was pushing too hard for her to go out with him. I told him to back off.”
Falcon’s expression hardened when Blake and Paige were mentioned in the same breath. It caught Declan’s notice.
“What happened that you’re not telling us?”
“When I went to Vegas for the Security convention, Paige and I ran into each other. We had hit it off at the party, but Blake kept giving her the evil eye. When Carter told me that he wasn’t her boyfriend, I thought it was odd that he acted so possessively. When we ran into each other again, one thing led to another. We were together almost every day—sometimes twice a day.” His jaw tightened and he gave Declan a grave look. “You say he was pressuring her to go out? That you had to step in? He obviously didn’t get the message. It turned out that he was in Vegas the same time we were. I don’t know if he followed her there or if it was a coincidence, but he sure as hell didn’t like her going out with me.”
“I’ll talk to him again if he’s bothering her.” There was a hint of defensive anger in Declan’s voice. “Maybe he just didn’t get the message the first time but I don’t have a problem with talking to him again about it. We’ve been friends for years.”
“That’s not saying much for your taste in friends.”
Falcon’s tone was accusatory and Declan responded aggressively.
“What the hell are you talking about Grey? Spit it out!”
“I’m saying he didn’t get the message,” Falcon defended. “Not from her, and not from you. He was watching her in Vegas—stalking, I would say. After one of our dates he broke into her room. He beat her and tried to rape her. If I hadn’t come back, he probably would have.”
The two men were obviously shocked, but Declan more so than Carter. “Are you shittin’ me?”
“No.” Falcon’s jaw was tight as his expression hardened. “I threw the son of a bitch onto the elevator and marched his ass down to hotel security. I told them to call the police, and I told him that if he ever came near her again I would break his neck. He had done some kind of drug, I’m sure of it. His eyes were glassy; his pupils were dilated…he acted like he was fucking invincible. The only reason he didn’t go to jail was because Paige wouldn’t press charges.” He looked at Carter. “That was why I was so pissed off when I got back from the trip. I wanted the bastard to rot in jail for a while, but she acted like it was all a big, fucking misunderstanding. What really happened was she didn’t want to cause waves for anybody, including him. It took us a while to get past it, but we did. Then I find him here yesterday grabbing her while he thought no one was looking. Well, I saw him and he’s lucky I didn’t snap his damn wrist. I dragged his ass out of here and told him to keep his hands off of her or the next time I was going to kill him.”
His neck was crimson with rage. He wiped his face with his hands took a deep breath while he tried to clear his head. He looked at Declan.
“I know he’s your friend and all, but I’m not letting him get near her again.”
Declan’s mouth tightened into a thin line and Carter looked like he wanted to punch something.
“Look,” he said to both of them. “If this guy is your friend then, I’m telling you, something’s going on with him. But I don’t give a shit what his problem is, if I catch him near her again I’m going to jail because I’m going to kill him.”
As thick as a foggy night, a sobering pause fell in the conversation. He knew they were mulling
over the information he had just relayed. Declan took a long drag and blew it out. He stared at the thick ash on the glowing end.
“What I said is true, Fal; Blake and I have been friends for years.” He looked at Falcon with a troubled expression. “That being said, I haven’t seen him on a regular basis since I’ve been married. If you say he attacked Paige, I have no reason not to believe you. And I sure as hell don’t want him hurting her. If he was pulling some shit in my house, then I’m glad you kicked him out. I would have too if I’d seen it. And he should know better than to try anything at a party for my daughter!”
“I trust your judgment Fal,” Carter interrupted. “You’re pretty good at finding out somebody’s end game. What do you think his is?”
Falcon shook his head. “I don’t know. Paige and I talked about it and she said he wasn’t always like this. The one, odd thing that stands out to me is that he was hanging out with Manny Vallega and his wife. Paige filled me in on what Marisol did before she got put away and I know about her obsession with you.” He looked at Declan. “Blake could probably explain away why he was with her, given their work history. What’s odd is that, when I saw him, he was so buddy-buddy with Vallega. I know nothing’s been pinned on him yet, but he’s as dirty as they come. He and Marisol—not a good pair.”
Declan’s shock grew. “Blake was with Vallega? Yeah. Something’s not adding up.”
Falcon nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”
Declan was very introspective for a moment and then turned to his brother. “Can I hire you to check into Blake and Vallega?”
“We’re a security company, not investigators,” he answered.
“I know that.” He sounded exasperated. “I’m asking you if you’ll do this for me? If Blake is involved with something underhanded, I need to know. I sure as hell don’t want to do business with him if he is, or have him near my family.”
Carter looked over at Falcon. “You want to do this?”
Falcon flicked the ashes of his cigar, and then puffed until the head was blazing. There was a determined look in his eyes.
“Absolutely.”
I lost track of time as I held Karas in my arms. I walked through the house, going room to room, as I bounced her gently. Aria and Aimee were cleaning up. Normally I would have helped, but Karas was a much more pleasant diversion.
“She’s a beautiful baby.”
Falcon’s deep voice raised goose bumps on my flesh. He came from behind me and looked at her. She was almost asleep.
“She really is, but then, look at her daddy and momma.” I looked up at him. “Do you like kids?” He nodded.
“Always did. I’d like to have my own someday.” He pushed the blanket down tenderly to better see her face. As he took her in his expression softened.
“Me too. One day.” He reached up and caressed my cheek, and looked deeply into my eyes.
“One day,” I agreed.
Falcon’s green eyes were the color of moss and as bottomless as black water. The love I saw there made me hope and dream. I felt myself sinking into them. That one glance and I was drowning a peaceful death. Something happened to me when I was with him.
I felt things that I never dared feel.
I thought things that I never dared think.
I dreamed things that I never dared dream.
I bundled up the baby and took her outside. Falcon held the chair while I eased into it so as not to wake her up. He sat next to me and the two of us kept looking from the baby to each other. It was another peaceful day. Karas startled once and both of us froze. She was quickly lulled to sleep by an ocean lullaby. He reached for my hand and held it firmly in his. We found tranquility in the company of each other. How we got from an undisturbed snow to the peacefulness of the ocean was surreal, but I couldn’t imagine it happening any other way.
I was glad for these few moments together. Soon the others would be joining us for what would be, at the very least, an interesting conversation. Although I hoped everyone would be happy for us, I was a little numb. My connection to Falcon filled a void in me that had become an almost incapacitating chasm. He was the balm for my battered spirit. I felt like I was learning a new means of communication because of him. Love had a language all its own. It was a conversation without words, a sentence of restoring apologies, a paragraph of healing hearts, and a composition of hope. It articulates when words aren’t enough to become a novel written from emotions. It’s a touch, a glance, and an understanding that, when treated with kindness, becomes a best-selling blockbuster in the universal library.
We enjoyed an uninterrupted moment in our own little world. And, soon, we had the company of Aimee and Carter. Declan and Aria came through the doorway laughing at some inside joke when they saw their sleeping daughter. Falcon never let go of my hand, and I enjoyed the way he declared our status as a couple to our closest friends.
“I’ll take her.” Declan reached over and took his sleeping daughter from my arms. “This little one has had an exciting few days. She’s not going to know what to do when it settles down to the three of us again.”
He disappeared into the house to lay Karas down. The breeze was beginning to pick up and Aria handed a light blanket both to Aimee and I, and we wrapped them around our shoulders.
“So you and Paige?” Aria teased Falcon. “I can’t say I’m surprised.” She began to giggle. “I’m shocked, actually.”
“What can I say? I’m irresistible to women.” Falcon playfully grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Bullshit!” Carter choked on his beer and Aimee and Aria burst into laughter. “You are one, ugly, son of a bitch! It’s a wonder she didn’t take off screaming!”
“Hey! You’re no prize yourself, Sinclair!” Falcon returned with rapid fire.
“Who’s no prize?” Declan asked as he rejoined the group.
“I was just saying your brother’s no prize. I think you got all the looks.” Falcon shrugged his shoulders matter-of-factly while Declan’s chest puffed out proudly.
“I knew you were a smart man, Grey. It’s no wonder you landed Paige.”
“So what’s up with that?” Aria brought the conversation back around. “How did you convince her to go out with you? I’ve been trying to hook her up for years.”
Falcon’s eyes widened. “Well I sure as hell am glad you didn’t have much luck!”
“Don’t get me wrong.” Aria waved her hands as if erasing her former statement. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just that she’s really picky. You must be pretty special to have landed her.”
“Or very drunk.” I smiled at them.
“Drunk? You left out that little part of the story.” Aria looked between Falcon and me.
“There may have been a little alcohol involved,” he laughed.
I snorted.
“Did you just snort? Little Miss Perfect?” Aimee looked at me with eyes wide and mouth open. “Oh my god.” Her voice faded in the swell of everyone’s laughter.
“Well, beautiful, that’s something I didn’t know about you. Snorting may be a deal breaker for me.” Falcon made them laugh even more.
“Shut up!” I hit him on the arm.
“So there was alcohol involved.” Aria confirmed her suspicions with a smug look on her face. “I knew she was coerced. She’s always been so adamant about not wanting a relationship. Must have been a lot of alcohol.” She winked at Falcon.
“Now wait a minute!” Falcon put his hands up in a defensive stance. “I didn’t have much alcohol.” Everyone laughed again.
Aria turned to me. “And you? The prim and proper business woman?”
“Yes, Aria. I had alcohol. It was Vegas for god’s sake!” I rolled my eyes, exasperated.
“You’d better watch it, Falcon. Our unattached friend might rethink having you as a boyfriend.” Aria’s warning made him chuckle.
“If she was unattached, and if I was her boyfriend, I might be worried.” Falcon looked at me with mischief in his ey
es.
“What do you mean ‘if’, because if I know her, it’s going to take a whole lotta convincing to tie Paige down.”
“Guess I convinced her.”
Everyone went silent while Falcon grinned.
“What?” Aria looked between us. All of the sudden, understanding dawned in her eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
I shrugged.
“You’ve heard about those Vegas weddings. Well…”
“Holy shit!” Carter’s outburst reflected what the others were thinking. They all stared in disbelief.
“Oh my god!” Aimee squealed. “Congratulations!” She jumped out of her chair and gave me a hug, then threw her arms around Falcon and gave him one as well. “I’m so happy for you!”
Declan and Carter followed suit, giving me kisses and slapping Falcon on the back. The only one who held back was Aria. While everyone else chattered, I sat next to her.
“Are you upset?” I asked in a low tone.
“You got married.” She seemed sad.
“I know.” I leaned forward in my chair because she seemed a little dumbstruck.
“You got married,” she said again.
“I know. We’ve established that.” I smiled at her. “Can’t you be happy for me?”
“You got married and I wasn’t there.” She pouted playfully.
“So, you’ll be there for the babies.”
“Babies? I can’t believe that you’re married—I didn’t think you trusted anyone that much.”
“Ahhh…I’m working on the trust thing. It’s a good thing I was drunk. It might not have happened otherwise.” I looked over at Falcon who was still being ribbed by the other men. “He’s a good guy, Aria.”
“He’d better be.” She looked at him with determination. “Or I’ll kick his ass!”
It had been a week since Karas’ christening. Falcon convinced me to take off for a few days and he did the same. Although I’d planned to take off a day or two to spend with Aria and the baby, he occupied most of my time. I apologized to her, but she understood completely, insisting that I spend the time with my husband.
Same/Difference (The Depth of Emotion #4) Page 17