by R. R. Banks
“Fine,” I say and point to a small outdoor cafe. “Let's go talk.”
When we're seated, I set my hat on the seat next to me and lean back. Angie sits on the edge of her seat looking around nervously – looking anywhere but at me. The waitress comes over and I order a beer, she orders an iced tea. When she drops off our drinks and leaves the table, I motion to Angie.
“So? Talk,” I say.
“I don't know what to say, Brady,” she says. “I'm sorry just doesn't seem adequate.”
My bark of laughter is brittle and bitter. “Because it's not.”
She tears small strips from her napkin, still refusing to look at me. “I just – I wasn't ready to be a mother, Brady. I was still into partying and drugs –”
“Oh, and I was ready to be a dad?” I ask. “A single dad at that?”
“I didn't know what to do,” she says. “And – your mother offered me a large sum of money to go away.”
“That's bullshit, Angie.”
She shakes her head and looks me in the eye for the first time. “It's really not,” she says. “Your mother knew I wasn't ready and feared what kind of a mom I would be to her grandson. So, one night, we had a long talk. She said that if I wasn't ready and didn't think I was up to the job, she'd cut me a check then and there to just go. She said she'd rather you raise Nicholas on your own than have a mother who wasn't cut out for it. She was afraid I'd do more damage to Nicholas than good.”
I take a long pull of my beer and let what she said sink in. It sounds like my mother. She was obsessed with making sure Nicholas had a good upbringing. That he had a parent who was fully engaged in his life. And knowing that Angie was only not really into it, but that she had a slight drug problem back then too – yeah, I could see my mom doing that thinking it was in the best interest of Nicholas. Hell, in her place, maybe I would have too.
“So, rather than clean your act up and get your head in the game,” I say, “you decided to take the money and run.”
She shrugs. “In my place, you would have too.”
“I was in your place,” I snap. “And I didn't because I didn't have the choice. But even if I had, no, I most certainly wouldn't have, Angie. I had a son. A responsibility. So, did you. But you chose to bail on that.”
She looks down at her hands again and I can see her fighting to keep her composure. I can see her silently counting to ten before she looks back up at me.
“Things are different now, Brady,” she says. “I'm clean. I've got a good job. I'm in a steady relationship.”
I take another long pull of my beer. “Good for you,” I say, my tone a little frosty.
“And I want to see my son,” she says. “I'd like to start building a relationship with him.”
“The hell you will,” I say. “You're not coming anywhere near Nicholas.”
“It's my right as his mother,” she says.
“You gave up that right when you abandoned us.”
She gives me a small smile and clears her throat. “But I'm back now,” she says. “And I want to see my son.”
“Not gonna happen, Angie,” I say. “I'm not going to throw his life into upheaval because you decided that you're ready to be a decent human being all of the sudden. Especially knowing you and knowing how quickly that can change.”
“Screw you, Brady.”
“Yeah, I won't make that mistake again.”
There's real anger in her eyes as she stares at me. “I don't want to take this to court, but I will if I have to.”
“Feel free,” I say. “You'll lose.”
“The hell I will.”
I shrug. “You can try,” I say. “But I've got some of the best lawyers in the city on retainer. And don't forget the influence my family's name has in San Antonio. So, feel free to do what you have to do, Angie. But you will lose big and the only thing you'd accomplish is wasting a lot of money.”
“You can't keep me from my son.”
I shrug. “I don't need to do much,” I say. “You've kept yourself away for four years. Are we done here?”
She doesn't say anything else, so I get to my feet. Angie jumps up and before I can react, throws her arms around my neck and plants a kiss on me. I'm so stunned that all I can do is stand there with her attached to my face for a minute before I come back to my senses and push her away.
“What the hell, Angie?” I snap.
“I'm sorry, I –”
I turn and storm off, walking back to the car. Derek is holding the door open for me and I jump in quickly. As he closes the door and the gloomy interior envelops me, lean back in the plush seat. My mind is spinning in a million different directions with a million different questions.
But I need to put it all out of my head. Tonight is an important night and I don't want any of this garbage floating around.
“Where to, sir?” Derek asks.
“Home,” I say. “Home. This has been one of the weirdest days ever.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I walk in the door to find the house silent. But at least here, I feel grounded. Centered. I feel like this is the one place in all the world that makes sense right now.
“I wasn't expecting you home so early, Brady.”
“Things are a little too weird out there today,” I say. “I needed to come home for a little sanity.”
I smile at Miss Delia. She's got an apron on and judging by the aroma in the air, she's baking pies. I inhale deeply.
“Cherry?”
“And apple,” she says. “It's Nicholas' favorite.”
“Nicholas at his lessons?”
“I drove him over,” she says and glances at her watch. “I need to go pick him up in an hour or so.”
I nod. “Is Amanda here?”
“She is,” she says. “She's out by the pool, I believe.”
“Great. Thank you.”
“I really like her, Brady,” she says. “Smart as a whip and I can tell she doesn't put up with your guff.”
I laugh. “No, that she doesn't.”
“I think you did well with her.”
I give her a nod and a small smile. If only Miss Delia knew how Amanda came to be in my life, she might not be praising me so much. In fact, knowing her, she'd probably be slapping me upside the head.
“I think I got lucky,” I say.
I turn and walk out to the backyard, making my way around to the pool. And sure enough, she was stretched out on one of the padded loungers reading a book. She looks up at me and smiles, putting her book down.
“Well hey there,” she says.
“Hey yourself, darlin'.”
“You know, a girl can get used to this life of leisure.”
I lean down and give her a quick kiss. “I certainly hope you do.”
“How was your meeting?”
I sit down on the lounger next to her and shake my head. “Today has been one of the strangest days I can ever remember having.”
She cocks her head and looks at me. “What happened?”
I tell her all about the meeting with Tiffany, give her some of the background details so that she has some idea of what I'm talking about. I don't tell her about running into Angie though. I don't know why, but for some reason, it still feels a little too raw for me. And aside from that, the last thing I want is for Amanda to feel threatened by Nicholas' mom rolling into town.
Knowing her like I do, this is a momentary flight of fancy and I don't want to stress Amanda out with it. Angie is flakier than a biscuit and I doubt this is going to be an ongoing thing with her. She'll probably blow out of town again soon enough and never give us a second thought again. That's just how Angie is – flighty.
“So, you think she's up to something? Tiffany?”
I nod. “It smells like it to me,” I say. “It could just be though, that she's feelin' around, seeing whether or not we're serious.”
“Why would that matter?”
“Because if I don't meet my obligation to the estate, ownershi
p of the Keating empire transfers to her,” I say. “And both Kendrick and Thomas have it on good authority that she's going to break it all up and sell it all off piece by piece the minute she assumes control.”
“Wow. This woman sounds like a total bitch,” I say. “I'm sorry, Brady.”
I shrug. “What are you gonna do?” I say. “Know what we need?”
“Tell me.”
“We need a little fun,” I say.
She gives me a flirty little smile. “Now?”
“You are incorrigible, darlin',” I say. “Don't ever change that. But I'm thinkin' we should go out tonight.”
“Photo op night, huh?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No, nothing like that. Just you and me. A nice dinner, a few drinks, and a quiet evening just celebrating us.”
“I'd like that.”
“Great,” I smile. “Pick you up in the foyer around seven?”
She smacks me playfully in the arm. “I'll be there with bells on.”
~ooo000ooo~
When she descends the stairs wearing a black satin sleeveless dress with the plunging neckline that displays her ample cleavage and hugs her beautiful curves everywhere else, I feel like I got kicked by a mule and had the wind knocked out of me.
“My God,” I say when she steps up next to me. “You are breathtaking, darlin'.”
She blushes and looks away, but gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you,” she murmurs.
Nicholas is standing with Miss Delia, smiling wide. “Bye Daddy.”
“We'll see you later, champ,” I say. “Be good for Miss Delia.”
“I will.”
Miss Delia gives me a smile and a wink as I turn and escort Amanda out the door and usher her to the waiting car. Derek holds the door open and we slide into the back. It's dimly lit, but I can see her smiling wide.
“What are the smiles all about?” I ask.
“I just feel so – fancy,” she says. “Elegant. All of this still feels like a fairy tale or a dream and I'm just waiting to wake up from it.”
I give her hand a squeeze and a soft, chaste kiss on the cheek. “I know exactly how you feel,” I say. “But no, this is no fairy tale. This is our life, darlin'.”
We dine at a restaurant called Malvoy's – one of the swankiest and trendiest places on the Riverwalk. There is a constant flutter in my stomach the entire evening and I have trouble even making halfway decent conversation. I feel like a blithering idiot, truth be told.
“You okay?” Amanda finally asks after the waitress clears our plates.
“Yeah, fine,” I say. “Sorry, darlin'. I'm just a little distracted, I guess.”
She shrugs. “I guess that's to be expected.”
“I suppose so.”
The waitress comes back and gives us a smile. “Dessert?”
“Y – yeah,” I say. “Absolutely. Why don't you bring us a couple of those lava cakes you guys make? And maybe some port wine?”
“Coming right up.”
I look over at Amanda who's looking back at me with an amused grin. And then it hits me.
“I'm sorry,” I say. “I did it again, didn't I?”
She nods. “I'm getting used to you ordering everything for me,” she says. “Although, once in a while, I'd like to make some decisions for myself.”
I nod and feel the nervous flutter in my stomach grow exponentially. Without realizing it, she just gave me the perfect opening. The opening I'd been waiting for. I give her what I'm sure is an awkward smile and stand up.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
I don't say a word, but get down on my knee next to her seat. She looks at me with curious, but wide eyes. I can feel the eyes of everybody in the restaurant turning to us and although Amanda's face is bright red, I ignore it.
“I have one decision you need to make all on your own,” I say. “Amanda Johnston, would you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
She claps her hands over her mouth and I see her eyes shifting everywhere around the restaurant, taking in all the eyes on us. I can only imagine what she's thinking and feeling in that moment – I just hope it's good. Her eyes are shimmering with tears and her face turns an even deeper shade of red – a shade of red I don't believe exists in nature.
“Will you marry me, darlin'?”
She opens her mouth to speak but no words come out – nothing but a hoarse little croak. But she nods vigorously before she throws her arms around my neck, squeezing me tight.
“Yes,” she's finally able to choke out. “Yes, I'll marry you. Yes.”
The restaurant around us explodes in cheers and applause and Amanda plants a big kiss on me. I take the ring from the box and slip it on her finger. She looks at it with eyes so big, I fear they're going to pop right out of her head. She holds her hand up, gazing in wonder at the ring on her finger.
The waitress comes to the table and sets our desserts down – along with a couple flutes of champagne.
“It looks like the occasion calls for champagne instead of port,” she says. “Congratulations.”
I look at the waitress, my heart filled to bursting, and give her a smile. “If you wouldn't mind, darlin', would you wrap these desserts up to go?”
She smiles and nods. “Of course.”
~ooo000ooo~
We're in the back of the car and Amanda hasn't taken her eyes off the ring. She just keeps looking at it with wonder and marvel in her eyes. She's barely been able to speak.
“It looks good on you,” I say.
She finally manages to tear her eyes away from the ring and looks at me. Her lower lip is trembling and there are fresh tears in her eyes.
“I need you to be honest with me about something, Brady.”
“Shoot,” I say.
“Proposing to me back there like that,” she starts, “was that just all part of selling the illusion?”
I shake my head firmly. “No,” I say. “When I first approached you with this idea, I thought it was going to be nothing more than a business arrangement.”
“Yeah, so did I.”
My heart is thundering in my chest. I'm not a man who enjoys talking about his feelings and think I sound like an idiot when I do. But I know that she needs to hear this. Know that she needs the reassurance. Hell, maybe I do too.
“But the more time we spend together, Amanda,” I say, “the more I fall for you. You have already changed my life in so many ways – ways I can't even begin to explain to you. Ways that I probably don't even understand yet.”
Tears spill down her cheeks, but I can tell they're tears of happiness. I reach out and wipe them away.
“This was a business deal to start with,” I say. “But darlin', somewhere along the way, I fell for you – and I fell hard.”
She presses her lips to mine and then pulls back and smiles. “Thank you.”
I shake my head again. “No, darlin',” I say. “Thank you.”
She gives me another kiss – this one with some real fire behind it and it nearly takes my breath away. Biting her bottom lip, she gives me that seductive smile that never fails to get my fire burnin'.
“Derek,” I say. “Just – drive around for a while, will you?”
“Yes, sir.”
I raise the partition to give us a little privacy as Amanda climbs into my lap, straddling me. She kisses me hard, running her hands across my chest. I kiss her neck, sliding the tip of my tongue down the plunging neckline of her dress, teasing her stiff nipples through the fabric.
I reach down and run my hands up her thighs, pushing her dress up around her waist. She bites my ear and then kisses my neck, grinding herself against my hard cock. I slip one of her breasts out of her dress and kiss it, suck on it, and make her gasp when I give it a hard nip. She takes her hair down, letting me run my hands through it.
I kiss her and give her hair a good pull, tilting her head back so I can kiss her neck. She moans as she grinds herself against me and when I reach down and pull
her panties to the side, I can feel how hot and wet she is already.
She reaches down and strokes my cock through my pants. The need and desire I feel for her is overwhelming. Amanda climbs down onto the floorboard and kneels between my legs. Unbuttoning my pants, she pulls my cock out and strokes it, never breaking eye contact with me. Leaning forward, she traces her tongue around the head of my cock, then runs it up and down my shaft. My body explodes in sensation and I moan.
Amanda takes my cock into her mouth, moving her head up and down while stroking me with her hand at the same time. I look out the window, at the cars passing by us and wonder if they feel as good as I feel in that moment.
I look down at her as she sucks me off and want to make her feel as good as I do. I gently push her back and then lay down on the back seat.
“I want to taste you,” I say, my voice thick with desire.
She smiles and moves carefully around so that she's straddling my face. Leaning forward, she takes my cock back into her mouth and keeps sucking. I bury my face in her pussy, licking and sucking, sliding my tongue deep inside of her.
Amanda's rhythm falters when I take her clit into my mouth and suck hard on it at the same time I drive two fingers deep into her. She moans and calls my name softly, grinding herself back onto my hand and mouth, encouraging me to go deeper. I oblige and start pumping my fingers in and out hard and fast as I suck on her clit.
She's moaning and writhing on top of me, squeezing my cock hard and stroking it.
“Jesus, Brady,” she moans. “Oh, God.”
And a second later, her body tenses and she comes hard, her whole body shuddering and her cries coming out more like strangled gasps. I slide my tongue inside of her, desperate to taste her as she comes for me. She moans louder and grinds herself back onto my mouth as her orgasm fades away.
Sliding off of me, she reaches into her bag and pulls out a condom as I sit up. She reaches forward and slides the condom down over my cock, cupping my balls before leaning forward to suck on them.