But the hits just keep coming.
“Mom contacted me,” Olivia says, her innocent voice the only thing that keeps me from losing it right now and hunting her mother down and ending what I should have ended so very long ago.
All I can do is stand here, praying to gods I don’t believe in as she speaks.
“I want to stay here,” Olivia says, looking over at Emma, who is white as a sheet, looking at both of us.
“Of course,” Emma says.
“I’ll have your ass thrown in jail,” I tell her.
Olivia’s blue eyes meet mine. “So you want me to leave, then?” she asks, her voice so very calm. And I feel a flash of pride. My daughter really is mine. She’s backed me into a corner, and she knows it.
“If you stay, I stay,” I tell her, and Olivia arches an eyebrow at me before glancing at Emma.
“That’s up to you,” she says, and I see Emma stiffen.
“Aren’t you glad you got in the middle of this?” I ask her, and she meets my gaze, silently begging me to tell her what to do.
“Stay,” she tells me, and I nod.
I glance over at Olivia, feeling pride more than anger. She’ll never want for anything. She’s strong, like I’ve raised her. While this isn’t want I had in mind when I’d wanted her to blossom, I’m still glad to know she’s asserting herself.
And, as uneasy as I am that her mother is involved, I know that she’ll control every situation come hell or high water. She’s ready to know the truth about her mom, if she doesn’t already. And, the more I think about it, the more sure I am she does know.
I glance over at Emma, who seems lost.
She looks at me, her green eyes suddenly clearing as instinct kicks in. And I’m impressed at how well she’s handling everything.
“I’ll put you in the guest room,” she tells Olivia, who nods and says thanks while flashing a smile that shows off her cute dimples.
“And you,” she says, looking at me, “I’ll put you on the couch.” A little smile curves her lips and I sense she’s getting a kick out of making me uncomfortable.
“I put Dreamer away,” Olivia says, sounding very grown up.
Emma, still seeming a bit stunned at all that has transpired, nods and turns to lead us to the house.
Inside, I see her lead Olivia upstairs and look around. The couch seems like it’s comfortable, and I realize it’s slept in often. There’s even sheets and a pillow in a box beside it. What the hell is Emma doing sleeping on the couch in her own home?
When she comes back downstairs, I corner her. “I need your help,” I tell her and she looks up at me, her eyes wide.
When she says nothing, I talk fast and quietly. “I need you to get her phone while she’s asleep.” When she looks ready to balk, I talk fast. “Her mother is dangerous.”
She looks dubious, and I sigh. “Her mother had a problem. Being a mother was just too much, and what started as a glass of wine a night turned into several bottles of wine a night.” The truth begins to pour out, and I feel Emma softening.
“One day, she came to pick two year old Olivia from day care. She was wasted. So wasted the day care refused to let her take Olivia. They called the cops.” That old, familiar shame rises up in me as I talk. “She promised it would never happen again.” The bitter taste of betrayal sours my tongue and I feel the bile begin to back up my throat.
“But it did?” Emma asks gently, looking up at me with those cat like eyes in a way that melts my heart. She understands. She’s not judging, or hating me for the precarious position I put Olivia in. She does not hate me for taking Olivia from her mother. She understands.
I never expected anyone to understand.
“It did,” I say, swallowing hard. It’s painful to talk about, even now. “She got into an accident with Olivia in the car.” Even now, the pain clouds up my heart, leaving it hard to breathe. I’ve never opened up like this, never told anyone how I failed them both. I failed my wife by not getting her the help she needed. I ran away from her when she needed me. I took Olivia from her mother, instead of trying to fix things.
I was afraid.
I was weak.
“Olivia was in the hospital for two months. They thought she’d die. She almost did.” I have to stop, to breathe, to remember it didn’t end that way. She’s whole, she’s strong, she’s perfect.
Emma pulls me into a hug. “I’ll help,” she whispers in my ear, and suddenly, I want her more than I’ve wanted anyone in my life.
But she pulls away and tells me she’ll get some dinner ready.
“Can I help?” I ask, and she looks at me with a mix of surprise and amusement.
“You’re my guest.” She heads into the kitchen and I follow.
“I hope I’m also your friend,” I tell her, and she furrows her eyebrows a bit.
“Sure,” she says, not sounding very sure of it at all.
I smile. “Good. Why do you sleep on the couch?” I ask, needing to know. She seems surprised and she turns from the fridge to stare at me with wide eyes.
“What makes you think that?” she asks, her voice nearly breathless.
I arch an eyebrow at her. Surely she doesn’t think I’m stupid. “The sheets, blankets and pillow in the box beside the couch.”
She turns away and opens the fried, as if needing a moment to compose herself. “That’s for guests,” she says, but I know she’s lying.
“I told you some pretty dark secrets,” I tell her, and she stiffens up a bit.
She closes the fridge and looks up at the ceiling a moment before turning to me. “Some days I’m too tired to go up the stairs.”
“Why was that so hard to share?” I ask, mostly teasing.
Her eyes narrow. “Because you’ll use it to try to get my ranch.”
I hesitate, realizing this conversation for what it is. She’s sure I’m only out to get her home. And I have been. I am. She’s right.
Hell, I’ve been contemplating marrying her to get this damn place.
Kyle was right about me.
Fuck.
Chapter 26
Emma
The shock in Kieran’s eyes is all the proof I need to know I’m right. About everything. He’s only been using everything I’ve fed him to get to me. To get my ranch.
“Kyle was right about you,” I whisper, hurt filling the depths of my soul.
Shock lights behind his eyes and I hear Olivia coming down the stairs. “What do you want for dinner?” I ask her.
“I’m not picky,” She says, before heading out the door. I stare after her. I expected to feel like a hostage in my home after all this. But I don’t. I feel like a mom, a wife, dealing with the new fires that have sprung up since I last put them out.
“You make dinner,” I tell Kieran before hurrying after Olivia.
“What is your plan?” I ask her as she heads toward the pasture Jenny and the colt are in. She turns to me.
“Simple,” she says, a shy smile on her face. “I like you, Emma, a lot. And I know dad likes you too.” We walk, side by side toward the pasture. “I was hoping that, if we spent the night, you’d realize you like us too, and maybe we could be a family.”
My heart breaks at the simplicity of love and family in a child’s mind. It’s easy to forget that she’s nine. She’s so very mature, so grown up, it’s more like being around another adult rather than with a child.
“It’s not that simple,” I tell her and she looks over at me as she climbs up on the fence to watch the mare and colt playing in the pasture.
“Isn’t it?” she asks, and we both watch the horses play.
I wonder what she means. There’s so much more that goes into love, into falling in love than just spending some time together. Besides, her father doesn’t seem like the type to fall in love. And with all he’s been through, I doubt love is something he’s even open to right now.
As we stand, Jenny’s colt wanders over to Olivia, who reaches a hand out to let him sniff. He seem
s interested in her and sniffs her face, nibbles on her hair, before rearing playfully up on his back legs and dashing off toward his mother.
Olivia, as if unaware I’m still here, brings her fist to her chest. “You’re a warrior, little colt,” she says softly, her eyes focused on something only she can see.
I smile at her, Kieran’s words floating back into my mind. They thought she’d die. She almost did.
That’s why they do the chest thump thing, I realize. She’s his little warrior. Because she almost didn’t make it.
I feel the sting of tears and blink them back.
When we finally head back to the house, Kieran has dinner ready, and I have the amazing feeling of coming home. It almost feels like dad is right here, sitting with us, enjoying the company.
We take our places and eat, and I finally figure out what was bothering me. Something Olivia said. I know Kieran’s plan is to sneak around, to take it easy on her and not push. That’s his way. Go easy on her, because she’s having a rough time.
“So, Olivia,” I say as I take a bite of the salad before me. Kieran had made beautiful baked chicken with rosemary and thyme, a salad with fresh tomatoes from the garden, and baked potatoes. Simple, perfect. “What did you and your mother talk about?” I ask.
Kieran tenses right up and I expect a swift kick under the table.
But Olivia chokes on her bite. “Um,” she says, taking a drink of her milk. “We talked about how I could come stay with her.”
I sense a shift in Kieran’s attitude, and know my hunch was correct. “Oh,” I agree with her. “Where is she at?”
“I can’t tell you,” Olivia says, looking miserable as she picks at her food.
“I mean,” I say, side stepping the refusal. “is she in a hotel? Apartment? House? I mean, you want to live on a ranch, is she on a ranch?”
“She didn’t really say,” Olivia says.
“Olivia,” Kieran says, his voice a warning.
She refuses to look at him, and I sense her bravado waning.
“Olivia, look at me,” Kieran demands, and she listens. Only now do I see the sparkle of tears in her eyes. “Did you talk to her?” He demands, and Olivia stares at him, her eyes red as two tears slip down her rounded cheeks.
She says nothing, but her eyes tell us everything we needed to know. “We’re going to talk later, young lady,” Kieran says, but I shake my head.
“Feel free to talk now. Having a mediator might help.” I mean it as a joke, but he glares at me.
He goes back to eating, as I take another bite. I sense he’s unable to keep contained, and I take a breath and wait for it.
“You’re grounded,” Kieran says, and I wince.
“Why did you lie, sweetie?” I ask, looking her in the eyes. Offering her silent strength, I think hard at her as if she can hear me. If you tell him, maybe he’ll understand rather than just be mad.
“I just wanted to stay here,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
He says nothing, but I push her. “Why?” I ask, my food all but forgotten. It’s delicious, but I’m interested in what the girl has to say. And I know Kieran is too, even if he’s ignoring us right now.
“Because you’d be a good mom,” she whispers, her blue eyes locked on mine as my heart stops dead in my chest.
Chapter 27
Kieran
I almost choke on my food. Not only have I found out my nine year old daughter has played me for a fool, but she’s wanting Emma – of all people – to play mommy.
Fuck.
How fucked up is my life right now?
What the hell is going on? Have I lost it?
When we finish our food, I tell Emma thank you, and tell Olivia to get ready to go home. Emma pulls me in for a hug, but it’s just cover for her to whisper in my ear. “Go easy on her. She needs a friend, not an angry dad.”
As she says it, I flash back to my dad finding out I’d lied to him. He’d belted me until I couldn’t walk that time. But his anger, his anger had shut me down. I felt like he never heard me, like he didn’t understand me. Like he didn’t give two shits about how I felt.
I never wanted to be him, yet here I am, grounding her rather than hearing her out. Like my dad did to me, I’m invalidating her feelings. Like an asshole.
I’m a fucking asshole.
I’ll make it right.
“I’m sorry.” The words feel weird.
Olivia looks up at me, her face alight with love. “It’s okay, daddy. We all screw up.”
I’d ungrounded her. We’d talked until three am about everything and nothing. I’d finally gotten to hear her heart, her thoughts, her fears and dreams. Things I’d felt cut off from up until now. And it was all thanks to Emma.
My phone lights up and I answer it.
“Mr. Knight,” Nikki purrs.
“Yes?” I say, wanting her to get over it.
“The tenants are out. You’re free to remodel the Birch property.” She sounds ecstatic, and I realize that I’m going to be busy.
How about my messages?” I ask, trying not to ask in a way that might clue in Olivia.
She pauses. “Oh! No, she hasn’t been calling.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. No more calls from Cami.
“Thank you, Nikki,” I tell her. Hanging up the phone, I look down at Olivia.
“Go,” she says, “I’ve got to make Sandy work for that paycheck.” An evil grin crosses her lips and I laugh.
“Be nice. I’ll be back in a while.” I give her a hug and she presses a kiss to my cheek. “I love you,” I whisper in her ear.
“I love you too,” she says.
Carefully setting her on her feet, I watch her scramble off in search of her nanny. Everything is right in the world. Well, most things are right in the world. I need to talk to Emma.
I park before the house and see Emma come out, a smile on her face. When I get out, I know she’s looking for Olivia. As she realizes I’m alone, the smile leaves her face. And I get it. Now that Olivia’s not here, she doesn’t have to play nice. She can let me have every ounce of anger she pent up before.
She stalks up on me, an angry finger pointed my direction. “You’re a terrible human being!” She shouts. “You’ve been using me all along. You’ve gone everything you can to manipulate me!” She turns and walks a quick circle, fury radiating off her.
“Kyle was right about you!” She says, but this time, the pain of the ugly words is less.
“You’re right.”
She stops, her face filling with confusion. “I’ll never sell! You’re a despicable human being!”
I step in closer to her, craving something from her. Something she’ll never forgive me for. And she shouldn’t. Pulling her into a kiss, I push past the barrier of her lips to plunder the sweetness of her mouth.
Her hands come to rest on my chest, and I wait for her to push me away. But she doesn’t. Instead, she meets me, her tongue twirling around mine as if she can soften me with her sweetness.
She can’t.
With quick hands, I pull at her shirt. But she jerks out of my grasp and turns to walk toward the house, an angry, sexy sway to her hips. I follow, desperate to taste her again. At the door, she pulls me into another kiss, her teeth capturing my lower lip as she lets out a sexy little growl.
We migrate across the living room toward the stairs, her lips and teeth working mine. I grab her ass and lift her. As her legs wind around my hips, I push her back into the wall right by the stairs as she cups my face with both her hands.
I can feel the heat of her pussy through both our pants. And my cock pulses, ready for her. Her lips leave mine to tear into my shoulder before her hands pull at my shirt. It hits the floor and she’s desperate to be close again.
I hold her, bracing her against the wall as she kisses my lips, my cheek, my throat. I feel the sting of her teeth and know her anger is still red-hot. Bring it on. Her arms come around my shoulders and her teeth sink into the meat of my should
er as I press my lips to her neck and walk up the stairs.
At the top, she reaches back and pushes open her bedroom door. When I lower her onto the bed, she bucks her hips. I let her change positions so she’s riding me. With furious fingers, she pulls her top off, and I scowl at the damn bra she’s wearing.
But it quickly lands in a heap on the shirt. And I stare up at her perfect tits. She grabs a handful of her loose hair and wraps it up in a hair tie she’d had on her wrist. When it’s up in a cute, messy bun, she glares down at me like I’m her next meal.
But I’m done letting her be in charge.
With a quick buck of my hips, I unseat her and roll her onto her back. She yelps as my hands find her wrists and I hold her captive. I jerk back as she nips at me. I hear the click of her teeth and grab both her wrists in one hand before flipping her over. With her on her belly, I press into the cleft of her ass.
She whimpers, looking at me over her shoulder.
Fuck, she feels amazing. And her fury only adds to the pleasure of it all.
Returning the favor, I sink my teeth into her shoulder, then suck the soft skin into my mouth. She whimpers again, the small sound so pathetic, I release the skin. A red spot blossoms, and she begs me not to leave marks.
“Why?” I ask, my eyes on hers as I take another spot of her skin between my lips.
Her eyes widen. But she doesn’t respond as I release her wrist. Her fists ball up the pretty lavender sheet on her bed.
“Bad girl,” I say, blowing on the damp spots on her skin. “You didn’t make your bed.”
Chapter 28
Emma
Something about Kieran calling me a bad girl is thrilling. Suddenly, he backs off and pulls me to my feet. He works my pants free and whisks them down. Remembering last time - and the damaged fragments of my favorite lace panties I had to throw away - I drop my panties as he picks me up like I weigh nothing and drops me back on the bed. There’s nothing sweet or gentle about this time.
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