“Get out.”
“No.”
“Get the fuck out of my room, you bastard.”
I jump from the bed, not caring that my I.V. just ripped out. All of the machines in the room start beeping as the night team rushes in, along with Nate.
“Teeg, what are you doing out of bed?”
“He needs to leave, Nate.”
“Got it. Out you go, Texas.”
“No.”
“That wasn’t a request.”
“I’m not leaving my son.”
“Yeah, you are. He’s staying here until he’s ready to leave. But she wants you gone, so you’re going.”
“Please, Teeg. Don’t make me leave him.”
I walk over and shake Ethan awake. “Mama,” he says, jumping up to hug me. “Why aren’t you in bed?”
“Your father and I were having a disagreement. I need him to leave. I want you to go with him.”
“No.”
“Yes. He needs to be protected, and the apartments are the most secure place in the city next to here. Show him the guest room, and then stay there with him. I should be home soon.”
“I don’t want to leave you. You need me.”
“Always, baby. I always need you. If I’m not home tomorrow, I’ll have one of the girls bring you back here, okay?”
“I don’t think I have a choice,” he grumbles.
I lean close to whisper in his ear. “He loves you already, E. I can see it. I had ten years with you all to myself. It’s only fair that he has at least one night.”
He hugs me tighter, before nodding and letting me go. “I love you, Mama.”
“I love you more, E.”
“Let’s go, Father,” he says, rolling his eyes at Caleb. Oh yeah, he’s definitely our kid.
* * *
Caleb
It’s not a fun ride to where Tegan lives. Not only is Ethan ignoring me by listening to music with his headphones on, but so is the person sitting next to me in the driver’s seat. “I thought we were kind of friends, Jade.”
“You pissed Tegan off enough to have her rip out her I.V.”
“I’m pissed, too. I have a son I was never told about.”
“I get that, Caleb, but attacking her is only going to make things worse for you with E, and all of us, instead of helping you build a relationship with him. He will never choose you over her.”
“I’m not trying to take him from her. I just don’t want to miss anything else in his life. And I want to get to know him. Know all about him.”
“He’s an amazing kid,” she says, glancing at me briefly. “He’s never lacked anything, including good male role models.”
“You mean the guys Tegan sleeps around with?”
I ask it before I can stop myself. Before I can keep the bitterness out of my voice. Jade slams on the brakes so fast, I almost get whiplash. Luckily there’s almost no one on this stretch of road.
“I may kind of like you, Caleb, but I will not hesitate to hurt you. I thought I’d made that clear. Do not speak about—or to—Tegan with anything less than respect, or you’re going to be really sorry.”
“What did he say about her?” Ethan asks from the backseat.
I turn to look at him, trying to look apologetic, even though I’m not. What I said was true, whether anyone wants to acknowledge it or not. “Just something dumb that I shouldn’t have. Sorry, E.”
“Ethan. To you, I am Ethan.”
“Until I earn anything else, right?”
He doesn’t answer, just puts his headphones back on while glaring at me. Jade pulls back onto the road and finishes the drive. Once we’re past all the security in the building, and I’ve had my fingerprints and retina scanned in so I can move around the building by myself, I finally see where my son lives for the first time. Of course it comes complete with a non-welcoming committee, but I should’ve expected that.
Ethan is immediately engulfed in hugs by all the men and women who are waiting for us in the apartment. The women are gorgeous, and the men, well, I recognize some of them and my mouth drops open. These are Tegan’s friends?
A Latina woman who looks to be in her early thirties—and is sexy as hell—starts to step towards me, but stops. “Go ahead and fangirl, Audrey. He needs to see one friendly face before we get started,” a woman I recognize from recent news reports as Reina Corrigan tells her.
Fangirl? She looks familiar, but I can’t remember meeting her before. “Hi, Audrey. Why would you fangirl me? Do you know my family or something?”
“I could give two shits about your family. It’s your brain I’m in awe of. I’ve been following your progress on the alternate fuel system for years.”
Then it clicks for me. “Wait. You’re Audrey Sanchez, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. And if you’ve heard of me, you’ve probably heard of Isabelle Carlton, too.”
A sweet looking girl with a long blonde braid gives me a half-wave, as my mouth drops open. “Holy shit. You’re Tegan’s friends?”
“I don’t think I like the way you said that. Why are you so shocked that Tegan has smart friends? She’s pretty damn brilliant herself,” Matt Corrigan tells me.
“I am well aware of how brilliant Tegan is. I just didn’t know she knew so many academic people, and well, athletes.”
“Slow down on the attacks for a minute, everyone, and let him have a moment to breathe,” a voice I recognize says.
“Candi! Oh my God, it’s great to see you,” I tell her as she comes forward and hugs me. I look around and see another friendly face. “Liv? You’re pregnant?”
“How’d you guess?” she asks with a laugh. “I’m due any day now.”
“Wow. That’s great. Really great.”
“How do you know this asshole, Candi?” a woman with hair that’s even brighter than Tegan’s asks.
“I shot family portraits for him and his family last year, Darcy. I didn’t know at the time how he was connected to Tegan.”
“At the time? Don’t you mean today?” I ask her.
“No. Teeg came by the studio while I was going over your shots. She turned white as a ghost and told me who you were. When Ethan moved in, I let him pick his favorite photo of you, and we hung it in his room here.”
“You have a picture of me in your room, E-Ethan?” I ask, my heart soaring.
“It was my mama’s idea. She said I should see you every day, even if it was just in a picture.”
I feel like my heart just stopped. I’m humbled, truly humbled, that Tegan would make sure I was a part of his life. She kept him from me physically, but she let him know about me. She didn’t have to do that, but she did. I’m not sure that I would’ve done the same thing.
“I’d love to see your room.” I tell him, swallowing past the lump in my throat.
“Whatever,” he says, heading towards the staircase.
“He’ll come around, Caleb. He’s just protective of Tegan. We all are.”
I nod at Candi, say goodbye to everyone else, and then follow my son up the stairs. He points to a door on the right and tells me I can sleep in there. I throw my bag inside before moving along the hallway. He stops outside another door, and I know it’s his room. Not just because his name is spray painted in a cool design on the outside, but because I see the war inside him playing across his face. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to let me in—to his heart, or his room.
And as much as it hurts me, I get it. I really do. I may be his biological father, but I’m also a stranger to him. It’s not fair, but I have to accept that, and try to earn my way to more with him.
“Why don’t you just go on to bed, Ethan. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“I won’t ever leave her. You have to know that. If you try to take me, I’ll fight. Or run away,” he tells me with tears in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t try and take you from her. I promise. I just want to be part of your life, too.”
“You can’t hurt her, either. Everyone thinks she’s
tough, or just lots of fun. But I hear her crying sometimes when she thinks I’m asleep. I know she’s crying for you.”
Just gut me why don’t you, kid. “I promise you that I will do everything in my power to not hurt your mama.”
“She’s the best mama ever.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second.”
“You can see my room now.”
He opens the door, and we walk inside. I see the photos first, maybe because I was looking for them. There are black and white pictures of me and Tegan dominating the wall across from his bed. The picture he chose is also my favorite. I’m wearing a cowboy hat, which is rare for me, and staring out at the fields. Tegan’s photo takes my breath away. She’s also wearing a cowboy hat, and she has a big smile on her face. She’s so damn beautiful that it hurts to even see her like that in a picture. I can’t stop myself from moving forward and touching her face.
“She’s the prettiest girl ever.”
“Yeah, buddy. She really is.”
I give myself a mental shake, and then take in the rest of his room. It’s really big and about the coolest kids room I’ve ever seen. He’s got a normal platform bed, but his desk is pretty high-tech and covered in several computers that are in different states of repair. He’s got a basketball hoop and even a batting cage in one area. The other walls are either brick covered in graffiti or plain walls full of signed sports memorabilia. There’s even a signed movie poster from the latest big action movie.
“Your room’s really cool, Ethan. I love it.”
“Me too. Mama said I could have whatever I wanted, and her friends made it happen.”
“Your mom has some pretty great friends.”
“Yep. They love me, too.”
“I’m not surprised.” There’s something I need to ask, though. “Does your mama bring her boyfriends here?”
He cocks his head to the side before answering. “She doesn’t have boyfriends. She kisses boys sometimes, but not here. I never meet them. Well, except for Miles, but she only kissed him once, and now he’s married to Alex who’s one of her best friends. Oh, and Wayne. They’ve kissed more than once, and I know he wants her to be his girlfriend. You’ll meet him tomorrow when he comes to give me a guitar lesson.”
Miles Corrigan, huh? Damn. He’s one of the best baseball players ever. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous, even if he is happily married to someone else now. And who the fuck is this Wayne guy? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. All I know is that he can’t have her. Not when I have the chance to make all my dreams come true. I won’t let anyone—including me—stand in my way this time. Which means I better stop pissing her off, even if I do have a right to be angry.
* * *
Tegan
Stella and Kace insisted on driving me home today, even though I told them I’m fine. Yeah, I lost a little blood, but the bullet didn’t do any other real damage, and I’ve got most of my strength back already. But I know better than to argue with my best friend, so here we are, all arriving at my place together.
I walk in to see most of my friends, along with balloons and tables of food. “Welcome home, Teeg,” Wayne says as he walks up and envelopes me in his strong arms.
I hug him back, but when he tries to kiss me, I give him my cheek. “Don’t, Wayne.”
“Oh come on. Mr. Uptight needs a little show.”
Shit. I was so excited to see everyone that I almost forgot Cal was here, and I definitely forgot that today was a guitar lesson day. “What did you say to him?”
“I might have led him to believe that we’re currently more than just good friends. E had already told him that we’ve kissed, which I’m sure he figured out is code for banged each other’s brains out.”
“Damn it.”
“He’s the one, right? ‘The One?’”
“Yeah.”
“He’s jealous as hell of me. So like I said, let’s give him a show,” he says as he turns his head again.
“No. I’m not playing games. If he wants me, then he needs to say it. I’m not going to pretend that I’m with you just to get a reaction out of him.”
“You know I wish it wasn’t pretend.”
“And you know I’d make it real if it was in me to do that.”
“Yeah, I do. He better make you happy this time around, or he’s a dead man.”
“Hey, quit hogging the woman of the hour, dude,” Brett tells him.
They’re both in the boy band Storyside with Kace. We met when Stella was undercover. Wayne and I had sex a few times, but while it was just a distraction for me, he fell for me a little. I’m making it my mission to find him a worthy girl now that we’re good friends.
“Hi Brett, I’ve missed you.”
“Now that our tour is over, you’ll see so much of me I’ll make you sick.”
“Um, no. You’re still going to be busy now that you’re home,” his boyfriend, Kevin, tells him with a kiss.
“Just try and stop by at least once while you’re here. Both of you.”
“We will, Miss T. You know we love you,” Kevin tells me.
I wander around and visit with everyone else, laughing and eating food. Tomorrow we get back to the business of trying to figure out who wants Caleb dead, but tonight is for fun. Or at least it is until I realize that Cal is nowhere to be seen. I excuse myself, and head upstairs. I knock on his door, and when he answers, I walk inside.
“Hey, what are you doing up here? I’ve never known you to not fit right in with anyone you meet.”
“We don’t really know each other anymore, though, do we?”
“I don’t believe that either one of us has fundamentally changed who we are.”
“What? You think we’re like this apartment you’ve decorated to be modern, but still have some touch of country in it?”
I look around at the light blue walls with black and white photos of the Hall Ranch that Candi gave me, then at the steel bed with a comforter covered in spurs and horseshoes. The rest of the apartment is like it, too.
“I guess. Kind of. I didn’t think of that when I decorated. I just like modern things, but I missed…well, you. I wanted a piece of Texas here with me.”
“All I wanted to do was try and forget you. It never completely worked, but I tried.”
“That’s why you dress like you’re from the city.”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, you’re more than welcome to come and hang out. My friends will be cool with you.”
“I-I’m just really confused right now. For so long I tried to hate you while still loving you so much it made it hard for me to breathe. Then, when Jade said she was your friend, all I could think about was seeing you and being with you again. Until I found out about Ethan. I am so fucking angry about you keeping me from my son that I can barely see straight. But when I saw you hugging and whispering with Wayne, I wanted to rip him apart. I was ready to forgive you for what you did years ago, but I don’t know if I can forgive you for now. I just don’t.”
“I get the Ethan part. The rest…well, you’ve never known the whole story, and I guess if you can’t forgive me, you never will. I’ve asked Ryan and Chloe Griffin to transform one of the empty apartments here into a lab for you. I figured you’d want to work. They can add in a bedroom for you if it would make you more comfortable to be out of my apartment while we find whoever’s after you.”
“I need to be near Ethan. I can’t imagine being away from him for even a night.”
“Then make yourself at home. Whatever you need, you just let E know, and he’ll have someone get it for you. I’ll stay away from you as much as possible.”
“Thank you.”
I just nod before walking out the door. I manage to make it down the hall and into my room before falling over. My body is shaking hard as I sob, and this time, it is my fault.
Chapter 5
Caleb
It’s been almost a week since Tegan came home, and she’s kept her word about staying away fro
m me, except for dinner. We spend every dinner together, like a normal family. She cooks, making sure to never make anything we ate as kids. I know she’s doing it on purpose because Ethan’s been asking for barbeque, but she keeps saying no. Which is why I’ve decided to take over dinner for tonight.
I’ve got the meat marinated and ready for the grill on her balcony. Well, balcony’s an understatement. You could probably fit a small apartment out here. This whole building is pretty much a structural masterpiece, and I’ve been exploring as much of it as possible while I wait for my lab to be done. That’s coming along at record speed, and honestly, Tegan wasn’t joking when she said I could ask for anything. I’m frankly in awe of her and her friends. Well, mostly her. Which is why I wanted to make dinner tonight.
“Mama’s going out tonight,” Ethan says as he comes out onto the balcony.
“What? Going out where?”
He shrugs. “Dancing or something.”
“Does she do this a lot? Go out?”
“No, I don’t,” Tegan answers me as she walks outside.
She’s in a sexy black dress that’s got me hard within seconds. It’s got a halter neckline and hugs her curves all the way down to the asymmetrical hemline. I want to peel it off her body with my teeth.
“Good.”
“Excuse me? If I wanted to go out every night, it wouldn’t be any of your damn business.”
“Uh, yeah it would. You shouldn’t be just leaving Ethan here alone.”
“I’m not.”
“When I have my lab up and running, I won’t be able to just run up here at the drop of a hat so you can go whore it up at clubs.”
“Ethan, baby, please go to your room. Ainsley and Zack are coming over to hang out with you while I’m gone.”
“I can take care of my son. I don’t need anyone else sleeping over with him.”
“Mama?”
“Go ahead, E.”
He hugs her before glaring at me as he walks back inside. Tegan watches him go, and then turns back to me.
“You will not—at any time—speak to me like that. Whether Ethan is around or not. I took it from you when I was sixteen, but I won’t now. Whether I go out once, or a hundred times, I am not a whore.”
Uncovering His SECRET Page 4