He nods, "Coffee is good. What are you eating?"
"I'm having a cheese and pepper omelette."
The smile he has is unlike anything I've ever seen him have before and I'm curious as to what it means. "I'll have that too please, if you don't mind?"
"Not at all. Take a seat, it won't be long."
"Come on, Daddy, let's sit." Ethan tells him and I start making Ethan's breakfast, he leads Eli to the stools that are at my island. I have a specific seat for Ethan which Eli straps him into and takes the stool beside him. They begin talking so I focus on making coffees and breakfast.
"What are your plans for the weekend?" Eli asks me as I hand him his coffee.
"I don't have anything planned."
He nods, "My family is flying in this week and I'm hoping that we can all go to dinner this weekend."
"Flying in from where?" I ask as I get back to making breakfast. Needing to be busy.
"My brothers are flying in from Seattle and my parents are coming in from Ireland."
My eyes widen, holy crap. His parents are coming. Damn.
"Dinner?" he asks and I can tell he's smiling.
"How about you invite them here on Saturday, I'll cook and that way, Ethan will be comfortable when they meet him?" I say before I even think. God, I'm going to need Cass to help me, she's a great cook.
Eli hasn't said anything and I'm wondering if he meant that Ethan should meet them alone? Hands slip around my waist as Eli's solid muscular body hits my back. "Buttercup, are you sure?" he asks softly and I shiver.
"Unless you want them to meet Ethan alone?" I don't want that, he doesn't know them.
"Never, they want to meet you too. If you're sure about having dinner here, they'd love that. My family are pretty simple. They'd prefer to have dinner here than go out."
I laugh, simple? I don't think anything about Saturday is going to be simple. "You mean it'll be easier to interrogate me?"
His hands push against my stomach making butterflies form. "Buttercup, you have given them their first grandchild. My brothers have spoken about you for years even though they haven't met you, nor did they know your name. My parents are dying to see you. I think they want to clone you for Devon and Rhys."
I start our omelettes, not moving out of his hold. The line I had drawn between us has blurred and right now, I'm not sure where the hell I stand anymore. All I know is Eli makes me want things I didn't think were possible. Not again. "What are they like?"
His hands tighten around my stomach and his lips brush against my ear. "They're the best. We work together, we're close. Devon is the more serious of us, he likes to act like the boss, when he's not." He chuckles, "Rhys, well he's the playboy."
I bite my lip, stifling a laugh as I flip the omelettes, "He's the playboy? Hmm? Not you? The man who tried his hardest to get into my panties?"
"I love you without panties on..." I clench my legs together as those butterflies intensify, why on earth does he have this effect on me? "I used to be a playboy, that was until I met you. Since then, things have changed. I'm all about you."
I roll my eyes as I slide the omelettes onto plates. I quickly turn off the stove as I speak. "There's no need to lie, Eli." When his hand spasms on my stomach, I continue, "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you've not been with anyone since me?"
He spins me around so that we're face to face. His gaze is intense, his eyes are dark, and I can't quite place the emotion that's running through them. "I'm not lying, Mel. I wouldn't do that shit. I care too much about you both, I want this to work. So yes, I wanted to fuck other women. I wanted you out of my damn mind. I have never felt what I feel for you and it fucking scared me. So I thought if I could fuck you out of my system it would be better. But I couldn't bring myself to even get that far. So since you, I've not slept or kissed anyone else. You've rooted yourself in me, Buttercup, and no matter what I wanted back then, you were always on my mind."
I'm speechless. I never once thought that Eli would have felt this way. "What about the woman from the other night?" My voice is smaller than I would have liked. I feel like a jealous teenager. God, what is wrong with me?
He frowns, "Oh you mean Marybeth?" The sound of her name on his lips makes me want to cry. "Her father works in exports and his company has a lot of great connections here in Los Angeles. I took her out to appease him. But she was a bitch who wouldn't take no for an answer, and we've decided against going with her father."
"Why? If he has a great business and connections, wouldn't it make better sense to go with him. If it could help you?"
He shakes his head. "Nope, not at all. We build our business the way we always have, on integrity and hard work and that's not going to change now. So, there's nothing nor has there ever been anything between Marybeth and I."
I lean in closer to him, the relief running throughout my body. Can Eli and I have a relationship? I want one. I could easily fall for Eli Egan again. The difference this time is, if he does walk away, he’ll be breaking two hearts and I’m not sure if I can survive that. "I need Ethan to have your attention. I need him to know that he's not an imposition for you. I want him to feel the love that I so clearly see in your eyes. I want him and you to be happy." I tell him as I rest my hands on his chest. Loving being connected to him this way, his hands tighten on my waist. "I need Ethan to be your priority, he's number one. Always."
He brushes his lips against mine, before moving across my lips before kissing just under my ear. "He will be, my son isn't going to be an imposition. Ever. He's my priority but, Buttercup, so are you. You've done a fucking fantastic job with him and I'm so proud of you. But, what I feel for you isn't going anywhere. So I'm going to get to know my son, I'm going to get to know you. When we think Ethan's ready, we'll proceed further."
"Proceed further?" What the hell does that even mean?
"Yes, when we think he's ready, we'll move onto the next step. Moving in together, getting married and having more kids."
I stare at him, my eyes wide with wonder. Is he for real? "Eli..." My voice is unlike I've ever heard it before, ragged, husky, and soft. "Do you think about that stuff?"
He doesn't even hesitate. "Yes. I didn't until I saw you again, before I even knew about Ethan. I went home and all I could think about was being with you and having you as my wife. In my life forever." He kisses me once again, but this time it's harder and full of promise. "It's going to be good between us, Mel. I'm not going anywhere. You're mine and I'm not going to let you go."
I lean into him, loving having him hold me. "Okay, it's time to feed my baby." I tell him, I'm unable to keep the smile off my face.
"And our son." He smirks and I can't help but laugh.
"Yeah, I need to feed the both of you. Sit and I'll get the food."
Just as we sit to eat, the front door opens, I watch as Eli straightens, his gaze going to the door.
"Morning, Melanie," Dad calls out and I close my eyes. The morning started great. I just hope dad can behave himself. The last thing I need is for him to piss Eli off, or vice versa.
"In here, Dad," I yell back and Eli relaxes and starts to eat.
"Oh, I didn't realize you had company," Dad says coming to a halt at my side.
"Dad, meet Eli. Ethan's father." I'm rewarded by Eli's beautiful smile, but when I glance at dad I see his scowl.
"Nice to meet you, sir," Eli says holding out his hand. Dad takes it and they shake. I can tell by the grip dad has that he's trying to intimidate Eli.
"Dad, do you want some coffee?" I ask in hopes of diffusing whatever the hell is going on.
"I'll get it. Thanks," he says, not once looking at me, his gaze solely fixed on Eli.
When dad goes to the counter to pour his coffee, I lean into Eli whispering, "I'm sorry, things between me and my dad aren't the best. But he loves Ethan."
Eli reaches for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's fine." He winks at me and I slowly start to relax. Glad that Eli’s back in our lives
.
18
Eli
Her dad is an asshole. Fuck, I thought I was bad, but I wouldn't act as though my child isn't there. He spoke to Mel when he came in and since then, he's not said a thing to her, his focus has been on Ethan who he's playing with in the sitting room, building with Legos.
"Dad, are you going to see mom today?" she asks him for the third time and I really need to find out where her mom is.
"Pop, mommy's talking to you." Yeah, this is how her jackass of a father gives her his attention, if my son tells him that Mel's talking to him. I'm close to losing my temper and laying this asshole out.
"Huh, sorry, mind's elsewhere. What do you want?" His tone is pleasant and Ethan smiles but his words have me grinding my teeth.
"I was wondering if you were going to see mom." I don't know how the hell she's keeping calm, I'd be kicking the fucker out.
Her father turns his attention back to Ethan. "No, not today. Maybe next week."
Mel's jaw tightens and her eyes well with tears. I reach for her hand and give it a tug. "Let's go sit outside," I tell her and she turns her attention onto me. She blinks a couple of times before it registers what I've said, the sadness seeps out of her and she hits me with her blinding smile. As Mel takes my hand she squeezes it softly as we walk out to the back yard. Not once did Mel release my hand and I'm ecstatic, things between us are going okay, they are progressing which is giving me hope.
Once we're in the yard, we move to the love seat she has on her deck. She sits beside me, her body brushing against mine, I bite back a moan and focus on the questions I have. "Why is he such an asshole to you?"
Mel sighs, "I've no idea, I really don't. It's been like this for years. Not as bad as this but still. I don't know what the hell is wrong with him today, he never usually ignores me."
That has me tamping down my anger, he's not a grade A asshole all of the time, but still he shouldn't be treating her like this. "What do you mean he's not as bad? What does he do?"
She turns so that we're facing each other, lifting her legs so that her knees are under her chin. She's showing me her vulnerability. "He and mom split and whenever I'd spend time with him I always felt as though I was an imposition, that he'd rather be anywhere else than with me. He was always busy, constantly having meetings. When I wanted to spend time with him, he'd throw money at me thinking that was what I wanted."
Fuck, even I know that Mel isn't all about money.
"When I moved out of home and came to LA for college, he bought me an apartment, he paid for college. It pissed me off, I know that I come across selfish and childish but he was never there when I needed him and then—" she snaps her fingers, "—he's paying for my tuition and he's buying me an apartment." She shakes her head, "I hated it. I would have rather been in debt than..." She trails off.
"Rather than feel as though you're in debt to him." Her eyes widen at my words, "I get it, and you don't come across as selfish or childish. Fuck, the man has pissed me off since he walked in the door and I'm so close to laying him out."
She laughs and I reach for her legs, pulling them out from under her chin and lie them over my lap. My hand resting on her thigh. "You can’t hit him. He's an asshole but Ethan loves him."
"It's why you wanted to make sure that I loved Ethan before we moved forward. You didn't want Ethan to have a dad like yours."
She turns away and looks out into the yard but nods.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm here because I want to be a father to my son but I also want to be in your life, in your bed and be the only man to do so."
"You are. You have been."
It fucking pleases me that no one else has gone there with her. "Why didn't you date? You're gorgeous, Mel, you'd have men lining up."
She giggles and I smirk, "Eli, when would I have had time to date? Hmm? I work Monday through Friday and I'm a mom to a very exuberant three year old."
My smirk widens and she kicks me, "Hey, don't be smug about it."
I grab her foot and bring it back. "Smug? Me? Never." Her giggles get louder. "Mel, I want to take you out on a date..." Her mouth opens in shock, "Do you think you'll be able to find a sitter for Ethan? Or should we have a date with him."
Her eyes water and she looks at me in a way that I've never seen before. It's not a terrifying look, in fact it's one that makes me want to kiss her. Her eyes are soft, not as soft as when she looks at Ethan, or how she looked at me last night, but soft. Her lips are tilted slightly. I can't make out the expression, I can't read her and I hate it. "Eli..." she says huskily and my cock stirs beneath my pants. "God, that was the sweetest thing ever."
Was it? Damn, I didn't even try to be sweet.
"Can we do both?" she asks as she worries her lip between her teeth.
I don't miss a beat, she's just offered me two dates. I'm jumping on that. "Of course, just tell me when it suits you and where you want to go."
Her smile is breathtaking. "How about Ethan's date tomorrow? We can go and get some pizza, come home and watch a movie?"
I nod, "That sounds good. What about our date?"
"Um, Thursday?" She sounds hesitant, when she really shouldn't. I'm not letting her go; hell, if given the chance, I'd move in with her.
"Good, so Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday," I say with a smile and watch as her eyes widen before narrowing, I chuckle at her expression.
"Eli Egan, did you just trick me into three dates?"
"Not really, you're the one that chose the days, I'm just here for the ride..." Her eyes narrow into slits, "But I don't count Saturday as a date, my parents are going to be here."
"Oh yeah..." she says quietly and I feel bad, she's going to have the entire Egan family descend on her with no backup.
"If you want, invite your friends. They can act as a buffer. My mom can be a little overbearing at times."
"Cass doesn't really do well around new people. I don't think it's fair having others around when your family wants to meet Ethan. I'll be fine. It will be okay."
Fuck, she's amazing. "They won't mind. They'd want you to be comfortable. What about your mom? Would she not come?" I immediately regret asking when I see her face.
Pain slashes through her features and tears form in her eyes again. "Oh, no. Mom won't be able to. She's not well at the moment."
"Mommy, Pop's going," Ethan yells from inside the house.
Mel moves her legs from over mine and pushes onto her feet, she holds out a hand for me and I take it as I stand. We walk back into the house and her father's gaze goes directly to our connected hands. His eyes narrow and his jaw tightens. He doesn't like it, well tough fucking shit. I'm not going anywhere and he's going to have to deal with it.
"Daddy, do you want to play?" Ethan asks, rushing over to me.
"Sure, bud, say goodbye to your Pop first, yeah?"
His gaze goes from his Legos to his grandfather and then back again before his feet move toward the asshole who's glaring at me. "Bye, bye," he yells as he throws his arms around his legs and squeezes. "Come on, Daddy, you play with me!" There's something I've learned about my son today, he doesn't know how to talk quietly, he's always shouting and Mel laughs at him most of the time.
I follow my son to the sitting room and start building using Legos, my mind on the hall where Mel and her father are. That shit he's pulling is going to stop, I won't allow anyone to mistreat her anymore.
"Ethan..." Mel says walking into the room a while later, a smile playing on her lips. "Tomorrow night, we're going to have pizza and then we’ll come back here to watch a movie with me and your dad."
His eyes widen as does his mouth. "Oh can we have pizza here too?"
Mel glances at me in question and I shrug, I'd prefer to have them to myself than go out. But it's her call, whatever she wants.
"Okay, baby, we'll have pizza here and watch a movie. You pick?"
He nods enthusiastically and I catch Mel's mischievous smile and I'm wondering what the hell I've g
otten myself into.
"I'm working tomorrow and Ethan's going to daycare. I'll be home around five. Does six work for dinner?”
"Yes, that works, I'll be able to get some work done too. Want me to pick up the pizzas on the way?"
She sits beside me and smiles, "That would be great. Thanks. What are your plans for today?"
"I haven't got any," I say as I continue to build a house with Ethan. Mel watches us with wide eyes full of wonder and it's as though she's never seen a dad play with his child and then I realize that her dad's an asshole and she probably never had this when she was growing up.
"Do you want to spend the day with us? I'm going to take Ethan out on his bike later on."
She makes it so fucking easy. When I found out about Ethan, I thought it would be hard, that trying to find a place in his life would be difficult, that I'd have to beg her to spend time with my son. Yet, she's not making me do that, she's making time for me and asking me to join her while they do their routine. I’d heard so many horror stories from others about what happens when the parents don’t live together, and so far, Mel is proving that she’s not one of those people that use their child as a bargaining chip. Then again, Mel is sweet and caring, she wants what’s best for our son. You can see that with the way she looks at him, there’s no way she’d be a bitch and put his happiness on the line.
"Yes, I want to spend the day with you." I imply a hell of a lot more than the day with my voice as it's deeper than usual. Fuck, I want her, her body is even more perfect than when we were together last and I can't wait to have her underneath me again.
Her body trembles against mine and she bites her lip. She's killing me. "Eli, just the day."
I lean forward and nip at her lip making her moan. "Not today, Buttercup. But it's coming."
Her eyes are filled with lust as she stares at me, I release her lip and kiss her, hard and fast, sweeping my tongue into her mouth, needing to taste her.
"Mommy, I need a drink."
It's as though cold water has been thrown onto us. Mel pulls away as she mutters an apology and jumps to her feet, reaching for Ethan at the same time. "Come on, baby, let's get you a drink, and then you can go back to building your house."
Egotistical Executive: A Hero Club Novel Page 13