“You can do that?”
“Reid, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You’re mine and it’s always going to be that way, no matter what happens.”
He nodded and I could see his shoulders sag in relief. No kid should have this much on his plate. It wasn’t fair to him to keep moving around from place to place. But there was one more move we would be making with Reid, and I really hoped he liked it.
“Florrie, you’re still going to marry Alec, right?”
I was shocked by his question. What kid thought about that stuff? Then again, not too long ago, we were talking about getting married and how he would be involved. That was before. Now all of that had hit the back burner, and at this point, I wasn’t sure if we would still get married. We were so far apart on what was happening with Reid that I didn’t know if we would make it. But I didn’t want Reid to feel like any of this was his fault. He didn’t deserve a side of guilt with what he was already going through. So, I pasted a smile on my face and nodded.
“Of course. As soon as this is all over, we’re going to plan a kickass wedding, and you’ll be there to watch us get married.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said quietly.
I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him against me. Whatever happened, I would make this right for him. He was mine and there was no way I was letting him go.
“Hey, Alec and I have a surprise for you.”
“Yeah?” He looked up at me with an enthusiasm that made me laugh.
“Yeah. How would you like to have a new, really awesome room in a brand new house?”
His face paled and he shifted away from me. “I thought…”
“Our new house,” I clarified. “Our house is finally ready to move into. I was thinking we would move this weekend.”
“Really?”
“Yep. We just have to pack up your stuff and we can move in.”
“I’ll start now,” he said, pushing up from the couch and rushing into his room. I heard Alec enter the room behind me and I stiffened, my smile faltering.
“So, you told him about the house?”
“I wanted him to have something to look forward to,” I said, pushing off the couch and stalking out of the room. I would always put on a good face for Reid, but I didn’t know how I was going to keep this up with Alec, not when we were so far apart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Alec
Our time was almost up with Reid. In another week, we would know for sure if he was staying with us or not. My chest ached every time I pictured letting him go, but I had watched for the past few months as Reid slowly opened up to his aunt and uncle. Every time I watched them together, I couldn’t help but smile. He was going to a good family, even if it broke my fucking heart. I was struggling so hard with this. I didn’t want to watch him go, but I didn’t want to tear him away from the family he should have had all along.
I watched Florrie sleeping from the doorway of our bedroom. It was still early, but lately, I hadn’t been able to sleep for shit. I knew that if we didn’t win custody of Reid, she would lose her shit, and that didn’t bode well for me. I was used to conflict and making hard decisions, but there was nothing that could prepare me for watching my relationship with Florrie slowly slip away. I loved her so much. I would give her anything she wanted, but this was something that I just couldn’t hand over to her, and I would pay a high price for it.
Things had been so strained for us over the past few months. I barely got a kind word out of her, and now that I was working with Derek’s team, I didn’t see her as much, and going out on jobs had increased our time apart. I thought maybe that would help. I thought the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” would work in my favor. That wasn’t the case. If anything, it seemed to only reinforce what she was thinking. I needed to find a way to get through to her. I needed to figure out something before the judge handed down the court order next week or I would for sure lose her. If she kept pushing me away, there would be nothing left of us in just a few short days.
I moved toward the bed and slid in beside her, wrapping my arms around her. This was the only time she let me hold her, and that was only because she was asleep and didn’t know I was doing it. We were so far from the love and passion that we used to have. I missed holding her. I missed feeling like I finally had the love of my life by my side.
She stirred, stiffening when she realized that I was wrapped around her. She tried wiggling from my grasp, but I held on tight, not ready to let her go yet. “Just stay,” I murmured in her ear.
“I have to get ready for work.”
“No you don’t. Not for another hour.”
“Alec-”
“Please,” I begged. “Give me this. I miss you so fucking much. I miss my fiancé. I miss holding you.” I kissed her neck, running my nose up the back of her neck, smelling the scent of her hair. “I miss kissing you, and feeling you give in to me.”
“I’ve never given in to you,” she said breathlessly.
I slid my hand across her stomach, pushing up her t-shirt. Her nipples perked up under my touch as I cupped her breast in my palm. My erection dug into her ass and she pushed back against me, needing me just as much as I needed her.
“Just this once, Florrie. Give yourself to me. I know you still love me. You just have to forget all the bullshit and be here with me.”
Her hand slipped around the back of my neck as she pulled me in for a kiss. When my lips met hers, it was like coming home. Her tongue slipped in my mouth as I strummed my thumb over her nipple. Her breathing sped up and soft pants of hot air brushed across my face as she held me. I shifted my leg between hers, lifting her leg to give me access to her sweet pussy. In one move, I was pushing inside her, sliding through her wet heat. Her gasps were quiet, but full of so much need. We had been apart for too long, struggling to work through issues that were out of our control. But this…this was something we could take and hold onto.
“Alec,” she moaned, grasping at my hair, pulling me toward her mouth again. I kissed her hard, thrusting harder inside her. I gripped her hip, jerking her body closer to mine and I pushed further inside her. My fingers slid down through her pussy, spreading her juices around her clit and pushing her to orgasm. She clenched around me, squeezing me like she always did when we were together. I couldn’t hold back. It had been too long since I’d had her. My cock had been starving for her, and now it was being fed. I pumped inside her twice more before tilting over the edge and coming hard inside her.
Sliding my hand back up to her chest, I pulled her flush against my chest. She didn’t resist, didn’t try and pull away for the first time in months. It was just us, lying in the comfort of each other’s arms, knowing that this moment wouldn’t last, but refusing to let it slip away. When we left this room, things would be different. She would go back to hating me and blaming me for all the decisions I had made over the past three months. When we left this room, I wasn’t sure that she would ever love me the way she used to.
✯✯✯✯✯
“Are you nervous?” Cap asked me as I walked into the conference room. He had called me in here for a quick meeting. He knew what had been going on with Florrie these past few months. He knew that I was on rocky ground with her. Today was the day. We would find out if Reid was staying with us or going with the Fullers.
Was I nervous? Hell, I was fucking terrified. Not for Reid. I knew that no matter what decision the judge made, that kid would be fine. I had come to know the Fullers pretty well over the past few months. I had taken the time to talk to them and get to know them, because if Reid was going to be living with them, I needed to know for certain that he was in good hands. And he was. They were good people who missed out on watching Reid grow up. They deserved this time with him. He was the last of what remained of Reid’s father, the last connection. So, I wasn’t worried about Reid. As much as I loved the kid, I knew he would be fine. I was terrified for what would become of Florrie and I. An overw
helming ache had been sitting heavy in my chest for months because of what the outcome of today would bring. I didn’t know how I was going to convince Florrie to stay. I didn’t know how to make her see that what we had was strong and could survive this. She was stubborn, and I knew she wouldn’t come to me willingly. And worse, I didn’t know how I was going to move on without her. How would I see her every day and know that she wasn’t mine to have? How would I watch her go off and find other men to fuck? How would I deal with the fact that all of this was happening because of me, no matter how noble my intentions?
“Hey,” Cap said, snapping me out of the thoughts that were on a constant loop in my head. “You okay?”
“Not really,” I said honestly. “This is it. This is…”
“Yeah,” he said grimly. “If it makes you feel any better, I think you did the right thing. You were right about these people, and I think in time, Florrie will see that too.”
“No, she won’t,” I chuckled humorlessly. “She’ll never see this as anything but a betrayal.”
“Do you have any ideas on how to change her mind on that?”
I sighed, slumping down in one of the chairs. “I’ve thought of nothing else for months. I can’t see a way out of this. I don’t know how to make any of this right. Was I wrong? I mean, I know you think I was right, but if this was Maggie, would you have moved heaven and earth to make sure she got what she wanted?”
“Look, I’m not gonna blow sunshine up your ass. I think there’s just about anything I would do for Freckles. I was lucky that she changed her mind about the abortion. That was one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make, and it nearly killed me. I’m pretty sure that if she had gone through with it, I never would have been the same again. That would have changed my whole fucking life, and I’m not sure there’s any coming back from something like that. I think you’re in the same fucking boat right now. You had an impossible decision to make, but you did what you thought was right. There’s no going back and changing anything now. Beating yourself up over it isn’t going to change the past. And the fact is, the Fullers would have found out about Reid sooner or later. It’s not like you could have just hidden Reid here for the rest of his childhood. This wasn’t a question of if it would happen, but when. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”
I sighed and stared off into space. I felt like my life was slowly ticking away until it would explode, tearing me to shreds. There were no more moves to make, no ways to fix what was about to happen. There was only the hope that after all was said and done, I could find a way to convince Florrie that we were better off together than apart. And that was a tall order that I wasn’t sure I could fill.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Florrie
I felt the pound of the gavel all the way down to my bones. It was a crushing blow, telling me that the life I thought I had was now gone. It was over. There were no more options. I watched as the Fullers tearfully hugged each other, crying because they had just won custody, taking away the last of my heart with them.
I slowly turned, looking up at Alec. His eyes were filled with pain and a slight sheen of tears that I knew he was trying to hide from me. They were pleading with me, begging me to stay, to hold onto what we had, but I couldn’t. I had made a promise to Reid. I swore that I would do whatever it took to keep him with me. I took a step back from Alec, jerking out of his grasp when he reached for me. I couldn’t do this with him. This was all his fault. He did this to us. He tore away the one thing that meant more to me than even him. Reid was no longer mine, not if I stayed here with Alec and accepted what the judge was telling me.
I shook my head slowly, watching as Alec’s eyes slipped closed and pain washed over him. This was it. It was over for us, but I still had a kid that was counting on me, and I wouldn’t let him down. I turned and fled, running from the courtroom, ignoring Alec yelling for me to wait. There was nothing left to wait for.
I got in my truck and peeled out of the parking lot. I didn’t have much time to get back to Reed Security and make my escape. I already had my bag packed. I had stashed it at the back of the property where the escape hatch was. My SUV was ready to go, filled with anything Reid and I would need to make it out of here and across the Canadian border. It was closest, and though there were more ways that I knew to slip across the Mexican border and more ways to hide, it was a longer trip with less chance of success.
I had been working for weeks on getting Reid and I fake passports. I had even optimistically gotten Alec one, even though I knew it was ridiculous to hope he would come with us. I knew that he wouldn’t suddenly change his mind and decide to go along with my plan. That’s why I hadn’t included him in any of them. He didn’t know where I planned to go or what I planned to do exactly. The only one that knew that was Craig, and that was because he swore he would do whatever it took to keep Reid with me. He knew what Reid meant to me and he knew that I just couldn’t walk away. He was the only person I trusted at this point.
I screeched to a halt in the Reed Security parking garage. I should have run with him this morning. I should have trusted my instincts and taken off when we had more lead time. But I had hoped that the judge would rule in our favor, and now I was so far behind where I could be. Now I was risking everything to get out of here. I headed straight for the panic room where Reid was waiting for me. Not even he knew what was going on. He only knew that he was supposed to wait for me in our old suite.
Craig met me at the door, a knowing look on his face. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
“Florrie, I gotta ask just one last time, are you sure you want to do this?”
I turned to him, tears in my eyes and nodded, knowing this would be the last time I saw him. “I have to. I can’t let him go.”
He pulled me in for a hug, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me tight. “I’m gonna miss you so fucking much.”
“Me too, but I have to do this.”
“I know.” He held me for another few seconds before pulling back and smiling at me. “Well, let’s get you on the road. We don’t have much time.”
I smiled up at him, grateful to have him on my side, and squeezed his hand. Together, we rushed down the hall to my old suite to get Reid. Since I knew that this could all go south, I figured stashing him here would be our best bet of getting away. When I opened the door, Reid looked up from the couch, like he already knew what was happening.
“The judge sided with the Fullers, right?”
“Yeah, he did, but I have a plan. We’re going to leave, okay?”
“What about Alec?”
I swallowed hard and shook my head slightly. “He’s not coming, but Craig is going to help us get out of here. But we need to leave right now.”
He stood, walking toward me quickly, but before we could leave, the door flew open and Alec stepped inside. His eyes darted from Craig to Reid and I. His jaw was clenched tight and his fists were balled up tight.
“Reid, wait in your room. Florrie and I need to talk.”
“Reid, we’re leaving,” I said, gripping onto his hand, pulling him closer to me.
“I need just a few minutes, bud. Give me that.”
Reid yanked his hand out of mine, giving me a small shrug before slinking off to his room. I turned on Alec, pissed that he was going to do this to me. He could step aside. He could let me walk out of here and I would be happy.
Craig stepped in front of me, putting his hand up against Alec’s chest. “Back off, man. You need to get the fuck out of here before I make you.”
“I need two fucking minutes,” Alec growled. “If you don’t step the fuck aside, I swear to God, I’ll take you out.”
“It’s fine,” I said to Craig, trying to diffuse the situation. It would be faster to just talk to him and then we could leave. Craig glanced at me, letting me know that he was here for whatever I needed, and stepped to the other side of the room.
“Say what you have to say and
leave.”
“Florrie, you can’t do this. I know what you’re thinking, but this is insane. You can’t just run.”
“Alec, I can’t let him go to those people. They don’t care about him.”
He ran a hand over his face and sighed. He was giving up. “Florrie, you know I would keep him here if I could.”
I scoffed. “You haven’t tried to keep him since the day he came home with us. Everything out of your mouth has been about doing things that everyone else thinks we should do. We wouldn’t even be in this position if you hadn’t announced to Sean that we had him. He could have been living here with us the whole time and no one would have known.”
“Florrie, you can’t just take kids and decide to keep them. That’s not how this works!”
“That’s exactly how this works,” I snapped. “He belongs with me, and he wants to be with me. He doesn’t trust those people. Sure, they put up a good front, but what’s going to happen when they get him back to Utah? Do you really think they’re going to be good to him? They’re using him for his money, and I’m not going to let that happen!”
“You’ve lost your fucking mind.”
“I know exactly what I’m saying. I’m taking him to a non-extradition country. Hell, I’ll take him anywhere I have to so that I know he’s safe and away from those vultures. I could probably convince Knight to let me stay at his house in Colorado!”
“So, now you want to drag Knight into this? Make him an accomplice to kidnapping?”
“It’s not kidnapping. He’s mine! And he could be yours too, if only you would pull your head out of your ass and come with us. Do you really think I want to leave you? He’s ours Alec. He always has been. You just have to make the right choice and come with us.”
“Florrie, do you even realize what you’re asking? If we ran, we could never come home. Kidnapping is a felony. We’d be looking at twenty or more years in prison if we were caught. And most convicts don’t look too kindly on people that do things to kids.”
Nightingale: A Reed Security Romance Page 17