by Sam Crescent
“No, please, don’t be sorry. I want to get to know Easton.”
“Junior.”
“Junior?”
“Liam thinks it will be easier if we call you Senior and my Easton Junior.”
“You named him after me?”
“Yes, I don’t see why I shouldn’t? I didn’t want to end things the way they did. It just happened. I’m not ashamed of Easton being yours.”
“Does he want to know about me?” Easton asked.
The elevator opened, and he saw her nibbling her lip. “I’ve got to go.”
“I understand.”
“Easton doesn’t ask a whole lot of questions. I think he’s always accepted life as it is. I’m not trying to be mean here.”
“It’s fine. It’s fine. He has Liam.”
“Will you come to dinner?” she asked.
“Do you want me to?”
“Don’t ask me that. Make your own choices here.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.” She stepped into the elevator.
“How was it having him?” Easton asked, putting his hand on the elevator door to stop her leaving.
“Having a son?”
“Yes.”
“It was the scariest, happiest, overwhelming experience of my life.”
He let the elevator doors go. He’d missed all of the early years of Easton’s life. Junior. He liked that.
Whoever this Liam guy was, he sounded like a solid guy.
Axton, Karson, and Romeo were still waiting for him when he arrived back in his office.
“We have got a company to run, you know?” Easton asked.
“Of course we do, and I accept that, but come on, you’ve got to tell us something here,” Romeo said.
“Are you going to go?” Axton asked, picking up the card, and then giving a whistle. “I wouldn’t be too worried about your boy. He’s in really good hands.”
“What?”
“Liam Knight. He’s a wealthy man. Came out of nowhere with a corporation to rival plenty. He rarely does business with anyone. Rarely seen, and when he is, he always has control of who publishes his image. I even heard a story of him paying over a million dollars to someone so he could have his image back, or something. That could all be rumor though. The guy, for some odd reason, is obsessed with his privacy. This is … wow, your girl really found a good one.” Axton held the card up.
“Scarlett wasn’t a gold-digger,” Easton said, grabbing the details from Axton.
“She may have been. A kid and in need of opportunities,” Axton said.
“You didn’t know her, okay? I did. I knew her, and she wasn’t like that.” He had to defend her so they would understand she wasn’t the kind of woman to go chasing after a guy with money.
She didn’t come looking for him, and she’d only known Liam five years … or could it have been longer?
No!
He wasn’t going to think about that.
“Are you going to go to dinner?” Romeo asked. “It sounds really good.”
“I think I should. I want to meet Liam. Negotiate to see my son? Don’t you think I should?”
“I think you should do whatever you feel is necessary,” Axton said. “We’ll know where you’ll be so no worries there.”
Easton sat down behind his desk.
“Is this going to be a problem?” Karson asked.
“No. I’m clean and fine. I have no desire to drink. I just want to figure all of this out.”
“Duty calls,” Romeo said. “Whatever you decide, I’d love to be an uncle again.”
“Me too,” Axton said.
Karson was the only one to linger in his office.
“If you’re going to give me some bullshit that you feel like I’m going to fall off the wagon, save it. I’m clean and clear-headed. I want to know my son.”
“So long as you understand this is another life. This boy is going to want to get to know you. Once you do this, you can’t pick him up and put him back down again. You’ve got to stick with it.”
“When did you get all wise?” Easton asked.
“A long time ago.”
He watched Karson leave his office. Once he made a choice, he’d stick to it. Regardless of his son being eleven years old and not knowing him, it didn’t matter. Easton had known his father his entire life and still hated the bastard.
Staring at the card, he knew of Liam. He’d never met the guy personally, but from what he heard, he was a damn beast in the boardroom and was known for getting the job done. No one wanted to get on his bad side, and neither did Easton. If he came after the Four Kings empire, it would be a bloodbath. Liam was known for also having friends in high places. No one really knew what those places were though. Not something Easton wanted to find out, either.
“You really need me to make this decision for you?” Carla sat on the edge of his desk, swinging her legs back and forth.
“I’m starting to think I need my brain examined.”
“You probably do, but there’s no law to say you can’t be seeing things that don’t exist. So that was Scarlett. She’s pretty.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“That, too. And you have a son. He’s just a little younger than the baby you’d have had with me. There is a huge difference though.” He turned to Carla, knowing she wasn’t there. “You wanted this son with Scarlett. My child with me, you didn’t want.”
He picked up the phone, and Carla disappeared.
Chapter Six
Over eleven years ago
“Come swim with me,” Easton said.
Scarlett raised a brow. He found it cute when she did that. He’d tried to do it a few times, but it was a skill he couldn’t master.
“You have got no chance.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not jumping in a lake. Do you have any idea what could be in here?”
“Lots of water?”
“No, like sharks or something,” she said.
“You promised me you’d keep me company and help me to forget, but you won’t come swimming with me.”
“You don’t need to swim to forget. That is just wrong.” She wrinkled her nose. “Come. Lie down. Enjoy the sun.” She stretched out, and for a few seconds, he admired her. She wasn’t a slender girl and had curves in all the right places. She wore a pair of shorts, and she hadn’t gone full bikini this time, which was a shame. She looked hot in a bikini.
He didn’t want to go swimming by himself, and seeing no other choice, he picked her up. She wasn’t light, and as she thrashed around in his arms, he merely threw them both over the edge and dived into the lake. He held onto her, breaking the surface. She let out a little scream as she came up for air.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” she asked.
“To swim.”
“I can’t swim.”
All humor died from him. “What?”
“I can’t swim.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as well as her legs. He saw the fear in her eyes, but he didn’t have a problem with her body being flush against his.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you. You don’t have a problem with anything being in the water.”
“Anything can be in the water, you know. Just think all kinds of horror flicks and you know, we’re chomped on.” She didn’t let him go. “I need to let go of you.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“I really, really, really need to.”
“Then let go.” He only held her ass, but she didn’t make a move.
“Please get me to shore.”
“I can teach you how to swim.”
“I don’t want to drown. It … I … I’m scared.”
He held her a little tighter. “We won’t practice here, but one day, we’re going to have an indoor pool and then I’ll teach you how to swim.”
“One day?”
“Yeah, don’t you see us being friends for a lifetime?”
&nb
sp; “I don’t know what I see. Please don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t ever let you fall. I’ve got you, Scar. I won’t ever let go of you.”
She held onto him tightly, and he knew he would protect her, always.
****
Present day
“You need to stop panicking,” Liam said.
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have an ex arriving. I should go through your little black book.”
“Little black book?”
“Yes, and that way we could have one of your exes here to make up the numbers.”
“You’re wanting to partner Easton up with one of my exes?”
“Why not? It sounds like a plan.” Scarlett didn’t know what to expect. She’d thought Easton would cancel. Her son was upstairs, playing. They had told him a visitor was coming and that they’d call him down when dinner was ready.
She was so nervous. She had ended up changing three times until Liam had picked out the right outfit for her.
This was just one of the many reasons why she loved him.
“Is Easton bi?”
“No.”
“Then I would have invited another guy around to talk to.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re just being difficult.”
The doorbell rang, and her nerves kicked up a notch. Liam got to his feet. His hands went to her shoulders, and he worked out the kinks.
“Stop panicking. This is all good. You, me, the kid, and his dad. It’ll work out.”
“I don’t know why I’m acting this way.”
Liam kissed her cheek. “I’m here.”
“How are we going to play this?” she asked.
“Play what?”
“You and me?”
“We’re husband and wife. Expect touches and kisses, stuff like that.”
She nodded her head. “Right, of course, right. I can do this. There’s nothing wrong here.”
They walked to the door, and she was really glad Liam was behind her. Without him she would have sunk to the floor.
When she opened the door, there Easton stood. He held a bottle of wine and a gift beneath another arm.
“I didn’t know what to bring, and I should warn you, I don’t drink at all.”
Scarlett took the bottle of wine and realized it was non-alcoholic.
“I also checked that it’s vegan as well. Does that count?” Easton asked.
“Scarlett and Easton Junior are the vegans here. I’m vegetarian,” Liam said.
She forced a smile to her lips as Liam pressed against her back. They had done this many times. Dinner parties and social gatherings. Playing his wife was never a chore. She adored him, and she was used to being close with him. They shared everything together. He was her best friend and her confidant.
“Come in. Come in,” Liam said.
Easton looked a little unsure.
“I will go and pour us all some of this,” Scarlett said.
She had to get away from the temptation of seeing both of those men together. She couldn’t deny how sexy Liam was. He had never given her the impression he wanted anything more. There were a few mornings he woke with an erection, but she’d always put that down to morning wood.
Entering the kitchen, she breathed in the scent of the tomato garlic sauce. Her son had been the one to ask her if he could go vegan, and it had terrified her. Liam helped, consulting with the best doctors, and they had helped to guide her on what to cook.
He’d made his choices, and at eleven she wanted to respect them. He was a good kid, and she loved him so much.
Grabbing the glasses, she opened the bottle and couldn’t help but wonder why he made a point of saying he didn’t drink. Had he encountered problems with drink in the past? She was so confused right now.
Liam wasn’t helping matters either. Her body was humming with his touch. She had always been able to ignore the slight yearning he created inside her, but not tonight for some odd reason.
“It’s okay, Scar. You can do this.”
“Talking to yourself already?” Liam asked.
“I have a feeling I’m going to need something stronger,” she said.
Liam took both glasses. “We’re going to be fine. You need to stop panicking.”
“Who’s panicking? Me? I’m relaxed.”
He laughed and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Come on. I’ve got your back. You will always be safe with me.”
She believed him.
Following him out to the sitting room, she wondered how Easton Junior was getting on. He’d not come to see who their visitor was, not that she should expect it. He often stayed in his room, reading, playing with his microscope, or working on his vocabulary.
Easton was sitting in the chair near the fire. It wasn’t lit as it wasn’t cold enough yet to have a fire.
Liam took the other chair, and as they were doing this dance, Scarlett sat on the arm by her husband.
“I wanted to thank you for letting me come here tonight. The invitation was a surprise.”
“When Junior said he’d met you, I was curious. You didn’t know about him, and now, you can have the option, if that is what you wish?”
Easton looked at her.
“I’d like the chance to get to know him. I know I fucked up with you, and I can’t change what we did in the past.”
“I know. It’s fine. Honestly. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. It was wrong of me. Stupid. Selfish. I didn’t expect to see you there.”
“How come you weren’t at the party?” Easton asked. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I had other matters to attend to.” Liam smiled.
Scarlett sipped at her drink. This wasn’t awkward at all.
Silence fell in the room. Liam looked comfortable like he always did, relaxed, as if nothing could bother him.
She felt sick to her stomach.
“So, how have you been?” she asked. “I heard the Four Kings have merged with another company.”
“We have. He’s a friend. I can’t talk about the specifics.”
“I don’t need to worry. I know Paul Motts. He’s a good guy. His software is outstanding,” Liam said.
“How are you okay with this?” Easton asked.
“Okay with that?”
“I have a kid with your wife.”
Liam placed his hand on her thigh. Her nipples tightened, and she felt a flood of warmth between her thighs.
She hadn’t been in a relationship in a very long time. Not since her last abusive boyfriend.
“I know where Scarlett’s heart lies. I don’t think that we all have to be monsters to get what we want. I’m an agreeable guy. I like to think of myself as a gentleman. We’re civilized, and all we want is the best for Junior, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes,” Easton said. “That’s all I want. A chance to get to know him, maybe?”
Liam didn’t let go of her leg. He started to stroke behind her knee. She licked her suddenly dry lips as Easton watched her.
This had never happened to her before.
“I better go and call him,” she said.
Pulling away from Liam, she rushed out of the room, needing to clear her head again. This was a huge mistake, the biggest one she’d ever made.
“Easton, sweetie, come down, we’d like you to meet someone.”
Her son got to the stairs. His sneakers were undone, and his shirt was untucked.
“Have you been climbing that tree again?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t need to keep on doing that, baby,” she said.
“I want to. I told you. Falling out of it won’t stop me.”
“You will if I cut off all the branches.” She wrapped her arms around him and started to tickle him.
“Mom, Mom, I’m, like, eleven now. I’ve got to be cool.”
“No, you don’t have to be cool,” she said. “You’ll always be my baby.”
“I need a brother or sister so I can be cool.”
Easton said that as they entered the library. Two sets of smoldering eyes looked her way, one sharpest blue and the other deepest brown. Both of them hit her hard, and she wanted to sink to her knees and worship both of them.
Tonight, in the shower, she was going to have to fix her overactive imagination. There’s no way she’d be able to sleep with Liam tonight without her doing something stupid, like dry humping him, or begging for more. This wasn’t like her, not even a little bit. Sex had been enjoyable in the past, but it hadn’t been something that made her act like this.
“Hello,” Junior said. “You’re the guy at my party.”
Easton sat forward. “Hey, Easton,” he said.
“Your name is Easton as well,” her son said.
“Yeah, it is.” He looked toward her.
“Sweetie, there’s something I need to tell you. It’s, erm, this man here, he’s your father.”
Her son’s eyes went wide. “My dad? He’s my father?”
“Yes.”
Junior glanced behind Liam, who had sat forward.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked.
“Where have you been?” Junior asked, looking at Easton.
“He didn’t know about you. I never told him,” Scarlett said. She wasn’t going to let Easton take the fall for this. No matter how much she hurt, she’d been the one to make this decision. She didn’t know what Easton would have actually done, but there was no going back. She’d made this decision all on her own. What was shared between the two of them, happened eleven years ago, and it wasn’t her son’s fault. This was between her and Easton.
“You know about me now?” Junior asked.
“Of course. It’s why I’m here. I’d like to get to know you.” He pulled the present in front of him. “I got this for you. I don’t know what you’re into, but at your age, I loved cars.”
Junior took the gift, and Scarlett sat on the arm of the chair, watching.
This scared her.
What if her son wanted to be with Easton more than with her? Was she ever going to be able to share her son with Easton?
Easton moved to the floor as Junior unwrapped the car.
“You okay?” Liam asked, whispering the words.
“Yeah, no. I don’t know. I think I’m going to go and get dinner ready.”
She got up and ruffled Junior’s hair, needing that connection more than anything. He didn’t push her away but called her name in that annoyed voice he did.