The Freeman Brothers: A Secret Baby Romance Collection

by Natasha L. Black

  I got on them so much for not putting enough concentration and thought into their work lately. Then I turned around and was on the brink of doing the same thing. I was fully committed to be there for Lindsey and doing anything she needed me to do. But I also had to live up to what I promised to Quentin and ensure the company kept going the way it should as well.

  My last email was just disappearing off to its destination when Lindsey came out of the office. Her shoulders not drawn up close to the sides of her face and her jaw not clenched were a welcome sight. Even better was the sparkling smile on her face. I leaned back against my truck, my ankles crossed in front of me, and smiled at her as she approached.

  “So, that’s good news,” I said, reaching out to hug her.

  She let out a gust of air that sounded something like a short laugh and nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty much in shock. Part of me still thinks I’m dreaming.”

  She took a step back from me, and I saw the expression of awe on her face. I nodded. I could understand why she was feeling that way. At least, I had my suspicions. In a lot of ways, Lindsey was still sort of a mystery to me. Even though I had technically known her for a lot of years, she seemed like a completely different person than the Lindsey I remembered from when we were younger.

  Not because she had undergone some huge personality change or anything. More just because she was a more vibrant, prominent aspect of my life. Looking back on those years when she and Nick were just starting to be friends, I knew it was her. I could even remember some moments when she had the same bright smile and laughed in the same way. But now that she was an adult, it was different.

  The fact that I didn’t know much about her only added to it. I knew almost nothing about her family or anything she might have gone through when she was younger. The things I knew about her now were from our conversations during my visits to the bar. Those weren’t exactly the deepest and most exploratory of conversations. We talked mostly about the town and swapped stories.

  Most of what I knew about her and the struggles she went through came from Nick. But just from that I could tell she probably hadn’t gotten many good breaks in life. Not that her entire existence had been hard and she was always clawing for survival or anything. More like life had a way of batting her around a bit, and when it did, she rarely came out on top.

  This time, the universe smiled on her. At just the right time, probably the time in her life when she needed it more than ever, she had finally gotten a break. I was glad I got to be around to witness this one.

  “When Charlie had called me and asked me to come in, he didn’t tell me what was going on at first,” I said. “He just made it clear I needed to come into the office to talk about your situation. He was very cryptic about it.”

  “Did he tell you about it when you got here?” she asked.

  I nodded. “He did. I asked him to keep me updated on what was going on and what he was doing with everything.” Something flickered across Lindsey’s face, and I suddenly realized how intrusive that sounded. “I hope that’s okay with you. I don’t mean to pry or be in your business or anything.”

  Lindsey shook her head. “No, that’s not it. You’re not. It’s just… you have no idea how much I appreciate this. I’ve never had someone do something like this for me before. Nick has been right there with me through this whole thing and he’s never judged me. He’s never made me feel bad or embarrassed.”

  “Why would he? You don’t deserve to be judged or to feel those things,” I said.

  “Not everybody would think that. Nick kept my secret and never questioned me for it. He was who I turned to when all this happened because he’s my best friend and the person I trust most in this world. I never expected you to be there for me like this.”

  “Why not?” I asked before I thought the question all the way through. She glanced down at her feet for a few seconds, then lifted her eyes to me. “Can I take you to dinner?”

  I asked it as casually as I could, dropping the heavy rest of the conversation. I didn’t want this time with her to end, but I did want to move away from the negativity. The desire to ask her about Remy and find out why she held on to that secret for so long ate at me. I wanted to put it aside and just enjoy her.

  “I can’t. I have to get back to the bar,” Lindsey said. “Wednesday Burger Night is always busy, and I don’t want to leave the staff short-handed.”

  “Sometime soon, then,” I said and was happy when she nodded.

  We parted ways, and she started toward her car. She was nearly at it when she paused and turned back around to look at me. She was silent for a few moments, just looking at me, then took a step back toward me.

  “Vince, I owe you. Huge. I know I said I didn’t expect you to be there for me like this, but that’s just because I’m not used to people helping me. But I should have expected it from you just because of the kind of man you are. I appreciate this so much, and I will find a way to make it up to you. You don’t understand how much this means to me.”

  She looked like she was going to cry, but she fought the tears welling up in her eyes. I pushed away from my truck and closed the space between us in a couple of long strides. The whole time we were with the lawyer and the day before when we were in my office, I’d done everything I could to keep my emotions in check. But now I just couldn’t keep it in. I had to let at least a little bit of it out.

  Resting my hands on her hips, I leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. I didn’t let my hands stay in that place for more than a few seconds, but I stayed close to her for longer. “You’re family, Lindsey. Like I said, we’ve got your back. Always.”

  She smiled at me faintly and stepped away. I stood there, watching her get in her car and pull out of the parking lot. When she drove away, I got in my truck and headed for the compound. It was getting close to the end of the workday, but it was going to be a late evening for me. I was leaving the next day and needed to make sure everything was in place both for the trip and for those staying behind at the complex.

  When I parked at the compound, I stopped and took a few breaths. I thought over the interaction Lindsey and I just had, trying to figure out both what was meant by what was said, and by what wasn’t said. Without even getting out, I pulled back out of the lot and drove away from the compound. There was work to be done, and it would get done. Even if I had to stay late into the night, it would get done. For right now, I had to get my thoughts straight.

  I got to the tiny pizza shop I owned and pulled my car into the back parking lot. The kitchen was already alive and loud when I went inside. A couple of the staff grinned and waved as I walked up to hooks on the wall. I took down one of the crisp white aprons hanging there and put it on. I washed my hands, then plunged them into the big clear container of dough sitting on the corner of the table against one wall.

  This was one of the little things about me people didn’t know. When I needed to clear my mind or was feeling stressed and needed some relief, this was where I came. Something about kneading the dough and building up a pizza let my mind release. I could just check out and let my subconscious take over to untangle whatever was going on in my brain.

  It was something like meditation. Pizza dough and toppings were my Zen.

  While the pizza baked, I took the opportunity to check in with the manager I’d hired to oversee the restaurant. She showed me the books, and we talked about some issues that had come up over the last few weeks. There wasn’t anything serious, but I took notes about needing to refresh the menu and the possibility of more variety in the specials.

  “And then there’s the banquet room,” Lisa said.

  I groaned. “You know we’ve talked about that before. That’s not what this place is supposed to be. I don’t want to become a birthday party destination. I want people to be able to come here and enjoy a quiet dinner or a simple date. Banquet rooms get loud, they alienate other customers, and they’re a money pit. The people in them stay for hours, and there isn’t enough turn
around for it to be worthwhile for the restaurant or the server.”

  “What if there were guidelines,” she said. “Rules about the types of events held there. Time limits. Cost thresholds. It could really work.”

  “I’ll consider it,” I said. “But only because my pizza is almost done.”

  She grinned. “Good enough.”

  I got my pizza and headed back to the compound with it sitting on my passenger seat. The time spent at the shop did just what I hoped and let me really think about the interaction with Lindsey. Maybe I showed my feelings too much. I could have given away that I was crushing like a high schooler. But she didn’t give any sort of negative response. She didn’t necessarily give a positive one, either.

  I got back to the office and pulled my business persona on. The days away would give me some space from her for a while. Maybe that would make everything clearer.

  16

  Lindsey

  The delightfully mischievous look on Charlie’s face when he had talked about Grant’s lawyer making a rookie mistake said it all. It was such a silly oversight, but one that had a massive impact on the entire case. This wasn’t just a typo that made the brief look sloppy. It wasn’t a bit of punctuation that wasn’t there or a stray letter that found its way into a word. The typo altered the brief in such a way that it was no longer admissible, giving my lawyer an unexpected advantage.

  It was still strange to even think of him that way. I never thought I would have a lawyer, especially not in this situation. And most definitely not a lawyer like Charlie. He wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill bus stop bench attorney. He was one of the most high-powered lawyers in the area and had handled many complicated, high-profile cases over the years. And now he was handling mine.

  It was surreal to say the least. But when I read the brief he came up with, I was nothing short of ecstatic. His skill came through loud and clear with that masterfully written document. The mistake by Grant’s attorney opened up the opportunity for Charlie to jump in, and he did with abandon. There were no punches being pulled. His brief bucked against the one from Grants attorney, in no uncertain terms declaring it outlandish, irrational, and damaging to Remy.

  Reading that brief gave me a boost at first. It felt good knowing I wasn’t just on the receiving end of a declaration. I wasn’t just having something done to me. Instead, Charlie was fighting back against them on my behalf and also making my side well-known. He wasn’t just going to rest with preventing Grant from keeping Remy from me entirely. His brief took it a step further, insisting on me having more rights, including shared custody and a formally established schedule.

  The thrill of it started to fade that night at the bar. That’s when it really sunk in that Charlie had taken the signed document and was going to send it to the court. That meant it was going to get back to Grant’s team and he would know all about it. Not just that I wasn’t going to lie down and let him trample me more, but also that I was standing up against him in a way I never had before. I was contesting his full custody of Remy, demanding we share custody, and insisting on limitations being placed on his parents’ involvement.

  All that sounded fantastic on paper, and I hoped with everything in me it would unfold in my favor. But that wasn’t coming easily. I woke up Thursday morning with a knot in my stomach and immediately checked my phone. I hadn’t heard it ring, but there was still a nagging voice in the back of my mind that Grant might have already found out. The chances were slim, considering how early it was. The courts hadn’t had a chance to receive the paperwork and process it yet.

  I couldn’t chase those worries away for but so long. By the time I finished breakfast and moved on to doing laundry, they were back in full force. I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I should be at Grant’s house with Remy right then. It was Thursday, which meant it was supposed to be my time with my son. Only, I was purposely staying away from him to try to keep the situation under control.

  Now I was even more worried about how Grant was going to approach that with our son. Knowing now how I was dealing with his court case, he could get vindictive fast. I spent most of Thursday with Grant looming over me. I was waiting for him to call and yell at me. I fully expected him to lose it when he got the brief from Charlie. But by the time I needed to go into the bar, I still hadn’t heard from him.

  Several times throughout the evening, I checked my phone to see if he called. I reached out to Charlie to see if he’d sent word through his lawyer. But he hadn’t heard anything from Grant, either. There was something slightly off-putting about it, but my lawyer seemed optimistic and encouraged me to stay hopeful. That made me feel calmer. But the false sense of security was blown all to hell Friday morning.

  Thursday night found me at the bar particularly late, which meant I had only been asleep a little more than two hours when banging on my apartment door startled me awake. Not fully cognizant of what was going on, I stumbled out of bed and tried to get my wits about me. I managed to stuff my feet into slippers and throw a bathrobe on over my threadbare pajamas. Whoever it was out there, they didn’t need to see me in my favorite pants and shirt that should have long since been retired.

  The pounding on the door continued as I made my way out of my bedroom. Passing my kitchen, I caught the time on the stove clock. It was three hours before I usually got up, and probably four and a half before I would have forced myself up that day.

  “I’m coming,” I hissed toward the door, hoping whoever it was would stop all the noise. “I have neighbors, you know.”

  My phone was clutched in my hand as I approached the door. I watched far too much true crime network TV to be dismissive when heading toward an unknown visitor in the wee hours of the morning. I pulled open the door, and Grant’s mother descended on me. In a starched, pressed beige suit, simple heels, and flawless makeup, Beatrice looked like she had been going for hours already. She was quick to notice the same.

  “Typical,” she shouted, gesturing at my clothes and looking at me in disgust. “This is how you dress? I thought you already reached the truest levels of slovenly, but you always find a way to stun me.”

  “I’m in my own home, Beatrice. You woke me up,” I said.

  “You’re so lazy you can’t even get up and be presentable at a decent hour, but you can take the time to find a lawyer well outside your budget and class to represent you in your mockery of the court system,” she said.

  “I didn’t get home from work until two hours ago,” I said.

  “Your disreputable choice of a job is none of my concern except when it comes to my grandchild. This alone proves you are an unfit mother. Not only do you not make enough money to live a halfway decent life, but it also makes me wonder what would happen to him if he was in your care and you were working late. It really does make me beg the question of how you are able to afford an attorney of his ilk.”

  “My finances are none of your damn business,” I said.

  “Don’t you dare use profanity with me. Who do you think you are speaking to me that way? Perhaps I overestimated your attorney. Considering he would accept the likes of you as his client, he cannot possibly be as intelligent and respectable as I believed.”

  “He’s far better of a person than you could ever hope to be, and he will be the one to help me regain custody of my son. My son, Beatrice. He’s not your child.”

  That opened up the floodgates. Grant’s mother launched into me, yelling and flailing until her face was red. Even half-asleep, I could see the situation escalating. Thinking about what Vince and Nick would say, I knew I couldn’t just deal with it. Instead, I put my hands behind my back. Glad I instinctively grabbed my phone, I dialed 9-1-1. Rather than saying anything, I let Beatrice just keep shouting. At one point, I mentioned where I lived so the dispatcher could send police.

  Beatrice didn’t even seem to notice. She was so wrapped up in her screaming rant, she couldn’t even process I was saying something. The ire of the woman was intense even for her. It w
as a relief when I heard a car pull up, and the sound of doors slamming stopped the older woman midsentence. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the two officers coming toward her. A look of shock crossed her face.

  “The police?” she asked through gritted teeth. “You are involving the police in a private matter?”

  “You’re right, Beatrice. This is a private matter. One you shouldn’t be butting into. Did you seriously think I was just going to let you come to my home and scream at me and not do anything?” I asked.

  “What’s going on here?” one of the officers asked.

  “Nothing, Officer,” she said. “This is a private situation.”

  Her tone was nothing short of dismissive. It was clear she thought he would just immediately turn and walk away based on her instructions. Instead, he looked at me.

  “Did you call?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “I am in a custody battle with this woman’s son. She came here this morning to try to intimidate me. I’m sure my neighbors can attest to her motivations and behavior. She is quite loud.”

  “As we noticed,” the other officer said.

  “There’s no need to be rude,” Beatrice admonished.

  “Making a statement of fact doesn’t make him rude,” I said.

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on here,” the first officer said.

  “I was sleeping. I own a bar and tend to get home extremely late. Beatrice woke me up by pounding on my front door, then started screaming at me. Beatrice came here to criticize, insult, and threaten me because she is unhappy that I am contesting her son’s ridiculous custody agreement.”

  “These actions are outrageous,” Beatrice said. “It is clear to anyone that Remy should not—”

  The second officer held up a hand and shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. “Ma’am, we don’t need to hear about it. That isn’t any of our concern right now. We are here because of your behavior this morning. We received several calls regarding your disruption of everyone’s morning.”