“Tyler—"
“Fine. Leave Kayla alone in the town where she was abducted and used as the prize for an illegal fighting ring just to come over here.” It was a low blow and Tyler knew it, but he also knew it would be effective. And sure enough, his only response was silence. “Shane, I know that you’re worried. But it’s going to be fine. Everybody involved in this is in jail already. Bernie and I are going to be fine.”
Shane snorted. “Sure you will. Just try not to fall into old habits, okay?”
Anger welled in Tyler for that but he didn’t respond. Probably because it was sound advice. It was as plain as day that Bernie wasn’t the one for him. It had been obvious from the beginning to Shane, perhaps. If he wasn’t so wrapped up in protecting Kayla at the time, he probably would have warned Tyler off Bernie before they were even together. But did it really matter?
“Nothing is going to happen,” Tyler muttered. “I have to go now. Love you, bro. Say hi to Kayla for me.”
“I will. Love you, too.”
Tyler hung up. He held his phone for a long time, staring down at the device. He fought with himself not to call up his brother again and tell him to stop being overprotective, or at the very least to demand why he never told Tyler that Bernie had a child. He had to have known, she would have been pregnant on the dig…
Tyler swallowed hard as he stuffed the phone back into his pocket. As much as he tried not to, his mind cast back to the brief, intense time he and Bernie were together.
All of his affairs were intense, but there was something even more intense about Bernie. It wasn’t just the sexual tension that brewed between them—just the memory of it made his loins stir and he had to groan with the desire to march up to her room and spread her legs—there had been something very… emotional about it.
The steamy days. Watching her work, seeing her eyes light up when they found a shard of pottery or layers of shells in the midden that they were digging through. The notice she gave him, the way she didn’t bother playing games. He had been healing from breaking yet another heart and she was dealing with the pressure of being one of two leaders that weren’t as experienced with the dig as they really needed to be.
The first time they’d had sex, it was in the forest. Late at night, he had found her wandering in the dark humming to herself as she stared at the sky. When she saw him, she had flashed a smile, took his hand and led him into the forest. There, they’d been like animals. There was no sating either of them. It was gentler after that. How many times they’d actually coupled, he didn’t know. He’d lost count quickly.
And they didn’t always use a condom. Even though he always had one on him, sometimes they were just too wrapped up in the moment to bother with something like that.
The timing was right. A year ago he had his affair with Bernie, and now she had a three-month-old child. Nine months of pregnancy plus three months of baby equaled a three-month-old baby.
But Bernie would have told him if he was the father, wouldn’t she?
As he stepped into the hallway, he heard Xavier fussing in the next room. He hesitated as he looked up and down the hallway. It was Bernie’s room, but she wouldn’t be upset if he went and picked up the baby, would she? Xavier’s cries got louder, tugging at something in Tyler’s heart. He slipped into the room, trying not to see anything except for the crib.
Xavier stopped fussing the moment Tyler stepped into view.
“Well, hello there, little man,” Tyler said. He smiled and was surprised when he got a giant, toothless grin in return. He picked the baby up and snuggled him in the crook of his arm. “Whooo boy. We better go find Mommy to change that diaper for you. You’re smelling a little ripe there, buddy boy.”
If Xavier was uncomfortable, he didn’t show it. He waved a hand and gurgled. He was such a tiny little creature, so lumpy and soft and warm. His chubby cheeks were meant for toothless grins. Tyler couldn’t help but smile at him. Even though he knew he needed to go to Bernie now, he didn’t really want to.
For as long as he remembered, Tyler had wanted to be a dad. To have his children smile at him, to tuck them in at night, to have them shout that they hated him in the middle of the grocery store. To share long-suffering looks with his mate about their antics. Really, everything about fatherhood appealed to him. The whole package. Having a mate, going to bed next to a woman who loved him every night, to wake up knowing he wasn’t going to be alone.
“That’d be the life, huh?” He sighed as he turned to take the baby to Bernie.
That turned out to be unnecessary, though. She appeared in the doorway just at that moment. A baby monitor was hooked into her belt. She chewed her lip as she came forward and held her arms out for Xavier. Her hair was all tousled and her cheeks were flushed with a ‘just been napping’ glow.
“Thanks for getting him,” she said. “I hear over the line little Mr. needs a diaper change.”
Tyler reluctantly handed the baby over. Xavier began to kick and started making fussing noises again. Clearly seeing his mother made him realize that there were things about his life that he wasn’t happy about at the moment. Tyler couldn’t help but chuckle as she carried him to the changing table.
“Was there something you wanted?” Bernie’s voice was calm and cool.
“No…”
Should he leave? Tyler gave Bernie a glance. Even though it was clear that she was tired, motherhood had only made her more beautiful. And that wasn’t just because her breasts looked like a couple of glowing melons. Her skin glowed with a golden color, her eyes were bright and her hair was shinier. There was also something more… centered about her.
“Stop staring at me like a creeper.” Bernie smiled at him. “Joking. You’re not a strangling vine.”
“A what?”
“A vine. You know, the kind that creeps up things, like ivy?” Bernie shook her head and sighed. “I am the only person in the world with a sense of humor.”
Tyler had to laugh at that. “Well, certainly the only person with your sense of humor. And that’s what I love—”
“About humor?” she cut in quickly.
Tyler swallowed, realizing what he had been saying. He managed another laugh and nodded. “Yeah. Everybody is unique.”
Bernie didn’t look at him. “Yes, they are.”
The doorbell rang and Tyler used it as an excuse to hurry off. When he got to the main floor he found his neighbor, a wealthy neurosurgeon and also a dragon shifter, speaking with Polly. Tyler grinned and ran to greet his friend.
“Gilbert! What are you doing here? I thought you had some snooty boring medical convention to go give speeches at.”
“Last month, yeah.” Gilbert smiled at Polly with a look of longing that only a blind man—or a blind Polly—could miss. She merely waved and went off to do her own thing. Gilbert sighed, turning his attention to Tyler. “It was a success. I’ve signed on three new students. I tell you, this new technique for repairing brain damage is going to revolutionize the world. Car accidents, sports injuries, even Alzheimer’s and dementia. It could be a cure for all of them.”
Tyler nodded. If there was one thing that Gilbert could drone about, it was medicine. Rumor had it that he had already spent billions out of his own pocket to help research this technique. More than half of his inheritance. That was dedication.
“Speaking of which,” Gilbert continued, “I’m having a fundraiser at the chalet later on in the month. I just stopped by to give you your tickets.”
“Look, I—”
“Shane already bought them.” Gilbert shrugged. “He was the one who contacted me. I know that you’re having difficulty fitting into a job right now. You were going to start trying to get a travel blog started, right?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah. I just need to find a proper platform for it. Honestly, I just… I guess I’m having a midlife crisis in my twenties. Not enough pressure in my life, right? Always know I have a safety net. I blame Shane for taking care of me, and our Mom for making
him take care of me.”
Even though he tried to keep it light-hearted and self-depreciative, the truth in his words stung. Why would Bernie, if Xavier was his son, want a playboy like him to be Xavier’s father? Maybe what he needed to do was find a job he’d like and go to university for it. Maybe he could be an archeologist like Bernie. Then they could work as a duo together and—
Whoa. No. Not going there.
However, it wouldn’t hurt to fantasize about her all dolled up for this fundraiser. He grinned as he took the tickets from Gilbert, imagining what she’d wear under her dress.
“So…” Gilbert grinned at him. “I saw you bringing a woman in here last night. She looked really pretty… when’s the wedding for this one going to be?”
Tyler glared at him. His fires flickered, though luckily didn’t produce any smoke. Gilbert was like this every time Tyler brought a girl home, but with Bernie it was different. Of course, Gilbert didn’t know the history between the two of them. And Tyler really didn’t want to have to explain. At all. So instead he stayed silent, glowering.
Gilbert held up his hands. “Sorry I asked. Sheesh, what’s gotten you into a tangled knot? Is she already married or something?’
“I don’t do married women.” Tyler couldn’t stop the snap in his voice. “Thanks for the tickets. We’ll be there. And you can meet my guest then, if she’s still around. I’m helping her out during a rough patch.”
Gilbert rose a brow.
“And if you say another word, I’ll let Polly know that you’re in love with her.”
Gilbert’s pale skin took on a pink hue. He backed away, shaking his head. “I’m not saying anything. Wow… I’ll see you later, Ty. Take care of yourself.”
Tyler shut the door. Why had he said Bernie was coming to the fundraiser with him? With a sigh, he headed for his office space. He needed to figure out what he was doing with his life. Now it was more important than ever before.
Chapter Five
Bernie
The little line kept blinking at her from the screen of her tablet. Bernie stared down at her word processing program, not sure what to write from here. So far, she had addressed the letter formally to Esther, who was the head of the dig she had worked at for nearly a year before having to take maternity leave.
It felt so wrong to be writing it this way, though. Esther was more like family than her real family. Being so formal was weird.
“Making sure you have a good childhood and future is the most important thing.” She looked down at her baby. “And what will give you the best shot is if I have a nice, steady job that bores me to tears.”
Xavier yawned and kicked his feet.
Bernie turned off the tablet and tossed it aside. “Don’t worry. I’ll do it soon. They’ll be waiting for me to give them an answer, you know. It’s not fair to make them sit around waiting for me to tell them I’m not coming back. So, I have to do it. As soon as I get the right words.”
She rolled her neck, trying to work out the kinks. With everything that had happened, she could do with a massage and a visit to the chiropractor. The stress was killing her.
If it wasn't for her father, the decision would be made and she’d be disappointed but firm. Now, even with him in jail, everything was all jumbled up again. Well. At least he had pled guilty and she wasn't going to have to testify against him. She wasn’t going to have to look at him.
Her family hadn't done anything about it either. Her mom sent her an email asking if she was okay and that was it. This whole case was all over the news and they didn't bother to phone. Of course, Bernie didn't really want them to call her about it. No doubt they’d find a way to make it all about them.
These thoughts weren't going to help anyone. She needed to do something to get her mind on something else. Bernie headed downstairs. Polly was vacuuming, but she turned it off when she saw Bernie.
“Want to trade?” Bernie held the baby out.
Polly eagerly took him. “Baby vs work. Yeah, that’s a no-brainer.”
Polly spun Xavier in a circle and made goofy faces at him. Bernie took the vacuum and started fiddling with it. It was a relief to be able to throw herself into mindless work and she was quickly able to find relaxation in the monotonous motions of vacuuming. Her mind drifted as she did so. It didn’t land on work, thankfully, but as Polly continued to play with Xavier (he was never bothered by loud noises, thank goodness) a different thought came to her.
In their very brief time together, Tyler had never let her so much as carry a bucket of dirt. He went above and beyond what was expected of a boyfriend to take care of his girlfriend. It got a little annoying at times, actually. Bernie didn’t like doing dishes and stuff like that, but she enjoyed the heavy work at the dig. It gave her a real workout without even trying.
So, did Polly’s housekeeping habits mean that they were past that stage?
Once she was finished with the vacuuming, Bernie found Polly and Xavier again. Bernie perched on the edge of the couch, uncertain about how to proceed from here. She sucked in a deep breath. Best to just come right out and hope she didn’t come off as jealous.
“So… how long have you and Tyler been living together?”
Polly looked up. Her dark brows arched, then a smile spread across her face. “Tyler and me? Well, I guess you could say for about, oh, two years now. My place is separate from the mansion, though. I like to have my own space.”
Her tone made Bernie’s eyes narrow.
“I’m just the housekeeper.” Polly shook her head and laughed. “You’re not over him, are you? Don’t bother trying to deny it. You had jealousy written all over your face just now.”
Bernie ducked her head even though she couldn’t deny that it was a relief to hear that. If Polly and Tyler had been a couple, she wasn’t entirely certain how she would have handled it. Not well, probably. Green was a bad color on her and yet she couldn’t stop herself from being jealous.
“You know, if you want him back all you have to do is crook your finger at him,” Polly continued, her voice perfectly level. “I’ve seen lots of women come and go. You’re the only one that’s lingered in his thoughts.”
“Yeah.” Bernie snorted. “Especially since I gained all this weight during my pregnancy.”
Polly laughed. “You think that’s a problem? Dragons like curvy girls. And not in the way that most men like big boobs, big ass, and everything else stick-thin. Gals with a bit of meat on their bones, like you and me. And you’ve got those amazing eyes, too.”
Heat rushed to Bernie’s face. She cleared her throat, uncertain how to respond to that. Her eyes rolled and she glanced to the left and then the right before she shrugged. “I should try to feed Xavier now. Those couple of days when I didn’t have him did a number on my milk supply, so I need to try to nurse him as much as possible.”
Polly nodded as she lifted Xavier to his mother. Bernie quickly got things ready to feed him. Polly hummed for a moment before smiling back at her.
“So, you’re an archeologist, right?”
Bernie nodded.
“I was in school for archeology. Had to drop out. Someday I’m going to go back, though.”
“You should. We never have enough archeologists, and it’s such rewarding work.”
Polly nodded. She looked sad for a second before standing. “I need to get supper ready. Holler if you need anything.”
Bernie quickly got into a comfortable position and freed her breast so that Xavier could latch onto it. He looked up as he ate, his big blues locked onto her face. Tyler came into the room, but Bernie didn’t cover up. The baby was hiding everything that needed to be hidden, and Tyler knew this wasn’t a sexual situation. At least, he better.
Tyler smiled at Xavier then met her eyes. “Can I sit down?”
Bernie nodded. She cleared her throat as she did so. “So… Thanks again for letting me stay here. For rescuing me. I know that you didn’t have to.”
“I did have to. Shane’s not the on
ly heroic one in the family, you know.”
“Right. Well, thanks anyway. I—”
Tyler grinned at her. “You don’t have to keep thanking me. I’d have done it for anybody. I’m just lucky that I wasn’t hurt worse than I was. Or that I wasn’t arrested, the cops were pretty furious with me.”
Bernie couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “I have no idea why. Maybe it’s because you charged into a situation that you alerted them to, without any backup. That you had gunshots going off. Oh, and you blew a roof off a building. Nah, it can’t be any of that. You just showed them up.”
“That must be it.” He squeezed the back of his neck, looking uncertain. “So… Bernie. There’s been something I needed to talk about. Last year.”
She tensed. What would she do if he asked her if Xavier was his son? He won’t. But what if he did? The thought had to have crossed his mind… the timing was all right for one thing! He wasn’t stupid. If he did suspect and he did ask…
“I know I took off unexpectedly.”
Bernie snorted. “We had sex and the next morning there was a piece of paper on your pillow with a number on it. I’d say it was unexpected.”
Tyler flinched. “Yeah. Look, I was an asshole. I’m not going to deny that. The stuff with Shane really freaked me out, but I shouldn’t have acted like I did. I’m sorry about that.”
“It was the second time you disappeared without a word.” His expression made her flinch and she hurried to continue. “I was going to call but I lost the number.”
Why had she said that? It was a lie. She still had that little piece of paper with his number scrawled on it.
He glanced up. Their eyes met and for a moment, Bernie thought she saw hope in them. Then he looked away again and she did as well. Xavier’s fist opened and closed. He started to suck harder, indicating that the breast he was feeding at was getting low with milk. She didn’t want to just pull him free and flash Tyler, so she threw on a blanket before easing the baby free.
To her surprise, Tyler held his hands out and offered to burp him. Bernie handed the baby over. Tyler propped Xavier on his knee and held him with one hand while using firm pats on the baby’s back to encourage him to burp.
The Dragon's Secret Son Page 3
