Wilson's Hard Lesson

by K. Anderson

  It hit Jack then that he had not given much thought to the baby’s paternity. He had assumed that the baby was his.

  “Even if the child is yours, she will need to prove it first with a DNA test. The laws have changed bro, if the child is yours, the she’ll have no choice but to allow you shared custody.”

  Jack swallowed hard. All this was news to him. He had no idea about the laws on children. He had assumed that mothers had automatic custody. It gave the whole thing a whole different angle.

  “These days, fathers and mothers have equal rights under the law. Things are not as bleak as you think.”

  Jack felt as though a load had been lifted off his shoulders. He grabbed his brother’s shoulders and then hugged him.

  “You’re a life saver bro,” he said.

  Back in the dining room, the mood appeared to have soured, if that was even possible. Leila though looked serene and she was sipping on her water calmly. Clarissa looked ready to murder someone and as soon as she saw him she stood up.

  “I want to leave right now!”

  “Wow hold it. What’s the matter?” Jack said.

  “Your family has insulted me and I don’t have to take it. They implied that I’m a gold digger and only out to get money off you,” she said.

  “That’s not quite right Clarissa,” his mother said.

  “Which woman breaks up with her boyfriend, because of her spending habits and then returns when she finds herself pregnant. You found Leila and still stayed. Had I been you, I would have talked to Jack about raising the child together but separated. Clearly he has moved on whether you accept it or not,” Helen said.

  “But I love Jack!” Clarissa cried out though her voice did not hold much conviction and everyone heard it.

  “We never interfere with our children’s love lives but in this case I fear that we must,” Jack father said and then looked at his wife.

  She nodded and he continued.

  “I don’t like what I’m hearing but most of all I’m upset at the position you have put this young lady in,” he said and glanced at Leila. “She has carried herself with dignity. I applaud you, young lady. As for you, next time you step into our home, kindly dress yourself with decency. We are a family with values and we expect the same of people we associate with.”

  Jack swallowed hard. He felt embarrassed and sickened. What in God’s name had he been thinking to come with Clarissa? He was in lucky that his parents were decent people. Had he been in their place, he could not guarantee that he would behave in such a calm manner.

  “Now I’d like to call this dinner off. We can have it another day. And as for you Jack, I have plenty to say to you but I’ll leave it for another day.”

  “I didn’t even want to come,” Clarissa shot, before she stormed off.

  “Leila?” Jack said and offered her his hand.

  She took it and at the door she turned to his family.

  “I’m very sorry about tonight and ruining your dinner,” she said.

  “It’s not your fault my dear,” his mother said, shooting Jack an angry look.

  They said their goodbyes and left. Outside, he held Leila close to his side as they walked to the car. Clarissa had positioned herself at the front. Leila shrugged and went to the back seat. The only good thing about the night, Jack thought was that thanks to his brother, he now had a way forward. He knew exactly what he would do.

  It was true that he really wanted to be part of the baby’s life. But first things first as his brother had pointed out. There was need to establish paternity first and then after they could discuss about financial support and custody, if the baby was his. He was willing to be very generous if she was indeed having his child.

  He did not wait until they got home. He had had enough of blackmail and moreover, he did not want to waste any more time. He was going to marry Leila, the woman he loved. He glanced at her thought the mirror and their eyes met. He mouthed to her “I love you” and she did the same.

  “I’m done Clarissa. That’s it,” he said to her.

  The words finally seemed to register in her rain and she sat bolt upright.

  “What do you mean you’re done? What about the baby?” she shrieked.

  “What about the baby, you tell me? The first thing we’ll do when the child comes is to establish paternity—”

  “Are you saying that the baby is not yours?” she screamed.

  “I’m saying that the baby may not be mine,” Jack replied in a calm voice. “Once we establish that the baby is mine, we can talk about support and shared custody.”

  “I’ll make sure you never ever see the baby!” Clarissa threatened.

  “That’s up to you. I’m ready to offer you financial support and to share custody, should the baby prove to be mine. But until then Clarissa, we’re done, finished.”

  She broke into sobs then.

  “You can spend the night but tomorrow I want you gone,” Jack said.

  Clarissa’s response was to cry harder.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Leila walked down the aisle in Bob’s arm. Susan had gracefully agreed to loan Leila her husband to walk her down the aisle. Through her veil she smiled at familiar faces of people she had worked with and friends from California. Most of the crowd though was made up of Jack’s huge family.

  She thought of her parents and wished that they were here. Her father would have been so proud to walk her down the aisle. As for her mother, Leila knew she would have been in tears throughout and missed the whole ceremony. Feeling low, she pushed the memories of her parents to the side with the comforting thought that they were watching her from heaven.

  She admired the Christmas decorations on the sides of the church pews. It was crazy getting married on Christmas day but it had been the only time where all Jack’s relatives would be gathered in the same place. For Leila it was perfect. The perfect Christmas. The perfect Christmas present and one she would always cherish.

  Finally, she got close to the altar and she looked at Jack. He looked stunning in a white tuxedo and so did Aaron, his best man. Susan was Leila’s maid of honor, and Helen, Jack’s sister, was a bridesmaid too. As she passed his parents, they smiled at her warmly and she returned the smile. They were good decent people and she felt honored to be part of the family and to be accepted by them.

  Jack took her hand from Bob’s and his eyes told her exactly what he felt about her. Leila had never thought that this day would come. After that disastrous dinner at Jack’s parent’s house, they had returned to the house where Clarissa had gone on to throw tantrums and issue more threats. Jack had stood his ground and when she realized that he would not back down, she had flounced upstairs, packed her bags ad announced that she was leaving. She had waited at the door for Jack to go after her and when she realized he had meant it, she had left but not before giving Leila one last nasty look.

  Leila just felt sympathy for her. She seriously doubted her claims and women like Clarissa could not be trusted. Whichever way it turned out, Leila had dealt with it in her mind. Of course she would have loved to be the one to give Jack a child. In the meantime, if Clarissa allowed she would be happy to play a part in the baby’s life.

  They had not heard a peep from her since then, though Leila knew she would talk when the baby came. She and Jack had spoken about the issue at length. Leila had told him that she had no problem with the baby being part of their lives. In fact, she preferred the child to grow up knowing his father. Jack had turned to her in relief, happy that she was willing to have the child in their house.

  The preacher went through the ceremony and then at last, they said their vows. Facing Jack, Leila gave a silent murmur of thanks. She was glad that she had signed up for the online mail order bride agency. Who knew how fate worked or anything really, she was glad that she and Jack had found each other.

  She said her vows and slipped the ring onto his finger. She had promised herself that she would not cry but now she found her eyes filling up. Jac
k reached out to her and wiped her cheeks with his hand, gently rubbing the tears away. He looked as though he was in tears too.

  Jack repeated his vows and the preacher declared them man and wife. He invited Jack to kiss his bride. Leila winked at him. They had practiced the previous night and each time Jack kissed her she had erupted into giggle and pushed him away.

  “You can’t kiss like that in church and in front of people Jack. Let’s do it properly,” Leila had told him.

  Again he had kissed her with so much passion that they had ended up in bed. Jack winked back at her and Leila stifled a giggle. He brought his mouth to hers and gave her a soft lingering kiss that left her in no doubt how he felt, but it wasn’t too much as to make Leila uncomfortable.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Farley, ladies and gentlemen,” the preacher’s voice boomed and Leila grinned at Jack and squeezed his hand.

  As they walked out into the Texan sunshine, Leila felt at peace and sure in the knowledge that they would face whatever lay ahead as long as they were together.

  A Quickie Next Door

  By: Kylie James

  A Quickie Next Door

  © Kylie James, 2016 – All rights reserved

  Published by Steamy Reads4U

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Warning

  This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+ years old.

  If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.

  Chapter One

  “Dave?” a voice sounded behind David Marshalls’ office door before opening. David looked up and furrowed his brow in slight irritation. He hated when Daniel, David’s younger brother, just opened the door without waiting for his reply. The younger man of twenty-nine casually walked through the doors and made his way towards his brother’s desk.

  “Why do you refuse to wait till I’ve responded before walking into my office?” David asked his brother. David saved the spreadsheet that he’d been working on to ensure that it didn’t somehow mysteriously get erased.

  “Because you’re not in here doing anything,” Daniel said and smiled revealing pearly whites and one dimple in his left cheek. The two brothers were handsome, Daniel stood at six-feet tall and it was apparent that he trained his body well. Even though he was wearing a dress shirt, his muscles rippled underneath the loose fabric. His tanned skin matched the color of his honey eyes and his unruly hair added to his adorable features.

  “You are such a pain sometimes, you know that right?” David ran his hands through his jet black hair. The brothers were similar looking, but the accountant had a more “refined” look to him. David spent much of his time indoors so it wasn’t a surprise that his skin was a little more on the paler side. The thirty-two-year-old stood at six-foot-two and though he was slimmer than his younger brother, he still had a muscular build. His chiseled jaw clenched and his dark brown eyes narrowed as he waited for his brother to tell him the meaning behind his intrusion.

  “Whatever, if I would have knocked and you found out that it was me, you would have brushed me off and told me that you were busy.”

  “I am busy,” David said and folded his arms. Daniel mirrored his movements and folded his arms as well.

  “I wouldn’t call staring at your computer to be busy,” Daniel said. He knew his brother was probably doing some type of spreadsheet that looks over his father’s business’ finance, but sometimes he just enjoyed getting under David’s skin. David could be too serious at times; he needed to liven up a little. “Anyways, dad’s calling us in for a quick meeting. He didn’t tell me what for.” David raised his eyebrow in curiosity and then stood up. David fixed his suit, brushed away lint that only he could see, and then made his way towards the door.

  “He’s probably calling us in to discuss some type of bad news,” David said. His father, Jeffery Marshalls, only called a meeting when things were going south. David felt his brother’s body stiffen next to him and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Probably a mistake you made,” David said and Daniel grunted.

  “Why do you automatically assume me? This could be about an error that you've done.”

  “Unlikely,” David brushed off what Daniel had just said. David did his work exceptionally well and he never made mistakes, he was just that good at his job. David believed that Daniel, on the other hand, could do his job a little better. David and Daniel both worked on their father’s cattle ranch that made Jeffery Marshall’s a billionaire. There were many cattle ranches in Texas, but Jeffery’s ranch had all of them beat in profits and production. As David and Daniel grew up, Jeffery slowly started to implement his two sons in his business. He made David his Accountant and Budget Manager because of his Master’s degree in Accountancy and made Daniel the supervisor of several men. Daniel had a Bachelor’s in Business Administration which is why Jeffery felt that Daniel was fit for that job.

  “Tsk… you know there’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence.” Daniel said eyeing David sideways. David shrugged his shoulders and knocked on his father’s office door.

  “That ‘line’ is only for ordinary people. Men with power have a fair amount of both.” David cockily said. Daniel didn’t have enough time to offer a response before they heard their father’s voice.

  “Come in” The two men opened the door to find their father standing by his bar pouring himself a glass of what appeared to be whiskey.

  “A little too early for whiskey, old man,” David said and took a seat on the sofa directly across from the bar. Raising the glass to his lips, Jeffery eyed David, then Daniel, and then David again.

  “I always need a drink when I know you’re coming, David.” Jeffery placed the glass back on the table and looked at Daniel again. “Your brother made himself comfortable; you might as well do the same.” Daniel nodded his head and sat on the opposite end of David.

  “Thank you,” Daniel said appreciatively. Even though Daniel bothered David on the occasion, he was very kind-hearted and respectful. David was the absolute opposite of Daniel. David was intelligent and career minded, but he could be a disrespectful, arrogant jerk who only did things that benefited him. If something wouldn’t have a positive outcome for David, then he would not do it. Daniel has never met another person as selfish as his older brother. “How are you, dad?”

  “I’ve been better, but I’ve also been worst. Old age is starting to creep up on me.” Daniel looked at his father with concerned.

  “You’re not sick are you?” Shaking his head slowly Jeffery sat on the sofa in front of his sons.

  “No, I’m just not able to move around like I use to. I’m getting slower.” Daniel frowned. At seventy-three years old, his father was definitely not a young stud anymore, but his father kept himself together and he barely looked over the age of fifty. Sighing irritably, David waved his hand in the air.

  “I didn’t leave my desk to talk about how we are feeling. What’s with the meeting? What went wrong?” David asked and Daniel sighed as well. Why does his brother have to act like an impatient bastard?

  “I see your ma didn’t teach you any matters before she left us,” Jeffery said and
David looked back at the older man unfazed. David and Daniels mother, Jeffery’s wife, passed on when they were young from a heart attack. Though Jeffery was a busy man running his billion dollar cattle ranch, he made an effort to fill the void that their mother left in his children’s hearts.

  “Dave, stop being an ass,” Daniel warned the other man and David only sat back in his seat and looked at his father bored. Jeffery looked over at David one last time just in case he had something else smart to say, when he concluded that David didn’t, he went straight to business.

  “I’m not getting any younger and I know that my age is going to eventually catch up with me. You two are my sons who I believe grew up to be responsible young men.” Jeffery paused as a cough took over his body. When Daniel stood up and extended his arm out to steady his father, Jeffery shook his head. “No… I’m alright.” After his fit had subsided, Jeffery continued. “I build this billion dollar industry and I don’t want it to end when I die.”

  “C’mon dad,” David chimed in again. “Look, I have a boatload of paperwork to sift through and all of it has to do with me balancing out this billion dollar company. Please get to the point.”

  “And you call me annoying?” Daniel said looking at his brother. For a thirty-two-year-old man, David hadn’t learned the ‘whole respect your elders and your parents’ saying. Jeffery squeezed the bridge of his nose.

  “You really are something, David,” Jeffery said and looked at the two men again. “Long story short, whoever marries first and grant me a grandchild will inherit the ranch.” As soon as this sentence fell from Jeffery’s lips, David gave his father his undivided attention.

  Chapter Two

  “What kind of ploy is this?” David asked and stood up. He thought it was absurd for his father to drop that bomb on them like that. David knew for a very long time that he wasn’t the marrying type. He loved women, more specifically he loved what he could do to women, but he wasn’t trying to let anyone tie him down. He especially wasn’t trying to haul around a little brat either.