by Ella Jade
“Why did he do that?”
“He knew she would hold back if she thought it was for her. He wanted her to design her dream home and not worry about how much it would cost.”
“He’s quite the romantic.”
“He’s pretty smooth.” Gavin pointed at the building. “She wanted a small wedding here at the house so Brody had that built to give her what she wanted. Now he uses it for entertaining clients and company functions.”
“I watched the two of them. They’re so in love.” She leaned against the pillar on the bridge as a dreamy look danced across her face. “Their life is like a fairytale.” She gazed around the property, festively lit in white lights and red bows for the holidays. The far off look in her expression unsettled him. He could never give her a fairytale. “They seem to have it all, don’t they?”
“They do now.”
“What do you mean?”
“It took my brother a while to find Claudia.”
“They suit one another.” She shivered as she buttoned her coat. “You can tell by the way they look at one another how in love they are.”
“We should go inside.”
“Just a few more minutes.” When she smiled at him, how could he deny her anything? “Tell me about their wedding. Was it spectacular?”
He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smelled of vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. Warm and comforting. “I suppose.” He didn’t remember every detail. They had gotten married a few months after Jason was born. Brody, Claudia, and Gavin were still learning to navigate around one another. Gavin considered skipping the wedding but Brody wouldn’t let him. “It was a wedding.”
“I bet it was magical.” She looked up at the stars. “Dancing, flowers, a pure happily ever after.”
“Is that what you want? A fairytale?”
“What girl doesn’t dream of perfection when it comes to all of that?” She sighed. “I had those dreams but I guess life got in the way. Now I have different dreams.”
“Will you share them with me?”
“No.” She giggled. “They’re silly.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I’d much rather imagine how wonderful Brody and Claudia’s wedding was. They fell in love, built this dream home, have a beautiful baby. They’re very lucky.”
She had no idea how they had started out. Claudia was filled with the same desperation and fear that Justine must be feeling now. The uncertainty of raising a child on her own. The guilt of knowing the man they made a child with wasn’t the right choice at all. Brody was there for Claudia. Gavin wanted to be there for Justine but how could he ever be who she needed? He was the reason Brody had to be there for Claudia. Was this some kid of wicked karma?
“It’s cold.” He nuzzled her hair. “We should go inside.”
She turned in his arms, inching as close as she could to him. “Will you kiss me in this amazing spot?”
He could give her anything her heart desired and all she asked for was a kiss.
“I had a wonderful day and I want to remember being here with you.”
“Having you here with me today means more than you know.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thank you for spending the day with me.” He kissed the corner of her mouth before tracing his finger over her lips. “I needed you here.”
“I’ll spend any day you want with you.” She brushed the back of her hand over his cheek. “I wish I knew why you seem so tortured.”
You don’t.
“I’m less tortured when I’m with you.” He took her face between his hands. “Trust me.”
“I do.” She nipped at his bottom lip. “Kiss me.”
Dropping his gaze to her mouth, he lowered his lips to hers. The wintry air had made them cold, but once her flesh connected with his, heat radiated between them. It could have been below freezing and it wouldn’t have mattered. The chemistry between them couldn’t be denied. As he continued to kiss her, he thought of all the possibilities. All the ways he could make her his. In every scenario, his mind brought him to eminent disaster when it came to the two of them. But there was one thing he was certain of... he was already hers.
Chapter Six
After spending the day with Justine, Gavin should have experienced a fantastic night sleep but he found himself more restless than he’d been in a long time. There were too many things on his mind. How had he gotten himself into the situation he had with Justine? Seeing her holding Jason exposed him for the fraud he was. What would she think if she knew the truth? Would she walk away from him? Maybe she’d be better off. When he finally did find sleep it was choppy and filled with dreams of the past he’d rather forget.
Two years earlier Claudia entered his office, slammed the door, and then tossed the custody papers on his desk. “Why are you doing this?”
He couldn’t believe she had the nerve to confront him. He thought for sure Brody would have come in her place. “Because Brody has left me no choice.”
“Sending me papers threatening action once my baby is born was your only solution?”
“It will get my big brother to listen.”
“Why can’t you leave us alone? Does Mona know what you’re doing?”
“I haven’t told her yet.” He leaned back in his chair, wondering how he was going to go about letting Mona know what he had done with Claudia.
“You just hoped that letter would piss Brody off enough to make you a partner? And then what, you could drop this whole thing? Pretend like it didn’t happen?”
He stared at her hoping she would leave. He’d never intended for her to confront him. He thought for sure his brother would show up.
“You’re sick.” Her voice was laced with frustration “I’m not going to let you torment Brody over this. You have him under a tremendous amount of stress. How do you expect him to run a company when you continue to harass him?”
“We were doing just fine until you came along. You’ve created so much tension between us.” Why had he ever slept with her?
“Me? Are you kidding? You didn’t want anything to do with me until Brody wanted me.”
“Brody gets everything.” It was bad enough that he’d gotten involved with the housekeeper but Brody made things much worse by taking responsibility for her baby.
“Is that what this is about? This isn’t a competition. This is my life, and I won’t allow you to use my baby in some screwed up attempt to take your misguided anger out on your brother. He doesn’t know about that letter. Get your lawyer to drop this and we can forget it.”
“All this to protect my brother?” Impressive. Maybe she wasn’t the gold digger he’d pegged her for.
“I’d do anything for him.”
“Can he say the same for you?”
“Of course.”
“Really.” Creating a wedge between Claudia and his brother might be a better plan. “Last week I told him I’d sign my rights away. Did he tell you that?”
From the look of desperation on her face, he’d guess she knew nothing about his offer. Interesting.
“He didn’t agree to my terms. Don’t you think if he wanted your baby that badly, he’d be willing to give me what I wanted? Think about it.”
“I would never ask Brody to give into your blackmail. He knows that so you need drop all of this.”
“I don’t think so, sweetie, I’ll be going through with my request for joint custody. Mona loves babies, and if my child is going to call your boyfriend daddy then the kid will have two mommies.”
“No.” Her voice cracked.
“That’s a double standard.”
“You won’t win.”
“I’m pretty sure I will. Don’t tempt me to go for full custody. I’ll drag Brody through the mud. I’ll tell the board he tried to steal my child. They’ll never let that kind of scandal rock Callahan Industries. This has always been a family company, but I don’t think they counted on our circumstances when they meant all in the family. Brody will be out
.”
“I won’t let you hurt him.” Her expression changed. Was she in pain? “I won’t let you take my baby either.”
“It’s my baby.”
He didn’t want to do this with her. Why had she confronted him? This exercise was meant to get Brody’s attention.
“You were right, the baby isn’t yours.” She took a deep breath. “I lied.”
“Nice try, but you’re a horrible liar. In case you didn’t read all the details in that letter, you’ll have to submit to a DNA test. You can’t win. I know the baby is mine.”
“Please, Gavin. Stop this before it hurts all of us.”
“You set all of this in motion when you went after Brody. You should have walked away. You knew he was my brother. What were you thinking?”
“That he was the brother I should have been with from the beginning.” She placed her hand on her back, and she looked as if she couldn’t catch her breath. “I should never have fallen for you and your lies.”
“You loved every second of it, and if I would have accepted you and this baby, you’d still be in my bed, but instead you found the next best thing.”
“I found someone much better. You will never be the man Brody is.” She gritted her teeth. “I don’t blame him for not making a classless man with no integrity a partner of his. You’re not fit to be his brother. You’re not fit to be a Callahan. Your father would be so ashamed of you.”
Damn it! “Get out.” He got up from his chair and came around the desk. How dare she tell him he wasn’t a Callahan. The fury came from someplace deep inside. The words spewed from his mouth before he had time to process what he said. “You were a slut when I found you and you’re nothing more than a hired whore. People laugh at my brother for knocking up the housekeeper. He could have any woman he wants, but he slums with you. I knew better than to take you and your kid.”
“Shut up!” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Ouch.”
“You better go home and tell your boyfriend to gear up for the battle of his life. When I’m done with you, everyone will know exactly what you are. No way will you raise a Callahan. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Just leave us alone.”
Gavin sat up, forcing himself to wake and end the horrid nightmare. That argument caused Claudia to venture through a snowstorm and get into an accident. He was so upset with her, he didn’t recognize she was going into labor. He never should have upset her. That day replayed in his mind more than he would like. The accident could have been so much worse and both Claudia and Jason could have been seriously hurt or worse.
Getting up from his bed, he went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Gazing into the mirror, he stared at his sorry reflection. No matter how much he tried to put the past behind him, it haunted him. Even more now that he’d met Justine. He had no right to pursue her but he couldn’t stay away from her. He had a tough choice to make. Knowing what had to be done didn’t make this situation any easier but the more time they spent together, the more difficult it would be when she learned his secret.
***
Gavin walked up the stone path that led to his brother’s house. Brody would be at the office where Gavin should be, but Gavin wasn’t looking for him. After he showered and got ready for work, he couldn’t get Claudia out of his head. It hadn’t been this bad in two years. He’d learned to live with the guilt but lately it had become too much. He debated ringing the bell but he forced himself to do it. He wasn’t sure why he was there.
As Claudia answered the door, he found the familiar distance in her expression when they were in one another’s company. He’d come to expect it.
“Hi.” She tucked her dark locks behind her ear. “Brody isn’t here.”
“I know.”
“Is he okay?” She clutched the door. “Shouldn’t you be at the office with him?”
“I’m on my way but I wanted to stop by and see you.”
“Why?”
“I’m not really sure.” He rubbed his hands together. “Can I come in for a few minutes?”
“Jason’s sleeping.” She stepped out of the way so he could come inside. “He’s got a cold.”
“Poor guy.”
“It’s not serious. Just a stuffy nose and a cough.” She motioned toward the family room. “Do you want to sit down?”
“For a bit.” Gavin gazed around the large room noting Jason’s toys scattered throughout. “Did he empty the toy box?”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “He does that every morning after breakfast. I used to clean it up when he took his nap but he only does it again after lunch so I wait until Brody gives him a bath and then I clean it all up.”
“Brody has been trying to get home earlier these days.”
“Having you in the Manhattan office has helped with that.” She stepped over a pile of toys and took a seat on the sofa. “He tells me things are working well.”
“I think so.” He sat in the chair across from her. “Do you like working from home?”
“I like being with Jason but I find I’m more productive in the office.”
“And you’re not in the office because I’m back.” No one had to tell Gavin why she decided to work from home but he suspected it was because he was there.
“You haven’t told me why you’re here.”
“Like I said, I’m not really sure. I had a dream just before I woke up. You were in it.” Why am I telling her this?
“You’re here because of a dream?” She squinted her eyes, appearing confused. “I don’t understand.”
“I dreamt about the afternoon you came to my office.” He shook his head, shame dominated his emotions. Why was he rehashing this? “After I served you with those horrible papers.”
“Two years ago?” She shifted in her seat, appearing more anxious than when she answered the door and saw him on the porch. “You’re not reconsidering our agreement?”
“No, of course not.” He stood, realizing coming to see her was a bad idea. She was such a good mother to Jason. He had put her through so much during her pregnancy. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her more pain. “The dream, it has me off balance. I think I was just feeling guilty. I need to get to the office.” He hated to admit this, but his relationship with Justine was stirring emotions he thought he’d come to terms with.
“Gavin.” She followed him down the hall to the front door. “If you can’t tell me what’s wrong maybe you could talk to Brody? He’s good at listening.”
“It’s nothing. I promise I didn’t come here to cause a problem or upset you. I came here on impulse.” He opened the front door, realizing his mistake. Claudia couldn’t help him with this. “That’s something I’m trying to outgrow.”
“Your impulsiveness is part of who you are.” She looked to the staircase when Jason called for her. “Whatever’s bothering you I hope you’re able to come to terms with it.”
“Thank you.” She may have been uncomfortable around him but she was always polite and did her best to get along with him. That was more than he deserved after everything he’d done to her. “That means a lot after everything.”
“Mama,” Jason’s little voice called out.
“You better go.” Gavin stepped out on to the porch. “Thanks.”
“For what?” she asked.
“More than you know.”
He headed outside, motioning to Dominick to stay inside the car. He could get his own door. He may not have been able to figure out the important parts of his life but he was still capable of the mundane.
***
Gavin sat at the bar, sipping his imported beer. There were so many women in this town but he had to fall for the one he shouldn’t have. How could he expect her to ever consider a relationship with a man like him? A man who was just like her baby’s father. Who am I kidding? Gavin was Satan compared to her ex. All Carson did was pay Justine off so she’d walk away. Gavin humiliated Claudia when she told him she was pregnant, threw her out of his apa
rtment, didn’t believe the child was his, and then he tried to blackmail Brody into signing over the company in exchange for the rights to Jason. Yes, he was far worse than Carson. She could never be with him once she found out who he really was.
“Looks like you’re having a rough day.” Brody sat next to him and motioned for the bartender. “Jameson neat, please.” He tossed his credit card on the bar. “Want to talk about it?”
Not really.
“I went to see Claudia today,” Gavin admitted, hoping his brother wouldn’t be furious. Brody lived to protect Claudia.
“She told me.” He nodded as the bartender placed the drink in front of him. “She said you were out of sorts. She asked me to find you.”
“She’s still afraid of me.” How could he blame her after everything they’d been through?
“She’s afraid of what you could do to her. The devastation you could cause for Jason.” He sipped his drink. “Not that I’d ever allow you to hurt either of them.”
“I promised I never would.” He finished his beer. “I hope someday she’ll be able to see that.”
“I believe you but why did you go to see her?” Brody wrapped his fingers around his glass. “It seemed out of the blue and she was confused.”
“I needed to see her.” He shrugged when he saw the curiosity in his brother’s eyes. “It didn’t make sense to me either. How’s Jason feeling?”
“He’s still congested but he got his appetite back this afternoon.”
“That’s good.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Justine is pregnant.” He moved his glass toward the edge of the bar as his words lingered between them.
“Oh.” Brody didn’t speak for a few seconds which was unusual for him, and Gavin wondered what was going through his brother’s head. He was probably thinking Gavin was irresponsible and got another woman pregnant.
