A Little Harmless Scandal

by Melissa Schroeder

  He sent the text just as he stepped up on Serenity’s lanai. That’s when he heard her. Quiet sobs filled the air. The soft sound broke his heart even more. This pain came out of her childhood. He understood. Show any kind of weakness and your enemy could use it against you. Only, for a neglected and abused child, their enemy was the person who should have been their protector. He kicked off his shoes, and without knocking, he stepped inside of her house. She wasn’t in her front room, so he had a feeling she was in the bedroom. He followed the sounds of her weeping and found her curled up on her bed. She was facing away from him.

  If Adam had any doubts whatsoever of his feelings for her, they would have ended right then and there. His chest fucking hurt.

  “Serenity.”

  “Please, just go away.”

  Instead of arguing with her, he walked around so he could see her face. It was red and her eyes were puffy and still filled with tears.

  “I can’t go.”

  “Yes, you can. Just turn around and go back to that idiot.”

  He chuckled. “He is an idiot. If I go back right now, I’ll punch him.”

  He wanted her to laugh, but instead, a fresh wave of tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. You should go back to him. I couldn’t bear it if I broke you apart.”

  He couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled her forward, picked her up, then he sat down on the bed with her on his lap. He was happy when she didn’t try to get away from him.

  “You could never break us up. If we did break up, it would be on us, not you. Secondly, when Mick gets like this, you just need to leave him be. I’ve discovered that if you push, he pushes back.”

  She sniffed. “It isn’t like him at all.”

  “Yes, it is. You’ve only seen happy Mick. He has some dark moments, and it often happens when he realizes that life isn’t perfect.”

  She opened her mouth, but his phone rang.

  “That’s Mom.”

  “Your mother?”

  “Our mother, but Mick’s by blood.”

  “Why did you call her?”

  “Because no one can kick her baby boy’s ass like a military mom. And she needs to know about this so they can be prepared.” He clicked the phone on. “Hey, Mom.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mick paced the kitchen floor, just as he had for the last thirty minutes. He had sat at the counter, numb from the revelations and the fact that Adam had chosen to go after her.

  Asshole.

  They had never had issues like this before, but then, they had never had another person in their relationship. Not for long periods at least.

  He knew he had been the one to push this relationship, and it was mostly his fault, but they had proven it hadn’t worked out. They weren’t built for a permanent threesome.

  “So, why is he over there and you’re here by yourself?”

  As if to answer the situation, his phone rang. Great. His mother. She would pick up that there was something wrong. He wasn’t ready to talk about it. Still, if he didn’t answer, there was a good chance she would continue to call, or worse, call Adam.

  He clicked on his phone.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Don’t you hey Mom me.”

  “What?”

  “I talked to Adam.”

  Well, shit.

  “Yeah?”

  “He explained the situation.”

  “How nice of him.”

  “Vincent McGrath, don’t you use that tone with me. We will get to the state of the relationship in a moment, but you haven’t called or texted. What would have happened if some tabloid had called me? I would have been blindsided.”

  “It just happened.”

  “Yeah, well, Adam had time to text and take my call.”

  Asshole.

  “I wasn’t ready to talk about it.”

  She sighed. “I understand it is still up in the air, but seriously, would you think this woman would do this for publicity?”

  “She could have.”

  “But did she?”

  Probably not. “She never told us about her past.”

  “Yes, but did you ask?”

  “No, not really.”

  “I am disappointed in you. You know this young lady would not do this. Adam told me so.”

  “Mom.”

  “No. You will listen to me. You didn’t want to ask her because it would be something other than the fantasy you built in your mind. I love you, but you don’t always look at the world and see the bad things.”

  Because it was close to the truth, he said nothing.

  “And that poor girl, Serenity. She was in tears when I talked to her.”

  His stomach twisted. He had been extraordinarily cruel to her, and he wasn’t a cruel person.

  “She was crying?”

  “You broke her heart.”

  He sighed. “She’s not the only one hurting here.”

  “No, but you’re the one doing most of the damage. Listen up. You are my baby boy and the light of my life. But from the way Adam talked about this woman, he’s in love with her. I have a feeling you are as well. You screw this up, I will disown you and tell everyone you became a monk.”

  “What?”

  “It’s embarrassing that I have no grandchildren. You and Adam won’t even talk of adopting. You both love this woman, so I have a real chance.”

  “I didn’t know you would be so cool about this. It isn’t normal.”

  “When have you ever been normal? How many sixteen year olds come out to their Army father to say they are bisexual? Not many, I’m sure. And, at the time, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t that many fathers who would have accepted, especially a career Army guy. But he did…as did I. We both were happy when you and Adam finally settled down together, and while it is unorthodox, I am happy you found this Serenity.”

  “Mom.” He didn’t know what else to say. His parents were a little on the conservative side, but Mick had never questioned their support or loyalty. This, though, he hadn’t been sure how his parents would take it.

  “She sounds like a perfectly lovely woman, at least what little I talked to her. You love her. Adam loves her. And I am fairly certain she is in love with both of you. Go fix things.”

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you too. Now go.”

  She hung up the phone. He sighed. Now that his pain had subsided, he realized that it had been more to do with the fact that she hadn’t told them everything. But his mother was right. He never asked Serenity. Not really. He hadn’t pushed any more discussion about her past life. She hadn’t been completely honest, but she hadn’t ratted them out either.

  His phone vibrated. He looked down.

  Get your damn ass over here and help me fix this. –Adam

  Dammit. He wasn’t that good at groveling.

  Mick sat there for a second or two trying to talk himself out of going over. It was safer to stay there, to just let the relationship dissolve. But, there was a tiny part of him that knew Adam might not side with him. After all the years of friendship and love, Mick might lose the one man he thought of as his soul mate.

  But you don’t have one.

  That little voice in his head had been irritating him since Adam had followed Serenity out the door. He hadn’t thought further than getting Serenity in bed. He had wanted her on a level that he truly wasn’t comfortable with. What had he thought would happen? That she would just be a fixture in their relationship and things would go on as they had before?

  Damn, he was a dumbass. She was part and parcel of the whole now. Isn’t that what he freaked out about last week? Bringing her into their bed, into their lives, had shifted everything. It was never going to be the same, but that wasn’t always a bad thing. It would never be the same, but that also meant it was a new adventure. Truth was, he couldn't even fathom a relationship with Adam without Serenity.

  He was absolutely going to have to grovel. With that thought in mind, he made his way over to her
house. He heard Adam's voice, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. Every now and then, he heard a sniffle. Shit, his mother had been right. Serenity was crying.

  Slipping off his shoes, he opened the front door without knocking. “He'll come around,” Adam said.

  “Maybe I don't want him to come around.”

  Adam's sigh was long and loud.

  “He's a pain in the ass and he tends to act without thinking.”

  “That person isn't who I am now. Kayleigh died the day I changed my name, and I have never really looked back. Moving forward is the only way to survive.”

  “That's what they say about sharks.”

  “Great, now you think I'm like a shark. I really can't believe I thought this would work. Two men is two too many.”

  “You don't think that.”

  “I do. I can't deal with the stress, and I will not be judged on things I did before I turned eighteen. Everyone was going to do that for the rest of my life. That's why I changed my name.”

  “So, why didn't you tell us?”

  “Why didn't you ask?”

  “That's a silly argument,” Adam said. “Tell me.”

  Mick stepped into the room and saw her for the first time. Her face was splotchy from crying, her nose red, and she looked like crap.

  And this had been his fault, dammit.

  “Yeah, why don't you tell us?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I don't believe you deserve an explanation.”

  “Maybe not, but I think Adam does.”

  Her shoulders slumped and he regretted his comment. He knew she was hurting, and a lot of it was his fault.

  “Fine. Tell me, what were you doing when you were sixteen? What embarrassing thing did you do? Or, let's dial back a year or two. Teen years suck. Think about if every transgression you had made was played out on the national stage.”

  That would not be good. He made a lot of mistakes in high school. Adam glanced at him and Mick saw the acknowledgement in his eyes.

  “People don't know what you did then, except family. I had cameras on me always and, yes, I pushed the limits. Most teens do. But yours wasn't recorded for everyone to see. Mine was and if I wanted people to take me seriously, I couldn't go by my stage name.”

  “That's not your real name?”

  She shook her head. “Not sure. I think my mom changed it when she put me in show business, but I 've never been able to find the documentation. So that's why I did it.”

  “Why didn't you tell us?” Adam asked quietly.

  She studied Adam's face, then glanced at Mick.

  “At first, it wasn't on purpose. It’s ingrained in me. I said I was in show business and that usually works for people. Some will be intrigued, but the connections aren't there. It would take world class digging to figure out that I was Kayleigh Rose.”

  “But you continued on with the ruse. Why?” he asked. “Did you think that we would tell people?”

  That thought had his heart hurting a little bit. He would never do anything to upset her or put her life in danger. It struck at his sense of protectiveness.

  “It's because I didn't want you to know. I told you. I am not Kayleigh Rose and haven't been for over a decade. I wanted you to take me for me.”

  “Do you think that we would do that?”

  “I didn’t know. When I am sure I have moved on from the bullshit from my childhood, it pops up and smacks me. You both have become so important to me, I was worried about losing you. When you didn’t ask, I felt it would just work out. I know it was stupid.”

  “Not stupid,” Adam insisted. “Just, maybe shortsighted, like we were. I know I am talking for both of us when we say that you don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to. Just because this is out in the public now, that isn’t important.”

  She looked at Mick. “Is that true?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “But you would like to know.” A statement and not a question.

  He sat down on the bed next to her. “I want to know because it is a part of you. But we don’t need an accounting of everything.”

  ‘That’s not important right now. What’s important is that we get ahead of this.”

  Her phone vibrated.

  “Nicola,” she said after picking it up.

  She was quiet for a long period of time.

  “I’m fine and no I am not crying.”

  Quiet again.

  “No, I don’t need you to beat anyone up.”

  He shared a look with Adam.

  “So, it was someone who saw me on the beach? How does something like that happen? I go to the beach all the time.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  The voice on the other end of the phone rose in volume.

  “No, I haven’t heard from her, but it won’t be long, I’m sure. And, yes, I had a restraining order but didn’t renew it.”

  Nicola talked for a long time, which had Serenity shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

  “I told you before. I didn’t want to do it because she would have my new name. You agreed.”

  She smiled.

  “Yeah. Okay. And, yes, they’re here.”

  She clicked on the phone speaker.

  “So, I guess both of you are there,” the crisp voice said on the other end of the phone.

  “Yes,” Adam said.

  “Good. The best thing you can do is lay low. Are either of you going to have an issue at work?”

  “No,” Mick said. “We are independent and the company we contract with is owned by a close, personal friend. He already knows about the relationship.”

  “Good. Sometimes it’s good to get out there with the info, but the truth is, Serenity is off the radar. If we can stop this information from leaking to the press, we can handle it easier. If not, a statement would be best. No personal appearances.”

  “Agreed,” Serenity said.

  “The best thing right now is that Hawaii has some strict laws when it comes to privately owned property. Anyone shows up and crosses that line, call the police.”

  “We can handle it,” Mick said.

  “No. Don’t. Do not engage. Believe me, I’ve had to deal with this kind of stuff thanks to Jensen’s past.” There was a male voice, but he couldn’t make out what the man was saying. “If you had kept it in your pants and hadn’t become an addict, it wouldn’t be a problem. Sorry about that. Jensen took umbrage to my comment.”

  “No problem,” Serenity said with a smile.

  “Remember, fake tabloid stories and rumors are best if you don’t give them anything to print and threaten to sue.”

  “But our story is true,” Adam said.

  “Yes, but they don’t have a right to it. None of you are public figures and have been living a quiet life. I’m going to talk to our lawyers about it, but I’m sure you can claim that any story would be detrimental to your ability to earn money, or something like that. I’ll call you back after I talk to them. You call if that bitch calls, Serenity.”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. Our flight is about to take off and this is good timing. We had to be in Hawaii by Monday for a meeting, so we just moved it up a day. We should be there sometime in the middle of the night, but you know how to get hold of me on the plane.

  “Yes.”

  “Now, go eat some chocolate.”

  Then she hung up.

  “Wow. And that was your friend Nicola?” Mick asked.

  She nodded. “Nicola McCann.”

  He searched his memory. The name was familiar, then he remembered the controversy. “The skater?”

  She nodded. “She works for Jensen Wulf as his assistant.”

  “Wait, that was Jensen Wulf, billionaire, she was being rude to?”

  She laughed. “She’s always rude to him. I feel a little better that a reporter hadn’t been the one to pick up on the story.”

  “We missed that part,” Adam said.

  “Oh, so
rry. It must have been when we went to the beach a few weeks ago. Some tourist snapped a pic and didn’t realize until later that it was me. They went to the National Tattler to sell the pic. They started to investigate from there.”

  “Do you think she can stop this?” Mick asked.

  “Probably. She’s kind of scary when she goes into this mode.”

  “I think we need to know more about your mother. She was the bitch Nicola was referring to, right?”

  She nodded. “But like Nicola said, I need chocolate.”

  * * *

  With her belly full of chocolate and Kona Coffee, Serenity sighed and sipped her coffee. The guys had bought her a chair for the back lanai at their house.

  She still cherished that thought. They hadn’t even said a thing. They just walked out on the lanai. Her chair sat in between their own chairs. She was one of them.

  “So, tell us about your mother.”

  “I have. But, I think we need to be prepared that she knows, she will use it to get money for herself. She might be on TV a lot. And she will not hesitate to show up here and cause problems.”

  Adam blinked. “She would show up here?”

  “Yep.”

  “Just like that. Knowing you are against it?”

  “My mother has never thought about anyone but herself.”

  “Still.”

  She shook her head. “I would love to think she’s changed, but I’m fairly certain she hasn’t. See, she doesn’t have to, so she won’t. I think that’s why she loves Hollywood. They don’t force her to be anyone but the bitch she is. She fits in with a lot of the population. In the real world, she would be condemned for being a sucky mother. In Hollywood, it can be justified that she was trying to give me a future.”

  “But it wasn’t your future, and it isn’t what you want,” Mick said.

  “What did the folks say when you talked to Mom?” Adam asked.

  “She kicked my ass, as you knew she would.”

  “And?”

  She held her breath.

  “She read me the riot act, then she said she wanted to meet Serenity.”

  “Just like that?” she asked.

  “Yeah. My parents have always been a little unorthodox, especially for being military. They always accepted my relationship with Adam, and she is thrilled there’s a woman in the mix.”