by CORY CYR
I shook my head. “Well, not in the same room. I gave her your room until she found a place.” I gulped.
“Wonderful, Riley. You let some skank sleep in my bed. The cunt who broke my brother’s heart. I suppose it’s a good idea I don’t come home. I’d hate to end up on death row.”
“I’m sure Dad will go postal. So no need to be here. I wish I could run away. I don’t look forward to seeing them.”
“Regardless, you need to take it like a man. And I know you will. You’ve always been the responsible child. This is why our mom and dad have gone off the deep end. You’ve shocked them.”
“It’s more than just what I’ve done. We’ll talk soon. I promise. I need to get some sleep if I can.” I yawned.
“Let me know what goes on. I’ll be praying for you.”
I smirked. “Holly, you’ve never even gone to church.”
“I can still pray. I’ve heard God is everywhere,” she responded.
“Where was he when I was a dumb fuck?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ryan & Shea
“H ow long until we get home?” my wife asked.
“Soon. Please quit asking me every ten minutes. I’m not the pilot,” I snapped, almost regretting the words as her eyes filled with tears. “Ryan, he’s fine. You’re acting as though he’s dying.”
She dabbed her eyes. “He’s not as strong as you were at that age. Shea, he’s my baby, and I hurt when he hurts. He’s too young for the heartbreak that comes with experience.”
I snorted at her revelation. Even twenty years later, she still dwelled on the fact that she gave birth to our son while she was in a coma. When she finally did wake, she had no knowledge that she’d had a baby. We both coddled our son all his life because his birth was a miracle. I almost didn’t come back from it, and Ryan and I separated for a time because I was an idiot.
“As I recall, I loved you from a very young age. You fractured my entire life when you moved away, and I was only eight.”
“Oh for God’s sake, you just didn’t want me to go. Who would you bite?” She sniffled.
My eyes immediately went to my arm, then hers. The bite had been deep. The marks faded with time, but I still remembered. The truth was that even now, she loved me to sink my teeth into her during sex.
“I can hear the gears spinning. Get your mind out of the gutter. If we can’t help our son, I guarantee we won’t be fucking ever again,” she threatened.
“I think that’s going a little too far. Don’t worry. We’ll fix everything,” I stated as I tugged my knit cap down. “There are other things to consider. Goddamn Carrie is involved. I had hoped she was dead by now.”
Ryan touched my arm. “Oh, Shea, you don’t mean that. That’s a terrible thing to say.”
“I can’t help it. Carrie has always been a thorn in this family. My God, it’s been over twenty years, and once again, she has infiltrated our life via her daughter. And I’m not sure you realize that Gabriella—Gabe, whatever she calls herself—signed a three-year contract. In order to get out of it, we would have to air our dirty laundry. Not only about the past, but now our son has gone and fucked her. It could turn into a case of he said, she said. Hell, knowing Carrie, she could twist this into sexual harassment. Just what the business needs.”
“Our son doesn’t lie. If he fired her, he had good cause,” she remarked worriedly.
I cleared my throat. “Ryan, if there’s sex involved, this could get sticky, and if Carrie put her daughter up to this, there might be violence on my part.”
“I want to talk to Carrie and her daughter. I need to hear their truth before we talk to Riley. And all of this is your fault. You caused this,” she accused.
What the hell? Why am I the cause of this mess? “Explain,” I prompted my wife.
“You never spoke to Gabriella on the phone or Skyped. You just took her resume and emails as gospel. You could have hired a psychopath or worse. You rushed the process so we could leave.”
“Wait a minute. We needed someone licensed so Riley could continue working at the clinic. You wanted to start a life in Florida quickly. You reviewed the resume, too. We jointly chose her. Don’t put this all on me,” I insisted, frustration in my voice.
Ryan leaned into me. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about us not being there to support him. You’re right. Even though I thought Carrie and I had made peace, that was a long time ago. She could push her daughter into a wrongful termination lawsuit. Jesus, Shea, how did we get here? Maybe we shouldn’t have left Riley in charge. It’s obvious he wasn’t ready for such responsibility.”
“Look, our son is not a child. He’s a man, and he’ll have to deal with what comes with having sex with the doctor I hired.” I chuckled as I shook my head. He truly was my son. He must have been hiding it, because up until now, I thought his education was the only thing he cared about.
“It’s not funny, Shea. I don’t want him hurt emotionally or legally.”
I took my wife’s hand and brushed my lips against her knuckles. “How about we put our troubles on hold for now? The bathroom’s empty,” I said, arching both brows.
Ryan’s face went red as she slapped me away. “Shea, we are not screwing in the bathroom.”
I frowned in protest. “Mile high club, baby. You liked it last time.”
“That was years ago, and I was younger and more flexible. Those rooms are tiny, and what I don’t need is my back going out. You’ll live, but I may not. You seem to forget I’m a—”
I interrupted her immediately, wagging my finger. “No S-word. I warned you. If it isn’t the word sex, I don’t want to hear it.”
Ryan snorted, choking on her coffee. “You’ll be there soon enough, and ignoring how old I am is not going to make it untrue. You knew I’d always be older.” Her voice hushed. “Thirteen years.”
“All right, that’s enough of that. If you don’t want to have sex, just say no. I don’t need a justification.”
Her hand fell on my crotch, her thumb rubbing along the ridge of my cock. My hard-on became extremely uncomfortable. I inhaled then exhaled deeply. It felt so good I wanted to moan.
“By the way, I’ll always love your dick. Maybe you’ll get lucky later,” she offered.
“Rest assured there will be fucking sometime on this trip.” I placed Ryan’s hand back in her lap. “I need my brain cells functioning at full capacity right now.” I checked my watch. “Good thing this flight doesn’t land for thirty minutes, since I’m not sure how to tuck in my erection so I don’t look like a pervert when I get off the plane.”
“I called Kathy, so I know where Carrie is staying. We’ll go there first. I’d like to hear what they have to say before we depose our son,” she said. “And, dear husband, you are a pervert. Never change.” Ryan winked.
“See, I got your mind off of this mess for a bit. It’s not you I worry about, but me. I’m afraid I’ll lose my shit. If that happens, I need you to rein me in,” I instructed.
“You’ll be fine, Shea, at least with our son, but promise me you will not become unhinged with Carrie or her daughter. I need your word.”
I cringed. “Wow, you’re really asking a lot, considering our history with that psycho bitch. I’ll try for you, but I almost don’t want to promise because I know I’ll break it.”
“I know you can do this. I believe in you, Shea. Now pinkie swear because you love me.”
Damn, my wife was gorgeous, charming, and a woman who could get whatever she wanted. And I was the man who would do anything for her. She could bring me to my knees because her heart and soul was my sanctuary. With a slanted grin, I twisted my little finger around hers.
We finally landed, carrying our shoulder bags and going to get a rental car. It was dark and cold. I didn’t miss the afternoon nights or the temperature. I zipped up Ryan’s coat and tucked a loose hair in her hat. With all the paperwork filled out, we loaded into our car.
We didn’t talk much on the drive over to Carrie’s hotel. I kne
w Ryan was stressed, mainly because she feared I would go off. But I had promised, even though I was not looking forward to seeing the cunt. She had almost destroyed my wife. The life we had now might not have come to fruition if she’d had her way. It didn’t matter that Ryan had forgiven her. I never had and never would.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ryan & Shea
A fter we stopped, I laid my head on the steering wheel. Ryan rubbed my back, vowing it would be all right. Getting out of the car, I stretched my long legs, stiff from sitting for so long. We walked hand in hand to the room number we were given at the front desk. We both stood staring at Carrie’s door. I tilted my head down and kissed my wife, nodding, then knocked.
“I was expecting you both at some time. Come in,” Carrie said as she motioned us to sit on the sofa.
The suite was luxurious and large. She had evidently married well. She herself looked worn. Carrie was the same age as me, yet she appeared older than Ryan. Wealth might have been good to her, but time hadn’t. I felt her ogling my wife, then perusing me from top to bottom.
A young woman strolled in, and I assumed it was her daughter.
“Gabriella, this is Shea and Ryan Michaels,” she muttered in a quiet voice.
The girl appeared nervous, as well she should. I’d hired her on the pretense she was male, and then she toyed with my son. Gritting my teeth, I took her in. I could see why Riley fell. She was stunning.
“I feel like I know you, Mr. Michaels, after all of our emails. I am sorry I lied and for everything that has happened—”
Carrie interrupted her daughter. “I want you both to know I was not involved in any of this.”
I snickered at her confession.
“The truth is my daughter and I have been estranged for about eight months. My husband passed last year, and Gabriella lost herself. When she was clearing the closet of her father’s belongings, she found a shoebox filled with memorabilia of my life here.”
Gabriella waved her hand in front of her mother’s face. “Mother, please, that box was a treasure trove dedicated to Shea. I do admit there were a few clippings of Ryan, but mainly, it was a shrine to your first and only love.”
“You completely took what you found out of context. Yes, I kept a memory box. One I forgot about, considering it was from years ago. Your father knew and understood that everything I kept was a reminder of my penance. I was not a good person before I met Frederick.”
I barked, “For once, you are telling the truth. My wife was almost raped and murdered because of you,” I hissed.
“Shea, that is part of the past. Carrie and I reconciled our differences a long time ago,” Ryan sniped.
“Yes, and here we are, minus a vet and our son broken,” I responded as I rubbed my hands together.
“I swear all of this was Gabriella’s doing. Normally, I would shield her from what she has done, but this has become more complicated.”
“So I guess that means you’re planning a lawsuit. I’m sure the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. You haven’t set a good example for your daughter,” I announced angrily.
“Of course I’m not planning to sue you, Shea. I’m not the same woman you knew. I’ve changed. I am telling you the truth. Gabriella did all of this on her own. I hired an investigator to find her. I had to. She was so angry, and I was not only worried about her, but I feared what she would do.” Carrie lowered her head, but I could see tears staining her cheeks. “I became a mother when Gabriella was ten. I have tried to explain that even though I loved you, that was many years ago. I will always love her father, and I have raised her as my own. No matter what she has done, she will always be my daughter.”
Ryan stood and went to give Carrie a hug. Not only had Ryan forgiven her, but they were bonded because they were both mothers. My wife understood the situation.
“I won’t make excuses for Riley, although I am surprised. It’s never been his nature to get this involved with the opposite sex.” I began.
Carrie coughed with a droll glare. “You sure about that? I mean, you are his father.”
I continued, irritated with her insinuation. “That was a long time ago. My son never became me. He had other interests, and girls weren’t a priority.”
Ryan sat close to me, unfurling my fingers and reprimanding me silently.
“It’s true, Mother. Riley was a hard nut to crack. I expected a player, but what I got was someone with no experience. When he asked me to stay at the house, I knew I had an in. What I didn’t expect was that I would fall for him.”
My brain was ready to explode. What the hell? What I heard was my son was a virgin. She was lying. There was no way. He’d had tons of girlfriends, and his best friend Kai not only got around, but bragged about it. The icing on this pile of shit cake was they had been living together in my fucking house. Okay, so he hadn’t had parties or burned down the place. Instead, he’d gotten involved with a thirty-year-old woman that happened to be the daughter of an unbalanced ex-girlfriend.
I didn’t know if I should high-five my son or admonish him. He had become me. The difference was this woman had broken him. Ryan was the only female who could break me, and Jesus, I never wanted Riley to know that kind of pain.
“You took advantage of my son,” I implied, my accusation directed at Gabriella.
“I don’t even know why I applied for the position you offered. I was angry with my mother. I wouldn’t listen to her when she tried to justify her keepsakes. My father had always put me on a pedestal, and now he was gone and I was convinced my entire life had been a fraud. Without him, I felt lost. I needed to run away, so I ran here. The only thing that comforted me was animals. I loved your clinic… and I fell in love with your son.”
My wife squeezed my hand so tight my knuckles turned white. I was confused about everything. Gabriella’s confession of loving Riley and the fact she was Carrie’s daughter. Both of us might have to go to couple’s therapy after this meeting.
I shook my head as I sat back on the sofa. “I don’t want you anywhere near my son.” I seethed. “You’ve done enough. He’s crushed. My sister told him everything you did, Carrie. I imagine Riley has concerns that your daughter is just as delusional as you. I think you both should go home. I’ll stay here until I can replace Gabriella, and eventually, my son will get over her.” I concluded.
Ryan intervened. “I think what Shea said makes sense. The best thing for everyone would be if you two got on a plane.” She lingered, as if in thought. “Can I use your restroom?”
Carrie nodded and directed her toward the back.
“Come with me. We need to talk,” my wife said as she pulled me up. I followed her to a large, carpeted, and elegantly decorated bathroom. “Honestly, Shea, I’m torn here.” She sat on the toilet lid. “If Riley does love her, are we doing the right thing? I mean, it’s his life.”
“You’re not serious, Ryan. Carrie is toxic; she always has been. It makes my skin crawl to know her kid fucked my son.”
She stared at me with an incredulous look. “You’re kidding, right? Are you taking the moral high road? You? It’s not as if you didn’t screw Carrie. You were fucking her a year before I came back to Alaska. She was your girlfriend.”
“I think using the word girlfriend may be stretching it. That was a long time ago. Once you committed yourself to me, I never strayed.”
She waved off my proclamations. “People change. Don’t get me wrong. I still think they should go back to California because Riley needs time to heal.”
I huffed, crossing my arms. “Look, we haven’t even spoken to him yet. Her leaving may not be what he wants. He’s twenty, and you and I keep speaking for him as though he’s ten.”
My wife’s eyes grew damp. If she cried, it would kill me. “No matter how old he is, he’ll always be my child. He’s not like Holly. She’s strong and outspoken. Nothing fazes her. Riley is sensitive and compassionate. That’s why he’s so good with animals. He understands them.”
; “Come on. We need to get back before Carrie thinks we’re having sex in here.” I chuckled as I pulled her up. “I love you so much. Even now, you’re still the reason I breathe.” I reflected as I hugged my wife, kissing her neck. We padded back into the room, sitting back down on the sofa.
Gabriella was pacing while Carrie sat stoically in a cushioned chair.
“Well, I think we’ve talked enough, unless you’d care to add something.” I spoke to Carrie, ignoring Gabriella.
“Yes, there’s more, and as I said, it’s complicated.”
I loathed that fucking word, yet my stomach dropped when she spoke it. What now? How could this possibly get worse?
“Okay, then get on with it because we’d like to go comfort our son,” I replied harshly.
Gabriella left the room suddenly, and I could hear her sobbing.
What the fuck? A look passed between Ryan and me.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock and now have to pass the information to you,” Carrie said morosely.
I grasped my wife’s hand in anticipation of the anvil dropping.
“Gabriella is pregnant. She’s carrying your grandchild.”
For the first time in years, tears wet my eyes. The last time I cried was when Ryan was in a coma and Riley was born and then when she took away my children.
My wife stood on wobbly legs, then fell to her knees. “He can’t be a father. He’s just a child,” she exclaimed, pressing her lips into a grimace.
“Evidently, he was old enough to get her pregnant,” Carrie remarked.
Gabriella returned to the room, her cheeks puffy and her eyes red from crying. “I was on birth control. I swear. I never planned this. I don’t expect anything from Riley. I’ll go back to California and raise the baby myself.”
I helped Ryan up, and we shared a glance. No doubt, she was convinced that Carrie had changed, but there was not a chance in hell my grandchild was going to be raised in her household. Fuck that shit. “No, Riley will do the right thing. He bragged about how responsible he was. Well, now he needs to prove it. He’s my son, and he will want to be in the child’s life, as do both of us.”
