“I need to talk to you.”
“Hm? Oh, hey, Miles. Didn’t you have that thing tonight? It’s not over already, is it…what are you doing?”
His blasé attitude rubbed against my frayed nerves, and I crossed the space between us to take him by the lapels and push him against the wall.
“Shelley Smith.”
His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, then a convincing look of confusion settled on his face.
“Who?”
“Shelley Smith. The girl I went out with, the night before we had that first meeting with the investors.”
“Okay, what about her?”
“What did you do?”
“Let go of me.”
He brushed my hands off and I took half a step back, giving him just enough room. He shook his head at me and scoffed.
“How much have you had to drink? This is why you should drink with me; if you’ve always got a little in your system, it won’t hit you so hard when you binge.”
“Don’t change the subject. Tell me about Shelley.”
“What about her? I met her one time in passing when you were working at that dump of a bar.”
“Did you send her an email?”
“What the hell would I have to email her about?”
“Did you?”
“You’re acting crazy. What’s the matter with you?”
I slammed my fist into the wall beside his head and glared into his eyes so close that our noses were nearly touching.
“Twins, Nate. She has twins. They look like me. Spill it, right now.”
“All right, all right, bro, back up. Jesus. So, this chick calls—coincidentally, right after we’ve made our millions—and says that she’s pregnant and you’re the father. I knew she was lying, dude. It was obvious. The timing was too perfect. She calls right when you get your big break? Please.”
I shoved my hands through my hair.
“You knew. Damn it, Nate, you knew! You didn’t even bother to check if she was telling the truth; you just decided that you already knew everything.”
“Look, I knew something like this would happen to one of us as soon as we started making headlines. The rising star profile on us came out that same morning, Miles. It was an obvious scam!” Nate cut in, managing to sound genuinely peeved. “How about a thank you, man? I got her off your back. I dealt with it before it could blow up in your face!”
“And clearly, you believed her enough to pay her hush money all this time.”
Nate was quiet, then. I’d caught him out. Trapped him in his own lie.
“Hush money is such a slimy way to put it…” he said finally, then trailed off, making little shrugging gestures.
I stared at him blankly as rage built up within me.
“Where did the money come from?” I asked icily.
Nate sighed again. “The company. However much I told her I’d pay her automatically came off the top of anything incoming and went into a separate account, and was then transferred to her on the first of every month. It never messed with the numbers because the money never even made it to accounting. And it was a small price to pay to keep her from going to the media and dragging your name through the mud with her accusations.”
“If her accusations were unfounded, why did you keep paying her off? Almost three years of payments, and you never once considered taking legal action against extortion? Why, Nate?”
“Well, that would probably hit the news and…”
I cut him off. “No, shut up. I know why. It was because you knew that it could be true. And you knew that if it was true, I would step up and do the right thing.”
Nate spread his hands and gave me his best negotiation smile.
“What is the right thing, Miles? How do any of us really know what the right thing is? She was provided for, whether she had a kid or not, and you were free to focus on the business. That sounds about right to me.”
As I stared at him in shock, it suddenly became clear. Nate Dunn, my best friend and business partner, was an absolute snake. He took my silence as room for him to maneuver, and he placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Miles, you’re young! Let’s forget about this, all right? Forget this whole thing ever happened. She’ll keep getting her money. Hell, she’ll get more money if that’s what you want. And you can focus on your work and forget all about her. There are limits to what you can deal with, Miles. You never have to take on the burden of her kids. You never even have to talk to her again. Let’s just reset this whole thing, all right? Let it go.”
Fury cooled to ice. Straightening my shoulders, I absorbed all of the new information. Nate was absolutely right. There were limits to what I could deal with.
Turning to him, I extended my hand. Relief relaxed his face into a beaming grin, and he shook my hand enthusiastically.
“I knew you would see it my way. Good man. Now, let’s—”
“This is goodbye, Nate.”
He froze, his hand still in mine. He shook his head a little bit, and looked at me sideways.
“What are you—”
“You’re fired.”
Nate snatched his hand away and grinned, his eyes glinting dangerously.
“You can’t fire me, Miles. We’re partners. I own as much stock in this company as you do. You’re stuck with me, bro.”
“The hell I am. You’ll sell your stock to me for a fraction of the price and step down, because if you don’t, I will sue your ass for every penny you own.”
“On what grounds?” Nate demanded haughtily.
I set my jaw and met his eyes with a steely glare.
“You have inflicted irrevocable harm to me, to Shelley, and to my family. There isn’t a court in the country that wouldn’t award me what I’d ask for. You can’t put a price on family, Nate, and your attempt at doing just that makes you the villain here.”
Nate paled and backed away slightly, hunching over as if I’d struck him in the gut.
“But…I did it for you.”
“No, Nate. You did it for you. You did it because, without me, you wouldn’t even have a company, and you wanted me married to the work. You didn’t spare a stray feeling for me, or Shelley, and you sure as hell didn’t give a thought to the kids. They’ve been living for two years without a father. Tell me again how that was selfless on your part.”
Nate clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together. He zoned out, his eyes darting back and forth as he considered everything I’d said. He pushed a hand through his hair and scribbled numbers down on a legal pad, running through some calculations. Even a fraction of what his shares were worth was better than nothing—and more than he deserved. He tapped the pen on the desk, filling the heavy silence that I’d allowed to settle over the office.
“When do you want me out?” he asked.
“Immediately. Wrap up whatever you’re working on, get your stuff, and get out.”
Nate shook his head with a heavy sigh.
“You know you’re never going to be able to keep the momentum going without me. Especially if you’re planning on playing Daddy to a couple of snot-nosed brats. But you do what you think is best. When you crash and burn, give me a call. Maybe I’ll let you buy me back.”
I didn’t react. I knew his tricks; I knew the way he planted seeds in people’s minds. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me that way. He waited for me to say something, and I let the silence stretch out until he wriggled uncomfortably.
“Fine. I resign. You’ll never see me again.”
“Perfect. Now get the hell out of my office.”
Chapter 12
Shelley
Sunday in the Park
“Hold on, you’re meeting him today?”
“Yes. He told me he would call, and he did. He wants me to meet him at the park.”
Mom shook her head, chewing her lip with a worried expression.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I know. He didn’t know about them, Mom.�
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“So he says. How certain are you that he isn’t just playing with you? He didn’t exactly seem excited about the idea, the way you tell it.”
I shrugged as I slipped my shoes on. “It’s a lot to take in. Not just the kids, but the fact that someone in his company betrayed him.”
“Right, but when you called, you were ready to swear off him and all men altogether. He broke your heart…again.”
“No, he just fumbled into an open wound. I was emotional, but now I’ve had time to cry. Trust me, Mom. I have to do this.”
“Well—”
“Thanks for understanding.”
I left before she could reply, and I could feel her eyes follow me down the street.
I walked to the park alone, which seemed strange. I hadn’t taken a lot of walks alone since moving back home. It gave me the time I needed to build some neutral ground in my expectations. No matter what happened today, I was prepared to accept it. At least we were communicating now. I considered that to be progress, at the very least.
I passed the kids on the playground and stopped to watch for a moment. The usual gaggle of moms and babysitters were there, but it was the fathers who caught my attention. Gentle or playful, they ran around with the kids or pushed them on the swings, making them laugh.
The looks exchanged between the dads and their kids tugged at my heart. These fathers were so necessary to their children’s happiness, and they were so fully engaged with them. I could only hope that, one day, my twins would have that sort of relationship; if not with Miles, then with a stepfather who was utterly invested in them.
The thought of attempting a relationship with someone who wasn’t biologically related to them made my gut twist the way it always had. I hadn’t dated since Miles—out of fear that the babies would be rejected, or subjected to a person who simply tolerated them. I didn’t want them tolerated. I wanted them adored the way that I adored them, and I wouldn’t settle for anything less.
I saw his flashy sports car pull up, and I hurried to the picnic tables where we had agreed to meet. We reached them at the same moment, and my heart sank just a little when I looked at him. He hadn’t seen me yet, as he had been absorbed in his phone since leaving the car. I waited patiently a few feet from him as he handled whatever business lived in his phone. Expensive suit, expensive haircut, expensive watch; he looked every bit the billionaire playboy the tabloids presented. I couldn’t see my Miles anywhere in him.
Then, he put the phone away and smiled at me, and there he was. My heart leapt at the light shining in his blue eyes, and I nearly forgot and forgave everything to throw myself into his arms.
A child crying for their daddy on the playground halted my impulsive emotion, and I withdrew into myself ever so slightly.
“Hi, Shelley. You look great.” He moved as if to hug me, then stuck out a hand.
I shook it and smiled politely at him. “Thanks. You do, too. That’s a great suit.”
“Is it? I don’t really notice. I kind of just wear what my tailor recommends, and hope for the best.” His playful grin sent warm shivers over my body, and we moved to the tables.
He sat on the tabletop with his feet on the bench, facing away from the playground. He seemed more like himself in that position, and I found myself relaxing slightly. Sitting beside him, I let the comfortable memory of our friendship wash over me. For all of his new expensive attire, his energy still felt the same. Maybe a little nervous and subdued, but one hundred percent Miles.
“Were you able to handle that business emergency last night?” I asked him.
“Yes. It’s all taken care of.” His tone was darker than I had anticipated, and it startled me.
“Oh. I hope everything’s okay?”
“I hope so, too.”
Awkward silence fell between us, and I began to play with my fingers.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally.
“About what?”
He had plenty to be sorry for, but I wasn’t going to accept a general apology. I needed to know what he felt, and about which part of the whole mess.
He sighed and pushed a hand through his blond hair.
“I’m sorry I never called you back after breaking that second date. If I had…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “If I had kept in contact with you after that night, this never would have happened.”
“True.”
“I know I’m too late for a lot of things. They’re two now, right?”
“Yes, just barely.”
“So they’ve already started walking and talking and everything.”
“Well, not everything. Vincent’s not as big a talker as Frida is, and Frida’s not as good a walker as Vincent is.”
“Vincent and Frida. Great names. Artists, right?”
“The best,” I said with a smile. “Van Gogh’s style always inspired me—his freedom and passion and complexity. Kahlo’s power and drive always made me feel like I could be more than I am, if I only accepted every part of myself. I’m still working on all of that, but maybe my Frida won’t have such a hard time of it if she channels her namesake.”
I could tell that I was babbling, but it seemed important for some reason that he understood the history of the kids’ names, as if knowing that would give him a leg up on knowing them.
“The names are great,” he said with a soft, almost sad smile. “Wish I had been there to help you work that out.”
“Me, too.”
The weight of the last two years settled in the air between us, creating a barrier. Miles felt it too, it seemed. He moved his shoulders restlessly, then dropped his head to stare at the scratched metal between his feet.
“I want to be there for you and them. Not just with money. The money will keep coming, by the way. I mean. I’ve rooted out the rat and booted him, but paying you support seems to be the least I can do. I just don’t want to do the least that I can do anymore, if that makes sense. I want to be everything you and they need me to be.”
His words touched me, and I nudged his shoulder with mine.
“I appreciate that you want that,” I said. “But…” I searched for the words to finish my thought, gazing off across the rolling grass.
“But?” I could hear the anxiety in his voice, and it nearly made me wince.
“But you don’t have the best track record. There’s always going to be something more exciting, interesting, and professionally pressing than our little family. I’m afraid that the day-to-day routine won’t be enough to keep you from running off again.”
I could feel his retort rise in him, then die on his lips. A pained sound behind his sigh nearly made me retract what I’d said. All I wanted, really, was to forgive and forget, to welcome him back with open arms, to take him home to meet his children. But I couldn’t trust him, not yet. His pain at that fact was no fault of mine, and I had to channel my mother to steel myself against the distress radiating off of him.
“I guess that’s fair,” he said finally. “You’ve grown in the last couple of years, Shelley. You’re strong and confident. I always thought you had that in you; it’s pretty cool to see it.”
He smiled at me, but it was a distant smile; a customer service sort of smile. It struck me in my gut, and for a moment, I wondered why I had even come. We weren’t anywhere near as close as we used to be, and we hadn’t been exceptionally close then. Just friends. A friendship which had ended as soon as something more exciting crossed his path, I reminded myself.
“I’ve sort of had to develop a spine over the last couple years,” I told him coolly. “Even with my mom’s help, being a single mother to a pair of headstrong twins comes with all kinds of challenges. I’ve had to figure out how to be the mom they need, even when I feel like a lost little girl myself.”
“Do you feel that way often?” he asked softly.
Daily. Constantly. At that very moment. But he didn’t need to know that.
I made a noncommittal noise and shrugged.
Silenc
e fell again. He started to say something, then changed his mind. I almost told him an anecdote about the twins from earlier that morning, but decided against it. Who knew if he was really interested? And he might not find it as charming as I did, and maybe the mundane nature of my life would send him running before he had even met his kids. Back and forth, comments swirled unspoken into the lengthening awkward quiet.
“There’s too much pressure,” he said finally, shaking his head.
My heart sank, but I steeled myself. I had known that this might happen. I retreated into that neutral space in my mind, blocking my emotions from my reaction. Miles pushed himself off of the picnic table and paced the concrete in front of me, rubbing his chin in thought.
“Tell you what,” he said finally, turning to me. “Why don’t you come to my place in San Bravado tonight? Just you and me. We can relax and get caught up, you know…get to know each other again.”
One of my eyebrows raised of its own accord, and he held out his hands.
“Doesn’t have to be romantic,” he assured me, seeing my expression. “Just two old friends getting reacquainted. I can see how protective you are of the twins, and honestly, I wouldn’t want you to be any other way. They’re lucky to have a mother who is so invested in their lives and emotional health and everything. I can completely understand your hesitation, really. But we have to start somewhere, don’t we?”
The earnest plea on his face touched my heart, but there was another problem.
“My mom did just watch the twins overnight,” I said reluctantly. “I don’t know if she’ll be willing to do it again so soon.”
“Oh.” He paced for a moment longer. I could tell that he wasn’t used to having to wait for an answer by the impatient twitch in his shoulders and the tightness in his jaw. Power had spoiled him. That could be a problem.
“Well…call me or text me anytime and let me know what she says. If you can’t do it tonight, we can do it some other time. I’ll make my schedule work around yours. All I want is to move forward. You are completely in control over how and when and even if we do that, but…I really hope you say we can.”
Second Chance Twins - A Steamy Billionaire Secret Babies Romance (San Bravado Billionaires' Club Book 1) Page 10
