Her heart squeezed. “I could’ve what?” she demanded.
He turned away. “Left us. I know it was hard, god-mama used to tell you to stay in town until you finished college instead of driving for hours to reach the campus. I used to stay up waiting to hear your car and then you walking in the house before I could go to sleep. She would tell us to be good so you could rest and how hard it was for you to be there and in college.” He released a long breath, totally oblivious that had just gut-punched her. As much as she loved and appreciated her godmother for taking them in, what that woman had done to her son infuriated her.
She took his hand and squeezed it to get his attention. When he met her gaze, she leaned forward. “I am not the kind of mother or woman who allows other people to raise my children. If I had to walk five miles to school, I would still walk back every night. The Lord allowed me to be with you and Abe. You. Are. Mine.” She said fiercely, wanting to imprint this conversation in his mind forever. “No one separates me from my children, no one. I wish you or Abe had told me this before so we could have settled the matter.” She held up her hand when he tried to interrupt. “Not that I didn’t appreciate the quiet moments to study, I did. I appreciated how thoughtful you two were, but I had no idea her words were the fuel behind that. God-mama was old school, we’ve talked about that a number of times. Some things she said you keep, other things you put on a shelf marked maybe, and the rest get tossed into the fire. No one is right about everything, no one.”
He nodded slowly. “She had some strong viewpoints.”
That was the understatement of the decade. As her godmother grew older, her health declined and she became more fanatical. Belinda had thought to show her appreciation for everything she had done to her godmother by allowing her to name the twins. When the older woman named them after well-known biblical characters, Belinda tried to recant the offer. She did not want to saddle her sons with unrealistic expectations.
“Both names are of men who started new beginnings, I want you and the boys to always remember they were the beginnings of a new life for you and for me,” her godmother had explained. After she saw how much it touched the woman to have the honor of naming her sons, and heard the explanation of the names, she relented.
“Yes, she did, but her heart was in the right place, never forget that.” She tapped his hand in camaraderie.
Chapter 7
Blaine watched his brother pace just outside the curtained area where Lindy had gone. Donald had never been big on patience when it came to family. Anything else and he could out-wait Santa Claus.
“Donnie?” Blaine said with a grin.
Donald’s head snapped up as his face reddened. He glanced at the closed curtain before speaking. “Yeah… uh… it was her name for me.” He paused as his gaze sharpened. “I didn’t know you called her Lindy, too.”
Blaine’s face warmed and he knew it matched his twin's. “Same thing, she hated Linda.”
Donald nodded and the silence returned.
Blaine’s thoughts raced over everything they had learned in the past thirty or forty minutes and he knew the first chance they got, they would be lashing into their old man. Blaine ran his fingers through his hair as the full weight of what their dad had done slammed into him. “Damn it,” he muttered.
“The old man?”
Blaine nodded. “I could kick his ass for this.”
“Get in line,” Donald said. Although neither would carry through on their feelings, it was good to know his brother felt the same way as he did. “He’s going to pay for this bullshit. I was thinking how to do it…but I keep coming up with us landing in jail for murder.”
Blaine snorted and gazed at the curtain, the murmurs had stopped. “She looks good.” Damn good! Delicious actually. His cock had pressed against his zipper the moment he caught her scent as she passed him. No longer a teenager, Lindy had filled out with sensuous hills and valleys that made his hands itch to touch. Her skin had darkened a bit, probably due to her time in Florida, but it glowed, making his mouth water for a taste. Geesh, he wiped his face with the palm of his hand. Not even an hour in her presence and he sounded like a horny teenager again.
No question, he still wanted Belinda Moore. Pushing down his desire, he tore his gaze from the curtain and leaned toward Donald. “She had twins. Two boys.” Excitement raced through him. Each of them had a son.
Donald nodded as a smile replaced the scrowl he had been wearing. “I have a son.” He met Blaine’s gaze. “You have a son. We have sons,” he said as if the wonder of it just hit him. It was better than thinking about their father and way more productive.
“Yeah,” Blaine said softly, his gaze returning to the curtain that hid his child. “We do. Congratulations,” he whispered.
Donald glanced behind him at the curtain and nodded. “You too.” He turned and before Blaine could stop him, pulled the curtain apart and stepped forward.
Belinda looked up as the curtain moved. How could she have forgotten Donnie and Blaine were a few feet away? Her gaze remained on Adam. How to do this? How to introduce him? Her doctor had told her there were recorded incidents of twins being fathered by different men. One of the men standing behind her was Adam’s father. A heady warmth filled her cheeks as she moistened her lips.
“Who are you?” Adam asked as his gaze flicked over her shoulder before settling on her with a confused frown.
Exhaling, she swallowed her pride and pushed back her embarrassment. “Adam, this is Donnie and Blaine O’Connor, two old friends of mine. They rode over here with me from the library.”
Adam’s frown deepened as his gaze left hers and stared over her shoulder. Her heart raced as she tried to think of something else to say. But her brain blanked and she had nothing. Moments crawled as the tension in the small space increased.
“Nice to meet you, Adam. I’m Blaine.”
“I’m Donald, good to see you’re on the mend.”
Belinda watched Adam’s frown deepen before he tore his gaze away and looked at her again. “Mom? Who…who are they?”
Her mouth opened and then closed. Numerous witty comments flew through her mind but none were appropriate for the situation. Denial was also not an option. Her throat tightened as she forced the words through them. “Your father.”
Adam’s eyes widened at the bald statement and then his face reddened as he glared at the men. “I don’t…. I don’t have a father.”
“Yeah, yeah you do, Adam. I’m good, but there was only one person born without a father, or a human father that is,” she said, trying to inject some humor into the situation. No one took the bait.
Silence filled the room.
“I had a sperm donor, Mom. Not a father. That’s what I mean.”
She nodded, not looking behind her. Despite what their father did, Adam had a point. Neither man had been a father to her sons. Nodding, she patted his hand, hoping he would wait until she came up with an explanation that wouldn’t make her sound…well, like a woman who slept with two men around the same time.
“Okay… okay. We’ll talk about it later, after you get some rest.” Releasing a pent up breath she wondered where was the doctor, she had a few questions.
“I don’t want to talk about them. Not now or later. I want them to leave.”
Belinda’s head snapped up at the petulance in Adams’ voice. Her son had a strong will, both of them did, but he wasn’t cruel and that statement had to hurt. “Adam,” she said in a mild warning tone.
He turned his face away from her. “Please Mom, get them out of here. They haven’t been here for the past 16 years I don’t want them here now.”
Stunned by the anger she heard in his voice, she looked over her shoulder and caught the flash of pain on Blaine’s face. Donald stood with his arms crossed, staring at Adam before meeting her gaze. He nodded and turned. Before he stepped out he spoke. “Feel better, Adam.”
Blaine nodded at her as well. “There are reasons we were not here Adam, I hope
you’ll give us a chance to explain.” And then he left the curtained area.
Adam faced her slowly. “Mom?” he whispered.
Fearing his questions, she took her time meeting his gaze. “Hmm?”
“Us? That guy said us. Which… which one is my… my father?”
The day had been too long and she had no desire to get into her complicated relationship with the O’Connor twins. When she was younger, dating both of them seemed right. But looking into her son’s eyes right now, she wasn’t so sure. She made a quick decision based on wishful thinking.
“Blaine. The one who asked for a chance to explain.” Sending a prayer of forgiveness and hopefulness that she was right, she nodded as his shoulders dropped a bit.
“He’s big.”
“Yeah.” She crossed her arms around her waist and bit her lip.
“So is he Abe’s dad?...”
Clearing her throat, she looked over his head at the beeping equipment as heat rushed to her face. “No, Donald is his father.”
Adam frowned as he stared at her. “But we’re twins…and they’re twins.”
Unable to utter a word of explanation or in her defense, she nodded. His quizzical look did nothing to ease her embarrassment.
“You… you dated both of them? Aren’t they brothers?” The shock in his voice robbed her of speech and filled her with shame. His look of surprise cut her to the core. How to explain?
She coughed and met his gaze. Thankfully there was no disgust, only curiosity, which made it easier to swallow with the small ball of humiliation lodged in her throat. “Yes…er, yes they are twins and I dated both of them.”
“At the same time?” he asked with a bit of incredulity in his voice.
“During the same timeframe, not on joint dates or anything like that.”
“And they went for that? I mean they had to know since they're brothers.”
Exhaling, she reined in her memories from the past and the long discussions she'd had with her lovers regarding their dating arrangements. “Yes…yes, we all knew and agreed that I would date each one.” For someone who didn’t want to discuss his father, her son had delved into the heart of the matter rather quickly. If this was a normal talk, she would tease him about it.
He stared at her.
Clasping both hands tightly in her lap she waited for him to say something. Seconds ticked by before he spoke. “They just showed up? Today? Why? What happened?”
Trembling with relief, she shrugged. “I’m not sure, I bumped into them at the library and they came with me here.”
“What were they doing at the library?” he asked, frowning.
The question stumped her. “I don’t know. I was so surprised to see them I didn’t ask and then I rushed here to see about you.” Desperately needing a reprieve, she waved down his next question. “I want to get you home, plus I only want to explain all of this once. And that will be with you and Abe, so hold your questions… and comments for later.”
“But Mom –”
She held up her hand. “I said later.” Standing, she looked around the small space for the jacket he had worn that morning. Spying it in the corner, she picked it up and cringed at the large rip surrounded by blood. She must have stared at it too long because Adam sought to comfort her.
“It looks worse than it was, Mom. I’m okay. For real. Just bruised a bit. Did you love them? Both of them?”
The question hadn’t fully settled into her mind before her heart answered. “Yes, very much.”
Chapter 8
Blaine paced in front of the window of the huge hotel suite they'd secured for this visit. Initially, Red had balked and insisted they stay at his place as they always did, but Donald refused the invitation, stating they may need a place to talk freely about the situation. Good thing he did. While Blaine loved his sister-in-law, Denise, he wasn’t ready to explain why he didn’t know about his son. Or Donald’s son. And she would dig and dig until she discovered everything Red knew. And their younger brother was a pushover for his wife.
“You reach him?” he asked Donald, who sat cross-legged on the large brown leather sofa.
“No… not yet. Mum says he’s out at the pub. Says she will tell him to call me when he gets in.”
Blaine stopped mid-stride as an incredibly wicked idea struck him.
“What? Why are you smiling like that?” Donald asked, sitting forward.
Blaine met his gaze. “Mum.”
Donald’s brow rose. “Mum? What about her?”
As the idea twisted and formed in his mind, Blaine’s smile grew. He grabbed his cell from his pocket and punched the number that would connect him to his mother. When she answered, his smile widened. He nor Donald could physically hurt their father for his actions, but Allie O’Connor could.
“Hello, Mum?” He softened his voice and injected just a bit of sorrow into it.
“Blaine my boy, are you alright?” she asked with concern.
Blaine winked at the slow grin that filled Donald’s face. “No Mom, I just…” He inhaled and released his breath for effect. Donald crossed his arms and nodded in agreement with his actions.
“I just discovered I have a son. And Donald has a son.” He pulled the phone away from his ear at her scream.
“You what? Who is the mother? No…not as important as where are my grandsons? How old are they and why are you just finding out?”
Blaine nodded, pleased with her response. He sat on the matching loveseat and told her the story of their relationship with Belinda, ending it with Adam’s refusal to accept them as parents. Her silence was damning.
“I remember the falling out you had with your brother over this young woman. It was hard to see the two of you at odds, but harder seeing you so depressed after. Are you sure the boys are yours?”
“Mum, Adam has your eyes and looks like me when I was younger.”
She hmpfed. “Which means he looks like Donald as well, seeing as the two of you are peas in a pod. What a mess… a real pot of gump. I have two grandsons who will have nothing to do with me because of … so much wasted time. It seems I am always setting things to right in this family. First the wedding for Red and Denise. Then someone kidnaps Brenda from Roark. And now I must come there to correct this mistake.”
Blaine jerked upright, his face on fire. “No Mum, it’s not necessary for you to come, we are going to talk to the boys and straighten the matter. I just wanted you to know you have grandsons,” he said, backtracking and hoping she would listen for once.
“That’s the problem there is nothing you could say that would convince those boys of your good-hearted character. They don’t know you, and their mother has reason not to trust you, thanks to your da’s meddling,” she said in a hard tone. “I will talk to him for sure about his actions, but I am more concerned that there are O’Connors walking about without the O’Connor name.”
Blaine closed his eyes in defeat. In his rush to get back at his dad, he forgot his mother and Denise were similar in personality. “Mum… please let me and Donald handle this. We need to meet our boys on our own and talk to them. I appreciate your offer to help, but…we need to do this, to make amends.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then, “I give you two days to work on things, not because I don’t understand. I do. But what you are forgetting is this. The only reason your son rejected you is because his grandfather rejected his mother. That has to be addressed and you are not the one to make amends for that. You understand? I must make sure Belinda and my grandsons understand we accept them in our family.”
Blaine met Donald’s glare as he nodded. “I understand Mum. Can I call you and let you know how things are going?” He watched Donald throw up his arms as he lay back on the sofa.
“You can, but I will be arriving in Michigan tomorrow. I miss my granddaughters and want to see them again. Denise and I were talking about me visiting the end of the month, but I have an urge to see my precious princesses now.”
<
br /> He closed his eyes, unable to call her out on her blatant meddling. “I didn’t call you so you could fix this, Mum. We're capable of doing that on our own. I wish you would leave this alone for now.”
“I am not coming to fix anything, Blaine. But I will not be leaving until I meet my grandsons. I expect you and Donald to make that happen. I owe them all an apology and I will do that. I don’t require your permission for that or anything else.”
He cringed at the stubbornness in her tone. “Thank you, Mum.” There was nothing more to be said, he had overplayed his hand and now he would pay for it.
“You are welcome, son. Does Donald still want his da to call him later?”
“No…no, it’s okay. We wanted to know why he did what he did, but right now it doesn’t matter.” He met Donald’s hard gaze and acknowledged his anger at the turn of events.
“Oh, I plan to ask him that in a few minutes. I am on my way to the pub to get him. Sean O’Connor will explain himself to me this night.”
Blaine perked up. Something had gone right. His father would feel his mother’s wrath and that made things a lot better. “Drive safe Mum. I will talk with you soon.” He disconnected with a smile.
“What are you smiling about? Mum’s coming, she’s worse than Denise.” Donald snorted.
“Mum’s driving to the pub to pick him up.”
Donald’s brow rose with a smile. “Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air. “I wish I could be there to see that sight. I don’t like mum being involved, but I am glad da will feel some discomfort behind his actions.”
“Think she’ll tear into him at the pub or wait til they reach the house?” Blaine asked as he watched a vision of the fallout in his mind. No doubt his brother was envisioning the confrontation as well.
“Depends on how he responds to seeing her in the pub and how mad she is at missing all these years of the boys' lives,” Donald said thoughtfully. “We have sons…one of them wants nothing to do with us. I hope Abe is more understanding,” he added.
Blaine took exception to what he considered criticism of Adam. “All things considered, I thought he handled the matter well. I’m not sure how understanding I would be if I was laid up in a hospital bed in pain and two strangers claimed to be my dad.”
Scandalous Heroes Box Set Page 95
