As soon as Alec arrived, Angelo said, “Alec, will you be my dad?”
Alec’s eyes immediately shot to hers, but she couldn’t read what was in them; she couldn’t get past the horror that had filled her.
“You want me to be your dad?” Alec said lightly. “I thought you had one, bud!”
“Well, he helped Mommy bring me here, but it’s not like he’s my real dad. I want to hang out with you.”
“Well, we can still hang out, but he is your real dad, and he just wants to hang out, too.”
“But I don’t want him to be my…”
“Angelo, that’s enough. Come on, now—Alec’s our friend, and he’ll still play with you; we already talked about this. We’re all figuring things out here, so I don’t want you to bring this up again, okay?”
She felt bad for the quiet sadness that settled on Angelo, but it was, no doubt, necessary.
Chapter Nine
Two Steps Forward
Dahlia looked at the caller ID and smiled.
“I have some news,” her sister said when she answered. “Save the date—I’m getting married.”
Shock, joy and sadness hit Dahlia at once. Her beautiful, wildly successful baby sister was now getting married?
She had never felt in competition with her—only dedication and duty as their mother slowly lost her mind. Dahlia worked her ass off to make sure she could continue to take care of her sister and provide for them both, to help Zinnia pay for schooling. She did everything in her power to make sure that they both had the best chance once their mother was institutionalized. Her sister had the sense not to get knocked up, and she now lived an unimpeded path to success in all areas because of it.
Dahlia was happy to have contributed, but for the first time since Zinnia was headed for early college graduation while she was about ready to give birth, Dahlia felt like she had been robbed.
“Zinnia, you didn’t tell me about anyone special! In fact, you specifically told me…”
“I know, sister dear. He just kind of swept me off my feet. I wasn’t expecting it to happen; I didn’t think it would—you know how high my standards are—but it happened. He popped the question yesterday. I figure the wedding’ll be a little less than a year from now, in the spring.”
“Oh my god, congratulations! He must be amazing.”
“I won’t tell him that, but he is. Truly. What about you? Seeing anyone special?”
Dahlia warmed, her blood rushing to the surface. “Actually, yeah. You probably won’t remember him, but we all went to the same school at some point. Do you remember the Wilde brothers?”
“I remember Connor and his fine ass. Who could forget him and Brandon? Those beautiful twins were trouble. Oh my god—which one are you with, you lucky dog?”
“I’m actually with their brother, Alec.”
“Hm. Don’t remember Alec. Don’t even remember hearing about him. Anyway, someone told me they all got super rich and disappeared. Wow, how did he find you?”
“I’m still not sure. He just showed up one day saying he wanted to take me out.”
“Maybe he had a crush on you all this time, and with a little green to back him up, finally got the courage.”
“He has pretty much said some version of that, so yeah. At least the part about me making an impression on him in school. Not sure I believe him, still. Besides, I know he has a lot more options—better ones. Skinnier ones…”
“Dahlia, you stop right there. He is lucky to be with you, you hear me? I hope he treats you like it, too—don’t go comparing yourself to those other broads. He came back to you for a reason. Now will you be my maid of honor or what?”
Dahlia laughed. “Of course, Zinnia, you know I will.”
“And I want Angelo to be the ring bearer.”
Dahlia smiled, thinking about how cute he’d look in a little suit. “Just let me know when, where etc., and we’ll nail it all down. Can’t wait to see you, sis—although I wish it was sooner than a year from now.”
“Girl, you know I’m trying; my work schedule is crazy.”
“I know.” Dahlia paused, considering whether or not to mention Darren. Then she decided, if anyone, her sister should know. “Guess who showed up lately?”
“Who?”
“Darren.”
It took a minute for her sister to respond. “Not Darren Brown by any chance? The loser who left you high and dry? You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell does he want?”
Dahlia grinned at how much she sounded like Alec. “He wants to be a part of Angelo’s life now. Can you believe that?”
“Can’t say that I do. What got him so interested all of a sudden?”
Dahlia filled her in on the details.
“Hm. Well, I…gosh, I don’t quite know what to say to that one. Good luck, I guess. Don’t let him hurt you again. Everything I’ve heard about him says he’s fickle, so be careful, sis.”
“I will. Anyway, Alec’s here. I love you. Talk to you later.”
“You need to call me back with more details about dating a guy like that.”
Dahlia grinned to herself.
Dahlia felt her confidence growing each time she watched Darren and Angelo interact.
It had only taken two more Saturdays for Angelo to finally start warming up to Darren—one Saturday of watching cartoons together, and another Saturday of drawing, coloring, and putting puzzles together.
“He’s smart,” Darren said after that second Saturday, looking truly impressed as he was about to exit. “I mean, he read to me! I didn’t start reading till I was six!”
“You don’t know the half of it,” she’d said, smiling.
Now they had plans to see a movie together, and she could tell that Angelo was genuinely looking forward to it.
“I wonder if he likes hot dogs,” he said, and Dahlia recognized the excitement behind the calm.
Alec was glad for the time alone to calm himself. He had gotten too worked up once his investigators had come to him with their discoveries. He was glad to be proven right, but at the same time, he felt for Dahlia and Angelo for what was coming next.
Alec felt a small smile escape. Dahlia’s heart had always been too big, hadn’t it? It was part of why he was in love with her.
Alec stopped pacing, pondering over his revelation, the way the words had so easily come to him.
He had known he was taken by her, and he loved the way she smiled, and how soft and sweet she was. He had been infatuated with her in his youth, but he never thought about seriously being in love—what it meant.
He hadn’t looked too deeply into his need for her voice and the sight of her, his desire to bring her joy in every way imaginable. And he certainly hadn’t expected the boy she had birthed to lodge himself in his heart, either.
He also didn’t expect the rage that came with that love—the heightened instinct to protect, to destroy anything that threatened to harm either of them in any way.
He took a few deep breaths.
Just then, he heard the door opening and saw his hired hands bring a startled, struggling Darren in.
“You’re behind this?” Darren said incredulously.
“Who did you expect?” Alec asked, although he already knew a number of possibilities. Most likely Darren had expected his loan shark, threatening him once again to come up with the sum he owed.
“What the hell is this about?” Darren asked. “Are you one of those obsessed types? You afraid I’ll have Dahlia back in my bed or what?”
“Darren, you speak so boldly for a guy in your position,” Alec began, looking pointedly at the ropes holding him. “No, I have no fear of you seducing Dahlia—especially after the heights I’ve taken her; she won’t look back now.”
Alec saw Darren’s jaw clench. He understood the reaction well—pure male ego. No man wanted to hear he was inferior in the sack, regardless of how much—or how little—he cared for the girl.
“No, Darren, I’m afraid I have other business
to attend. I do have further plans for Dahlia—thank you for leaving her to me. I tried to respect her wishes about bringing you back into Angelo’s life, but…”
“Well, he’s my kid.”
“Debatable. Of course not biologically, but I’m afraid even your kid prefers me; I don’t blame either of them.”
Darren’s face contorted. “Who the hell do you think you are? You think because you’ve got shit-tons of money and you’re…”
“Money is exactly why you’re here, Darren.”
Darren looked appropriately confused.
“You see, I’ve been dealing with this for a while now. Had some hard lessons earlier, but I’m used to people—men, women, young and old, strangers and friends…basically everyone—trying to get money out of me one way or another. The entitlement of temporary lays, the trivial lawsuits…you won’t believe how many things people come up with. Your angle is almost quite pitiful in comparison.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Darren asked, but his face didn’t look confused or curious; in fact, Alec detected a discomfort reverberating through him, like he knew the answer and was hoping he was wrong.
Alec decided to drag it out.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” Alec began, taking out a manila envelope. He removed the photographs within, laying them out on the table in front of Darren.
He watched Darren’s face as he examined each photo, watched the slow horror build.
“Like I said, these are just a few—we have lots more where these came from. You won’t believe the compromising places and positions we’ve caught you in. And these things are so easy to get into the wrong hands. God, and the internet—what a nightmare, huh? Can you imagine these getting around? I don’t know what kind of job you’d have to do to make ends meet, because your hiring prospects would plummet, to say the least.” Alec shook his head. “And then there’s this,” he said, pulling out a recorder. He pressed play.
“…But I was only kidding,” a female voice said.
“I know, but you’re right—he is rich. Mega-rich. I don’t know how Dahlia did it, but she hit the jackpot,” said a voice unmistakably Darren’s.
“So what are you hoping to get out of this, cousin dear?”
“Come on, Dena, I’m happy to meet my son.”
Dena snorted. “No, for real though. I mean, all this time I had no clue, but then you tell me you knew of the possibility, and never even checked. Come again—what are you hoping to get out of this?”
“Look, it doesn’t hurt to be around guys like him.”
“Who?”
“Dahlia’s man. Next thing you know—if I hang around enough, who knows? Maybe they’ll have to start paying me child support, you know? My son gets used to a certain lifestyle, they have to make sure things are consistent for him, right?”
“You’re not serious.”
“Come on, you’re the one who told me about Ms. Berry. She never even married that dude she had her kid with, and he still ended up winning child support. He didn’t have custody of the kid or anything, right? But now he’s getting a five-figure monthly paycheck from her.”
“Yeah, but how much child support do you owe? And is your name even on the birth certificate?”
“I’ll ask cousin Joe about all the details.”
“But he’s a criminal lawyer.”
“I’m sure if he doesn’t know, he’ll know someone who does. Come on, I don’t see a downside to this. I only have to see the kid, what, twice a month? I saw that dude’s car outside—he’s not just kind of rich. I’ll make out somehow, cuz, you’ll see.”
“Wait till Dahlia hears,” Alec said, shutting the recording off. He had no intention of passing it on to Dahlia, knowing it could backfire, but he needed Darren to squirm, and squirm he did.
“No, please—don’t. Don’t do that to her—I’ve already hurt her enough, she doesn’t need to hear that.”
Alec realized that Darren looked and sounded genuine.
“Look,” he said, “I’ve got some issues, and I just needed…”
Alec put up a hand to stop him. “All of that is irrelevant to me, Darren. I care deeply about Dahlia and Angelo, and if you try to harm a hair on their heads…”
“I would never harm them.”
“Maybe you genuinely don’t think so right now, but again, I’ve seen what desperation does to people. Maybe you’ll end up considering that other option I was informed of—getting someone to kidnap Angelo and have me pay the ransom?”
Darren looked down. “I wasn’t going to go through with that,” he said quietly.
“Either way, you’re way out of your league here, Darren. Do you have any idea who is in our pockets? How many pairs of eyes I have on you? Like I said, all of this,” he said, indicating the photos and the recorder, “is nothing. I know where all of your friends and relatives live. I know about that other kid you’re ignoring. I know where your loan shark lives, and I might even consider taking care of that problem for you on one condition: you disappear. Either way, you disappear—pick your method, because I am not responsible for what my security team does.” Alec leaned toward him. “We both know you don’t give a squat about Angelo, and I won’t allow you to do it—I’m not going to let you crush him when you finally do decide to walk away and never look back again, so let’s just nip this in the bud, shall we?”
Alec could tell that Dahlia was in tears when she called him, and his heart ached. Besides, he knew quite well the pain of not having a parent show up as promised for an event.
“I don’t know what happened!” Dahlia said. “He never gave any sign that he was particularly uncomfortable or had changed his mind—he was finally making progress. I mean, Angelo was getting ready to show him his lego statues and everything!” He heard her sniff and guilt overwhelmed him. He tried to remind himself that Darren was a disingenuous slime, and that he had been justified in getting rid of him. This bit of pain that Dahlia and Angelo were going through now was the far lesser of two evils—it came nowhere near the level of pain they would have felt later on when Darren showed his true colors.
“This whole thing has made me reconsider all of our relationships here,” she said, snapping him to attention.
“Hey, wait—Dahlia, what are you talking about?”
“Not you and me, but you and Angelo. I feel like such a bad mother for not protecting him better. I kept going back and forth about it to myself; I mean, I’ve always known how dangerous it could be for him to get attached to you, but he’s just so damned happy when you’re around.”
“Exactly. And I’m happy being around him, too. Dahlia, don’t be rash—I already told you this isn’t just some fling, and you’re a wonderful mother. I’m really serious about you guys.” He tried to think of what else he needed to say to convince her. Then he figured he might as well let her in on one of his little secrets. “Dahlia, I’ve already started a trust fund for Angelo, for Christ’s sake. Like I said, he’s not the only one attached here—I’m invested in what happens to him.”
“Really?” Dahlia sounded comically shocked.
“Really. Dahlia, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Part Three
Redux
Chapter Ten
Sibling Rivalry
He had started a trust fund for Angelo? Dahlia wondered what that meant. Alec kept saying how serious he was about them, but did he plan to marry her? Did he want to legally adopt Angelo as his son?
Her heart and mind raced despite telling herself that she was making too much of too little, despite reminding herself to stay focused and practical, and to not jump to crazy conclusions. But how could she keep her head on straight? As a man and lover, Alec fogged her mental processes; he wrapped her up in some kind of amorous cocoon ruled by emotions. He looked like a dream, smelled like a dream, felt like a dream, and treated her—and her son—like a dream. So that only meant that’s all it was, right? That she should enjoy her time asleep?
/> Alec’s package couldn’t possibly exist in real life and she couldn’t let herself get caught up in some lucid dream. If she wasn’t careful, she would let herself fall into everything he said and offered, and then realize too late she had been trapped in a nightmare.
She had to keep her eyes open.
When Dahlia saw her sister’s name come up on the caller ID, she frowned. Her sister never called her this often—it had only been two weeks since her last call, and she usually dialed her about once a month or less.
Then she remembered—Zinnia was probably just really excited about wedding planning, and perhaps even wanted her opinion on a few aspects.
Dahlia chuckled. Yeah, right.
“Sis, you won’t believe this,” Zinnia began, “but I finally made myself take some vacation time, and guess what—I’m considering coming to see you guys for a few days! What do you think? Would that be too inconvenient? I mean, I know you have a new man and all, but I figure it’s California, and there’s plenty of things I can do to occupy myself when you’re gone for whatever reason…”
“Of course you’re welcome! Our place probably isn’t as large as you’re used to, though.”
“Oh, please. I’m so glad to see you guys. How long has it been?”
“About a year.”
“Wow—has it really been that long? Sure doesn’t feel like it. Gosh, Angelo must be getting so big. And I can meet your man! And we can talk all about Geoff…”
Dahlia smiled as her sister went on and on about her fiancé and enjoyed the preview of their upcoming time together.
With the bit of craziness going on lately, she could use some good old family moments.
“Zinnia, huh? I knew you had a sister, but I don’t think I ever knew her name. Your mom must love flowers.”
“Obsessed with them. Made a garden everywhere she went.”
“Not sure what that means. Where is she, by the way? I just realized you don’t mention her much.”
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7) Page 125
