I couldn’t believe Jon had gone along with my father and betrayed me that way. He knew how much Kya meant to me. This time, blaming my father alone wouldn’t do. I blamed him too.
I answered and avoided a few more questions about the case while Kya stood next to me like she’d been slapped across the face, and Sadie stood with her, equally shocked.
As soon as we got away from the press and into a private room, I spun around and was about to tell Kya how silly it was and apologize for what they’d said, but she broke down in tears.
She fell against me. “I was going to tell you. I’m so sorry you had to find out that way.”
I stiffened. “What?”
“I wanted to tell you, but I guess they saw your name on her birth certificate.”
Sadie excused herself and went out a side door to give us some privacy.
“Addison is mine?” I still wasn’t processing her words when Jon opened the door and stormed into the room.
“I swear I didn’t know that was about to happen, man.”
Kya took the distraction to run out of the room crying, and even though I spun around to stop her, she left. I turned back to Jon and held my hands out.
Jon tried to close the distance, but I stepped back for every step he took forward. “I promise you, Leo. This was all Whit White.”
“Well, turns out, it’s true. It’s all true.”
Chapter 26
Kya
I ran after Sadie when Leo’s friend came into the room, and even though I wanted to stay and fight to explain, all I could think to do was flee. I’d wanted to tell him so many times, and I knew I was getting closer to being able to tell him the truth, but it had always seemed like something was getting in the way. Whether it be Addie and him getting along so good that I didn’t want to spoil it, or if it was us in an intimate moment where it seemed like dropping a baby bomb was going to ruin his mood, I just hadn’t found the right time.
The biggest reason for keeping up with my secret, though, was wondering if he would bail on me or worse, if he’d try to take our daughter from me.
Sadie called us a car, and we headed straight home. When we walked in, Stones and Addie were watching princesses on the TV. Stone was sitting on the floor, slouched down so Addie could reach his head, and Addie was brushing out his long hair.
“Hey, Mama!”
Stones looked up, his eyes filled with concern. “Back so soon? That didn’t take long.” He got a peek at my tears, and his nostrils flared. “What happened?”
Sadie cleared her throat. “Addison, why don’t you go pick out some polish, and I’ll do your nails.”
Addie cheered and then disappeared into the bedroom. When she was out of sight, Sadie walked over and took my hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I should have known it would backfire.”
Stones cleared his throat. “Hey, someone want to tell me who I need to kill?”
“Easy, killer,” whispered Sadie. “Leonard found out Addie is his.”
“Holy Shit. That guy?”
I hadn’t exactly told anyone else, and apparently, Sadie hadn’t informed Stones either.
She swatted his arm. “Yeah, our attorney Leonard. They hooked up the night before we signed Whit.”
“And you are just now telling the man?” Stones’ judgmental look sent a fresh wave of tears rolling from my eyes.
“I wanted to, but it was so hard. He just looked so shocked. I know he’s going to hate me.”
Stones walked over and brought his arms around me. “It’s okay, Kya. He probably just needs to let it sink in. He’ll come around. You’re a great little family, and he’s got to see that. Hell, a blind man could.”
“That’s right. He’s probably in shock. He was caught totally off-guard.”
They were trying, but it wasn’t making me feel any better. There was only one person who could do that, and I’d left him back at the courthouse.
Stones walked me to the couch, and I sat down, grabbing the stuffed bunny Addie had left there. Sadie went to the kitchen to get me something to drink. When she came back in the room, there was a knock at the door. My head turned, and Stones went to the door.
“You want me to let him in,” he called over his shoulder.
“Yes.” I needed to get through this. I’d let it go on this long and had no one to blame but myself. Whatever he needed to do, curse me, yell at me, say goodbye and leave me, I owed him the right to do it.
Sadie handed me the glass of water. “Wait. We’ll get Addie and take her for a walk. You two need time alone to talk.” I agreed, and she went to get Addie as Stones opened the door.
Leonard stood toe to toe and eye to eye with Stones and looked like he’d come prepared for a fight. “Is Kya here?”
“She’s all yours. We’re going to take Addison for a walk.” Sadie came out of the room, and Leonard watched her as she walked by.
“Hi, Leo! Sadie’s taking me to the park!”
Leo stiffened, his eyes turning red as he looked down at her. “That’s great. I love the park. Have a good time.” He didn’t take his eyes off of her until the door was shut and then he slowly turned and looked at me. “I thought her eyes looked familiar. She looks like you so I didn’t really bother trying to figure out if she looked like anyone else, especially me. I mean, why would I? It’s not like I had any reason to think you’d keep something like this from me.”
“I’m sorry, Leonard.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“It’s Leo. I haven’t been your Leonard for a long time. But you’d have known that if you’d bothered to call and tell me you were pregnant. I’d have shown you what kind of man I wanted to be for you and our daughter.”
“I thought you wouldn’t want to give up your life to us. You’d just finished law school, and I was on tour.”
“And you never gave me that choice. Did you?” He glared at me as my eyes welled with tears. “I just really came by to make sure you and Sadie made it home. I came out of the courthouse and found you gone.
“Leo, don’t go.”
“You haven’t needed me around for the past five years. You’ll be okay while I figure this shit out.” He turned and walked to the door, and even though I stood up and called his name, he shut the door behind him.
I could have run to him, but I knew he needed time. I went to my bedroom and lay on the bed crying. Twenty minutes later, Sadie came in. “Stones has Addie and suggested we take her with us. She doesn’t need to see you upset.”
“He didn’t want to talk. He was just being polite and seeing that we made it back. He probably hates me. I can’t blame him. I hate myself.”
“Hush, you do not. You’re Kya fucking Campbell. You’re going to pick yourself and dust off and be strong for your daughter. And if that sorry SOB doesn’t want to be with you, then who needs him It’s his loss.”
“What if he wants to take her? He’s a lawyer, Sadie.”
“Which reminds me. When you get this all out of your system, we need to figure out what this means for the lawsuit. I’m not even sure we can move forward. If he decides to quit us, too, then we may as well give up.”
“I’m sorry I made a mess of things. I know you hoped to get your money back.”
“Hey, you and Addie are much more important to me than any amount of money, so you remember that, okay? I wanted this to nail that prick to the wall, so Addie would have better. You guys are family. You’re what matters to me. Nothing else.” She threw her arms around me, and we held each other tight.
“I’ll just take a few hours.” I pulled away from her and reached beside my bed for a tissue.
Sadie got up and walked to the door. “We’ll take her to my house and then bring her back later tonight. I’m sure she just thinks Stones and I want to spend time with her, which we do.”
“Thanks,” I said as she turned to walk out.
She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “That’s what family’s for.” She closed the do
or behind her, and I heard the three of them leave a few minutes later. I rolled over and cried against my pillow. And that’s when the past five years came flooding back to me.
I’d started getting sick during the show and having to leave the stage about two weeks after Leonard and I had hooked up. At first, I thought I was just having a hard time eating shitty road food and getting motion sickness on the tour bus, but then I noticed it was especially horrible in the mornings, and Sadie had encouraged me to get a test.
We stopped off at a drug store in Austin, and with Liam and Rob both waiting with Sadie out front, I peed on the stick and watched the indicator as it revealed a pink plus sign.
When I came out of the bathroom crying, the three of them had huddled around me consoling me and telling me it was all going to be okay. We kept it under wraps until I saw Blitz about two days later, and I’d never forget him walking up to me that day at the Dallas venue. “You have a glow about you, love.”
At first, I’d thought Sadie had told Stones, and they’d spilled the beans to Blitz, but then he leaned in closer and brought his arms around me. “No, I just know these things. I’ve been through it three times with two different women, and I’m telling you, it’s always the glow.”
I remembered putting my hand to my face and the way he chuckled and asked me if I was going to keep it.
“Of course,” I’d said, trying hard not to be offended. I had imagined he was about to kick me off the tour, but instead, he squeezed me tighter and then made me get off my feet.
“That’s wonderful news. I never believed in killing off my own, and babies are fucking awesome. You’re going to have to take it easy between shows, you know. And I’ll make sure you get a room at every venue. You shouldn’t be sleeping on that bus so much.”
“Thanks. I’m a little scared.”
“How does the father feel about all of this?” He gave me a bit of side-eye, and I knew he had to be curious if I even knew who the father was. It wasn’t like I had a bad reputation, but I was on the road in a rock band, and anything was possible.
“I don’t know if he can’t handle it. I told my parents. That went over horribly, so I just don’t know if I can face rejection from anyone else.”
“Well, my opinion is, he has the right to know. But I’ll also respect your wishes, and I won’t judge. But if you plan to go into it this way, I’ll be here for you, and I’d advise you never try to find him or ask for anything. Shared custody is a bitch on the road. Take my Melinda. She tried to take Angus from me once. Said my lifestyle was unbecoming of a father. Careful what paths you choose because once your feet get the feel beneath you, it’s hard to change your course.”
As I stared at the ceiling wondering if Leo was ever going to come back, I realized I’d taken Blitz’s advice to heart. I had let myself get so used to my lifestyle, I hadn’t allowed myself to stray from my path, even though I knew not telling Leo about our child was wrong.
I let my mind drift back to the day Addie was born when Stones and Sadie rushed me down to the ER, and Blitz, Liam, and Rob all made their way down from the venue to see the new member of our tribe. My heart was so full of joy, and though I knew it was wrong not to call Leonard, I never wanted that feeling to end.
Chapter 27
Leo
The sun peeked through my window announcing it was morning, which was fine with me. I hadn’t slept a wink. No matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t get Kya and Addie out of my mind. I hadn’t talked to her since the day of the conference and really didn’t know if I could look at her ever again.
As much as I loved her, I couldn’t help but be pissed off. I needed a little more time before I went to her and wasn’t totally sure what course of action I wanted to take.
Addison was my daughter, and I’d been cheated out of her life since the day she was born. I’d missed out on all the firsts, the walking, the talking, the first day of school, her learning to say daddy, and every single day she could have known who I was, and I could have known her.
I wanted to punch a wall. I got up, knowing I couldn’t be alone, but I couldn’t really talk to Jon, and even though Dad was the last fucking man I wanted to get a lecture from, I needed to speak to him.
As I brushed my teeth and trimmed my beard, I knew I had to find out why he’d done this. Not only that, but he had a granddaughter he didn’t know. Did he even want to see her? Even though I’d been a total disappointment, maybe she’d make up for it somehow.
I walked to the closet and pulled out some comfortable jeans and a casual, button-down shirt and slipped them on. I found my shoes by the dresser and stepped into them while I grabbed my wallet and shoved it into my pocket. On my way out, I grabbed my keys and headed out to my car.
Being Wednesday morning and so early, the sun had barely begun to shine, I knew my dad had to be home. He never went to the office too early, and on Wednesdays, he liked to have a nice breakfast at home and practice his golf swing for an hour before heading in to work.
I drove up to his new house and wondered if he ever thought about getting remarried after Mom had died. He’d been alone since, and while I knew he’d dated a few women, nothing had lasted.
I walked up to the house and knocked on the door, and a moment later, he answered wearing his long red robe with the black trim. He’d always worn the same kind, and I knew it was because my mother had bought him one every other Christmas for years before she died.
He held his hand up to me and gave me a hard look. “Before you start with me, Leonard, I didn’t know Milton would spill what he knew to the press.”
“Why even put him on the case in the first place? I told you Kya didn’t deserve that, that this case was a joke, and you hired some asshole to stalk Kya and Addison, looking for dirt.”
He walked away from the door, leaving me to walk in and close it behind me. Then he waved his hand dismissively when I turned around to go after him. “I didn’t know anything about the baby rumor, but it isn’t anything a paternity test can’t fix.”
It was scary that I had also come to that conclusion when I thought it was a mistake. “Oh no, it’s not just a rumor. Turns out, it’s true. Congratulations, you’re a grandfather.”
His face paled, and suddenly, he was at a loss for words. We stood in silence, and I gave him a minute to collect himself. I knew how rough that shock could be. He finally looked up from the floor and met my eyes. “You mean to tell me it’s true. You really have a child with that woman?”
“I saw Kya five years ago, and yes, I got her pregnant. And I only just found out about it at the conference.” I felt like a loser admitting that. I had this amazing little human being in the world, and I didn’t even know it. “You should see our little girl. She looks just like Kya but with my eyes.”
Dad put his hand to his lips and then held his hand over his heart. “Your mother’s eyes?”
“Yeah, Dad. Mom’s eyes.”
My father turned and began to pace the room, and after a few times back and forth, he stopped and turned his attention back to me. “I regret what happened at the conference, but we’re not encouraging the client to take a deal.”
I knew he would be stubborn about the case. He had never been one to back down. No matter how much he needed to. “He’s going to lose, Dad. There’s no way you can win.”
“So? I get paid anyway, son. Jon is prepared for trial, and we’ll let the cards fall where they may, but I need you to be ready for it.”
I had only one more warning for him. “Don’t go after Kya. She’s the mother of your granddaughter, and the little girl needs a stable home and a stable family. If you do anything for any of us, make sure you don’t disrupt that.”
He waved his hand as if to calm me down. “Jon already took care of that. He threatened to quit if I insisted he bring Kya up in court. And believe it or not, in light of the child being involved, I agree.”
“Her name is Addison, Addie for short.” I took out my phone and pulled up a pict
ure I’d taken of Kya and Addie together. “See? Your granddaughter.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed as a smile played over his face. “She does look like your mom.”
“I don’t know if I can do this. I’ve thought about it all night. I want to be with Kya, but this is hard. I’m not sure if I can forgive her. I’m not even sure I can defend her.”
“You know, son. I’ve thought about what you said. How you think I’m disappointed in you. The truth is, I’ve always been tough on you because I want you to reach your fullest potential. I know there’s greatness in you, much more than there is in me. You’re a much better man, and I promised your mama I wouldn’t let you waste your life not giving it your best. I need you to know you’ve never let me down, son. Not once. I’ve never been disappointed in you, not even when you walked out at work. And now, that woman needs you, and so does that little girl. The only thing that could disappoint me is if you let another five years of that girl’s life go by without you in it.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I love you, son. I know I don’t say it enough, and hell, I barely show it, but I love you, and I’m proud of you.” He glanced back down at the phone. “You two sure did make a beautiful kid.”
I looked down at the picture too. “She’s got good genes.”
“I’ll see you in court?” His brows rose as he waited for my response.
“Yeah, Dad. I’ll see you in court. But I think I should call Jon. I want to make sure things are set and let him know I’m not angry at him.”
“He’s a good egg, that one. Too bad this case won’t improve his record any.” We shared a chuckle, and I let myself out.
I walked away from my father for once feeling like things were okay with us instead of like everything was falling apart.
I got in my car and took a deep breath knowing that as badly as I wanted to run to Kya, it was still a tad early and she would be taking Addie to school, so I decided to find Jon, who I figured would be sipping coffee at the office.
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 17
