“She gone for good then?” Maya asked, her focus on the man’s arm in front of her now.
“Yeah. So she says, but it might actually work this time. She apologized.”
“We know,” Callie said with a wink. She sat near Sloane, watching him work on shading for the day. “We had the music down so we could hear what she had to say.”
Austin opened his mouth to yell then closed it, snorting and shaking his head instead. If he’d been in their shoes, he would’ve done the same thing. The crew of Montgomery Ink was a nosey one.
“Brat,” he muttered as Callie fluttered her eyelashes.
“I try.”
He went back to his station and started getting ready for the next client. By the time he was done, they were in an odd lull where they had no clients waiting or in chairs. The next big rush of appointments would be soon, but for now, it was just him, Callie, Sloane, and Maya.
The door opened again, and Austin counted to three before turning. If it was Shannon or another idiot, he was going to scream.
Instead, a man in a nice suit and a briefcase stood in the doorway. God, he hoped they weren’t getting sued for ink. It hadn’t happened to him but it had to others in his profession. Some people were never happy no matter how hard others tried.
“Mr. Montgomery?” the man asked.
Austin frowned. Well, shit. “I’m Austin Montgomery. There’s a few Montgomerys around so you’ll have to be specific.”
The lawyer nodded. “Yes, you’re the one I’m looking for. In fact, it’s been pretty difficult to find you, Mr. Montgomery.”
Something icy went up his spine. “What do you mean?”
Maya came to his side, her arms folded in front of her. Sloane stood up with Callie by his side. They were united against whatever came, but Austin had a feeling they wouldn’t be enough.
“I’ve sent you a letter with what I need to talk to about.”
Austin racked his brain then cursed. There had been that letter from lawyers that he’d put aside because he hadn’t recognized it. Things had been so crazy with dad and Sierra that he’d forgotten about it. Fuck. What had he missed?
“Sorry about that, we’ve been a bit crazy here. What can I do for you?”
“We also couldn’t reach you by phone because your number seems to have changed in the past ten years.”
Ten years? What the hell was this about?
“And now that circumstances have changed, I needed to see you face to face, rather than discuss things through mail or over the phone.”
“Out with it already,” Maya muttered.
“And you would be… miss?” the man asked, his eyebrow raised.
Yeah, they were all tattooed freaks in his eyes, but what the fuck ever. “This is my sister Maya and my co-workers Sloane and Callie. They might as well be family, so say what you need to say. You don’t need to wait for them to leave.”
“If you’re sure. This is quite personal.”
Austin’s stomach clenched, but he didn’t let his nervousness show. At least he hoped not. “They’re family, so they’ll find out anyway. What’s going on? Why are you here for me?”
The lawyer nodded then walked forward, putting his briefcase on the counter. “You might want to sit down, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Call me Austin. Mr. Montgomery is my father, and I’m fine standing.”
“Okay then, Mr. Mont—I mean Austin.” He cleared his throat, and Austin was ready to throttle the man. “Do you remember a Miss Maggie Forrester?”
Maggie. Damn, her name had come up a lot in the past few weeks.
“Yes, I remember her. We dated over ten years ago. I haven’t heard or spoken to her since. What’s up with Maggie?”
Maya’s hand went to the small of his back, and he realized his body was shaking. Something was wrong, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what it was.
“I’m sorry to say Maggie Forrester passed away three months ago.”
Austin blinked, an odd shock going through his system. He hadn’t thought about her often since she’d broken up with him after calling him a freak, but it still hurt to hear she’d passed away.
“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“Car accident. She died on impact.”
“Again, I’m sorry to hear that, but I don’t know what that has to do with me. I haven’t seen her in years.”
“Well, she left something behind, Austin.”
Maggie had left him something? Why they hell would she have done that? It made no sense. His confusion must have played on his face because the lawyer gave him a sympathetic smile.
“Austin, she left behind a son.”
He blinked then took a step back, then another. Sloane came up from behind him and helped him sit on one of the stools.
“A son?” he croaked. No, it couldn’t be. Maggie would have told him if he had a son. Wouldn’t she?
Images of her face when she’d screamed at him and called him an abuser filled his mind and he cursed. Maybe not. She might have hidden it from him because she’d been afraid.
Holy fuck.
“I can tell from your face that you understand. Leif is ten years old, and according to his birth certificate, he’s your son. Are you telling me you never knew?”
“Of course he didn’t know, you asshole,” Maya bit out. “You think he would have just stayed away if he thought for a second he had a kid out there.”
“I’ve seen a lot of terrible things in my line of work, Ms. Montgomery.”
“Well, your line of work sucks,” Callie said, tears in her voice.
“Leif?” Austin asked, his voice hoarse.
“Yes, his given name is Leif Forrester Montgomery.”
Montgomery. “She gave him my name? Why?”
“I can’t begin to go into the decisions people make, Austin. Right now, we don’t have DNA to certify her claims, but as you’re listed on the birth certificate, you do have rights.”
“Rights? Wait. Where is he? Where’s Leif? Is he with her folks?”
The lawyer shook his head. “I’m afraid they passed away when Leif was born.”
“So she’s been on her own this whole time. Raising a kid, my kid, this whole time. What the hell? Why didn’t she tell me?”
Tears filled his eyes, and he tried to come to terms with what the lawyer was saying, but he couldn’t comprehend it.
“Where’s Leif?” he asked again.
“We have him in a group home for now. Unless you claim him—and that’s not as easy as it sounds—he will have to find a foster family and stay in the system. As I said, it’s really your choice. Since your name is on the birth certificate, we can make the process easier. However, I don’t want you to make a decision now. Take your time, but remember, the life of a child is at stake.”
Austin couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
“Give us your number and how to contact you,” Sloane said, taking charge. Everyone else seemed to be in shock. “We’ll figure it out and let you know. Do you need anything right now for the DNA test?”
“We can do a swab right now and get started.”
“Austin?” Sloane asked, standing right in front of him.
He blinked. “Okay, yeah. Let’s do that.” The kid was his. He knew it deep down in his soul though he’d never met him.
The lawyer swabbed his mouth, and he sat quietly through it. The lawyer said he’d be in touch and left, leaving a broken and confused trail in his wake. Austin didn’t like the idea of Leif staying in a group home while he had plenty of room at his place, but things hadn’t connected in his brain yet. He needed to tell his folks, needed to tell Sierra.
Fuck. Sierra.
Dear God.
What was he going to tell her?
“What are you going to do, Austin?” Maya asked. “Want me to get Sierra?”
He shook his head. “No, let her work. I need to think.”
“You sure that’s the best thing? This affects her too.�
�
“I know that, but I need to breathe. I can’t just let my kid, if he really is mine, be alone there when I can take him in, but what do I know about kids? Fuck.”
Maya shook her head then walked to the door, flipping the sign to closed. “Callie, call our appointments and reschedule. We’re going to go take Austin home and figure it out. Then when you’re ready, we’ll call the family. Mom and Dad will be at home, but they’ll be strong even with the treatments.”
“Fuck, the treatments.”
“I know, big brother, but we can do this. One step at a time, Dad.”
Dad.
He ran his hands over his head. Dad? What the hell was he going to do? There was only one thing he could do.
“I need to call Sierra.”
Maya frowned. “You can just go over there.”
“No, I can’t see her right now. I can’t…I need to talk to her, but I need time.”
He knew he was messing this up, but he was floundering. He dialed her number and sighed when it went straight to voicemail. Maybe it was for the best. She had enough to deal with without his drama.
He had a kid.
Everything had been looking up, and now it had all crashed down. Life certainly knew how to throw punches, only Austin didn’t know if he’d be able to get back up after this one. Not this time.
Chapter 17
Austin hadn’t called again. He’d left a weird message saying that he would see her later then hadn’t called back all night. Sierra didn’t want to think it was a bad sign, but she was certainly worried. It had now been over twelve hours since that phone call, and Sierra had a bad feeling about it.
Something had happened, she just knew it, but Austin hadn’t answered his phone when she called, so now she didn’t know what to think.
The day before, she’d spent almost all of her time either on her feet dealing with a mad rush that might have made her pocketbook happy but not the arches of her feet, or she’d been in the back, bent over her books.
Being a business owner was not for the weak.
Well, being a successful one anyway. And she wanted to be successful damn it.
By the time evening had come around, even though she’d need to work for another few hours, she’d gone home with the beginnings of a headache. She and Austin had tentative plans of him coming over, but they hadn’t finalized them because of her workload.
Then her migraine had hit, and she’d lain in bed moaning before finally falling asleep.
That was when she’d missed Austin’s call and odd message.
Now it was morning. While Jasinda and Becky handled the store, she was going to get some coffee from Hailey and bring it over to her man. Not only did she want to see him, she wanted to make sure he was okay.
Not speaking to him for almost a full day made her a little uneasy, and that, in turn, made her freak out a little. They’d gotten serious extremely quickly, but she couldn’t say she regretted it. Austin made her feel whole again. Not that she needed him to feel human. It was more that she’d been missing something in her life. He looked at her scars and saw strength and beauty, and she believed him. He got angry for her past and then helped her breathe through the steps she needed to take in order to overcome it.
He was there for her, and now she wanted to be there for him. She just prayed that whatever was going on with Austin wasn’t something serious. God, what if it was about his father? She knew the older Montgomery had his first full treatment the day before, and she prayed that there hadn’t been any complications.
Sierra let out a breath. That had to be it on some level. Maybe Austin was just freaking out over his father being sick. Damn it, and she hadn’t been there. She’d been in bed with a migraine and not by his side like she should have been.
Well, that wouldn’t be happening again. No, next time she’d help him through it, even if she had to rest her head on a cool compress the entire time.
He’d helped her through her pain, and she’d be damned if she let him go through this on his own.
Shoulders rolled back, she said goodbye to her girls then walked across the street to Hailey’s. She glanced over at Montgomery Ink, saw a young boy sitting on the front steps in the corner, and thought it must have been one of their clients’ kids. It was still early, but the cool air from the morning dew still stung a bit. She hoped the kid kept warm because she wouldn’t want to stay outside long. It didn’t matter if it was in the dead of summer in Colorado, once you were in the shade and before the sun really hit, the mountain drafts went to work on the air.
She’d just ask Austin who the boy was as soon as she made her way over. Maybe she’d go the long way around, rather than through the connecting doors between Taboo and Montgomery Ink like she’d grown accustomed to. That way she could see if the kid needed anything. Honestly, she didn’t know why she cared so much about this kid who probably had two parents inside waiting for him or watching out for him, but she couldn’t help it.
As soon as she stepped into Taboo, she smiled at Hailey, who was doing some sort of wiggle behind the counter, dancing to the beat of the music as she filled coffee orders.
There wasn’t too much of a line thankfully, so Sierra didn’t have to wait long. Normally she might have gone to the coffee shop next to Eden in the mornings because of the rush, but she’d wanted to see her friend, and the line was worth it.
“Hey, girlie, good morning,” Hailey said as she continued to wiggle.
Sierra couldn’t help but snort. “You’re in a chipper mood.”
Hailey shook her head then made the two lattes for Sierra and Austin. “Not really. I just happened to be highly caffeinated. I tried a new bean for our espresso, and it has a punch.”
Sierra’s eyes lit up. “Oh really? Are you keeping it then?”
Hailey nodded. “Yep. It’ll be good for the early morning drag-ins. Plus, it doesn’t taste like burnt tar like some of the coffee houses.”
Sierra had the grace to blush. “You know when I go to the other place, I only think of you. It’s just faster.”
Hailey rolled her eyes. “That’s what they all say, champ. Two lattes to go. Say hi to Austin for me.”
“How did you know I was seeing Austin?” Sierra asked, her best ice-princess face on. “I just ordered two drinks. One could have been for Jasinda or Becky.”
Hailey snorted. “It could have been, but you came here during your morning to work on inventory, books, and other admin things, so it must have been important. There’s only one person right now that comes to mind. So tell him I said hi.” Hailey stopped dancing and gave Sierra a look she couldn’t quite understand.
“What’s wrong?” Damn it. Something was up, and she couldn’t shake that feeling.
“I don’t know, hon. Something’s up over there. They closed up shop yesterday before closing hours, and Sloane looked even more solemn than usual.” Hailey’s cheeks pinked at the mention of Sloane, but Sierra couldn’t think about that right then.
“They closed up shop?” she asked, her heart racing. “They never do that, do they?”
Hailey shook her head and started making the customer sitting at the counter a cup of coffee. “No, they don’t. Maybe if they had a family emergency, but I don’t know.” Hailey blinked back tears and shook her head. “Go over there and make sure everything is okay with Harry, will you? I’m worried. I know I was dancing earlier, but I’m trying to keep my mind off it, you know? Since I’m stuck here.”
Sierra nodded, swallowing hard. She cleared her throat then picked up her lattes. “I’ll find out. I’m sure they’re all fine.”
Hailey gave her a sad smile. “Yeah. I’m sure we’re just freaking out over nothing. Now go see those Montgomerys.”
Sierra gave one last goodbye then walked toward the connecting door before stopping and turning back to the front door. Even if her mind whirled at whatever could be wrong with Austin, she hadn’t forgotten about that boy completely. She wanted to make sure he was okay as well. S
he would have ordered him a hot chocolate or something, but since he wasn’t her kid, she didn’t want to encroach. Plus the kid could be allergic to sugar or something. That was a thing. Right?
Damn it. How could getting two cups of coffee make her mind go as crazy as it had? Now she had a boy she didn’t know to worry about—who she probably didn’t need to worry about anyway—and a man she cared for in need. Well, at least that’s what she thought. For all she knew, she was blowing everything out of proportion and he’d just laugh and call her Crazy Legs when she asked him.
Yes, that was what was going to happen.
But they’d closed the store…
Nope. Not going to dwell on that. Not yet.
The boy still sat on the front step when she got there. His brown hair looked tousled, like he hadn’t brushed it in awhile, and he had on a thin jacket and holey jeans. For all she knew, that was the style of boys his age, but the utter sadness on his face wasn’t.
He had his arms wrapped around his legs, and his chin rested on his knees. Now that she got a good look at him, she saw that he wasn’t exactly sitting on the front step. He was more off to the side and under the full windows so whoever was in Montgomery Ink couldn’t see him.
While she hoped that his family was inside, she had a feeling this boy had slept out here or near here the night before. She couldn’t see evidence of a nest nearby or any other evidence, but it was a feeling she couldn’t shake off.
What was she supposed to do?
Well, calmly talking to him would be the first step. Though she was a stranger, and he probably shouldn’t talk to her in the first place, she couldn’t just walk past him.
She put on a smile and tried to not look like a murderer or whatever a little boy would think some woman on the street might look like.
“Good morning,” she said brightly.
The kid, who had been staring off into space, jolted then turned to her, his eyes wide. “Good…good morning,” he mumbled then shut his mouth quickly, as if scared to say anything else.
Oh, this poor boy. Something was surely up with him. Or she just scared the crap out of him. Either way, she had to fix it.
Steam and Ink: Two Novels of Ink Plus Two BONUS Short Stories Page 16
