by May Sage
Shit.
If Shane was right, if all she’d worked on was assumptions, and Colt hadn’t even welcomed that girl’s attention at the party, she’d singlehandedly destroyed the best thing that had happened to her.
If Shane was wrong, though? Well, she was still to blame, for part two.
She should have answered those texts, a little “I need some time” might have gone a long way. But she hadn’t, she’d dealt with her shit and assumed that Colt would wait for her to be ready.
“Look, what’s happened up until now is completely irrelevant,” Mara said, shooting Shane a glare. “There’s no need to bash Alice, she has a lot to think about.”
Then, she turned towards her daughter and added: “But now, you’re going to have to stop running, and give him a phone call, to tell him that you’re carrying his child.”
Her phone beeped, signaling an incoming message, and while she would normally have ignored it, now seemed to be a great time to seek an escape route, so she took it out of her pocket and read it right away.
From: Colton Henry Colburn
To: Alice A. Vaughan
Subject: Loophole.
It’s completely your fault. While your order prevents me from texting or calling you, you didn’t say a thing about emailing.
How are you?
Answer this, or I’m coming for you.
C. Colburn,
Colburn Global, CEO
Ok, it should have sounded creepy and made her file her third restraining order to date; it didn’t.
It made her hot, like every damn thing Colt Colburn did.
She considered response. Pregnant, and you? while accurate, didn’t seem to be quite the form.
From: Alice A. Vaughan
To: Colton Henry Colburn
Subject: re: Loophole.
I’m good and we need to talk. When Can I call?
Sent from my iPhone.
She’d just put the cell down when it started ringing, Colt’s name flashing bright on the dark screen.
Shit. Now, really?
Alice swallowed and straightened her spine, although he wasn’t here to see her. She swiped to take the call, while retreating upstairs; every Vaughan had converged towards the meter square she’d claimed, like the nosey bastards they all were.
“Hey?” she hazarded, somehow hoping that caller id had made an error, but it was definitely Colt on the other end of the phone.
He proved it by breathing a suave and effortless “morning, princess” which turned her legs into jelly.
Alice wondered at that endearment; was it what he called everyone, or just her?
“I know what you have to say,” Colt announced, and she almost snorted. Little chance of that. “I respect you for doing this directly over the phone, Alice. But first, let me get something out.”
He paused for a long stretch of time.
“I’m confused,” he said. “And lost, and on edge. I’m used to certain things in my life, like control – and without you? It’s vanished. I got drunk after you left me. Let’s not pretend otherwise. You left me. The alcohol numbed my brain and I liked that, so I did it again, and again. Each time, I fucked a girl, because that’s what single, drunk guys do.”
She grimaced at that unabashed admission, but he was right. She'd left him; his dick was his to do as he pleased.
Alice was hurt and a little bit embarrassed by how quickly he'd moved on, but she had to let it go – they had to act like adults now.
Well, she had to. He wasn’t the one who had issues on that score.
“In the morning, I was rather annoyed because I was using those women, and that's not me. But, Alice, there's only one thing I regret – one thing I'm ashamed of.”
There it was; he was about to admit what had happened at the Christmas Gala. She braced herself, knowing that however much what he said would hurt her, she needed to keep her cool.
“I’m sorry I gave you any reason to believe that while in a relationship with you, anyone else mattered. They didn’t, which is why I didn’t see a problem in helping a drunken girl to a car. I didn’t want her, and in my mind, you were certain of that. Obviously, I failed you – us – and I apologize for that.”
Shit. So not what she was expecting.
Given the fact that he'd been forthcoming up until then, she knew better than to doubt what he told her now. He really hadn't led that woman on, or encouraged her. He hadn't cheated; it had all been in her stupid paranoid, mistrusting mind.
Fuck.
“So what now?” She asked in one breath, hoping against all hopes…
He sighed on the other end.
“Well princess, I said it on day one, didn't I? We're not suited, despite the chemistry. We’ve tried it, and now we know for sure, so I guess we should stay friendly. I know how much Tamsin likes you. She's missed you, you know. We all do.”
There they were, the tears; they fell silently, thank fuck, but she couldn’t stop them, because that goodbye hurt more than anything in the world, now she understood what she’d thrown away.
Dammit. She was not a crier, not even a little bit. At least, she managed to keep her meltdown silent.
“There, that’s me done. Your turn.”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying and failing to express different angles. After a while, she managed.
•
His assistant popped his head around the corner to see if everything was alright right after the crash; Colt, on the floor, quite possibly suffered of a concussion but he answered “I’m fine,” and hurriedly pressed his Do Not Disturbed button under his desk, remotely shutting the door and automatically holding his phone line.
Colt had had a plan; a perfect plan, sanctioned by Tamsin, Xander, Emma and Kane. Kellan and Brett were betting against him, but the assholes could go screw themselves.
He knew the major reasons why everything had gone to hell over a little incident were firstly, Alice’s past, and then, their short acquaintance.
The idea had killed him, but he'd planned to lure her into a false sense of security, sneakily become her friend, while hiring a sniper to take care of every male intending to snatch her away. Then, when she was ready, when she trusted him, he would have pounced.
Yes, that long, painful process would have sucked, but he could wait, he was in for the long haul. He'd tried to fuck his way to her heart and failed; instead, he'd get through by the back door. So to speak.
But she was pregnant. Right now.
There was a child growing inside her.
“Sorry, brain’s shut down,” he said to his phone, “You’re still there?”
Please, let her still be there.
“Yeah. What was that?”
“You quite literally putting me on my ass. We’re pregnant?”
“Well,” Alice replied. “I am, technically.”
“I’m pretty sure I had something to do with that.”
Well, shit. He was going to be a dad.
Then, he cursed himself, because it was a hell of an assumption.
Was she pregnant with his baby?
He knew she hadn’t seen anyone else during their acquaintance, he’d listened to enough of her conversations with Tamsin to be quite certain that she had been single, even before they’d started seeing each other, but single women had one night stands – or friends with benefits.
“Ok, then, I suppose we’re pregnant,” she replied.
That was really happening; there was no doubt in his mind that if she’d had a reason to believe it might have been someone else’s kid, she would have said it.
“We can do a paternity test,” she offered. “I’ve read they don’t harm the baby.”
“Alice, I screwed you without condom. I came deep inside your pussy; you don't need to prove to me that I got you pregnant. I was there. Believe me, I remember.”
His dick, twitching in his slacks, remembered, too.
“No. You're a rich guy, I'd like to alleviate some of the
rumors before they arise, if you don't mind.”
He sighed, conceding her point; or rather, conceding because as far as he was concerned, Alice could have whatever she wished for. On a silver platter. Sprinkled with fairy dust.
“OK. Everything is alright with you? What has the doctor said?”
“I haven't seen anyone yet; I've made an appointment next week, I'll let you know.”
He took a moment to calm down, biting back the aggressive, possessive you’ll let me know?? he had been about to shout. His voice was quite composed when he replied: “No need, princess. I'll be there. Just give me a place, time and date.”
It was her turn to pause.
“It might not be…”
“Alice? I’ll be there.”
“I’m in San Francisco,” she admitted, revealing something he'd known for days – but no need to disclose the extent of his stalking tendencies. “I'm seeing a doctor here.”
The idea that distance could stop him from reaching her – or their child – almost made him smile.
“I'll be there,” he repeated.
Well, if he was still alive.
Because his monumental mess had just become a family affair, which meant that there was no hiding it; he was going to have to include the entire clan. Worse yet, he'd need to tell the entire story, to ensure that no one blamed Alice for running to another state.
Yep, the chances the Dragon would burn him to a crisp approached ninety percent.
“Colt?”
He wasn't sure she'd still be over the line, as neither of them had spoken for a while.
“Send me your mother’s phone number, I'll tell her.”
As per usual, Alice might as well have read his mind.
“Why?”
“Because she'll take it better coming from me.”
That wasn't an answer; sure, Alice could spin anything and Gia would buy it while giggling, but that didn't explain why she wanted to save his skin.
Colt smiled, completely blown away.
Alice sounded skittish and frail, ready to bolt, but everything she said suggested something he hadn't anticipated when he'd taken that phone call.
He'd believed she wanted closure – an exchange of explanations, the occasional insult, and that was that.
Instead, she was freely giving him what he craved like his next breath.
A second chance.
Chapter 7:
When Gia Colburn called for a family meeting, you dropped your shit, cancelled any trip which might clash – would it be a business meeting or a fucking honeymoon – and you just went, if you cared about your balls.
Knowing what it was about before everyone, this time, Colt dragged his feet all the way from his penthouse in Westlake to his parent’s mansion on the hills.
One look around the drawing room was enough to get him out of his funk.
It couldn't be about Alice’s pregnancy, there was some serious shit happening; not because Gia seemed pissed – his mother had a quick temper, she yelled at someone on a daily basis, but they were used to it.
No, everyone was sweating under the collar because Harry Colburn was fuming.
Harry, their father, was the definition of a lay back kinda guy. Sure, he’d been a great CEO in his time, but he’d worked the strict requisite amount of hours to catch the sunset at the beach most evenings. He surfed, played guitar and ignored the fact that he was approaching sixty; the mirror hadn’t caught the hint either.
However for the first time, he seemed to be exactly what he was: the powerful, dangerous head of their family.
Fuck. They’d been conned. Someone had taken compromising pictures. He had cancer.
Colt wasn’t certain what the problem was, but it was big.
“Good, you’re here. Sit.”
Colt obeyed immediately; he’d never heard an order from his dad in thirty-two years, and he sincerely hoped never to hear one again.
“There’s no easy way to say this, so let’s get it over with quickly,” Harry announced to the room. “Gia and I are leaving Los Angeles.”
Fuck. What the hell was happening?
Kane beat him to it, simultaneously demanding explanations and offering assistance; Harry turned to him with a ghost of a smile, which was quick to disappear.
“We’ll be in San Francisco, close to the mother of our first grandchild.”
Harry’s gaze returned to Colt, cold and judgmental, as he froze from head to toes.
So much for Alice sweetening Gia up.
“Alice is adamant about staying up with her family, and that's where your mother and I will be, Colt. You're expected to stay here and take care of the business. You're good at that.”
“No way.” Colt’s tone was final. “I told Alice I was accompanying her to her appointment and…”
“Your mother and I will take her. If you'd acted like a responsible adult, her appointment would have been five minutes from your office.”
Why the fuck was he being treated like he kicked puppies in his spare time?
“I have done nothing wrong, dammit! She assumed I fucked Kim at your party. Look at the CCTV, it was all her! Then, she decided to stop seeing me, and when I moved on…”
“I've talked to your siblings after Alice called,” Gia intervened.
She’d never spoken to him in that voice, so cold and detached.
“You let Kimberly Dennis grope you, and you screwed around without having the balls to end your relationship, after Alice stopped talking for ten days, like the egocentric, spoilt, selfish man we’ve always known. Meanwhile your ex-whatever was trying to wrap her head around the fact that she’d just become a single mother.”
“She isn't!” he yelled.
Alice wasn't a single anything.
“Here's what's happening. You will stay here, and take care of your business while I go up to San Francisco, to my future wife. You aren't happy with it? Good for you. I resign.”
He stormed out and drove all the way down to the airport; it was only during take-off that he'd realized what had just happened.
He was on his way to sort things out with Alice, which was exactly what Gia and Harry would have wanted.
Sure, they'd ordered him to stay, but that was probably because they knew their son: it was one way to ensure that he would go. Otherwise, he would, have been at the office by now.
He would have taken Alice to her OB/GYN and returned to LA by nightfall, dragging things for weeks, months. Probably until it was too late.
Fuck. And he'd thought Kim had been manipulative.
This time, though, Colt couldn't say he minded.
When he’d landed, as expected, a text was informing him that his ridiculous resignation hadn’t been recorded in writing and was therefore, not accepted.
However, Gia added, come back without that girl, and we’ll discuss it.
•
A stronger man might have directly gone to her, but he drove the rental car he'd commissioned for the week to her brother’s, first. He needed to get a feel of what he was walking into.
Colt was by no mean a coward, but the prospect of facing Mara’s wrath, although she'd seemed so impressed with him when they'd met, and the idea of finding out whether Paul owned a rifle calmed his ardour.
Following the directions Kellan gave him, he found the building and rang the intercom.
“Yep?” A bored female voice responded.
Colt wished he could have called ahead to see if he was intruding, but he didn't have Shane’s number, so moot point.
“Is Shane around?”
The interphone disconnected and the door next to him started buzzing. Ok, then.
Colt let himself in and took the lift to the last floor.
Shane was waiting in front of his door, a smirk at the corner of his mouth when he took him in.
“Warned you, didn't I?” the guy asked smugly.
“I should have listened,” he admitted.
Shane had told him Alice never let a guy
who'd disappointed her near her again; in his case, she had, but she'd kept her emotions locked up.
Well, until he went and royally fucked it all up for good.
Shane smiled, offering his hand for a shake.
“Nah. Wouldn't have made a difference; there was going to be some sort of rift at some point, so she could run before she got too invested.”
Shane pushed the door open, and invited him into his place.
The door lead to a lounge larger than the Colburn ballroom; to his left, there was the biggest monster of a TV he'd ever seen, on a wall in front of a damn amazing sofa, and to his right, a collection of CD which took over the entire wall. If it hadn’t been tidy – in fact, pristine – it would have been the ultimate bachelor pad.
The only mess was in the center of the vast space. A woman sat on a white Persian rug, nose buried in a book, a bowl of chips next to her, and surrounded by an impressive collection of phones and laptops.
She lifted her head and saluted towards him.
“That's Brooke,” Shane sighed, attempting to aim for exasperated, but Colt saw something familiar in his eyes, and it sure as hell wasn’t indifference. “Ignore her if you can.”
The girl flipped him the bird without looking up from her book.
“Her brother and I are business associate; he lives here while his home is getting refurbished. Brooke also believes she lives here, apparently.”
It was obvious that Shane liked that girl, although he attempted to sound and look as annoyed as possible.
If he hadn't? He wouldn't have bothered with anything past the compulsory introduction.
Colt felt for him. His business associate’s sister? Ouch. There was a huge punch coming his way.
Not that he could blame him: the girl was good-looking. Not flashy – she wore no make up, a geeky top and some long shorts – but the crazy light brown curls and the long lashes were remarkable.
Colt followed Shane to his study, and couldn't help himself:
“I hope your associate doesn't have a way to kick you out of your business ventures.”
