Uncovering His SECRET

by Crystal Perkins

  “Damn, it’s hot to see you getting off on sucking me, Teeg.”

  I suck him harder and ride his thigh for a few more minutes before he’s coming in my mouth. As the hot liquid shoots down my throat, I feel myself cresting again. I come while sucking on his tip, and then collapse onto his chest.

  “I think you’re going to kill me tonight, Cowboy.”

  “As long as you’re riding me hard when it happens, I’ll willingly go right along with you.”

  “We should go upstairs. I don’t know what time Ethan’s going to come home in the morning.”

  “Your bed or mine?”

  “What if I meant that we should go into our separate beds?”

  “You didn’t.”

  “Tonight, we’ll go to your room,” I tell him as I stand up.

  My room is too personal to take him into right now. I’m not ready for him to see how I decorated it, or that there’s so much of the boy he once was in there. I can’t give him that power over me yet.

  “Let me grab you some food, and I’ll meet you up there.”

  “You don’t have to. I can get it myself.”

  “I’m going to take care of you, Tegan. My son told me tonight that he thinks I can do a better job than him, and I want to live up to that.”

  “For him.”

  “For both of you. I’m going to show both of you that you can count on me.”

  “I love you, Cal. I never stopped.” I probably shouldn’t admit that so soon, but I can’t help myself. I need him to know.

  “I didn’t either. I love you too, Teeg.”

  Chapter 9

  Caleb

  This last week has been pretty much a dream come true. I’ve got an amazing son, who’s finally calling me “dad.” The woman I’ve loved most of my life is in my bed every night. I’m working in a state of the art lab, where I’ve been able to do the final tests on my formula. And I’m acquiring a group of friends who love my woman and son almost as much as I do. Life is good, but not great.

  Tegan still won’t sleep with me in her room. She hasn’t even shown me her room yet. It probably shouldn’t be bothering me so much, but it is. I don’t want just a part of her. I want it all. I think we could have it this time around. If she’d just let me all the way back in.

  “Hey,” the subject of my thoughts says, walking into the lab.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Liv just went into labor. I’m heading over there soon since I wanted to be at the hospital when Yasmin’s discharged. Do you want me to get some flowers or balloons or something, from you?”

  “You could just get something from the three of us.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I guess I could.”

  “Are you ever going to let me all the way in, Teeg?”

  “I want to. I’m just scared. I don’t know if I could survive you leaving again. And I have more than just me to think about this time.”

  “You had more than just yourself last time as well.”

  “And I made the choices I had to in order to protect our son.”

  “I’d like to know about what happened after you left. If you want to tell me.”

  “Just after I left? Not before?”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to talk about you and Greg. But I’m letting it go because I want a future with you. The future that should’ve been our past, too. Could’ve been if you’d just told me you were pregnant.”

  “Are you going to ever be able to let that go? It’s a bigger issue than what happened at that stupid party.”

  “I’m willing to try. I am trying. So will you please tell me?”

  She takes a deep breath and then walks over to sit cross-legged on the only table in the room without bottles and test tubes covering it. “Okay, but I have to tell you first that I was going to tell you that night. The night our lives went to Hell. Or at least the night mine did.”

  “Then why did you sleep with him?” I know I said I didn’t want to talk about it, but I have to ask.

  “I didn’t.”

  “Oh come on, Tegan. Everyone saw you leave his room with no clothes on.”

  “I had on a bra and panties on when I left that room.”

  “So much better,” I say, rolling my eyes. “You really expect me to believe you didn’t have sex with Greg. He swears you did.”

  “And I swear that I didn’t. Apparently his word holds more weight than mine, but I already knew that. You wouldn’t have called me a slut, or a whore, every day for the weeks I stayed around if it didn’t.”

  “Don’t put this on me.”

  “But it is. Your behavior is on you, Cal. You blindly believed what someone else told you about me. Despite all the love I had shown you every single fucking day. You didn’t even ask me what happened. You just believed him. That’s not even one percent on me because I never gave you a reason to doubt me.”

  Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. But I’ve felt my righteous anger over that night for too long to doubt myself now. If I did that, I’d have to admit what my uncle told me. I might have been the one to destroy what we had. I don’t want to think about what that says about me, and how insecure I was back then, so I don’t.

  “I just want to talk about after.”

  “Of course you do,” she says shaking her head. “I found out I was pregnant, and like I said, I was going to tell you. I knew I should’ve been scared, but I wasn’t. I was so happy to be having your baby. I knew you’d be happy, too, even if it did derail your plans a little. You always talked about us being together forever, and I believed that too.

  “The night that shall not be talked about happened, and things changed for me. I didn’t want to tell my parents. I knew, without your support, they wouldn’t let me keep the baby. They could barely manage to feed me. I was getting sick so much that my mom started to notice. She thought at first that it was just heartbreak, which she felt I deserved. In fact, I’m surprised that there wasn’t a red “A” sewn into all my shirts when she did my laundry. Anyway, she figured it out that second week, and told me I was going to get rid of it—of him. I told her no, but I was sixteen. I had no say over my body. She made an appointment at a women’s clinic in Houston. I wanted to run away, but my parents never let me out of their sight for those few days. I missed school even, so they could watch over me.

  “What she didn’t know is that I’d been to that clinic already, and the head doctor there knew I wanted my baby. She saw my name on the appointment list and contacted a friend of hers, Cyndi Evans. She knew that Cyndi was working with friends to help women and children, and she asked her to help me. When we showed up to the appointment, Cyndi was waiting. She offered my parents more money than they could ever hope to have, in exchange for turning over custody of me to her.”

  “That’s how they got the money to fix up the farm and make it profitable again?”

  “Yes. They happily took her money, and gave me—and Ethan—away. Cyndi took me to Chicago and moved me into her house. She got me the best pre-natal care available, and brought tutors in to give me lessons since I was embarrassed about being unwed and pregnant in a new place.

  “Brad found out what had happened when he asked my dad about all the money he suddenly acquired. I still don’t know how he got him to admit it, but he did. He came to Chicago and stayed with us. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him and Cyndi. They believed in me and taught me to believe in myself again.

  “I wanted to join the Society as soon as it was officially formed, which was pretty soon after I had our son. Jane refused, though. She said I needed to finish school and go to college. I hated her for a little while. I hated Reina, too, since she was allowed to join when she turned eighteen. Now, I’m thankful, though. I loved my college classes and the time I got to spend with Ethan growing up. I couldn’t have done that if I was in training and going on missions all the time.”

  “But you did leave him. Ethan says he’s only been with you here in Vegas for a couple of mont
hs.”

  “I feel like there’s something more that you would like to say, so you should probably go ahead and say it before I respond.”

  She’s right. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you keep saying how much you love Ethan, and how everything you’ve done has been for him. Yet, you left him to come here for your job, and well, to sleep around.”

  She takes some more deep breaths, and I see her hands clench into fists. She asked, though. She should know me well enough to know I’m a straight shooter. I’m waiting for the punch I think is coming, when she finally speaks again.

  “I offered to quit my job, Caleb. I said I would stay in Chicago because that’s where all Ethan’s friends were. I love the women I work with, and I owe Cyndi and the other mentors so much, but I was willing to walk away from everything to make sure our son was happy.

  “He refused to let me do it. He was only eight at the time, but he’s always known about what I—we—do. In kindergarten, when he had to draw his family, he drew a team of female superheroes, capes and all. He told me that I couldn’t stop helping people just to make things more comfortable for him. He said other kids needed me more than he did because he knew he was safe and loved.”

  God, but I can actually hear him saying that to her. Telling her to help others. Of course he knows how loved he is. I may be feeling angry, hurt, and a host of other feelings about this situation, but I know without a doubt that my son has been raised better than the majority of children in the world ever will be. Tegan and her friends have taught him—and shown him—real love, compassion, and acceptance. He’s had some of the best and brightest minds in the world teaching him about anything he could possibly want to know. And athletes, that guys I grew up with would kill to meet, teaching him every sport imaginable.

  I’m feeling like a royal ass now, and she’s not even done with me yet. “Don’t you fucking dare ever try to say that I haven’t tried to put him first. Until you, I’ve only taken on short missions while I’ve been here. Ones that lasted only a few days to a week. My friends picked up the slack with longer assignments, so I could go back to Chicago for at least one full week a month, as well as 2-3 weekends.

  “I’ve been to almost every one of his school plays, and as many sports games as I could manage. When I couldn’t be there, Cyndi or Brad made sure they were, so he always had someone who was there for him. Since he’s been here, he’s had a whole cheering section at everything he does.”

  “I shouldn’t have implied that you were a bad mother.” Especially when I know she’s not.

  “No, you shouldn’t have. As for partying, and sleeping around, that’s really none of your business. Did I try to erase every trace of you by sleeping with nameless guys? Yeah, I did. Did it work? Did hearing them call me sexy, and beautiful, and say all kinds of pretty things to me erase the ugly words you said to me? No. But I have come to realize that no matter how hard I tried to live up to those names you and your friends called me, I’m never going to be what you said I was. Not unless I call myself them, and I’ll never do that. Our son will never do that, either. He’ll never make a girl, or woman, feel like she’s less because she has a healthy sex life.”

  He’s already a better man than me, and he’s not yet a man. “You’re not those things, Teeg. I was hurting so badly when I called you them, I could barely see straight, much less think about what I was saying.”

  “You said them to me again less than two weeks ago. You weren’t hurt then.”

  “The hell I wasn’t. You were in that sexy dress, and it wasn’t for me. That’s no excuse, though.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t.”

  “I keep screwing this up.”

  “Wow. You’re right twice in one day. That has to be some kind of record,” she says, punching me lightly on the arm.

  I stand up and pull her to the edge of the table. She still has her legs folded, as I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. At first she just sits there, but after about a minute, she hugs me back, resting her head on top of mine.

  “Will you be my girlfriend again, Tegan Kelly? I promise to try and be a better man.”

  “I think I’d like that, Caleb Hall. And I promise to always put you in your place when you act like an ass. Oh, and to wear that black dress again, just for you.”

  “I’m going to do lots of fun things to you while you’re wearing that dress,” I tell her as I pull her t-shirt down a little to suck on the swells of her tits.

  “I’m counting on that.” She moves back a little, displacing my mouth as she tilts my head up. “Seriously, though. I know this whole situation is hard for you. I was living with a broken heart, but I had that beautiful boy with me. I can’t give you back those years, but I’ll share him with you from now on.”

  “Thank you for that. He’s the best gift I’ve ever been given. I just wish I could teach him something. He knows so much about everything already.”

  “Not everything, Cal. No one’s ever taught him to ride a horse, or work on a ranch.”

  “Really?” I’m truly shocked. “You and Uncle Brad never did that?”

  She shakes her head. “No. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I was hoping that you’d come back into my life. I refused to let Brad teach him, and I wouldn’t either. Ethan was actually pretty angry at me for a little while over it.”

  “You have no idea how much that means to me. When this is all cleared up, we can stay in your blue house, and I can show him everything about being a cowboy.”

  “He’d love that. Speaking of getting this cleared up, I need to get back on that. You go create things with your science brain, and I’ll see you tonight for dinner.”

  She hops off the counter, but I press her against it as I take her mouth. I know she’s right about us both needing to work, but I also need a little make-out session to tide me over until I have her in my bed again tonight. With that dress on, and then off.

  * * *

  Tegan

  I’m smiling as I walk into the Corrigan & Co. Foundation offices after my epic make-out session with Cal in his lab. I could’ve stayed there with him all day. If he didn’t have a formula to test and re-test before its release, and I didn’t have a bad guy to find and punish for hurting him and my friends, I would’ve. But he does, and I do, so here I am.

  Alex holds up her finger, silently asking me to wait while she finishes the call she’s on. “Thanks for waiting, Teeg. I just wanted to let you know that Cyndi’s here.”

  “Is she in her office?”

  “She was talking to Reina, but she may be done.”

  “Thanks. I’ll look for her.”

  I skip down the hall—yes, I’m literally skipping—towards Reina’s office. I just made out with the man of my dreams, and now the woman who’s been a surrogate mother to me for years is here. Plus, I have the best kid ever. I’d be lying if I even tried to pretend that I’m not happier than I’ve been in years.

  I knock on the door and enter when it opens. “Cyndi,” I say while running over to hug her.

  “Hi, Teeg. I see a certain man we’re protecting is agreeing with you.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “You look happy. It’s good to see you this way.”

  “I am happy, but I’ll be even better once we figure out who’s behind all this madness.”

  “We actually have some information. I don’t know what you did to that woman we captured, but it didn’t take much effort on my part to find out what was going on.”

  Reina’s official expertise is languages, but she has a knack for torture as well. A scary, nightmare inducing knack that works well for all of us when we’re trying to get the information we need from the bad guys.

  “I just messed with her a little.”

  “Well, it scared the hell out of her. She thinks you’re crazy.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “No. I think you like to test my patience, and break the rules from
time to time, but you’re not crazy.”

  “I’m sorry, Rei.”

  “It’s fine. Well, I’m saying that now, but when you step out of line again, I’ll have to be the big, bad boss again.”

  “I know. You do it well, by the way.” My talk with Cal earlier makes me admit something to her that I haven’t ever done before. “I also need to apologize for when we were teenagers.”

  “Because you didn’t like me? We’re past that. At least I am.”

  “I never told you why I acted that way.”

  “No, you didn’t. I just figured it had to do with me seeming to have a carefree life while you were a teenage mother.”

  “It actually had to do with you being allowed to join the Society before college, while I was told I had to graduate first.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.”

  She looks at Cyndi then. “Why wouldn’t you let her join?”

  “Honestly, Jane and I thought that she might change her mind because of Ethan. We wanted her to have a degree to fall back on.”

  “You never told me that,” I say, expressing more than a little shock at this revelation. “I thought you just didn’t want me.”

  “If we hadn’t wanted you, you wouldn’t be here now. We didn’t tell you because we never wanted our fears to cloud your decisions.”

  “Thank you for that, and again Rei, I’m sorry for treating you badly.”

  “I’ll admit it’s nice to know that you didn’t just dislike me. I would’ve been pissed if I would’ve been forced to wait, too.”

  “I think you’re one of the cooler, more kick-ass chicks I know. I don’t think I could ever dislike you. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Now before this evolves into a Hallmark moment, I’m going to call Ainsley and Isa in so we can all come up with a plan.”

  I laugh and then turn back to Cyndi while Reina makes the calls. “How are things in Chicago?”

  “Good. But we need to talk about you. And Caleb.”

  “We could just not, and say we did.”

  “Tegan.”

  “Fine. Go ahead and give me the lecture about how he hurt me, and I should take things slow this time around.”