And Anthony hadn’t taken over as his ‘real’ father. He’d simply slipped into the role of using Ford, as though DNA gave him that right. If he found out what Kyle was doing he might feign outrage, but he’d probably approve of any method that kept Ford in line.
Ford could insist he wanted to be a better father, but maybe the men in his family were just too fucking damaged to be that selfless. As messed up as Trista had been, maybe she’d known their son would be better off without him.
Thinking back over the last decade, she was right. Sure, he wanted to believe he’d have given Jaxon more than any foster home could, but if Jaxon had grown up under Kingsley’s rule, he’d have been just as desperate to earn the man’s respect as Ford.
Never mind how much power Kingsley would’ve had over Ford with his son’s life in his hands.
“Hey.” Luke opened the driver’s side door, having somehow gotten out without Ford hearing. He gave Ford a bracing smile. “As someone who’s been disowned by the sperm donor he once called ‘Dad’, I get it.” Luke punched his shoulder lightly. “Either way, kid needs you. You don’t get to be too scared to show up.”
Inhaling slowly, Ford nodded. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am.” Luke gave Ford some space as he climbed out of the car. “You’ve got this. Seriously.”
Once they’d reached the door to Anthony’s condo, Ford had a grip on his conflicting emotions, confident that he could at least have another good day with his son. Whatever else was going on, Luke was right. He had to show up.
The door opened, revealing Anne, whose bright smile shifted to confusion for a split second before she schooled her features and invited them in. “Jaxon’s excited to see you.” She hesitated, as though considering her words carefully, finally clearing her throat and lowering her voice. “I don’t think he was expecting to share you with one of your…special friends.”
Luke let out a soft laugh. “I don’t think the kid would mind meeting Ford’s boyfriend or girlfriend—since he’ll be living with them soon—but I’m neither. Just here to play some video games with my buddy’s son.”
“I see.”
Something about Anne’s tone had Ford questioning all his ‘Maybe she’s not so bad’ thoughts. If she’d wanted him here alone, it wouldn’t be for Jaxon. Not when Kyle always had to come with them, preventing any one-on-one bonding time between Ford and his son.
Anthony might have wanted a progress report. Which he wouldn’t get in front of Luke.
Tough.
Forcing a smile, Anne motioned for them to follow. “Jaxon is upstairs in his room. Why don’t I introduce…”
“Luke.” Luke’s tone was still friendly, but there was something guarded about his posture. He kept glancing over at Ford.
Ford had no idea what to tell him.
“Luke.” Anne nodded. “Luke Carter? I’ve heard your name when my husband is watching the sports analyses shows. You’ve had an amazing career. I’d love to hear more about it while I bring you to meet Jaxon.”
Oh hell no. Ford shook his head, catching Luke’s eye this time to let him know he had this. “If you don’t mind, I’ve been looking forward to introducing my friends to my son myself. Let Anthony know we’ll be down in a bit.”
Anne’s eyes narrowed, but just like before, she smoothed her features so quickly he’d have missed it if he’d blinked. With a light laugh, she waved them on. “Of course! I’ll go put on some coffee. We also have cake from a lovely little bakery down the street. Would you care for a slice, Luke?”
“So long as it’s not poisoned,” Luke said, under his breath. He shot Anne a neutral smile over his shoulder as they headed upstairs. “Yes, that would be…lovely.”
The sour look Anne shot Luke the second he continued up made it hard not to laugh, but no matter how irritated she was, Ford was damn happy Luke was here. The man didn’t do fake. The only game he played was on the ice.
And…roleplaying as a mobster for his wedding?
Maybe Ford could talk him into a biker costume instead. He’d look hot in some tight leathers.
“I can feel you staring at my ass.”
Blinking at Luke as he reached the top step, Ford frowned. “I wasn’t.”
“I know, I’m just keeping things light.” Luke winked at him, looking over the loft-style living room with a low whistle before following Ford to the hall to the bedrooms beyond. “This place is a lot bigger than I thought. How’s Anthony affording all this? I thought he was broke?”
“He was.” Ford shrugged as they reached the door to Jaxon’s room. “Not sure I want to know the truth, but he said Anne made some good investments.”
“Sure she did.”
Grunting, Ford set aside his suspicions so he could focus on his son. He really was excited for Luke to meet him. And also aware that Jaxon didn’t warm up to people easily, but he had a feeling Luke could handle whatever the kid threw at him.
As he opened the door, a shoe came flying. Ford ducked.
“Oww.” Luke rubbed his forehead, joining Ford in the room. “If you were aiming for my head, buddy, you’ve got a good arm.”
Sitting on the floor in front of his bed, Jaxon stared up at them, all the color gone from his face. “Shit, I didn’t mean to hit you. Whoever you are.” He tugged his bottom lip between his teeth and looked to Ford, his eyes wide. “Honest. I thought he was Uncle Kyle.”
Closing the door behind him, Ford kept his voice low. “Why would you throw a shoe at your uncle?”
“He said you weren’t coming. That you’d probably been bored at the arcade and just pretended to enjoy yourself to be nice.” Jaxon’s eyes glistened, as though he was close to tears, but he glared at the wall, not blinking, a trick Ford knew well. One that held the tears at bay. His voice tightened as he spoke. “I told him he was a liar and he laughed at me and said I needed to grow up. So fuck him.”
“What a dick.” Luke sighed and crossed the room, dropping to sit beside Jaxon on the floor. Then he held out his hand. “I’m Luke. Your dad couldn’t wait for me to meet you, but I was a bit slow getting ready. Sorry I made him late.”
Jaxon took Luke’s hand, shook it quickly, then hugged himself. “It’s okay, I didn’t know he was late. No one tells me shit.”
Ford inhaled a slow, measured breath. He couldn’t lose it. Not in front of his son. He needed to do something dad-like. Lecture him about the swearing—but he couldn’t get past how Kyle had decided to retaliate. How he’d callously played on Jaxon’s insecurities and fears.
He’d hurt his own nephew to get back at Ford.
No wonder he gets along so well with Anthony.
“Let’s get out of here.” He tried to control his tone, but by Luke’s warning look, he still sounded pissed. Which might scare Jaxon. Fuck. He cleared his throat. “Your uncle doesn’t know me, Jaxon. I had so much fun the other day I missed work and got some flak for it, but I didn’t give a damn. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Letting Luke give him a hand up, Jaxon glanced over at Ford, his expression wary, but hopeful. “Yeah?”
“Hey, I’m missing work to bring you to your first day at your new school.” Ford grinned at Jaxon’s hesitant smile. “Face it, kid. You’re not getting rid of me anytime soon. And I’m working on getting you to start spending the night at my place. My girlfriend got a room set up for you already. It’s a lot nicer than this one.”
“Really? That was cool of her.” Jaxon’s brow furrowed. “But I thought you had a boyfriend.”
“I do. And I’ll explain it to you one day, but I’m not sure how much time we have.” Ford put his hands on Jaxon’s shoulders. “I’m glad you trusted me to be here. If I ever can’t, I’ll tell you myself. Deal?”
Jaxon nodded. “Deal.” He rubbed his hand under his nose. “You think grandpa will let us go out? Just me, you, and Luke?”
Inclining his head, Ford ruffled Jaxon’s hair. “I guarantee it. Hang here with Luke for a bit, I’m just gonna tell g
randpa we’re heading out.”
For a second, Luke didn’t look like he’d let Ford leave. Then his jaw hardened and he nodded to Ford. “We’ll give you five minutes.”
“Perfect. Meet me at the bottom of the steps.” Ford left the room, not letting his anger take over until he’d hit the lower level of the condo. He strode across the short hall, past the sitting area where he’d sat with his sisters, ready to give their father another chance.
Chances were over. He knew exactly who the man was.
It was time to deal with him on his level.
Anthony was sitting in the large living room just off the kitchen, speaking to Kyle, Anne standing by the side of the large, dark grey armchair, nodding at whatever he was saying. A French press sat on a silver tray in the middle of the coffee table, with several dainty mugs and plates around it and a fancy little white cake.
Considering the three people in the room, Luke might be right about the thing being poison.
They certainly were.
“Ford, I’ve been waiting for you, son. I—”
“Don’t.” Ford glared at the old man, then made a sharp motion before Anne could step in. “You ever let this fucker tell my son I won’t be here for him, or that I’m faking having a good time, and our agreement is over. I’ll take my chances with the lawyers. You want to mess with me, use me? Fine. But leave him out of it.”
“Calm down, son.” Anthony gave Kyle a hard look. “Why would you tell Jaxon that Ford wasn’t coming?”
Not seeming fazed by either Anthony or Ford, Kyle sat back again the stiff, grey sofa and took a sip from his coffee. “I hadn’t heard from Ford and I didn’t want my nephew to be disappointed. I won’t apologize for that. I’ve been Jaxon’s guardian for a long time. And still am.” He arched a brow at Ford. “Or had you forgotten?”
“Anthony is the one taking care of him.” Which Ford didn’t much like, but he wasn’t sure who was worse anymore. “You’re here because you can’t.”
“I’m here because I want Jaxon to know his family. Wanted to see if you’d be able to raise him.” Kyle shook his head and sighed. “I’m still not convinced. Andrea’s been talking about going home a lot lately. Maybe she’s right. Maybe coming here was a mistake.”
Anthony looked from Ford, to Kyle, his lips thinning. “You don’t want a fight with me, Kyle. I spent a lot of money getting the boy here—”
“And we’re grateful, but we can’t stay here forever and you’re too old to raise him.” Kyle smiled over the lip of his cup. “Either Ford proves how far he’s willing to go for his son, or he’s not fit to have him. That will be my decision, not yours.”
And like that, Kyle had Ford cornered. Ford had hoped Anthony wouldn’t want to risk losing cooperation, but he’d been outmaneuvered by the other man. This was something his money couldn’t fix. Not without a lawyer siding with him. Which left him in the exact same position Ford was in.
Ironic justice, in a way. If only Jaxon wasn’t stuck in the middle.
“Since you’ll be spending time with Jaxon, I think I’m going to enjoy something a little stronger than coffee. You don’t mind, do you?” Kyle’s expression was smug as Anthony silently shook his head. “Ford, if you’d give me a moment of your time, maybe we can discuss what’s best for my nephew.”
Pressing his eyes shut, Ford heard Kyle rise from the sofa and make his way across the room. He took a deep breath to steady himself. Didn’t bother looking at Anne or Anthony before turning to follow.
The door to the large wine cellar was open. Ford’s stomach sank and he stepped inside, tensing as Kyle stepped forward and pushed the door shut.
Around them the walls were lined with rows of bottles, likely all worth hundreds, if not thousands. At the far end of the room there were shelves with several different whiskeys and liquors. The room was dimly lit, a little cold, but the chill that crept up Ford’s spine came from the man standing next to him.
He held still as Kyle walked across the room, clucking his tongue. “That was a nice try, I’ll give you that. If I didn’t know how to deal with your old man, you would have had me there. I respect the effort.” Kyle took two crystal shot glass from the rolling tray at the end of the wine racks. “But while you were playing bad boy of the 1%, I was struggling to fucking survive. To keep myself and my little sister fed while our older sister wasted every cent we had on drugs and kept losing her son to the system. I managed to keep dealers from assaulting them both more than once. Learned how to find the right connections to keep my family safe.”
“I would have helped if I’d known.” Ford kept his voice low, hoping to reach whatever decency Kyle might have left. “You’re not living that life anymore. And I’m not the same man I was.”
“Oh, I know.” Kyle let out a soft laugh. “But I don’t care. I’ve always done whatever necessary to get what I wanted. What I needed. Here.” He held out one of the shots. “Don’t worry, one or two won’t hurt. Your buddy can drive, right?”
“Yeah…” Ford took the shot. It wasn’t worth fighting over. Besides, the way the heady, woodsy flavored whiskey burned on the way down steadied him. “What is it that you want, Kyle?”
Instead of answering, Kyle took Ford’s glass and poured him another shot. He waited for Ford to finish that one as well before speaking. “I told you I’d make things easier on you. You don’t get that by running to daddy.”
“But I get it if I let you fuck me?”
Kyle chuckled, draining his second shot slowly. “You would put it like that. Basically, yes. And before you whine about how horrible I am, save it. I’m not interested. All I want to hear is that you’ll keep me happy and I’ll make sure your boy stays right where you can find him.”
Two shots weren’t enough. Ford looked around the cellar, feeling even more trapped. “Here?”
“Tempting, but no. I suspect your friend will show up any minute to save you.” Kyle’s smug smile took on a cold edge. “Don’t do that again. If there’s nothing in this for me, I’m not sticking around.”
“You’re getting plenty from my father. Money, a place to stay—”
“And I will continue to get that. Which has nothing to do with you.” Kyle crooked his finger at Ford, beckoning him over. “Before we’re interrupted, give me one good reason to stay. I won’t force you, it’s more fun when you play along.”
If nothing else, Ford needed to convince Kyle he’d won until he could come up with a new plan. Which he would.
But the only way to get the fuck out of here would be to give in. At least a little.
He moved without giving himself time to think. Time to feel. Slamming his lips against Kyle’s, he kissed the man with all the anger and desperation he couldn’t hide. Kissed him in a way he hoped would feel like a victory. When Kyle’s hand slid over his ass, he didn’t stiffen, didn’t try to shift away. Even when Kyle’s hand slid into his pants, he simply let it happen.
Kyle’s lips moving from his to his throat, the sharp sensation of his teeth, snapped Ford back from the detachment he’d managed. His eyes teared and he sucked in a sharp breath even as his stomach turned. This was a means to an end. Another dirty deal to reach the final goal. He couldn’t let it fuck with his head. Couldn’t let Kyle suspect he’d search for another way around him.
He had to be here. Had to be convincing.
“Ford?” Luke’s call had Kyle sighing and drawing away from him.
Irritated, but he still had a smirk on his lips as he returned to the whiskey, taking it and two glasses. “Could you get the door?”
Quickly opening the door, Ford avoided Luke’s concerned look as the other man stepped into the kitchen. He stayed in the doorway, not moving as Kyle approached.
Kyle let out a dry laugh. “You must be Luke. I hope you enjoy the day with my nephew. Ford was just convincing me to stick around a little longer. But you suspected as much.”
Fuck.
Ford skidded across the tiled floor, grabbing Luke before he coul
d take a swing. He pinned him against the counter, looking into the hall for Jaxon, who was putting on his shoes and didn’t seem aware of what was going on. Good.
Ignoring Kyle, who left the kitchen, completely unfazed, Ford grabbed Luke’s shoulders and gave him a little shake. “Don’t. We can’t expose Jaxon to this shit. Today is for him. And every fucking day. That’s all that matters.”
“I was here to keep him away from you. Why the fuck did you leave?”
“I thought my father could stop Kyle from fucking with Jaxon’s head when I’m not around.”
“Can he?”
“No. Kyle’s figured out how to manage the old man.” Ford lowered his head as Jaxon’s light footsteps sounded in the hall. “I needed more time. I got it.”
“Damn it, Ford.” Blinking fast, Luke pulled Ford into a quick hug, releasing him as Jaxon stepped into the kitchen. His smile was pretty convincing as he looked over at Ford’s son. “Hey, sorry I was taking so long. Ford just agreed to be one of my babies’ godfathers. I’m a little emotional.”
Wrinkling his nose, Jaxon shoved his hands in his pockets. “We’re not gonna be talking about babies all day, are we?”
Ford laughed and pulled his son against his side. When Jaxon stiffened, he wondered if it was too soon for that kind of affection, but Jaxon slowly relaxed and peered up at him.
Good. This is good.
“Nope. We’re going to the arcade unless there’s something else you wanna do?”
“Well…” Jaxon glanced toward the stairs as they made their way down the hallway. “I got the new drone, but I haven’t been able to use it yet. Think we could bring it out somewhere?”
“Yes.” Ford rubbed Jaxon’s arm, then waved him on. “Go get it. I’ll read up on where they’re allowed. I’ve been looking forward to seeing how it works too.”
As Jaxon cheered and rushed up the stairs, Ford tried to center himself and go over all the shit that had just happened as he searched for drone regulations. He couldn’t think about Kyle. Letting the man in his head would ruin the whole day and he refused to give the motherfucker that kind of power.
He’d deal with him later.
OverTime (The Dartmouth Cobras Book 9) Page 19
