Her Soldier of Fortune

by Michelle Major

  “He doesn’t know you, Brett,” Bianca said. “He was two when you left. It’s been a long time.”

  “He needs to get to know me, and he isn’t going to do that with another man holding him. That ridiculous business about changing his name doesn’t help, either.”

  “My name is Edward James Shaw.” EJ took a deep, shuddery breath and burrowed farther into Nate’s shirt.

  “I’ve got you, buddy,” Nate whispered, ruffling his hair.

  “Nate?” Bianca turned to him. “Would you take EJ to the barn for a few minutes?”

  Nate shook his head. “I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

  “Are you joking?” Brett held out his hands, palms up. “I’m her husband.”

  “Ex,” Bianca and Nate said at the same time.

  Then she turned back to Nate. “I need a few minutes to talk to Brett. We have some things to work out.”

  “What kind of things?” Nate asked.

  “Things that are none of your business,” Brett told him, his jaw set. The same kind of firm line he’d seen on EJ’s face when the boy was digging in his heels about convincing his mother to give him five more minutes before bedtime. And as much as EJ looked like Bianca and Eddie, suddenly Nate could see Brett in him.

  EJ’s father.

  The man who’d walked away, leaving Bianca on her own with a toddler. The man who hadn’t offered one bit of support in the past two years, emotional or financial. But still the boy’s father. Nate knew what it would have meant to him and his brothers if Gerald Robinson had come into their lives when they were kids. How that would have changed everything.

  What right did he have to deny EJ the chance he’d secretly dreamed of as a boy? Despite the fact that Brett looked like a tool and drove a ridiculous car for a trip across half of Texas, this couldn’t be an easy situation to walk into. Was Nate helping anyone by making it more difficult?

  Bianca walked toward him, only stopping when they stood toe-to-toe. She put a hand on Nate’s arm. She looked miserable and strangely hopeful at the same time. “Please,” she whispered, and of course Nate nodded. How could he say no?

  “We’ll be in the barn if you need anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  EJ swiped a hand across his cheek. “You should come, too, Mommy. I bet Otis is out there. He might let me pet him today, and you’ll want to see that.”

  “I do,” she agreed. “But I need to talk to your daddy for a few minutes.”

  “You can give Daisy a carrot.”

  “Maybe I’ll bring Daddy to the barn when we’re finished with the grown-up stuff. He can meet Twix.”

  “He might not like ponies.”

  “I like ponies,” Brett called, and acid burned in Nate’s gut. For all he knew, Brett had finally realized what an amazing woman and son he’d left behind. He could be ready to make Bianca and EJ his future.

  Just like Nate was ready.

  “See?” Bianca asked, smoothing a hand over EJ’s back.

  “I guess you can bring him,” the boy muttered.

  She lifted onto her toes and kissed EJ’s cheek. As she did, her fingers curled around Nate’s biceps and she squeezed, as if communicating something with him she didn’t want Brett to know about.

  He sure as hell hoped it meant she wasn’t interested in reuniting with her ex-husband. That might send Nate over the edge.

  And he’d just gotten comfortable on solid ground.

  * * *

  Bianca shut the door behind Nate and EJ, then turned to face Brett again. He gave her one of his stock smiles, a jaunty half curve of his mouth. It was the smile that had melted her heart when she’d first met him.

  The girl she was back then seemed like a stranger to her now. How had she been fool enough to fall for Brett, with his slick moves and pretty lines? At the time, she’d been grateful for his attention.

  She’d been so starved for anything that felt remotely like love. She’d been coming off a bad breakup after the guy she’d thought she was in love with had cheated on her. Her mother had gambled away her meager savings—literally—so Bianca left school and drained her own bank accounts to pay Jennifer’s debts and bills so she wouldn’t lose her apartment lease and have one more thing to add to her list of problems. Eddie was in the field, stationed a half a world away on a mission so covert that Bianca couldn’t even reach him.

  She’d been alone and reeling. Brett had seemed like a fairy-tale prince to her, and she’d desperately wanted to believe the things he’d told her—she was special and beautiful and he wanted to take care of her.

  Now she knew better. She wasn’t a princess, and her life wasn’t a fairy tale. It was real and sometimes a struggle, but it belonged to her. She was in control. No one else.

  A part of her wanted to kick him off the Fortune ranch and out of her life for good. But he was EJ’s father, and Bianca understood how hard it could be on a child growing up without a dad. She knew Nate did, as well, which was probably why he’d been willing to let her have this time with Brett.

  It was clear he hadn’t wanted to, and she appreciated his protective streak toward her, but more importantly toward EJ.

  “What do you want, Brett?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I told you. I’m here to take you home. That stupid business about you filing to have EJ’s name legally changed was a wake-up call. I’ve missed you, babe.”

  “Missed me? It’s been over two years since you walked out the door. You left our home, knowing very well I couldn’t afford rent on a house like that on my own. I’m changing EJ’s name because he belongs to me. He’s a Shaw. You don’t even know where your son and I have been living because you haven’t bothered to check.”

  “Not true.” He shook his head, a lock of hair flopping into his eyes much like EJ’s did. It was cute on a four-year-old, but Bianca wanted to tell Brett to get a haircut. “I kept tabs on you. When I received notification of the name change hearing, I went looking for you. But you’d moved out of that crappy apartment, so I talked to your mom. She told me you’d left San Antonio, and something in me snapped. It was one thing when I knew you and EJ were close, but to have you out of my reach...”

  “That sounds unbelievable creepy,” she muttered, “even from you.”

  Brett flashed another smile. “I hoped you’d think it was romantic.”

  She couldn’t believe she’d married a guy who was so delusional. It was a bigger blow to realize her mother had helped Brett to find her after all this time. The conversation with her mom hadn’t gone well, but she thought Jennifer understood that Bianca wanted a fresh start.

  “How is it romantic?” she asked, pointing a finger at him. “Or even the least bit acceptable that you’ve kept tabs on us but haven’t wanted to be a part of your son’s life?”

  Brett shrugged. “I had some things to work out. You know I hadn’t planned to get married and become a dad when I did.”

  “Me, neither,” she countered, “but that doesn’t change reality. EJ is an amazing kid. You’ve missed a lot.”

  “I want to make it up to you. I’ve gone back to school, and I’ve got a great job in sales at a medical device company. They’re even paying for my classes.”

  Her own broken dreams of a college degree and a great career felt like glass shards in her throat. “Good for you. What does that have to do with EJ and me?”

  “I’m doing all of this for you.” He moved forward and reached for her, but she shifted away. “For us. For our future.”

  Bianca had never been the violent type. But the urge to punch her ex-husband in the throat was so overwhelming she could barely ignore it.

  “We have no future,” she said through clenched teeth. “If you want to see EJ, we can work out an arrangement. You’ll also need to start sending child support checks You’ve been dodging p
ayments for way too long. It’s going to stop.”

  Brett scoffed. “He’s my son. I don’t have to pay to see him.”

  “Raising a child means responsibility. You can live up to yours if you want to be a part of his life.” Bianca pressed her fingers to her lips, shocked at the words coming out of her mouth...at the conviction burning deep in her soul. She was done letting anyone take advantage of her, accepting scraps for herself or for EJ because she’d been taught to believe she wasn’t worth anything more.

  “Now that you’ve latched onto one of the Fortunes, you think you’ve got it made.” Brett’s blue eyes narrowed. “Is that it?”

  She shook her head. “This has nothing to do with Nate,” she said, which was both true and not. The conviction that she and EJ deserved to be valued resonated through her, but being with Nate had helped open her eyes to recognize it as a fact. “You and I are over, Brett. I’m willing to let you into EJ’s life. But not if you’re going to hurt him. He needs his dad to be a dependable presence in his life. This isn’t about the money, but I know you. If you have to invest in something, it means more to you.” She flashed a small smile. “Maybe that’s why we were never meant to be. Neither of us believed you had to try to make our relationship work.”

  “You’re not being fair,” he muttered.

  “I don’t blame you,” she told him without emotion. “Not entirely. I let it happen, but I was different then. I’ve changed, and I’m not going back to who I was before. That’s the woman you married. Not me.”

  “And you think Nate Fortune is that man?” He practically spit the words. “You don’t even know him.”

  “I know he’s been generous and patient with me. He cares about EJ.” She chuckled. “He cooks.”

  Brett threw up his hands. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

  “You wouldn’t understand. He’s a good man. Eddie trusted him, and I do—”

  “He killed your brother.”

  She took a step back as if he’d struck her. “Shut your mouth,” she said, the words hissing out on a painful breath.

  “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to hear this but—”

  “You’re right.” She turned, stalked the few paces to the front door and yanked it open. “You need to leave, Brett. You can say goodbye to EJ in the barn, and I’ll call you next week about arrangements to see him.”

  “It’s a shock, Bianca, but at least let me explain. I’m not trying to throw the guy under the bus.”

  She rolled her eyes, anger coursing through her. “Right.”

  “Has he told you the details of Eddie’s death?”

  She wasn’t about to admit that he hadn’t. “I read the report,” she answered instead.

  “It’s not the same thing. You don’t know the whole story.”

  “And how do you know it?” she demanded.

  “From talk I’ve heard in the old neighborhood. Your mom confirmed everything.”

  “She didn’t,” Bianca whispered, then pressed her lips together, thinking of the veiled hints her mom had made during their last awkward phone conversation. Jennifer had intimated that Nate wasn’t the man he pretended to be, but Bianca assumed she was talking about his ties to the Fortune family. Nate had been Eddie’s best friend. He’d loved her brother as much as she had. Missed him just as badly. There was nothing Brett could say to change that.

  She swung the door shut gently and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. Tell me if it makes you happy. It won’t change anything.”

  He walked forward until he was only an arm’s length from her. “It makes me unhappy to see you fooled by a man who doesn’t have your best interests at heart. He’s lying to you.”

  “Go ahead with what you think you know about Eddie’s death,” she told him. “But stop trash-talking Nate. I won’t have it, Brett.”

  He blew out a harsh breath. “I don’t need to trash-talk him. The truth is damning enough. He deserted Eddie over in Afghanistan. Saved himself but let your brother take the brunt of enemy fire during their last mission. He left Eddie alone, Bianca. What kind of a soldier saves his own neck that way at the expense of another man’s life—let alone when that man is supposed to be his best friend?”

  “Stop.”

  “You can’t depend on him. You can’t trust him. He’s in it for himself, and as soon as you’re not useful to him, he’ll walk away.”

  “I don’t believe any of that.”

  “Come on,” Brett urged. “I can tell by the look in your eyes that you know I’m telling the truth. I also know by the way you look at him that you’re sleeping together.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “That’s none of your business.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Knowing you, you’re half in love with him already. But he’s not the man you believe he is.”

  “Neither were you,” she muttered.

  “I made mistakes,” he admitted. “I let you down, and I’m sorry for that. But I would have never left your brother for dead. Even I’m not that awful.” He leaned in, brushed his thumb across her cheek. She flinched, like his touch was electric. “I’ve changed, Bianca. I’m trying to be honest with you. Even if you won’t give us another chance, cut ties with Nate Fortune. He’s going to hurt you way worse than I ever did.”

  “It’s time for you to go,” she whispered, unable to argue any longer. There was no way what he was saying about Nate was true. It couldn’t be. Nate would have told her if he’d had some direct involvement in Eddie’s death. She would have known. Eddie thought of Nate as a brother. He’d practically sent Bianca to Paseo, after all. This had to be a ploy by Brett to ruin her new life just as it started.

  But she couldn’t stop doubt from easing its way in through the shadows of her mind. Despite what she knew about their friendship, she also recognized there were things about Eddie’s death that Nate hadn’t shared. Then there were his nightmares and the way he insisted he didn’t deserve her. She assumed that was the result of his time as a SEAL, the things he’d seen and done over the past two decades, but what if there was something more?

  “Say goodbye to EJ for me,” Brett told her. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m not going to take the chance of upsetting him more. I have so many memories of him as a baby, but now I’m a stranger to him. None of this went the way I’d planned it, Bianca.”

  “Maybe you should have made a better plan,” she said, hating how snippy she sounded. She sighed and opened the door more gently this time, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, the way she had so many times in San Antonio. “If you’re serious, Brett, we’ll make it work.”

  He nodded. “I’ll call next week and we’ll come up with a plan for him to spend time with me.”

  “Call first, then I’ll talk to him about spending time with you.”

  He grinned, only this time it was genuine. “You’re going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”

  “I sure am, and I should have done it a long time ago.”

  He leaned and kissed her cheek. “You’re a better woman than I deserve. Thank you for being such a fantastic mother to our son.”

  My son, she wanted to scream. EJ belonged to her. But she only held open the door with a smile. “He’s the best part of me,” she whispered. “Always.”

  With a last wave, Brett walked toward his red Miata. It was the same car he’d driven when they first met. At the time it seemed exciting and fun, but then she’d had EJ and Brett had refused to part with it. It was a two-seater, so they couldn’t fit a car seat in it and she should have seen it for what it was—a sign that he wasn’t willing to change anything in his life to accommodate EJ. She hoped he’d changed now, but she still didn’t trust it.

  Up until a few minutes ago, she’d started to believe it hadn’t mattered. Nate had stepped into EJ’s life and fulfilled all the hopes she’d had for a father
figure for her son. Now she couldn’t help but wonder if it had all been a lie.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You can’t avoid me forever. We live in the same house.”

  “You live here.” Bianca looked up from where she was clearing weeds in the overgrown vegetable garden situated behind the kitchen windows in the backyard. “I’m only visiting.”

  The words were spoken casually, but they cut across Nate’s chest like a blade. Something had changed between them since her ex-husband’s unexpected visit to the ranch yesterday. He knew Bianca wasn’t interested in reuniting with Brett. She’d patiently explained to EJ that his daddy wanted to be a part of his life again, but that they weren’t going to be a family in the traditional sense of the word.

  EJ had peppered her with questions about his father and why he was returning to their lives now. No matter how she felt on the inside, Bianca had done an amazing job of keeping the focus on EJ and how she’d always protect him and make sure he remained her number one priority. It reminded Nate of his own mom.

  Deborah had never once spoken an ill word against the triplets’ father or how she’d been left as a single mother. Of course, she’d thought Gerald dead for all these years, but even after they’d discovered that his current wife, Charlotte, had kept a dossier on all of Gerald’s illegitimate children, Deborah hadn’t made any disparaging comments about what they’d all lost.

  “What’s going on, Bianca?”

  “Nothing. I’m working.”

  He crouched down next to her. “You’re going after those weeds like you have a personal vendetta against them.”

  She paused in the act of digging out a dry tangle of vines. “I want to make sure the garden has a good start when your mom gets back to the ranch this spring.”

  “She’s going to love it.” Nate had made an offhanded remark last week about how much Deborah had loved tending her kitchen garden when the boys had been younger. Since she’d started traveling more with Grayson in the past few years, her herbs and vegetables had been left largely ignored. Neither Jayden nor Nate had the inclination to commit to bringing it back to life. His mom lamented her heavily weeded garden whenever she came home but rarely had enough time to clear it out in the way it needed.