Quick Dirty Luck: A Love Between the Pages Novel

by Heather Guimond

  “I’d say you’re all fantastic. Fun-loving, quick to laugh at just about anything, all with a strong work ethic even if your kids think any time they need help it’s a five-alarm emergency,” I said with a giggle.

  “Well, yes. I may have gone overboard with teaching them the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” she admitted with a laugh. She sobered for a minute, then looked closely at me again. “You should know by now, I don’t stick my nose into business it doesn’t belong in, but I think I’d be a piss-poor mom if I didn’t go to bat for my son at least once.

  “Kent is just like his dad. He doesn’t see it, but I do. Both are headstrong, full of themselves at times, and infuriatingly bossy. But what they also are is kind-hearted, loyal, and fierce when it comes to the people they love. For all his annoying tendencies, Kent is a very good man. He’d drop anything for his family, do anything, and loves us all completely. I may have wanted to raise him to be all those things, but the way I primarily did it was by choosing a man with strong values and a mighty personality to raise a family with. Kent patterned himself after Bart. When he was a boy, he wanted to go with him everywhere, do everything he did. He was even working in the hotel, learning the business—slowly—from the age of fourteen. If you ask him, he’ll tell you his hero is his father.”

  I took her words in, thinking about not only my experience with Kent but how I’d seen him interact with people, mostly his family but also with the staff. He’d spent hours locked away with his father, but when I saw them together, they were clearly a matching pair. They gave each other shit endlessly, more like friends than father and son, though it was clear with the respect Kent also showed his parents, he’d never lost sight of the family hierarchy. Adele seemed to read my thoughts.

  “He’ll make a fantastic father, you know. All the qualities I’ve mentioned about both of you speak well for this baby’s future. Parenting is hard as hell though, especially when they enter their teens,” she said, holding her hand up in caution. “That’s when it gets tricky, and the foundation you’ve put in place is everything. I don’t judge single parents whether it’s by circumstance or by choice. The thing any child needs most is love and acceptance, no matter where it comes from. So long as they have an ongoing supply of it, everything will turn out fine. The rest of the stuff, the minutiae? You don’t have to be perfect, only strive to be good enough. That said, parenting with a partner is easier. Having someone to lean on when it’s hard or take over when you just don’t think you have the strength to get up for that millionth midnight feeding or later when you think you’ll murder your child before she can roll her eyes at you one more time is less exhausting physically and emotionally.”

  Again, it was more food for thought. I stayed silent as I took it all in and evaluated the truth in her words. I thought I was a good person overall, and I thought Kent was too. I told her as much.

  “I may be biased, but you won’t do much better than my son. Not because you don’t deserve it, but because I don’t think there is anyone better for you. He will love you forever, and he’ll do anything to make sure you have the world at your fingertips,” she said, picking up her glass of iced tea.

  “He just pisses me off fifty percent of the time and seems to love pushing my buttons!” I said, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I have to confess, I’ve never felt so strongly for any man, in all ways. Others, I could drop at any given moment. But Kent? He’s like a magnet. I have the hardest time resisting him when he’s trying to engage me, whether he’s being insufferable and provoking my temper or when he’s trying to be sweet. This last month has taken all my strength to avoid contact with him as much as possible.”

  “So, don’t. There’s obviously something powerful between you. Rather than fight it, give him a chance. I’m not suggesting you hurry down the aisle and cross your fingers for luck, but let him show you how loyal and steadfast he is. As for your bickering, it’s so like Bart and me, I have a hard time not laughing over the stories you’ve told me. Kent can take it, it’s what he knows as normal. It’s probably why he pushes your buttons in the first place.”

  “Okay, but what about the skanks from his past? Will I have to endure a barrage of them coming out of the woodwork, trying to interfere with our relationship?”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you only ran into Missy that one time. The other time, you suspected my daughter was a past lover.”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” I admitted, cringing.

  “Listen, I know after Marguerite, Kent was a real putz with women. I cursed him constantly for it, but honestly Alexis, he was just waiting for someone like you to come along, someone he could believe in again.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes. Seeing Kent every day had been tough. I missed his easy laugh, staring into his beautiful eyes, and yes, fighting with him. For all our conflict, Kent made me feel alive.

  “I’ll consider everything you’ve said, Adele. You’re a good mom, you’ve made a hell of an argument for your son. I can only hope I’m half as good a mother as you are, seeing how there’s at least a fifty-percent chance I’m going to raise an asshole of my own.

  Twenty-Six

  Kent

  When Alexis returned from Los Angeles with my mother, she was much less hostile than I’d expected. In fact, she almost acted as though nothing had happened at all. She’d speak to me when she needed to, polite if not downright pleasant. I found myself waiting for her head to spin around on her shoulders like the girl from The Exorcist, it was so out of character for her.

  I kept my distance for a month, letting things continue to settle and re-establish a sense of normalcy to all our days. One Wednesday afternoon, Alexis and Mom walked into the office after an extended lunch, loaded down with shopping bags. They scurried into her office, giggling to themselves. I had to see what was going on.

  “Just look at this again, Adele. I can’t wait to wear it,” Alexis said, holding up a maternity t-shirt that read “Feed Me Tacos and Tell Me I’m Pretty.” I chuckled under my breath as I walked in the room.

  “So, I’m guessing someone is up for tacos tonight?” I said with a wink to Alexis. To my surprise, she beamed back at me.

  “I would love tacos! That’s why this shirt is so perfect. I was telling your mom today how my current craving is those super greasy ones from that tiny little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Las Flores. I can’t seem to get enough of them! Sadly, the big meanie insisted I have a salad for lunch, so we could power-shop.”

  “I’ll take you to Las Flores tonight if you want them. Mom, would you like to come too?” I gave her a look that said if she ever wanted to have another grandchild, she’d better say no.

  “I’d love to Kent, but your dad and I already have plans to see a show. I’ve been after him to take me to see Celine Dion again, and I finally convinced him to do it tonight.”

  Just then, my dad walked into the room. I had nothing but sympathy for him.

  “How’d she get you to agree to that? I know you’d much rather be at home watching the NBA finals than listening to how Celine’s heart will go on.”

  “You’re right about that,” he said shaking his head. “That fucking song goes on and on.”

  “Bart!” my mom exclaimed. “Keep it up, and I won’t fulfill my end of the bargain.”

  I looked at Alexis. We both had that deer in the headlights look you get when you know someone is very likely going to do or say something that will send you frantically searching for brain bleach. I coughed loudly, clearing my throat.

  “If either one of you says anything even remotely inappropriate right now, I swear to God, Alexis and I will find surrogate grandparents for our baby,” I warned.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” my mom said, giving me the evil eye before standing and moving to my father’s side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. My mom was average in height, but Dad was at least six-foot-four. He made her look so tiny. I wondered how Alexis and I looked together to other people.
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  “All I’ll say, son, is your mother moves in mysterious ways,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  I blinked once, slowly, then turned to Alexis who sat there grinning like a fool. God, she was even more gorgeous than she’d been before. Her pregnancy was very apparent, her belly large and round. I regretted she’d had to switch to more sensible shoes, but I could withstand the loss for a few months. Especially when the payoff would be holding our baby in my arms, hopefully, with Alexis by my side.

  “Still want those tacos? Or have these two put you off all food for the next six months?” I asked her, praying she’d say yes—to the tacos, that is.

  “Kent, your parents could have sex right here in this room, right now, and I’d still want tacos.”

  I almost threw up a little in my mouth as my parents hooted with laughter. My dad clapped me on the back.

  “Don’t worry, Kent. The award for sex in the office belongs to you and Alexis alone. We won’t threaten your title.” Fuck, Tallulah had a big mouth.

  I glanced at Alexis whose cheeks were rosier than usual. I couldn’t believe she was blushing. I would have bet a significant amount of cash she didn’t know how. My heart—and my dick—throbbed as I looked at her. I didn’t just want her with me, I needed her. I had to figure out a way to win her back sooner rather than later. Seeing her every day had been enough for a while, but now, watching her joke with me and my parents like she’d always been part of our family made every cell in my body ache for her.

  “Why don’t we head out in about an hour?” I suggested, looking at my watch. “I just have to make a call to Jasper about this weekend’s staffing, then I’m all done for the day.”

  “That’ll be great,” she said, before looking down at her bump and rubbing it lovingly. “Do you hear that little Alexis? Daddy is going to take us for tacos!”

  I almost melted in a puddle on the floor. Right then, I could almost pretend we were a married couple, happily anticipating our child’s birth. Plus, hearing her refer to me as Daddy for the first time—well that just stole my breath. I turned rapidly to run back to my office as tears pricked the back of my eyes. My parents stood there with smiles of encouragement.

  I didn’t really have a call to place to Jasper, I just didn’t want to look like a pussy in front of everyone. I sat in my office for the next forty-five minutes, trying to catch my breath. I really was going to be a dad. I’d known it, but I’d never really known it in such a palpable way as I did after hearing Alexis refer to me as Daddy. Then I wondered, would it be a little Alexis? The idea of a little blonde girl with big blue eyes, round cheeks, and chubby little fists came to me. Then I envisioned a dark-haired boy, also with his mom’s blue eyes, running around outdoors, covered in mud and dirt.

  Does Alexis already know the sex of our baby? I needed to convince her to find an obstetrician in town because I had no plans to let her return home to have my baby. No matter how things ultimately played out between us, I would not let her leave me out of the birth.

  Finally, I made my way back to Alexis’ office where I found her gathering her many shopping bags. I rushed to help her.

  “Here, you don’t need to be carrying all that. I can take them to your room for you. Or, you know, we do have bell staff here who would be happy to take them there.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a relieved sigh. “They’re kind of heavy. I finally broke down and bought the beginnings of my maternity wardrobe. Everything I own is too tight now.”

  “Yet you’re still as beautiful as ever,” I said sincerely.

  “So, you’re already starting on the part of the evening when you tell me I’m pretty?” she said giggling. I took a chance and leaned in and kissed her cheek.

  “Sweetheart, I’ll tell you you’re pretty for the rest of your life.”

  Our gazes connected for a moment, and it felt so right. I didn’t feel any hostility coming off her or her doors slamming shut. She just beamed at me radiantly. I coughed again to break the spell threatening to make me drag her to the floor.

  “I’m sure you’re starving by now, so I’ll just call downstairs and have them send someone up. C’mon, my lady. Las Flores awaits.”

  “Oh my God,” Alexis groaned loudly. “You’re going to have to roll me out of here, I ate so much.”

  She had. She’d eaten eight regular-sized tacos all by herself. Plus, she’d had three virgin margaritas. She looked at me as she was working on the last of the third.

  “I would love to have a regular margarita right now. The weather is so hot, and there’s nothing like an icy margarita on a scorching day.”

  “I’m afraid you’ve got a few months to go. Several more than that if you plan to breastfeed,” I commented, wondering if she would.

  “I’m going to. I’m not sure for how long, I’m not keen on the idea of nursing a child with teeth. From what I’ve heard, it can be uncomfortable enough with just their gums.”

  “Have you asked my mom?” I asked curiously.

  “We’ve discussed a few things. I tried to get my own mother to talk about it when she and my dad got back from their exotic vacation, but she was far more interested in telling me about gorilla mating habits than actually imparting any motherly wisdom,” she said before taking another long sip of her drink. “Your mom has been a godsend in more ways than one. I’d be completely lost without her, professionally and personally. I owe you a lot for setting me up with her.”

  “I have to confess, I knew she’d be good for you, and she was chomping at the bit to be part of your pregnancy from the moment she found out.”

  “You can be pretty smart sometimes, Kent Kingsley,” she said with a soft smile.

  “Alexis,” I began, completely unsure now was the time to bring up our relationship. It was right there on the tip of my tongue, but at the last second, I withdrew and teed up a question that’d been hovering all evening. “You called the baby ‘little Alexis’ earlier. Is it a girl?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a small laugh. “I didn’t ask when I had my ultrasound. It didn’t seem right to know. At least not by myself.”

  “Do you want to know?” I asked, also unsure if I wanted to before he or she was born.

  “I used to think I did, so I could plan and be prepared. As time goes by though, I think I’d rather be surprised. Do you want to know?” she asked, which took me off guard.

  “I was just sitting here wondering if I did. I think I’m kind of like you. I’d rather be surprised.”

  “It’s strange sometimes how alike we are,” she said so softly, I almost didn’t hear it.

  “It’s true,” I nodded.

  “We’re even more alike than you know,” she mumbled, but I caught it. I didn’t know what to say, so I just sat there looking at her until I couldn’t take it anymore. I reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear. Just that brief contact made my heart pound. We were having our talk tonight. Right here in Las Flores.

  Twenty-Seven

  Alexis

  The look in Kent’s eyes told me he was about to approach weightier subjects, ones I wasn’t sure I was ready for. The month I’d spent in Adele’s nearly constant company had softened my stance on there not being a future for Kent and me, not just through conversations she and I had about it but also the love I’d also come to feel for the entire Kingsley family. Even so, I still felt the tiny tug of my previous misgivings, mostly fear things would never work out for us.

  I had something in common with each member of the Kingsley family—Jasper’s wicked sense of humor, Dustin’s commitment and drive to succeed, Tallulah’s appreciation for all things beautiful. Adele, well, she could have been my own mother. She was feisty, but what you saw is what you got. She talked like a truck driver sometimes, but that just made me love her more and feel accepted. She wasn’t put off by my bluntness or profanity. If anything, she became my partner in crime.

  None of them ever shied away from the fact I was expecting a little Kingsley
of my own. Though they didn’t spend all their time talking about it—except Adele who couldn’t help herself—no one ever addressed what I regarded as the enormous elephant in the room—my relationship with Kent. Adele didn’t harp on about it but occasionally made subtle comments.

  I’d been thinking about my conversation with her in Los Angeles almost non-stop over the last few days, so when Kent suggested dinner, I all but leapt at the chance. I’d come to the decision I needed to explore whatever potential that power between us had. I wanted to talk, to see if we could try to build something. Then when we started talking about the baby—imagining us together at my appointment, deciding to be surprised by the gender of our baby—it felt like all the obstacles that were in our way had been my fault. With my insecurity and fear of commitment, I was the one who threw them in our path, not him.

  I held my breath as he reached out and smoothed my hair behind my ear, my heart in my throat.

  “Alexis,” he whispered, his eyes fixed to mine. “Won’t you please give me another chance?”

  I swallowed hard as I searched for the right words to say. I owed the man an apology.

  “Kent, it should be me asking for a second chance. I was stubborn and prideful, and I let my past experiences with love, or so-called love, influence my behavior. You shouldn’t always be chasing after me. I need to learn to put on my big girl panties and talk to you. I’m the one who should be asking for a second chance.”

  “Alexis, you never need to ask. I’ll always be right here for you. If you do a runner in the future, which I’m sure you will, I’ll follow. I may not have in the past, but after these months not being able to really talk to you or hold you, I refuse to let you get too far away from me again.”

  He came around to sit next to me on my side of the booth we were in. He draped his arm over my shoulders, put his fingers under my chin, and turned my head to him. Then he gave me the softest, most tantalizing, toe-curling kiss I’d ever had. We pulled back at the same time, smiling widely. A devilish gleam leapt in his eyes, and before I knew it, he was raising a finger to our waiter.