by Anya Summers
Garrett said, “Congrats, dude. As the first of us to have progeny, we’re thrilled for you.”
“Yeah, no matter how he came to be,” Jackson added with a smile for Liam that made his son grin.
“Are you sure he’s yours?” Spencer asked. He obviously had a burr up his butt the size of Texas. Everyone turned to Spencer with ‘dude, really?’ expressions and he held his hands up defensively in front of himself like he was being held up at gunpoint.
“Yes. He’s mine. He’s my spitting image at this age,” Carter snarled. He didn’t care if Meghan had laughed at the size of his dick, Spencer’s attitude was pissing him off.
“And you don’t find it a bit suspicious that she showed up on your doorstep with him?” Alexander asked and Spencer nodded in agreement.
“What? I just think it’s a bit odd,” Alexander said when everyone glared at him.
“She didn’t show up on my doorstep. Not how you think. I’m the one who moved them here to the house. They’ve been living in town for the past month. Jenna’s sister is at the Alpine Science Institute doing graduate work,” Carter explained.
“And they moved up here, just like that, no explanations,” Spencer asked, apparently still unconvinced that Carter wasn’t harboring a viper.
“Look, cut the shit, Spencer. I appreciate your concern. All I will say is that she has been through a lot this past year and doesn’t deserve your disdain. I’m a big boy and I want my son in my home, period. It’s not up for discussion. And I would ask that you be nice to her and her sister,” Carter added.
“Jenna’s not a problem. Can’t make any promises about the sister,” Spencer said with a shake of his head.
“Now that we’ve shared our feelings, can we do this?” Mason said, indicating the shot glasses.
“Why the hell not?” Carter said, Liam cradled in one arm, drink in the other.
“To Carter, on the birth of his son, Liam,” Cole said, holding his shot glass in the air.
“Cheers,” they all shouted and tossed back the whiskey.
Carter enjoyed the burn. But the chorus of cheers startled Liam and he started to cry.
“Great. Now see what you blockheads have done. Get the cards and the beers ready while I settle him down,” Carter ordered, exasperated with the lot of them. It was his fault that he hadn’t prepared them. He’d fumbled the pass on this announcement. But now Liam was breaking his heart with his cries and he tried to soothe him.
His friends winced.
“Maybe that wasn’t the best idea,” Mason said with a grimace.
“Would have been better if we hadn’t been so loud,” Jackson said, his face concerned as he looked at Liam.
Carter tried rocking Liam. Giving him his binky. Tried talking him down. But nothing was helping. He lifted him up and didn’t smell anything in the diaper. Poor guy was unhappy and not calming down one bit.
Jackson and Mason tended to be the bar masters and were putting beers around the table, mainly because Mason loved playing bartender. And Jackson, as the cop of their ragtag group, liked to count how many beers each man drank and would confiscate keys when necessary. There had been more than one poker night where they all had crashed in one of the extra rooms.
“Here, give him to me,” Cole sidled up beside Carter and held out his hands.
“Are you sure?” Carter eyeballed Cole with a raised brow.
“I’m good with babies,” Cole said simply with a one shoulder shrug.
Since he was out of ideas for soothing the little guy, Carter handed Liam off to Cole. Cole was what some might call a free spirit and a recluse. Other than occasionally attending the club and coming to poker night, he tended to keep his own company. While he and his brother, Mason, owned the Black Elkhorn Lodge and Resort, Cole ran their outdoor guided horse tours, camping, fishing, and hunting tours, where he didn’t have to interact with many people. When he wasn’t taking a tour out, the man was usually off by himself at his cabin.
With care and a critical eye on his friend, Carter watched as Cole waltzed around the room, speaking to Liam in a low voice. Carter had no idea what he was saying. Within two minutes, Liam was giggling at whatever Cole was whispering to him. Carter had never witnessed anything like it. Jenna was good at calming the baby but then she seemed to anticipate Liam’s needs. But Cole, calming Liam? So quickly?
Astonished, Carter slid into his chair at the table with a shake of his head. The group all began taking their seats as Cole finally strode over and sat in the chair beside him. Liam was grinning from ear to ear up at his friend.
“You have to tell me exactly what you just did,” Carter ordered.
“Babies can pick up on moods. They’re highly sensitive creatures. He probably perceived the initial tension in the room and then, when everyone shouted, it scared him. So just talk gently, like you would with a spooked mare, and they tend to calm down,” Cole said with a shrug and a smile for Liam.
“Huh. Good to know,” Carter replied, taking Liam back.
“Yeah, like the fact that perhaps we should set up a nursery at the club and put Cole in charge of it.” Mason chortled.
Alexander snickered.
“I’d like to see you try that one,” Cole uttered with a warning glance at his brother.
Garrett dealt the first hand of five card stud. Liam was relaxed and happy as a clam once more, paying rapt attention to everyone in the room, interested in the plethora of male murmurs. Glancing at the five cards, Carter grimaced at the piss poor hand. Bad hand with absolutely nothing.
“So are you and Jenna together again?” Spencer asked as he put down two cards and was dealt another two.
The question threw Carter. It shouldn’t have. Spencer had a tendency not to let things go and that, mixed with a desire for the truth, made the subject bound to come up. He’d been hoping to avoid the question—for tonight, at least. Carter knew what he wanted with Jenna. But he wasn’t necessarily prepared to discuss it with his buddies, not until he was more certain of her feelings toward him and he had discerned which way the wind blew.
“Leave it, Spencer. Tonight is not the time to talk about this.” Carter gave him a biting look. He loved the dude, considered him a brother from another mother, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t beat his ass if he got out of hand.
“But she’s the one. The reason you’ve not been to the club this past year. If you’ve not claimed her and re-established contact, I’d like to know why,” Spencer pushed.
“Spencer, leave the guy alone. He just found out he has a kid with her. Stop being an ass,” Garrett said, exasperated, as he dealt Mason three new cards.
“Let’s just play the game and leave that stuff for later,” Alexander interceded, attempting to play peacemaker, tapping a poker chip against the table—one of his tells that he had a decent hand.
“No. I want to know. She’s beautiful. I can see why any man, any Dom, would want her, but are you sure you trust her?” Spencer asked.
“Christ, you’re like a fucking dog with a bone. I don’t know, Spencer. How’s that for an answer? Liam has changed the dynamic of everything. And while I’m totally in love with this little guy, when it comes to Jenna, I just don’t know. I’d appreciate it if you would give me some goddamn space on the matter,” Carter said with disgust lacing his voice.
Spencer sat back in his chair and said, “Fine. Peace offering. I’ll get the subs to throw a baby shower at the club.”
Jenna would like that. It would be good for her to get to know more people here. Carter nodded and said, “That would be nice. I know things have been hard for her and I’d like her to have the opportunity to fit into the community.”
“A Dom thinks that way, he’s thinking long term,” Cole muttered.
“Consider it done. I will have the girls put something together for Saturday afternoon. We can make it a co-ed one, those are all the rage now, and everyone at this table is expected to attend with gifts in hand. But I’m not inviting the sister,”
Spencer stated.
“You have to invite Meghan. She’s Liam’s aunt whether you like her or not,” Carter said.
“I tell you what that little brat needs is a firm hand and a red ass,” Spencer replied.
“Be nice, Spencer,” Carter growled. Meghan had grown on him today with her intelligence and obvious love for both her sister and Liam. That meant that, even if he had to protect her from Spencer, regardless of the mouth she had on her, he would.
“She’s certainly a pretty one. Not sure she’s a sub, though,” Mason said, and Carter could see the wheels of interest turning.
“That one has teeth, brother, and is not one you’d want to tangle with,” Cole said.
“Fine, she’ll get an invite. But if she dares to speak to me again the way she did out in your driveway, I cannot promise enough restraint not to paddle her ass,” Spencer chewed out, folding his cards.
“Ah, sorry to interrupt the manly ritual down here, but dinner’s ready if y’all want to take a break and come eat in the dining room,” Jenna said from within the doorframe. Carter wondered how long she’d been standing there. He hadn’t heard her approach. None of them had, and they hadn’t shown restraint in their conversation.
She approached him, but because of Liam. Their gazes clashed and then she lowered her gaze to Liam. “Hey there, my love, you having a good time bonding with all the boys?”
Liam grinned and cooed up at her.
“Oh yeah, it’s been that much fun? Well, why don’t you come with me so you can tell me all about it and we can change your pants, then join your new friends for dinner.”
She lifted Liam out of Carter’s arms and strode out of the game room without a backward glance.
“If it were me, I’d do whatever it took to keep a woman like that at my side and in my bed,” Cole said quietly with a hand on his shoulder. Carter responded with a nod and rose from his seat. Cole was right. Absolutely one hundred percent. And he was working on it.
They grabbed their beer bottles and filed out of the room.
What he hadn’t told them was that he was still in love with her. And as for getting her back into his bed, he was working on it. Hell this afternoon beneath the tree, he’d nearly come in his pants like an untried youth as he stroked her to climax. Just reliving the memory made his dick twitch in anticipation. Except, he didn’t want her as merely a convenience because they lived together. Carter wanted to ensure that once he got her in his bed, she stayed there, permanently. He wanted to make sure she was physically recovered from giving birth to Liam. It wouldn’t hurt him to press and be a bit more aggressive in his pursuit, though, not after her response to him today.
Tomorrow, the real seduction began.
But could he trust her after all this time? Could he trust that she wouldn’t abscond and leave him floundering? And this time, she’d take his son.
Chapter 12
Last night, Carter and his band of friends had given Jenna a ton of fodder to chew over. She’d overheard them discussing her and Meghan, although she’d never admit it to Carter. There were some mysteries that were better left unsolved.
Hearing Carter admit he loved Liam calmed her, settled some of the fear that had been rattling its cage in her chest. He really wanted Liam. And he had proved it in spades this morning when he’d driven them into town for Liam’s doctor appointment. He’d asked questions of the pediatrician regarding the reflux medication. Paid for everything, from the doctor’s visit to Liam’s prescription. When she’d tried to pay at the pharmacy they’d nearly come to blows until Jenna had relented and caved.
While Carter was all in with Liam, he was unsure about her. She didn’t blame him for that when she was just as uncertain about him. Jenna felt like she was walking through a minefield where a single incorrect step could make everything blow up in their faces. And Liam would end up harmed in the fallout.
After lunch, she sat in the sunroom with Liam contentedly sleeping in his carrier. She ordered some things for Liam online to be delivered later that week. Then she worked on classwork that was due the following day. She was just shy of twenty-one credit hours before she received her bachelor’s degree in accounting.
She knew most people thought it was a boring field, but she had always been good with numbers. Her ultimate dream would be to have her own bookkeeping business. It wasn’t exotic work by any means, but people always needed accountants for taxes, estate planning, and other things. Now, after Liam’s arrival, she wanted her dream more than anything. She wanted to be able to set a good example for her son, to prove that with hard work and dedication he could make something of himself. Even with the knowledge that one day this ranch would be his, she wanted to instill a work ethic in her kid. Part of that would come from providing him a solid foundation from which to springboard, one that didn’t shift under his feet from one moment to the next.
And, this was purely selfish, but she wanted her son to be proud of her. Corny, she realized. But she never wanted Liam to think poorly of her or less of her. She knew that there would be times that he would roll his eyes at her or fight for his independence as a teen. That was a given when you had a child. But she didn’t want him to have to parent her or be an adult before he was ready.
Jenna had become the other adult in the house after her mom’s suicide. Her dad had shifted the responsibility of raising Meghan and so many other chores onto her shoulders while he’d wallowed in grief. By the time she was thirteen, she was the one who had run the household, not her father. She tried not to think less of him because she loved him so much. But he’d given her more responsibilities, forced her to grow up before she was ready, and then allowed her to take care of him.
Jenna never wanted Liam to have to be the adult in their relationship. She’d fight to keep his childhood intact for as long as possible.
When she was twenty, Jenna had to leave college at the end of her sophomore year to help take care of their dad when he received his diagnosis. She had worked to support him. Had spent years running, from the moment her feet hit the floor each day to the moment she collapsed into bed in the evening. Yet, she’d still carved out time to take one or two online courses a semester toward her degree.
She’d done it in secret. Hadn’t even told Meghan until she’d caught her studying while she was pregnant. Meghan had been super supportive and given her the stink eye for keeping it a secret. But Jenna had learned to keep the things she cared about most close to her chest. Not out of spite, or because she wanted to deceive the people she was closest to. But because when people knew about something that mattered to her, it became real. Once it was real, it could be taken away. So she protected what she cared about most by not mentioning it. That was another one of the reasons why she’d had such a hard time approaching Carter regarding Liam.
Carter strode into the sunroom then. The man simply took her breath away, much like the mountains around his ranch did. His nearness ignited a slow burn in her midsection.
Carter dropped onto the end of the leather chaise, his gaze on her open text book.
“Are you studying for something?” he asked.
“Yeah, actually. I’m a few classes shy of finishing my accounting degree,” she admitted.
The dark slashes of his brows rose and he said, “Really? You never told me that. You want to be an accountant?”
She shrugged, attempting to deflect and make it seem unimportant. “More or less. I’d like to have my own business that would allow me to work from home while Liam’s young and then work while he’s at school when he’s older.”
Carter cocked his head to the side, studying her. “You’re serious. Why did you never mention it on the island? I thought—”
“That I was just a bit of submissive fluff who liked to mouth off?” she replied. And wasn’t that part of what her problem had always been? Not being taken seriously, even by those she loved and who loved her back.
His gaze hardened and he bit out, “Don’t put words in my mouth. You ju
st never mentioned it. I’m proud of you for working toward a goal like that. It’s rather noble of you, I think. You certainly are more than capable and intelligent enough to handle it.”
She flushed at the compliment and glanced down at her nails that were sorely in need of a good manicure. “Was there something I could help you with, Carter?”
“Yes, Cuffs & Spurs, my club, is throwing us a baby shower on Saturday. Spencer needs your sister’s number.”
She snorted. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? Giving my sister and that man a way to contact the other?”
Carter chuckled darkly. “She’ll keep him on his toes, that’s for certain. And personally, I find it funny as hell watching Spencer deal with Meghan.”
“Yeah, but you’ve never seen my sister when she goes nuclear. Rivers have change the course of their flow for days. I realize Spencer’s a Dom and likely a capable individual, but even I pity him in this scenario.”
Carter shrugged. “He’ll be all right. And if not, well, the entertainment value alone will be worth it.”
She jotted Meghan’s number down on an empty sheet of notebook paper. Handing it to him, she said, “It’s Spencer’s funeral. Just don’t blame me when they come to blows.”
“No worries,” he murmured. His fingers grazed hers as he took the piece of paper with Meghan’s number scrawled on it. Electricity from the innocuous touch zinged throughout her body. Her nipples hardened. Her core fluttered. And she cursed internally when he noticed her arousal.
They were walking a tightrope ready to snap, only there was no net to catch them when they inevitably fell.
“Was there something you needed?” she asked, her voice husky with her arousal. The sensual tension crackled and pulsed. It would be so easy to cave to the desire she felt for him. Sex had never been an issue with him. Their desire had always blazed hotter than the sun. But she worried about trusting him with her heart. Before she did something stupid, like jump the man’s bones, she scooted back as far as the chaise would allow, creating a safe distance.
