for. Then I hear something that sounds like a crash. A metallic gong sounds next. I spin around and see her trash can wobbling. What the hell?
I’ll get to the bottom of that after the end of this discussion. If she thinks she’s going to derail me with some stunt, she’s damn wrong.
I close the distance between us with single-minded determination. She looks up as I approach, her gaze chilly. “Griff, I really don’t have time for—”
I slap the paper I retrieved on the desk between us. “You’re not the only one who can see an attorney, angel.”
I watch her face as she scans the document. VOLUNTARY ESTABLISHMENT OF PATERNITY BY PARENTS.
She turns chalky white. “What’s this?”
“You’ve got two choices where Jamie is concerned: Either you and I can find a notary public and sign this right now, establishing the fact that I’m Jamie’s father. Or I can take you to court, demand a DNA test, and prove I’m his father. Either way, I wind up with rights—a whole slew of them. And I will have your ass in court every minute necessary until I get every one coming to me.”
Britta looks stricken, then turns her face up to me with rage. “Goddamn it, you son of a bitch! Jamie is mine. I birthed him. I’m raising him. I love him. You took so much from me, and now you want to take him, too.”
“I want to share him with you,” I correct. “I want him to have the love of two parents.”
Bolting out of her seat, she paces the office. She looks like she has daggers on the tip of her tongue, but she knows I have her cornered. Either way, I’m going to be Jamie’s father legally. She’s going to have to let me visit, spend nights, weekends, holidays with him. She’ll have to relinquish the boy to me for days, sometimes weeks.
Frankly, this is not my first choice. In fact, it’s my worst-case scenario. It’s the one in which Britta winds up married to Makaio, and I’m reduced to seeing my son when the courts allow. But I have to start somewhere.
Now that I’ve put this out between us, I have a bargaining chip. I have an outcome she’d like to avoid, which I can make possible…for a price.
She shoots me a glare, then runs into the restroom, slamming the door and locking it. I don’t think for one minute that she suddenly needs to tinkle. Britta is pissed, and this is her exercising her power over me—to put a door between us. It’s temporary, and I’m not sweating it.
I turn to head toward the coffee bar, then glance into her trash can to see what she dumped so loudly and unceremoniously.
It looks like every single edition of her bridal magazines and the stack of tape flags. I frown as I lift one out of the bin. This can’t possibly be something she doesn’t want anymore. It’s chock-full of marked and bent pages, even a few with colorful notes in the margin.
Something is up with this. For now, I quietly slip the booklet back into the canister and grab a cup of coffee.
My hand is shaking. I’ve played cool, but I seriously have no idea what she’s going to say or do when she comes out of that bathroom. Whatever is making her different today is also making her unpredictable. I wonder if the magazines are tied in. Is it possible there’s trouble in paradise?
That thought gives me comfort as I brew a mug.
When I turn back, Britta is coming out of the bathroom. Her eyes are swollen. Her nose is red. She looks pissed as hell as she struts across the office toward me.
“If you do this, I will hate you.”
It’s a hefty threat, but I’ve already thought of this one.
“You’ll hate me because I don’t want to be an absentee father?” I saunter closer until we meet in the middle of the room. “Isn’t that part of why you’ve been furious with me for the last three years?”
She grits her teeth. “I needed you then. I don’t need you now.”
“After the incident at the park a week ago last Friday, I’m going to disagree. I will understand that boy in a way that you can’t since you’ve never been a reckless, testosterone-driven creature.”
“Makaio can handle that part,” she insists.
“Really?” Okay, so I shove a little condescending note in there. It’s not intended to make her feel stupid. I just want her to think about what she’s saying…and to stop overestimating her Hawaiian calendar boy’s abilities.
“I will handle it. I’m his mother.”
“I’ll be there, too, because I’m his father. There’s only one thing you can possibly do to change that.”
Britta scans my face. I see her thoughts racing. I know the moment the realization dawns.
“That’s why you suggested I move in with you until I get married?” She looks aghast.
“Bingo. You and Jamie live with me for fifty-two days. At the end of that period, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me and that you would rather marry Makaio Kāle…” I drag in a deep breath. I can hardly say these words. I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do if I lose this giant gamble and actually have to do what I’m about to promise. “Then I’ll sign the papers you gave me and let you both go. But I’m going to make you spend every one of those fifty-two days—and nights—with me.”
She looks at me, shocked. “You can’t force me to have sex with you for the next eight weeks.”
I shake my head. “Of course I can’t. You just have to cohabitate with me.”
“But…but I’m engaged to another man.”
One who’s about to find out that nice guys finish last in my world.
“I don’t need the reminder.” I clench my fists at my sides. “But if the sex happens between us”—when, as far as I’m concerned—“I want you every bit as willing and ready and wet for me as you used to be. I want you to kiss me good morning before I satisfy you into a pretty blush. I want you to tell me you love me before I lay you down in our bed at night and fuck you senseless. But if the sex never happens…” I shrug as if that possibility is so slim it’s ridiculous. “Well, then we’ll have spent those eight weeks co-parenting. And if you still don’t think I pass muster, I’ll let you and Jamie go. Acknowledge me as Jamie’s father now or take a gamble that may pay off later. Your choice.”
She gapes at me. I see her blink, breathe hard, stare at me as if I’m insane. Hell, maybe I am. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been accused of that.
“I can’t just…move in with you. What would I tell Makaio?”
“That this is your one chance to get me out of your lives forever. He must want that. He simply needs to understand this is a take-it-or-leave-it opportunity.”
“He’ll never agree.” She shakes her head.
“Why?” I lean closer. “Do you think he’d worry your love for him won’t survive fifty-two days with me?” I walk behind Britta, so close I can feel the heat of her body rising. I can see her shoulders square as she breathes. I circle back around and ease even closer, until my face is mere inches from hers. “Are you worried it wouldn’t?”
Her eyes narrow as she backs away. “I’ve always known you were an underhanded bastard. It wasn’t enough to seduce me out of my virginity. It wasn’t enough to turn me upside down by getting me pregnant and walking away. Now you have to pull shit like this?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I point out.
When she stiffens, it’s all I can do not to put my hands on her, but now isn’t the time. And if she agrees to my plan, what’s between us is going to get a shitload uglier before it gets better.
If she doesn’t agree, we’ll have nothing more than a coldly polite child exchange in a fast-food parking lot every two weeks.
That makes me so fucking sad, and I can’t think of it right now. I’ve got game. I’m playing.
“I’m not going to,” she spits back. “Your question is absurd.”
Or too accurate. But I let it slide for the moment. I have a more important point to make.
“What’s it going to be?”
“Jamie c-can’t live in your condo building. Do your grounds even have an ar
ea for kids to play? I’ll bet your unit overlooks the ocean and has a balcony. How can we stop him from climbing the railing? The outlets aren’t kid proofed and—”
“Valid points.” But she’s talking about us living together. That makes me smile. “I’ll make alternate arrangements.”
“No. My house is familiar to him and—”
“It’s an hour from both our work and his school.” I shake my head. It’s also a place where she can find comfortable places to retreat from me. That’s not acceptable. That’s not my only objection, however. “Have you ever had sex with Makaio in that house?”
She rears back. “That’s none of your business.”
“So that’s a yes.” I grind my teeth together and work on keeping my shit wired tight. “I won’t make love to you in a place—hell, in a bed—where he’s had you. Period.”
“This is ridiculous. You think I’m going to move in with you and leave my house? Just because you don’t like what I might have done there? Just because you demanded it?”
Pretty much. “What’s your answer?”
“Never mind ridiculous. This is crazy!”
“I realize this decision involves others, so you don’t even have to know the answer right this instant.” I look at the clock. It’s nearly nine a.m. I have a mountain of work on my desk, and I can hear my phone buzzing from my office. But nothing is more important now—nor will it ever be—than Britta and Jamie. “You have twelve hours to decide. I expect a phone call at nine tonight with your decision. If you agree to my terms, I expect you to be ready to move in with me at six p.m. tomorrow.”
“I’d need at least a few days to gather—”
“The timetable is nonnegotiable.” I shake my head. “You either accept or you can sign the form I gave you. If not, I’m taking you to court.”
Her fingers curl into fists, and she looks near tears again. “You’re trying to ruin my life all over. I don’t know why I’m even surprised. So much for you changing and becoming a better man. I should never have bought your insistence that you’ve learned to be a good guy. Keeley is your bestie and she’s taught you so much about compassion and humility and kindness. Oh, I see exactly who you are now. You know what, Griff? Fuck you.”
Rob walks in and pauses in the doorway like he knows he’s interrupted something intense. He stares between us, his gaze bouncing back and forth. “Everything cool?”
“Fine,” I tell him with a bland smile. “Britta and I were just finishing a discussion.”
“Um…” Rob obviously feels the tension swirling thick and heavy in the air. “Sure.”
He knows I’m lying to him but isn’t going to challenge me. Smart man.
Without meeting my gaze, he nods and heads for his desk. “The photographer finished. The shots will be good. She’ll get back to us in a day or two.”
“Excellent.” I stand in expectation and wait for him to get busy.
He proves he’s smart again when he dons his headphones and cranks his music, then focuses on his computer and ignores us completely.
I slant my gaze back to Britta. She’s breathing hard, teeth gritted, staring at me like she wants to take me apart limb from limb.
If she thinks I’m a bastard now, she hasn’t seen anything yet. I’m on a mission. I have a goal. I won’t rest until I’ve accomplished it.
“Fuck me, huh?” I murmur to her. “No, angel. Here’s what I think is going to happen. You’re not going to be able to resist me because you don’t love that asswipe you’re engaged to. You might be angry as hell at me right now, but deep down you still love me. And I’m going to prove I love you. Once you’re ready to admit it, once all the walls are down between us? Then you’re going to be saying sayonara to your banker and I’m going to be fucking you.”
CHAPTER TEN
“You’re wearing out the carpet,” Keeley points out, grabbing the last of her stuff from the spare bedroom in my condo. “What is going on?”
I stare at the time on my phone again—8:58 p.m. Nerves are gnawing a hole into my gut. If Britta doesn’t call in the next few minutes, I have to start down a path of administrative forms and legal battles and court proceedings, all of which will net me some grudging visitation with my son. I’d rather have more. But even if she does call and agree to my scheme, there’s every chance she’ll hate me for that, too.
Makaio didn’t just set a quick wedding date. He fucking maneuvered me into a corner to see if I’d fight my way out. I’m sure I counterpunched harder than he expected. I had to. I certainly won’t underestimate him again.
As my thoughts circle, Keeley stands in my living room, waiting for an answer. If I spill the details to my best friend, she will give me a tongue whipping about the thousand and one ways I’ve totally screwed up. And my brother, who’s standing impatiently in the doorway, will help her just to speed the process along. Obviously, he’s dying to take Keeley back to his place and get her naked. He won’t let anything paltry, like my torment, get in the way.
Lucky bastard, getting to spend the night with the woman he loves.
“I’m all right.”
I have to be. What’s done is done. I can’t take the ultimatum back. And I don’t want to. So listening to Keeley tell me why I’ve fucked up isn’t helpful. She’s way better at untangling my problems once they’re deep. I’ll call her then.
Keeley’s face softens and she approaches me, left hand on my shoulder. I see her sparkly new diamond there. I’m happy for them…even as I’m worried the ring I bought for Britta will simply continue to sit in my safe and gather dust for the rest of my fucking life.
“Are you really, Griff?” Keeley asks.
“Yeah. I’ll be in a better place to talk tomorrow. Tonight, I need to get some quiet and think. Don’t worry about me. You’ve barely been engaged twenty-four hours. Think of Maxon. He’s desperate over there. Hell, think of our brotherly bonds. They’re tenuous now because if I don’t shut up and let you leave now so he can do naughty, unspeakable things to you back at his place, he may stop speaking to me.”
She rolls her eyes and laughs. “You’re so full of shit. Call me in the morning.”
“I will.” I kiss her cheek. “Do you mind if I talk shop with my brother for a second?”
Keeley looks between us, her fiery hair brushing the tops of her shoulders. She’s not fooled for a second, but like a trooper, she bows out gracefully.
With a little wave, she grabs the handle of her smaller suitcase and rolls it toward the door, pausing in front of Maxon to kiss him softly. “I’ll wait in the car.”
He caresses her face and looks at her as if she’s his world.
It’s funny. I’ve seen my brother take apart his adversaries. I’ve seen him verbally dismantle someone in under two minutes. I’ve even seen him beat the shit out of an asshole threatening our little sister in high school. But I’ve never seen him happy, tender, centered.
It’s like I’m seeing Maxon for the first time.
“I won’t be long, sunshine.”
After tossing a smile to us both, Keeley is gone.
The second the door shuts, Maxon turns to me, brow raised. “What did you do to Britta this morning?”
“You want the ‘office-friendly’ version?”
“Fuck no. I want the truth.”
“All right. I forced her to deal with me.” I explain my ultimatum.
Maxon’s eyes bug out. “You’ve got balls the size of Jupiter. The gravitational pull obviously sucked your brain from your head. Holy shit. How did she take that?”
I glance at my phone again. Straight up nine p.m. “I’m waiting to find out. But I need to talk to you about an idea… I can’t keep Jamie in my condo. Britta has valid points about why. I won’t live with her in her house. She has memories of Makaio there. I refuse to compete on what’s essentially his turf. So that leaves my options short. I mentally ran through a few and had this thought… So I called George Stowe and talked to him about the caretaker situation. He und
erstood. And he seemed awfully relieved when I