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“I’ll never be with a woman like you.” I turn to Louise. “Now leave me alone before I reinstate those protective orders I had before.” I make sure my words carry too. No one was supposed to know I had several protective orders against her to leave me alone. She was constantly showing up where I didn’t want her. But her turning up at the condo the day I hurt Briar was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I couldn’t chase after Briar, and I never heard from her again after that. It was like she had disappeared from Seattle completely.
“You are not on the guest list, and I didn’t invite you. Leave,” Elora states as she faces off with both of us. “As for you, fix it before I fulfill my threat from the other day.” She turns and walks off as security comes to show Louise out.
I take off to find Briar, but she is gone. I decide it’s best I don’t follow her to her condo. I’ll let her be for a bit, but I will be setting the record straight.
Chapter 3
Briar
“Mom, did you see that goal? I made it in on my first attempt.” Orion bounces next to me as we walk with Chase from the car to the garage elevators. I have to get him upstairs and in the shower quickly. Everything is almost ready for Chase and Laya’s engagement party. It was Orion’s idea to have the party.
Chase is not only my best friend, but he’s become the brother I needed. He was with me for every step of my pregnancy and after. I’ve constantly lied to him, however, about who Orion’s father is. I don’t want him to feel like he’s in the middle. He and Thornton have been friends for a very long time. After Rowan died, I needed someone, and Chase was there.
Rowan and I were always close growing up even with him being over four years older than me. He was my big brother, protector, and champion. Our mother constantly was mean to me because I took after our father’s family instead of hers. I have the full hips and bust that she does not. She’s model rail thin, and image is everything to her. My father is a workaholic and serial cheater.
That’s why Thor’s deception was the worst. I didn’t know he and Louise were still together when I slept with him. After I found out I was pregnant, I tried to tell him over and over, but all my messages went unanswered.
The elevator dings on the ground floor, and the doors open.
“Hey, ready for tonight?” I smile up at Chase as I take out my cell and double-check my list. “The caterers dropped off the food already. Laya messaged me,” I tell him. I gave Laya access to my place while I went to Orion’s hockey practice. I try to be as hands on with his life as I can be even though I’m working full-time.
“Yeah, I’m ready. I can’t wait to get my girl on the plane though.” He laughs.
“Hold the elevator,” a man yells.
I know that voice. I’ve avoided him since the gala last month, and now he’s here. I pray he doesn’t realize who’s standing in front of him.
Thor’s arm swings out to stop the doors from closing before he steps in. An image of him in the black tuxedo he wore the last time I saw him fills my mind. Today he’s in a suit, his typical outfit. The gray color and green tie set off his eyes. I look down, avoiding eye contact and chanting in my head that this doesn’t blow up in here. The silence in the elevator is almost deafening.
“Who are you? Are you here for Uncle Chase and Auntie Laya’s party?” Orion asks him.
I look over at my son in shock. Orion has never met a stranger, but he can’t talk to Thor. This man doesn’t deserve to know him after everything he did. Orion is looking up at him with those big green eyes that match the ones on the man looking down at him. Thor stumbles back. I try not to pull my son behind me to protect him. I don’t want Thor’s rejection to affect him.
“Are you okay, mister?” Orion asks him, and I watch the play of emotions on Thor’s handsome face. Hurt, pain, and finally anger.
“No. No, I’m not okay. I’m Thornton.” His normally smooth voice is full of gravel, and he turns to pin me with those eyes.
“My Uncle Chase is getting married to my Aunt Laya. Do you know them?” Orion chatters away as I’m being slowly killed right in front of him.
My heart shatters because Thor is reacting as if he didn’t know about Orion. I did tell him, several times in fact. My son is my only thought right now. Protecting him. He’s only five and doesn’t need to be in this man’s presence any longer.
“Rion, let’s go,” I say as soon as the elevator stops on our floor. I try to push past Thor, but he grabs my arm tight. “Not now, Thor.” I hold the tears at bay, but they are still there, pushing through. “Rion, go open the door.” I watch him, making sure he’s inside and the door closes before I turn back to Thor. His green eyes that I stare into every day when I look at his son are dark and stormy. I yank my arm hard from his grip, hearing my shirt tear. “Don’t think for a moment you can come in and screw up something you never wanted. You made that choice a long time ago.” A shudder rushes through my body from the look of hate in his eyes. I don’t understand. I left him messages. I called. I emailed. I even went to his office and was told to leave. The hate I felt that day is the emotion I settle on.
“Made my decision? What the fuck are you talking about, Bri?” he growls and leans into me.
I step away. For the first time ever, I fear him. Fear that I screwed up just as much as he did. The victim in all this is my precious son, Orion.
“My attorney will be in touch. Chase, I’ll see you shortly.” I hold my head high as I move to my door. I place my thumb on the scanner and do everything not to turn around and look back. I don’t want him to see the pain in my eyes. Honestly, I don’t want to see the hate in his eyes anymore.
As soon as the door closes behind me, I lean back and let the tears flow. I slide down and sit there on my butt with my arms wrapped around my legs. My tears seep down between my cleavage, and it makes me cry harder because maybe if I were skinnier, he would have stayed. He would have wanted his son. We wouldn’t be his dirty little secret. Yvonne, Chase’s mom, had told me it was his loss, but it feels like mine.
* * *
Thor
The shock of seeing that little boy up close was almost too much. I was looking into my very eyes with her beautiful hair.
My son.
