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He’s only half hers.
He’s half someone else’s. Please don’t be any of my guys.
I shake away the thought that he might be Seb’s. It wouldn’t bother me if he was a father. What bothers me is we’ve been here for weeks and not one of these guys has mentioned Rachel has a son. It’s like…they’re hiding it from me.
Like they’ve been hiding the fact they’re looking into my dad.
Sickness roils in my belly and I grab a package of crackers to munch on while I ponder my thoughts. I hear the front door close, causing my spine to stiffen. Poor Leo is about to get my wrath. Anger surges up inside of me as he rounds the corner.
But it’s not him.
It’s her.
Rachel.
“Mommy!” Seth cries out, waving to her.
All I can do is stare at her. With new eyes. She’s not just the skanky ex. She’s this adorable kid’s mom. And this evening, she’s not dressed like a hooker. She wears jeans tucking into her boots, a burgundy sweater, and a black puff jacket. Her blond hair has been pulled back in a ponytail. She walks over to Seth and kisses his forehead.
“There you are, baby,” she coos. “I told you to play soccer out front. Why did you come inside?”
He points a red, strawberry stained finger at me. “Clove said I could. She got me strawberries.” He holds up the empty bowl. “All gone now.”
She pulls him off the counter and takes the bowl from him before ruffling his hair. “Why don’t you go find Sebby and give him a hug bye. We’re going to leave before the weather gets ugly.”
“Sebby!” he cries out before running off.
Her mom smile melts away as she sets the bowl in the sink. She turns to glower at me. “You know,” she says coolly. “We were supposed to be a family.”
I freeze and gape at her. “He…Seth is…”
“What do you think?” She gives me a look that clearly means Sebastian is his father.
Recoiling from her words, I take a step back. My coat is suddenly too hot. I feel like I’m suffocating. Not only does Rachel have a son that the guys failed to mention, but it’s Seb’s too. No wonder they didn’t tell me. How could he be with my dad and me for six years while having a son back here being raised in a trailer at the bottom of his property line?
“If you hadn’t shown up, Sebastian would have come to his senses. I’m not the woman he left all those years ago. I’ve grown up. I was ready to show him. Ready for us to be a family. But then you showed up,” she hisses. “Fucking them all.”
I wince at her words. “Stop, Rachel.”
Her nostrils flare. “Stop? Why would I stop? You know, I was just like you once. I let them use me. Zac and Seb. Together. It’s fun at first. Feels really good. But then, you soon realize you’re nothing more than a fuck toy to them. A relationship with two men doesn’t work.”
She had issues with two.
I have four.
My expression must fuel her because she steps forward, concern flashing in her eyes.
“Oh, little girl,” she coos. “You have been fucking all four of them. As hot as that is, I’m sure, where do you truly see that type of relationship going?”
Hot tears spring up in my eyes. My throat feels hoarse with emotion. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I love them.”
“Those boys are awfully generous with the L word. Seb loved me too. But then he left. I raised my son with the hope that one day he’d come back to me and we could finally be happy.” She swipes away the tear racing down my cheek with her knuckle. “He came back. But he came back with you. Seb always did have a thing for a damsel in distress.”
I step away from her, trying to hold in my emotions so I don’t break down in front of her.
“I think you should leave.”
“Oh, I’m leaving. Seb is moving Seth and me out. He has a new toy now, but the shine will wear off you as well, and then he’ll put you out like trash too.”
“I need to lie down. I have a headache.” I swallow down the bile rising in my throat.
She smiles sweetly at me despite the waves of hostility rippling from her.
Suddenly, in a matter of twenty minutes, my happy world is shattered. Nothing feels sure anymore. And more than ever, I miss my dad.
I want to go home.
“You got eyes on him?” I ask, dropping into my desk chair and swiveling around to where Zac sits on the sofa in my office.
Zac taps at his laptop screen. “He’s at his office with Marjorie. They went in together.”
Ford, from next to him on the sofa, leans over and peers at the screen. “Poor woman has it so bad for him.”
