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“I found it in your room, Mama,” he said. “I wanted to play cowboys with Daddy.”
I willed my pounding heart to slow. Holly and I had already fought over this. Her expression was one of relief and fury. Gabriel cocked his head, studying the other man in the entry. They were mirror images. Fuck me. I was witnessing a man and his son see each other for the first time.
“I'm Gabriel,” he finally said, taking a step forward, holding out his small hand.
Curiosity morphed into a dazzling smile meant to charm but mostly to distract. There was a war going on inside Drew. He didn't want to be affected by the person in front of him. I knew firsthand how Gabriel could take the most heartless of souls and turn them into someone who gave a shit. I wished Drew would turn his back and walk out the door. I wanted him to slither back into his hole and leave us alone. Gabriel would be fine without him. But if he took an interest in Gabriel, what right did I have to deny him?
Fuck.
“I'm Drew.” They shook hands, and then the moment was over.
Holly broke the awkward silence. She led Gabriel toward the windows in the living room, leaving Drew and me on our own.
“Let's have a chat,” I said, nodding at the front door, moving without waiting for a response.
“Not a chance as long as you’re packing.” I made no move to get rid of the gun. “Hmm. Looks like someone has a dependency issue,” he observed, and it took all my self-control not to plow a fist into his pretty-boy face. He was an attractive bastard. I could see why Holly would have desired him. That shit wasn't going to fly with me, nor were his little digs.
I held open the door, and we were in a stalemate for what felt like a year before he finally walked through it into the hall. The pissing contest continued.
“You won't be using Holly any longer for your power trip.” I shoved my hands into my pockets casually, a complete contradiction to my tone.
“Keep her away from my brother, sister-in-law, and my parents and we won't have any problems,” he countered. He was in the power position. If he chose to actively be a parent to Gabriel, we might have no say in that. It would kill Holly, and that wasn't an option.
“She's been working closely with them for over six years. What's changed?” I kept my voice amicable; no need to invoke hostilityyet. He deserved to be taught a lesson for how he'd treated Holly, tossing her out in the middle of the night without so much as calling a cab. But getting Gabriel free and clear would more than make up for it.
“Everyone's getting too cozy. Holly tried to stir up trouble with me a few years ago. Tried to pin the impossible on me.” Drew frowned, uncertain.
“Miracles happen.” Holly hadn’t outright told me Drew was Gabriel’s father, but the physical evidence was undeniable. He’d just all but confirmed it with his last sentence.
He snorted. “Not to me,” he stated bitterly.
“Let's cut the shit. I want Gabriel to be mine legally. We can do it confidentially. In return, we never reveal the paternity. You'll have no responsibility toward him whatsoever.”
“There's no way he's mine.”
“Then you shouldn’t care if I adopt him.”
He stood there silent, fists balled at his sides.
“Let's do a test,” I suggested. “That way you'll know for certain, and we can proceed as need be. If he’s not yours, you have no say anyway.”
“And you think I'd just give up my son?” he asked incredulously.
“Deep in your gut, you know he's yours. Whatever your reasons are for denying that, I'm not here to judge. You could have proved five years ago he was or wasn't your son, but you've chosen to use it against Holly, to manipulate her when you have need. That stops now. Let's handle this peacefully in the best interests of Gabriel. Because he’s most important.” I usually went for the kill, but in this case, I couldn't, literally or figuratively. I had nothing on this motherfucker because Holly had refused to tell me who he was. That put me at a distinct disadvantage.
“I can make sure Holly never sees him again,” Drew said.
I tried to get my temper in check. “No more threats. The secret you've worked so hard to keep buried will come out. So I'll ask again. What is it you're trying to accomplish? Something doesn’t add up.”
“Have you ever had a bitch try to peg a pregnancy on you?” he asked, like we were bros at a bar, exchanging small talk.
“Don't refer to Holly that way ever again,” I said in a low voice. He didn't flinch, but he did nod. “And no, I haven't.”
“I'm telling you, it's impossible. But even if it were true, I don't want kids. She pulled that stunt on me, obviously after money.”
I had to set aside some of what he said to get to the meat, or I would end up killing him without a single regret. I'd been with plenty of women, but I didn't treat them like garbage.
“Has she ever asked you for money?” I asked.
