AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sensed I had hurt his feelings. Damn.
“Well, I guess I can just fuck off then,” Meech continued, his voice showing his anger. “Take care of yourself.”
I sighed. For such a big, loud motherfucker, he could be a fucking softie sometimes. “I just found out about it a few weeks ago. I’ve been coming to terms with it.”
“Wait.” The shock was stark in his voice. “Your wife never told you she was pregnant?”
“No,” I ground out.
“You didn’t even suspect?” This time, he sounded even more shocked. “I mean, nine months is a long time.”
“I didn’t suspect.” Although I understood his confusion, my words were defensive. The words stabbed me with fresh anger at the memories. The child was conceived during a time when Kelly’s paranoia was at its worst, back when it would only take a single word from me for her to skitter out of the room. One night, she’d come to me, wearing a red slinky nightgown with a glass of wine and her beautiful smile lighting up her face. I’d been confused, but I gave in. I thought we were doing better.
However, at the end of the week, she ran off to her parents’ place, and that was the last I ever saw of her. I was too busy with work to focus on it…no, that was wrong. I buried myself in work so that I didn’t have to think about it. And I thought what she needed was space from me since my presence always made it worse. Whenever I talked to her, she would only scream. And then, other times, she would be extremely affectionate. There was no in-between with her, and her shifting behavior eventually gave me whiplash.
Divorce seemed like the next logical step.
So I started getting the papers ready and figuring out how to discuss them with her in the most painless way possible.
But then she killed herself.
I sighed. Regret ached within me, but the knowledge didn’t hurt as much as it used to, even knowing she’d kept my child from me.
“Huh,” Meech said, and I glanced at him. His expression was thoughtful.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s funny, is all.”
What made conversation with Meech frustrating was that he took forever to spit out whatever the fuck he wanted to say. “Meaning what?”
“I thought…I mean, with something like this and discovering that you have a kid you didn’t know, I thought it would drive you nuts. And I wouldn’t blame you. I mean, that is kind of a savage thing to do to someone because I’m guessing her family kept it from you too.” He leaned back against the door, thoughtfully rubbing his goatee. “I thought you would be ranting and raving by now, and there would be hell to pay. Instead, you’re here.”
I knew what he was getting at now. He wanted to know why I wasn’t punishing the Mulins for what they did. I literally had legal teams dedicated to making anyone who messed with me miserable. But here I was, agreeing to only see my son once a week.
“You like her, don’t you?” A shit-eating grin spread across Meech’s face. “The sister.”
I didn’t dignify the question with an answer, but my nonanswer was enough for Meech.
“I knew it. I just knew it.” He snapped his hands exuberantly. “For the record, I like her too.”
I shot him a look, and his hands flew up in a defensive manner against my glare. “I mean, I wasn’t so sure at first until I saw her threaten to kick your ass if you ever hurt the kid.”
I had a little smile at the memory too. The image of her like a little bunny facing a panther was tickling my mind. Followed quickly by the image of her on the kitchen counter melting in my arm with a fucking wet inferno between her legs.
God, I’d never seen anything that sexy in my entire life.
“Is there a point to this conversation?” I asked, ready to be alone with my thoughts once again.
Meech drummed his hands on the table for a few seconds and then shook her head. “No. I like her, so I approve.”
“I’m so glad for your approval,” I replied sarcastically.
“I know you are.” He winked at me before getting to his feet. “Alright, it’s getting pretty late. I’m going to head out. Maybe even find my own honey at a bar. Who knows, maybe your luck will rub off on me.”
“Dive off a cliff,” I scoffed by way of goodbye.
“I’ll try to find the nearest one,” he said as he walked away. I shook my head. God only knew why I stuck around that man for so long. Or why he stuck around me.
