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  I smile against his chest and try to hide the fact that I’m laughing, but he notices. “There you go,” he encourages me to let the anger go. “Everything will work out.”

  I hope he’s right, one way or another.

  Aric moves me along toward the kitchen table and tells Katelynn to join us while he moves around our small kitchen serving us dinner. I’ll admit I really value the friendship he’s giving me and I know our situation is a rare one. He was like that big brother to the both of us, our own personal savior.

  “Now that we’ve got the heavy stuff out of the way,” he says cheerfully as he actually takes the time to dish the food onto each of our plates. “There’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”

  “I don’t know if I’ve got it in me for any more talking.” He laughs when I wrinkle my nose at him.

  “This is light, and I think it suits you.”

  “Now this I gotta hear.” I encourage him to continue as I wave my hand in a move on with it fashion.

  “I have this friend that owns a very upscale spa, and just the other day she mentioned that she was looking for someone to help her manage the place. Set appointments, restock the materials, make the customers feel welcomed and pampered.” I already knew where he was going with this, but I’ll admit it seemed like perfect timing. “I mentioned that I knew a certain someone that not only had the ability to make those around her feel happy, but also could use a change when it came to work.”

  “I may be interested,” I say with a shrug. “But I did have an interview a couple days ago, and it looked promising.” I see something flash in his eyes and know then he already knows. “Is there anything you don’t tell him?” I ask Katelynn and she smiles wide while shrugging her shoulder and taking a huge bite of chicken.

  I grab a napkin and toss it at her only causing her to snort with laughter and in turn, Aric smiles pleasingly at her as if they are sharing some hidden message. I honestly felt outnumbered when they were together.

  “David Blakely is a huge no."

  “Oh, so now you’re my father?” I arch my brow in a challenging fashion and wait for him to continue.

  “The last assistant he had is currently in the process of filing a lawsuit against him for sexual exploitation.” I know my eyes widen in disbelief. “The creep had cameras installed in the ladies bathroom and was watching her. Oh, and the one before that quit after she caught him staring down her top and licking his lips.” I swallow hard. “He’s a pig.”

  “Point taken.” Suddenly I felt a little nauseous as I pictured the big teddy bear looking guy from my interview that looked like he could be anyone’s sweet grandpa and I shiver involuntarily. “So this spa,” I say, and ignore the triumphant smile on Aric’s lips. He looked just like Alec when he smiled in that fashion.

  “They actually have three locations, but the one that needs help is their busiest. It’s located near my apartment in the upper east side and has various high class clientele.” I glance around my apartment and then back to him. “Stop it,” he says as if he knows my exact thoughts. “Your apartment is a conversation for a later time.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He waves me off and I want to reach out and smack his cocky ass upside the head. These Reynolds men really had a problem with authority. As in they felt they held the power to all things and made the calls without confirming they are in fact the right ones.

  “So I’ll set it all up?”

  “Okay.” There was no need to argue because like I said this was perfect timing. And a spa, come on, who wouldn’t love to work in that type of setting, and maybe reap a whole lot of the benefits along the way. I could almost feel my feet being pampered and massaged as I sit in one of those recliner types things I’ve seen in the movies. Oh, what a sheltered life I’ve led.

  “I look forward to having you start on Monday,” Rose says as she leans in to hug me. “You’ll be perfect for Serenity.”

  I thank her for the opportunity and leave the spa feeling as if things are finally looking up. Worrying over money was no longer a stress hanging over my head. In fact, to my surprise this position actually paid more than what I made in hourly wages and tips combined at Erotic Nights.

  I stepped outside through the large glass plated door and onto the streets of the city. Taking in a deep breath I could almost feel the coiled tension roll off me as I look from left to right, and then freeze in the very spot I stood. That tension suddenly returning only it was accompanied but a feeling of betrayal. A certain happy man now had a bullseye on his head and I planned out my attack. Aric was a pushy little bastard it seems.

  “Before you scream help, or take off running,” Alec says stepping forward holding out his hands in surrender, “I just wanted to see how everything went.”

  “Fine.” One simple word but then again he should feel lucky I didn’t just swing my bag and hit him upside his head instead.

  “Good.” Alec nods still looking at me carefully as if weighing out my body language and determining if he should shield himself. It almost made me laugh as I picture me standing on this busy road whacking him with my bag while he covers his head with his arms.

  “At least you’re smiling.” I quickly wipe the smile off my face that I tried to hide and failed apparently.

  “Actually you wouldn’t be saying that if you could see the thoughts rolling around in my mind.” I cross my arms over my chest and expect him to ask me what those thoughts are.

  “I would assume that they consist of all the ways you would like to repay me for the hell you felt since the moment you first met me.” He shrugs and it pulls at something inside me because for the first time he actually appeared sad.

  “It wasn’t all bad,” I say this and instantly want to kick myself for giving him even a small sense of hope. “But the bad does outweigh the good.” There, that’s better.

  “I could never express to you just how sorry I am for that.” Alec tucks his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “You deserved better, deserve better.”

  I’ve never in my life ever felt the urge to comfort someone as strong as I felt right then. It angered me because he didn’t deserve that, but it also made me realize that what I felt for him before wasn’t my imagination. There was good in him, I just wasn’t sure that the good could erase everything that had taken place between us since I walked out of his apartment that night.

  “I know that this is a long stretch, and that asking you is risking the chance of being rejected but I was wondering…” A shy smile tugs at his lips and I feel that strange sensation within me once more. The one that keeps telling me there’s hope, yet a lingering feeling of loss still taunts me. “Have dinner with me, I can order in and we can talk in private. Work through what comes next.”

  “I can’t prove the paternity of the baby until after it’s born.” I shrug feeling that hurt return with a vengeance. Something inside me demanding that he know this because that lingering hurt still lay within me that he questions that. “The test they perform, it’s not worth the risks involved. It can cause a miscarriage, and I just can’t take that chance.”

  Before I have a chance to stop him he moves toward me at a fast pace and reaches out to grip the back of my neck. With his forehead now pressed to mine, he whispers in a pained voice. “I don’t need a damn test, Brynn. I’m sorry I ever spoke those words to you, I have no doubts, sweetheart and I’m sorry that I even made you think I did. There are things I need you to know, things that though they don’t excuse my actions I hope they give you a better understanding of where they stemmed from.”

  I choose to say nothing in return because I felt as if my heart was currently lodged in throat. He’s right, nothing excuses him for the way he reacted, or the things he said. But I wondered if holding a grudge was wrong, because I did spring the pregnancy on him. Of course he had a moment of shock, surprise maybe, but his word choice was definitely something I could’ve gone without.

  “I know there is absolutely nothing
that will ever make up for what I’ve done, or said, for that matter,” He leans back and looks at me. “I’d really like to have dinner with you and talk over everything we have to look forward to.”

  “I don’t think us having dinner alone in your penthouse is a good idea.”

  The way he smiles assures me that he too knew this wasn’t the best idea. “Then we’ll go out to dinner. Anywhere you want, I just want the chance to explain.”

  “You choose,” I tell him, stepping back and gaining some much needed space between us. “You can let me know once you decide.”

  “Do you plan on answering this time?”

  I shrug as I reach inside my bag in search of my keys. “Maybe, but this is just dinner, Alec, nothing more.” He nods, though I sense agreement isn’t what is rolling around in his mind. Neither him nor his brother seem to accept limitations or rules without creating their own form of attack. They were a force to be reckoned with and I knew from the beginning I was out of my league with this man. Yet I still jumped in head first and look where I am now.

  I offer him a wave, feeling that I’ve given him entirely too much already. When I reach my car just down the block I take a chance and look back to where I’d left him to find he was still standing in the same place, watching after me.

  Chapter 19

  Alec

  My nerves were shot as I went over the things I wanted to say to Brynn again in my mind. It had been what I started my day out with and it never stopped. Each time I’d rephrase a part or leave it out completely. But as I look up from the table where I sit, and see Brynn being led into the private room I reserved, I realize no amount of rehearsing could prepare me for this.

  I stood quickly as I watch her walk toward me.

  She wore an elegant dress, simple, but it fit her to perfection. The royal blue material hugs her curves, what little she has, and I could already tell she wore no bra beneath. She was gorgeous, but I also knew I’d find her to be in just about anything she wore. The beauty of this woman ran much deeper than what the eye could see, she was exquisite.

  “Isn’t this pretty close to the same thing as eating alone in your penthouse?” Brynn looks at me knowingly, and the only thing I offer in response is a smile. It was one of the many perks of having connections in the city and I needed to be free to speak openly with her. I didn’t want anyone eavesdropping.

  “Your waiter will be with you shortly, Mr. Reynolds.”

  “Thank you,” I say, only I cannot look away from the woman before me. “Please sit,” I say, stepping around the table to pull out the chair across from my own. As she moves toward the chair I’m offered a quick cast of the perfume she’s wearing and our night together, and all the times I was able to hold her close were brought back immediately. That sweet sexy vanilla scent that I wanted to drown myself in.

  “You look amazing,” I whisper near her ear and visibly see her body tense. I rein my desire and step back giving her room to sit down, carefully sliding her chair toward the table. Her reaction to my closeness was all I need to know without a doubt that she is in fact still attracted to me.

  Just as I reach the opposite side and sit down our waiter enters the room and takes away my opportunity to speak. I was on the verge of spilling every single secret I possess. I had no idea where it would lead us, but Brynn was my game changer. Aric was right, this woman and her sister were the two that held the ability to bring back the man I once was. Missing them had been something I had done from the moment I walked away and the guilt I felt for thinking I could was crippling.

  “My name is Andre,” the man says as he towers over us. I’m tall at six foot three but this man had surpassed me I’d say by a few inches at least. Both Brynn and I were looking up at him, straining with our heads tipped upward to the point where I was sure we could go no further. “Can I start you out with a glass of wine?”

  “We’ll have water,” I say this, and look toward Brynn to see her smiling.

  “Can I have lemon in mine please?” She asks me, not the waiter, and I grin feeling some of the tension I’ve felt all day fade.

  “The lady would like lemon in her water,” I look back up at our waiter. “Can you bring us an order of Bruschetta as well?”

  “Do you need time to look over the menu before you decide on your entrees?”

  “I’d just like the soup and salad, with the maple glazed chicken.” I was well aware of Brynn’s motive. Order before I could do it for us. I was also very mindful of the change in her actions, the confidence and assurance she carried compared to the girl from Erotic Nights.

  I’d spent so much of the last two years ignoring that in a woman, demanding power and control of all decisions. I avoided commitment, assured the woman that we would never be more than physical, I held the upper hand. There was no exception, until Brynn those rules had stuck.

  “I’ll have the same,” I finally say. At this point I’d eat just about anything for dinner if it meant Andre would just go away. When he offered an accepting nod and backed away, spinning on his heel to leave the room, Brynn leans closer.

  “You didn’t have to get the same,” she tells me, “I know it’s not truly what you really want.”

  “What I want is to be alone with you,” I confess, feeling absolutely no shame. “It honestly doesn’t matter to me what I have for dinner at this point.”

  She doesn’t respond, only stares back at me with a confidence I’ve realized I admire a great deal. Which surprises me, but again I was sure there wasn’t much I didn’t admire about this woman. It was why I couldn’t seem to let go, she was mystifying in many ways.

  “I knew in the beginning that I needed to stay away from you.”

  She frowns averting her eyes, but only for a second before she looks at me once more. “Why?”

  “Because you defy every rule I’ve set for myself.” Every limit was tested with just one smile, I was helpless to its charm.

  “Why so many rules, Alec?”

  I pause when Andre enters carrying our drinks on a tray with a basket of fresh rolls, and salads. He doesn’t say anything as he places each item on the table, I’d like to think he felt the pressure to hurry it along because he’d interrupted us. “Is there anything else I can get you at this time?”

  “No.” I’d tried to maintain my composure but my voice was clipped and the irritation I felt was apparent. “Thank you.” Again with a nod, he hurries from the room.

  “What happened?” I look quickly toward Brynn and see the desperate look in her eyes. “To make you feel as if everyone is against you, and trusting is difficult. Trusting women actually, almost like there is no way there was actually an honest one in the world. Why?”

  I let out a slow calming breath, knowing that this was it. The make it or break it moment. What I say, how I explain this meant everything. “Her name was Mandy,” just the mention of her name makes my stomach coil tightly. “At first I thought she was the one, the woman I’d spend my life with. We had it all in the beginning, the planning our lives, imagining what our kids would look like, and the names we’d give them.”

  I paused, watching Brynn closely trying to gauge her reaction, but find nothing more than her staring back at me with curiosity.

  “Things got rocky between us, and fast. I was building my company, spending long hours at the office, doing all I could to ensure our future. There were trips out of town and late dinners, only making her feel even more as if she came last.” My mind goes back to that time, as I remember the things she’d said over and over. “It was never enough, no matter what I gave she wanted more, and it reached a point that I knew we wouldn’t have that future I thought we’d have.”

  “She wanted the perks, but didn’t want you gone,” Brynn whispers, and I offer a nod.

  “Then I came home one night to find her on the couch, holding a pregnancy test in hand.” Brynn’s eyes widen and I notice the way her hand slides beneath the table to her stomach. That movement alone makes my heart ache as I
’m reminded of the part of me that lives in her. “It was one of the happiest moments in my life.”

  Brynn hangs her head and I see her lower lip tremble.

  “Being a father has always been something I wanted, and that night I felt like it was a sign. Crazy I know but to me it meant that I had a family, one I’d give anything to protect.”

  “What happened?” I hated the sadness radiating in her question. I assumed by the look on her face she assumes the worst.

  “She gave birth to Caden, and Brynn, he was beautiful. He was what I lived for, what I worked hard for. Hell, I imagined building an empire that he would one day run right along with me.” I close my eyes fighting off the emotions that I begin to feel as that loss hits me all over again. “She still fought me, Brynn, but I held on, for him I put up with all her shit, because I had my son, and he was worth it all. He was the reason I went home every night and the reason I smiled in spit of all her drama and bitching.”

  “Please don’t tell me that he—” There were tears in her eyes, yet she couldn’t finish the words.

  “No, he didn’t die, but I felt like I did.”

  “I don’t understand.” She looked at me with nothing but confusion. “If he didn’t die then?”

  “He wasn’t my son.” I felt like my chest was being torn open again. That same empty feeling inside, as I pictured his face. The way he sucked on his fingers, a security he relied on each night when he’d fall asleep or when he was sad. “She lied, and let me believe he was mine, but she knew. She knew the moment she found out that she was pregnant that he wasn’t mine but led me to believe throughout her entire pregnancy, and through almost the first year of his life that he was my son.”

  Brynn covers her mouth as her chest shook mirroring the devastation I’d felt.

  “She took him and with it she took my ability to trust. I felt like everything I imagined my life to be was nothing but a hoax. It became easier after that to remain detached. Then I held the control over everything, and it became my way of life.”