Page 14 of Something Reckless

Another silent moment stretches over us.

“I’m sorry,” Easton finally rasps out. I blink, turning my head toward him. “What? What are you apologizing for?”

He scrubs both massive palms down his face. “I’m sorry you had to do the past eight years on your own. That must have been hard. You were too young for something so big.”

My eyes start burning all over again. That is the last thing I ever expected him to say. I’m not exactly the victim here. I sniffle unevenly, trying to get a hold of myself.

“Thank you for saying that, Easton. I…I’m sorry for shutting you out and not giving you the choice to be a part of your son’s life.

What I did was unforgivable. But you have to understand—I was trying to protect everyone involved.

The choices I made, in hindsight, I’m starting to see that they may not have been the right ones.

But I really was doing my best to keep everyone happy. I’m sorry I made assumptions.”

He’s quiet for a long while, looking up across the water with a contemplative expression on his face. Then he turns to me with a scrunched up forehead. “But were you happy?”

I close my eyes as I process the question. “That’s not important…”

“Goddammit, Alba…” He croaks out.

My happiness isn’t important. Survival is. That’s the mindset that gets me through the moments that are really, really hard.

On a shuddering breath, Easton wipes at his watery eyes again. “Do you have a picture of him?” he asks hopefully.

“Of course.” I scramble around in my purse, finding my phone and pulling up the perfect photo of Jagger. He’s wearing a Sin Valley Saints jersey, beaming from ear to ear and holding an ice cream cone in his hand.

“He seems like a great kid,” Easton says, his eyes scanning over the picture.

“Oh, he really is. He’s so smart and adventurous and funny. He loves books. He’s going through a knock-knock joke phase right now. And he loves hockey like you wouldn't believe. He really is your number one fan.”

Easton’s eyes get all teary again, but he wipes it away quickly.

“I’m sure that him watching hockey was your doing?” he guesses.

I shrug sheepishly. I’m not going to admit that I became an Easton Raines super fan long before he even went pro. The man is talented—a demi-god on the ice—and I’m so proud to say I knew him way back when.

“We watch a lot of hockey in our house,” I concede with a chuckle. “But Jagger being your fan? That was all him. All…fate, I guess.”

A small smile touches Easton’s lips .

“So, what happens now?” I ask after another pause, trying not to sound as terrified as I feel.

Easton lifts one shoulder and lets it drop like a rock as he hands my phone back to me. “We have to tell him,” he says definitively.

“Whoa! Tell him?! Wait a minute.” I quickly hold up a hand as if to physically stop him from capsizing my whole world.

Then I frantically try to reason with him.

“Easton, you’re only in town for the summer.

You said so yourself. Then, once you’re healed up, you’ll be going straight back to your fabulous, glitzy life.

And Jagger will be stuck here, feeling confused and wondering what he did to chase off his own father. ”

Easton scowls at me. “Excuse me?!”

As panic courses through me, I jump to my feet.

“You don’t get it. It’s bad enough for a kid to not be close to their mother or their father.

But Jagger? He already sees you as an idol.

You’re his absolute hero. Finding out that you’re his father , and then losing you would, well, it would devastate him. ” My hands flail around me as I speak.

Easton slowly rises from the bench until he’s towering above me. His brows pull in tightly, determination hardening his beautiful face. “And what makes you think I’m leaving this town without my son?”

My heart stops.

It stops beating completely.

A terrifying realization slips into my thoughts. He’s going to take Jagger away from me. Oh god. He’s going to take Jagger away from me!

“You do not get to tell me I’m a father and just expect me to go back to my little corner while you carry on with life as usual.” His impassioned words come out on a thunderous growl. “I will not just step aside and be a deadbeat because that’s what’s most convenient for you. I have the right to—”

When my bottom lip begins to quiver, Easton abruptly stops his rant. He pulls in a breath and when he speaks again the sharp edge in his voice has softened considerably. “He’s my kid, Alba. I want to be in my son’s life. I’m going to be in my son’s life.”

This conversation has shaken me to the core. But something within me tells me I have to fight back.

Yes, Easton is Jagger’s father…biologically. But legally, I have rights—at least until some judge waltzes in and takes them away from me. So, I can’t just let this big tower of a man march in and start making the rules, can I?

I have to do what’s best for my nephew.

My brain switches back online and I return to the conversation at hand. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” I croak out. Then I try to bargain with him. “How about we start with a paternity test?” I ask awkwardly. “Just to confirm everything in order to make it official?”

“Alba…”

Good heavens.

The way this man growls my name.

“I don’t need a paternity test to see that those are my dimples. And my hair. And my eyes,” Easton protests. “Heck, my mom took one look and knew before I figured it out.”

He’s right. Jagger looks like Easton’s mini-me. Still, I continue to grasp at straws. I’m trying to buy myself some time here.

“Easton, please. You can’t just rip that boy away from the only home he’s ever known. That would devastate him. Jagger is sensitive and sweet and being torn away from Fairy Bush would devastate him. ”

Easton’s eyes close momentarily and he shakes his head.

“Shit, Alba. You make it sound like I’m going to Mars or something.

I just…” His jaw works and I can tell that he’s struggling so hard to keep his emotions at bay.

“You can’t expect me to just walk away from my son.

I already feel like I’m eight years too late.

I’m just hoping we can do this in an amicable way. Without getting nasty about it.”

Without this turning into a legal battle.

That’s the part he’s not saying out loud. But he’d be willing to take it there if I don’t cooperate voluntarily. I can see that from the fire in his expression as we stare each other down, neither of us willing to budge.

Our staredown continues a while longer. But Easton is the first to crack.

“Alba, please…” he rasps in a desperate, throaty voice that takes me completely off-guard. His eyes are practically begging me.

At his display of vulnerability, I can feel my resolve breaking. I don’t know if I’m thrown off balance by his determination to do the right thing. Or if I’m simply discombobulated by the unexpected wave of awareness that just hit me between the thighs.

What the hell? What the hell is that?!

Seeing this ferociously protective side of Easton clearly has my ovaries feeling confused. It must be some visceral, primitive thing that’s messing with my body. Nothing I can’t keep under control, though.

I stare into those endless pale blue eyes, trying to figure this man out. What’s his endgame here? Is he intrigued by the idea of playing dad for the summer until he can get back to his regular life? Or is he genuine about having a role in Jagger’s life ?

“Let me spend time with my son, Alba,” he’s saying now, his voice gentle but firm at the same time.

I hesitate, not sure what to do here.

His stare softens to match his gentle tone. “Fine. He doesn’t have to know that I’m his father right away if that’s what you want. But I want to get to know him,” Easton bargains, his innate charm quickly weakening my defenses.

I let out a defeated sigh, hoping and praying that I’m not making a terrible decision. “Okay. Fine. Meet me here. Same time tomorrow.”