“She was everything to me, and then all of a sudden, she was gone, okay? But I still love her. She’s mine,” he growls possessively.
Brina merely rolls her eyes, and it seems like even she’s not buying Elliot’s bullshit. She strolls to the closet and pulls out a robe before slipping the silky fabric over her curves.
“Blah, blah, whatever. Poor little rich boy. Do what you want. There are lots of guys who want a piece of this, even if you’re taking a pass,” she says, gesturing to her lush figure. “My guess is that you’re having some problems in bed. Is that true, Elliot? Are you struggling with erectile dysfunction, or god knows, low sperm count? Does the regular dosage of Viagra do nothing for you? Are you seeing a specialist? Whatever it is,” she says, yawning and going to sit by the window. “You bore me.”
At that, I sit up straight. In the two times I’ve been with Elliot, he was never limp or dysfunctional. My man is a virile alpha male, with plenty of seed and lots to spare. I can’t let her insult him like this, even if I know that she’s just baiting him. Elliot is a red-blooded American male, and he used my curves like they belonged to him.
Before I can stop myself, I pop out of the bathroom. My face is flushed, my eyes are swollen, and god knows I smell like a toilet. But my anger is overwhelming, and I point an accusatory finger at Brina.
“Don’t you say such things,” I rage in a trembling voice. “I’ll have you know that Elliot has no trouble getting it up, and he’s extremely virile. So virile in fact, that he gave me a baby!”
Suddenly, I realize what I’ve done, and the silence in the room is overwhelming. I turn bright, tear-stained eyes at my handsome lover, and shudder in fear at what will happen next. My secret is out, but will Elliot kick me to the curb? Or will he become a father to our secret baby?
8
Elliot
That’s it. I grab Kaylee by her elbow and march her out of the room, down the stairs, and into the driveway. People can see and hear us from here, but I don’t care anymore.
“What the fuck?” I shout. “What the fuck was that?”
Her chin juts out.
“What was what?” she says obstinately.
I glare at her.
“Are you fucking kidding me? What was all that about? Were you in the bathroom the entire time? And do we have a baby together?”
Her gaze grows shuttered, and she crosses her arms over her chest.
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
I stare at her, disbelieving.
“Do you realize how important this is? Do we have a baby together or not?”
Finally, she turns to look at me, although her expression still isn’t giving anything away.
“We do. We have a son named Ezra.”
At that, my knees buckle and I almost fall to the floor. I catch myself on the hood of a car parked nearby, and my vision literally goes dark for a moment. I have a son! One whom I have never met.
Suddenly, possessiveness flows through my veins. I grab her elbow and march her to my sedan.
“What are you doing?” she says. Her voice sounds strong, but I can hear the underlying quaver. “You can’t just kidnap me.”
I unlock the door and practically shove her into the front seat.
“You’re taking me to see my son. NOW.”
Kaylee hears the utter determination in my voice, and nods slightly.
“We live in Monroe Trailer Park.”
Grimly, I nod and slam the car door shut before getting in the other side and leaving Brina’s place with a squeal of tires.
We sit there in a tense silence for a few minutes. She’s refusing to talk to me, and I’m so incensed that I can’t talk. My fingers grip the steering wheel until the knuckles are white. I stare straight ahead at the road, battling the rage surging in my chest.
“When were you going to tell me?” I rasp, finally managing to speak.
She won’t look at me. That beautiful profile is turned away, staring at the scenery. After a long pause, she deigns to answer.
“I wasn’t,” she says flatly. “You ghosted me, Elliot. I wasn’t going to tell you about Ezra ever because I couldn’t find you.”
My head whips around to stare at her.
“Did you hear my conversation with Brina back there? I’ve been looking for a goddamn year! Where the hell have you been?”
She stares back at me with just as much fury in her chocolate brown gaze.
“I’ve been right here in Millbrook, having your baby, in case you haven’t figured that out! I’ve been pregnant, as big as a whale, and pretty impossible to miss, if you ask me. You’re the one who froze me out.”
This time, I try to digest her words.
“No, I didn’t.”