Blinding Trust (2 page)

Chapter 2

Colt

I didn’t tell her because I didn’t want her to worry when it could have just been nothing. Savanna considered Noah hers. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Krista was his birth mother. We just didn’t talk about it anymore.

It wasn’t until I got the phone call, a week before we went to North Carolina, that things started to worry me.

When Krista and me were a couple, her little brother came to live with us. Their dad was too drunk to even care. He wasn’t a bad kid. In fact, as soon as he got the chance, he got out of Kentucky to pursue his dream of being a rockstar.

Apparently, big things had happened for him and suddenly his band, which I didn’t know he was a member of, had made it big. Since I didn’t follow that kind of music, I had no idea who
his band was. I certainly didn’t recognize his name when he left the message with Savanna. All she could tell me was that someone name Zeke Marlo had called and said it was urgent.

Even after I dialed the out of area number, I still didn’t recognize the voice of the person that picked up. He had to actually explain who he was. We talked for a while, catching up and talking about how he’d been for the past ten years. The topic of his sister dying was short. I could tell it was a sore subject.

Zeke, which is what he legally changed his name to, told me that they were coming to Kentucky for a big charity concert. He asked if I would come out and visit with him while he was there. I didn’t see any harm in it, until he asked if I could bring Noah.

Now, for some reason, that bothered me.

Noah had never met Zeke. I didn’t even own a picture of him except from when he was a kid. So, I did what every curious parent would do. I went on the internet and checked him out.

He hadn’t been lying. Zeke was a big star. His band
, Dodging Bullets, had even had a platinum song called “Gutter Love”. I was proud of him for his accomplishments. He’d come from nothing and made a life for himself.

Here was the problem.

After reading about his success, I discovered that his road to fame hadn’t been as harmonic. He got into drugs so bad that he was hospitalized and been to rehab three times in the past five years. His first wife left him and the second one was also an ex-addict.

I wasn’t a fool. Living in that kind of life had to be hard. I just didn’t think I was ready to school my son about it. I also didn’t want him idolizing his uncle. I wanted more for my son and he already had a vivid imagination. Thinking that he could be a rockstar too, would have been right up his all
ey.

I think Savanna sensed right away that I was keeping something from her. I became on edge and it showed even more when I got around my cousin Ty. His constant flirting with my wife had always just been in fun. He loved to tease her. I shouldn’t have gotten offended about it. Except I did.

I felt like jacking his ass up in front of the whole family.

I pretty much avoided him the whole time we were visiting and by the time we left, Savanna was even giving me the cold shoulder. I knew once we got home, she was going to give me hell.

I wish that was all that happened.

I could handle my wife and I knew just how to make things better. She was the love of my life and without her I was nothing. We never fought about things and we also made it a point to not keep things from one another.

I know that’s why she was more than pissed when we got home and had an unexpected visitor, waiting at our door.

I wouldn’t have even recognized him, had it not been for my internet snooping. Zeke had dyed his blonde hair black. He was covered in tattoos, even on his fingers. Some kind of ring was through the center
cartilage in his nose and both of his ears were pierced. His leather pants and shirt that looked like it was made from flecks of metal, were also a dead giveaway that he wasn’t just a neighbor, looking for help.

Savanna climbed out of the vehicle, but didn’t get the kids out. She looked up at our porch and then over to me.

I scratched my head to think of what I could say to her, but nothing came. I should have told her.

Zeke walked down a couple steps as I approached him. I heard Savanna telling Noah and Christian that they had to stay in the car.
I reached out my hand and reluctantly shook his. “Good to see you.”

“You too, Colt. It’s been too long, man.” I would have been okay if I never saw him again. It wasn’t because I was being an asshole. I was trying to be a good father. I wanted to protect my son. Uncle or not, this guy was trouble. I just knew it.

“We’re just gettin’ back from North Carolina. If I would have known you were comin’, I would have been able to tell you that.”

He shrugged, while still smiling. “No biggie, man. I just wanted to stop by. My wife wanted to see where I’d spent some of the good parts of my childhood, that’s all. I knew you might not be home. Honestly, I didn’t want to bother you.”

That would have been terrible if he’d showed up when Savanna was home alone. She would have freaked out. I looked around the yard and didn’t see a car. “Where’d you park?”

He pointed toward the back of the house. “I had my driver pull out back. It’s easier for him to t
urn the limo around back there.”

Limo? Now I knew I had to explain to my family who this guy was.

I looked over at Savanna and took a deep breath, knowing she was going to be so pissed off at me. “Darlin’, come here. There’s someone that I’d like you to meet.”

She smiled one of her unsure smiles and came walking toward me. Honestly, I think he scared her. She put her hand into mine, before I could introduce them. “This is Zeke. He’s Krista’s brother.”

I watched the color leave my wife’s face. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but as words never came, I knew she couldn’t. I squeezed her hand, still waiting for her to say something.

Zeke reached out his hand for her. It took her a second to finally reach out and shake it. “So, is your name Darlin, or should I call you something else?”

We both smiled at his way of breaking the ice. I didn’t know if he sensed her animosity, and I didn’t care, as long as she didn’t pass out or start ripping his eyes out of his head. I’d imagine though, that his eyes were worth a pretty penny to some crazed fans. My wife wasn’t one of those people.

“Nice to meet you.
I had no idea that you were in town.” She turned to give me that look where I better not have known or she was going to go off on me later.

I could hear the kids starting to whine.

“If you’ll excuse me, I better get them out.” I watched Savanna go over and start to unbuckle Addy. In a matter of seconds, I saw Christian running from the other side of the vehicle, followed by her brother. A terrible feeling shot directly through my stomach when I realized that I’d have to tell him who this guy was. There was no way out of it.

He ran past us, taking two steps at once. When he got to the door, he tried to pull it open. “Dad, can you unlock it? I have to pee.”

Zeke just stared at my boy. Now, I know when he was a baby it was probably difficult to tell, but Noah looked identical to me.

I walked up to unlock the door and hesitantly turned around. “Did you want to come in?”

Zeke looked around at the girls and then back to me. “I’ll come back before I leave town. You guys are just getting back and I don’t want to just barge in.”

I shook his hand. “Next time, just call first.”

I watched him walk toward the back of the house and before the girls were on the porch, a large black limo drove down the dirt lane.

Savanna looked right at me as she walked up the porch steps. “If you knew about this, so help me God, Colt.”

“Darlin’, I can explain.”

She carried Addy over to the couch and
turned on Disney for her and Christian, before walking into the kitchen, folding her arms, and waiting for my explanation.

Noah came running in the room. “Dad, who was that guy? Did you see his car? He must be rich!”

Noah didn’t understand enough about money to realize that our family had it, as well. I knew what he meant. He meant that the man was famous rich. “Yeah, he must be, buddy. Can you go into the livin’ room and keep an eye on your sister’s for a second?”

He rolled his eyes and stomped into the living room. “Why do I always have to watch them?”

“Boy, don’t you get smart.”

After I knew he wasn’t around, I turned my attention to my angry wife. “Colt, tell me you didn’t know he was coming.”

“I didn’t. I mean, I knew he was in town, but we never talked about him stopping by.”

Her eyes got big and if she could have, she w
ould have been breathing fire. “What do you mean, you knew? How long have you known? Is he the person who called you? How could you not tell me something like that?”

I grabbed both of her arms and pulled her close to me. “I didn’t say anything because I thought he would leave town and forget all about seeing Noah.”

She pushed me away. “WHAT? Did you tell him he could?”

I held my arms up, trying to get her to calm down. “I didn’t exactly tell him yes. You’re makin’ it sound way worse than it is, darlin’.”

She turned around and started loading the dishwasher. “Don’t you even call me darlin right now!” I could hear it in her voice that she was crying.

“Savanna, Noah knows that you’re his mother. We haven’t kept Krista a secret though. I don’t see how this could change anything. Just calm down and be rational. Noah’s home is here. He’s happy. Just because his rockstar uncle wants to meet him, doesn’t mean anything is goin’ to change.” I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed the inside of her neck. “I’d never let anything happen to our family.”

She finally turned around and let me hug her the right way. “I know. I just don’t want to lose him, Colt. I love him so much.”

“You’re never goin’ to lose him. Never!”

My wife had finally calmed down, but that was just the beginning of what was to come. Zeke was going to keep trying to see Noah and I knew that the actual visit was going to kill Savanna.

I got it. I understood that she didn’t want her little boy tainted. We’d always let Noah know that his mother loved him. Having an uncle that was still living, and a rockstar, well that was going to excite him. The tractors that he collected could soon be stashed away in a closet and replaced with band posters and guitars. It was something that even I wasn’t prepared to handle.

That night, before the girls woke and ended up sleeping between us, I cuddled up next to my wife. She was playing some game on her kindle that she played every night before bed. “The kids are all asleep in their rooms, for a change.”

“I know. I helped put them there.” She giggled.

“Are you goin’ to put down that game and give me some lovin’, or do I have to take what I want while you’re still playin’?”

She cocked her eyebrow. “The second choice sounds kind of hot.”

I grabbed the waist to her pajama pants and yanked them down past her hips. She lifted up her ass to help get them down easier. I pushed up her little top to reveal her belly button and placed tender kisses all around it. She bit down on her lip like she always did. Her panties came down next, well, after I licked them until they were wet on the outside. With each stroke of my tongue, I felt her body pushing into me. I wasn’t the only person who was horny in our bed. That made it even hotter.

Once she wasn’t wearing any bottoms, I took it upon myself to slowly take her top and push it over her breasts. I need to see them; to feel them with the palms of my hands. I knew when I
’d gotten to her nipples, because they hardened with my first touch. I heard her little reading device hit the floor and knew I had her complete attention.

Savanna ran her hands through my hair, gripping it as I pinched both of her nipples and kissed the inside of her left leg. She lifted it, allowing me to kiss even
further inside. Her body reacted to my touch the same way it always had. I could still tickle her with my kisses and drive her crazy with my touch.

It was more than just being with Savanna, nowadays. Since the kids were always around, we had to be more spontaneous.

Before getting myself too invested, I climbed off the bed and headed over to lock the door. We didn’t want any little visitors catching us naked together.

Savanna, who was now totally naked, was sprawled out on our bed waiting for me to return. I licked my lips, just knowing how much pent up desire I had for her. I hated that we never had alone time and I know it drove her crazy as well.

Once I climbed back on the bed on top of her, she grabbed me by my arms and pulled me into her, so that our kisses started immediately.

Her skin smelled of a fresh shower and her hair was still wet at the ends. I grabbed a handful and pulled back enough to have a full view of her neck. It didn’t take me long to lick and kiss it from the base up. She moaned with my every touch, making my erection hard as a rock. I pressed it against her, letting her know that we didn’t need foreplay; not that we ever did. All she ever had to do was bend over, and if it had been a long time, sometimes just smiling at me did it.