Damon (27 page)

“Don’
t you want to open your gifts?
I know you don’t believe in Santa, but there are a few things under the tree for you, kiddo
. C
ome on and we’ll take a peek.”

Dane had brought Charlie’s gifts over the day before she’d come home from the hospital
. T
hey had been wrapped, Charlie saw, and was thrilled to see what Connor would think about what she’d gotten him
. A
nd what she’d gotten Damon, though his would have to be opened later, in private.

Charlie had gotten Connor a computer
. I
t had taken her almost three days of worrying about it before she’d made the purchase
. O
f course she’d talked to Damon about it first
. S
he didn’t know if he’d be all right with Connor needing to have the Internet hooked up or not
. S
he grinned when she remembered the small fight they’d had about the house and that it belonged to her as much as him
. T
he next day he’d brought in the deed for her to sign
. D
amon had put her name on it right along with his
. S
he now owned half a house.

“Now I don’t want to hear another word about my house,” he’d told her
. “
It’s our house, as are the car and the truck
. H
alf of everything I own, you now own too
. Y
our name is on the checking account, the credit cards, and everything else we now own. Got it?”

“Yes
. B
ut it wasn’t necessary to get it done before we’re married
. I
could have waited until then to have the house in my name too.”

“Maybe you could, but I couldn’t
. N
ow sign the damned papers so I can get them back to Devin before he has a shit fit
. H
e said I should have done this a week ago
. I
told
him I just got you in my bed.
I wasn’t going to go throwing legal papers at you just then.”

When Connor opened the box and saw what it was, he nearly knocked the tree over getting to her to hug her
. E
ven after he opened his other gifts, and he had a lot of them, she noticed that he kept touching the computer box
. C
harlie had never been able to give him anything before when they’d lived with Anthony and this had felt wonderful.

“Now, for you, Momma
. I
got you something too
. B
yron helped me get it
. A
nd then Ronnie helped me pick out the…well, you open it.”

Charlie’s fingers trembled when she started peeling the tape off the pretty paper
. W
hen Connor growled at her and took it from her, he ripped open the wrapping and handed her the framed picture. It was of him. 

The picture was of him standing next to a large tree
. H
e had on his jacket and his head was bare so she could see the huge smile on his face when he looked at the camera
. T
he colors were wonderful, Connor’s shirt was a deep blue, and his jacket was a tan color
. H
is dark jeans and heavy boots against the light dusting of snow made him look rugged and tough
. S
he gently ran her finger down his face in the picture as tears fell down her cheeks.

“Ah Momma, don’t cry
. I
f you don’t like it, Aunt Morgan said you could pick out another picture
. S
he must have taken about three hundred that day
. S
he said you’d like this one best ‘cause is shows off my manly features
. I
don’t know what she meant by that, but I just nodded
. S
ometimes I think it’s easier than letting her explain stuff to me
. S
he gets all weepy when she does it
. U
ncle Nicky said it was gourmands
. I
don’t know what that is either, but he seemed okay with it.”

“I think he meant hormones, but yes, pregnant women have that problem
. I
love this, Connor
. I
t’s the most perfect picture of you I’ve ever seen
. I
’m going to put it in my bedroom and look at it every day
. T
hank you.” 

Charlie hugged the picture to her chest and watched as Connor finished opening his gifts
. S
he and Damon had gone overboard and she didn’t care
. H
e needed so much and the best was yet to come
. T
he week after he started school in January, Connor was having his room redecorated. 

“Okay, now it’s my turn
. I
got you something practical
. I
know that you said not to get you anything, but that was just not going to fly with me
. H
ere.”
Damon handed her a small box. 

Charlie tried to open it the same way she had Connor’s, but again, it was taken from her and the paper ripped away
. D
idn’t these guys want to savor anythin
g?
She flushed slightly when she remembered Damon and the way he had savored her yesterday and again last night
. W
hen she looked up at him when he gave her back the box, she realized he remembered to
. H
e leaned close to her ear and whispered to her.

“You keep looking at me like that and Connor will be going to Mom’s without us
. O
pen the damned box so that I can kiss you.” 

This time, the trembling of her fingers had nothing to do with happiness but with need
. T
he things Damon could do to her with only a few words
. A
set of keys spilled out into her hand.

“It’s a big car, Mom!
Damon said that you needed it to take me to school and stuff
. W
e picked it out together
. H
ere, I took a picture of it for you so you didn’t have to go out into the cold with your sore leg.”

It was indeed a big car
. A
ctually, an SUV of a big car
. T
he dark green Hummer looked huge with Damon standing next to it
. T
here was even a big bow in the roof
. S
he smiled at both her men and kissed them both
. D
amon’s just lasted longer
. A
nd might have been even longer, but Connor started to pretend he was throwing up.

They drove her car over to the family home
. E
veryone was already there since they had spent the night before. Charlie was just getting settled on the big couch when Morgan and the other women came and sat next to her
. S
he knew they were up to something as soon as Taylor sent Byron away
. S
he grinned at Charlie.

“He hates when I’m the dom outside the bedroom
. M
akes him growl the sexiest sound that does all sorts of delicious things to me
. B
ut I digress
. W
e’re here about you getting pregnant
. A
re you yet?
Pregnant, I mean?”

Charlie was still trying to get through the whole dom thing when she realized what Taylor had asked her
. D
id these women
ever hear of the word privacy?
Her face heated with the knowledge that she could indeed be pregnant right now.

“I don’t think so
. W
e…that is to say we kind of…I…why do you want to know?”

“Trying. are you?
Good
. I
hope you’re huge when you walk down the aisle
. M
argaret likes to tell us she hates it, but I think she secretly loves the fact that her sons can’t keep it in their pants
. J
ust so you know, I am too
. P
regnant
. I
haven’t told anyone but you guys so far
. N
ot even Byr
. H
e’s going to have kittens
. I
wrapped the test up and put it under the tree along with the doctor’s report
. I
’m due in July
. I
f you’re trying now, you’ll be due in September or October
. C
ool.”

Charlie looked at the other women around her
. T
hey were nodding at her as if she’d asked them something
. S
he was sure she hadn’t, but they kept nodding all the same
. A
fter telling Taylor congratulations, they all started talking about the plans for the upcoming birth of Morgan’s and Dane’s children and the trial for Gibbons versus Kirkpatrick the Monday after the New Year.

~CHAPTER
22
~

Damon watched the man sitting at the other table without his attorney
. D
evin and Charlie sat directly in front of him and the rest of his family was spread out beside him. They had all come to the hearing today to hear why Gibbons had suddenly wanted joint custody of his long lost son. Connor sat to Damon’s left
. H
e’d been so nervous this morning that he’d only eaten three helpings of pancakes instead of his usual five
. D
amon smiled
. F
eeding this kid was going to be expensive but fun.

Connor didn’t look like his father, not really
. C
onnor had grown in the month and a half since he’d been living with him
. M
ost of his pants were already too short and his arms had grown a full five inches, Damon was sure
. B
ut he loved it and him.

Connor’s hair was lighter than Gibbons’ dark brown
. T
hat was probably due to the fact that Charlie’s was blond
. H
is eyes were an unusual shade of silver-gray that sparked with mischief and humor
. T
here was also a great deal of intelligence there too
. W
hen Connor had gone in to be tested for his grade level, he’d tested in the high fourth grade percentile
. A
t nine, Connor would be in the class with a bunch of kids a year or more older than him
. D
amon carried around the print ou
t of his score in his wallet.

Devin was ready when the proceeds began as soon as Judge James Tyler was seated
. H
e stood just after the room was called to order and began his case
. D
evin was a sight to see when he was in his professional mood
. D
amon wondered if anyone would recognize this man over the one who’d had a snowball fight with Connor and the others over the weekend and had been covered in snow while Connor and the others had been clean.

“Mr. Gibbons, it says here you’re representing yourself in this matter
. A
re
you sure you want to do that?
Counselor Grant is a hell of a lawyer and you know what they say about representing yourself
. I
can have a court appointed lawyer
sit in with you if you want.”

Damon was shocked by that
. H
e thought that they had been waiting on his attorney, not that Gibbons was doing it solo
. T
hat was just stupid
. D
amon wouldn’t even go to traffic court without either Ronnie or Devin with him.

“Nope. I think I can handle this one
. I
have the law on my side and we both know
that always wins in the end.”
Damon wasn’t sure, but he th
ought Gibbons winked at Devin.

“Well then let’s get th
is show on the road, shall we?
Too nice of a day to be inside, if you ask me
. G
rant, you can start.”

Ronnie leaned over to Damon and whispered in his ear. “Judge Tyler hates pompous asses
. A
nd he loves me
. D
evin is okay in his opinion because he married me, but he isn’t going to set well with this guy’s attitude
. I
think this might be fun to watch.”

“Your Honor, Mr. Gibbons is claiming that he had no knowledge of the child, Connor Joshua Kirkpatrick, and that his mother, Charlotte Jane Kirkpatrick, kept him from his son
. I
have documentation that disputes that fact
. I
have a letter here from Gibbons telling Charlotte that if she tried to tell anyone what had happened on the night of May tenth that no one would believe her
. A
nd another letter from him several months later just after he was informed of the pregnancy telling her that he would see her in hell before he got himself attached to a nobody like her
. H
e also suggested that my client have an abortion and rid herself of her bastard.”