The Last Dance (4 page)

“Bryce, please, son. Keep them in your tray.” I stared at my bullheaded son who insisted on throwing his Cheerios on the floor. To spite me, he looked up at me with another handful and emptied it onto the floor. I grinned, shaking my head. “Fine,” I said, pouring half the box on his tray. “Try to get some of them into your mouth.”

The doorbell rang, and for a second I got my hopes up. But it couldn’t be her. Damn that woman. She had no idea what she was doing to me. I opened the door and immediately my blood boiled.

“Rhys.” She smiled sweetly. I knew that smile, not a chance in hell.

“Look, if I have to get a court order, I will,” I said, taking an aggressive step toward her.

“Tsk, tsk,” she said, waving her finger arrogantly. “I just stopped by to say hello.”

“Because you thought I would take one look at you and come undone, right?”

She crossed her long legs as she leaned against the door, her smile wicked and her intentions worse.

“I had hoped for a better reception,” she said, leaning in close, too close.

“Listen to me. I want nothing to do with you. I tried with you, I did everything.”

“Everything I wanted you to do,” she fired back, clearly shocked she hadn’t made a dent in my resolve.

“I’m getting a court order. You can’t do this. I was never as weak as you thought I was. You were just fucking delusional. Leave.” I pointed behind her and she snatched my finger with her mouth, sucking it slowly, making a popping sound when she let it go. I heard Bryce knock off the tray from his high chair—a skill he had learned recently—and ran into the kitchen to grab him before he fell out of it.

I got to Bryce just in time and heard her behind me.

“He looks just like you,” she said coldly. I stiffened as I held him, knowing I had no choice but to face her. I turned with Bryce in my arms and saw her take in her son for the first time since his birth. I never wanted him to lay eyes on her. She had just taken that away from me.

“Get out. I’m not even joking; I will fucking throw you out. You can’t do this!” I felt Bryce shaking in my arms from my hostility. Looking down at him, I smiled and rubbed the top of his head. “It’s okay, buddy.”

“Don’t you miss it? The way we were? How hot it was?” she said, completely ignoring the baby in my arms.

“No, I’ve moved on, you should too. I don’t want you coming here. It will only confuse him,” I said evenly, hoping to keep the conversation civil. She glared at Bryce, as if he was the reason for our separation, then turned to walk toward the front door.

“He will always be the abortion I should have had.”

I saw red at her words. “If you ever come back here, I’ll have you arrested. You’ll be served with a restraining order, bet on it,” I said, hot on her heels as I followed her out.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Rhys. I won’t be back.”

I slammed the door on her back, eliciting an enraged scream as it hit her in the ass. Violet was right, the porch was cursed.

Fuck. Fuck. Why is she doing this?

I felt my phone vibrate.

V: I am sitting in the tub and could use a war story.

I had been telling her tales over the phone last night that I’d heard over the years of BDSM scenarios gone wrong. They seemed to fascinate her. She had laughed hysterically. I loved that sound.

R: Now is a bad time.

V: Everything okay?

R: Yes, just perfect. Enjoy your soak.

I was too angry to think about my response to her until later that day.

The more I thought about my behavior, the more I thought about her—Violet, not the evil bitch that showed up at my door. She was non-existent and I refused to entertain her. If she wanted me thinking about her, she’d failed.

My thoughts were of the woman who had captured me completely with her body first, and then her words. I wanted to apologize to her, but disliked the idea of doing it over the phone. She’d put up with much worse from me, but she didn’t deserve it this morning, or then for that matter. How the hell could I make it up to her if I couldn’t see her, touch her?

The image of the night I found her on that floor covered in blood flashed through my mind. I got her
help
text and made it to her house in fifteen minutes. I should have called the police, but I didn’t know where she was, so to be sure I went there first. The rest repeats on an endless cycle of slow motion when I think about it. The door was open, the screen closed, and I immediately felt a heaviness in my chest I never knew was possible. I opened the door while dialing, afraid to touch her. There was so much blood. There was no way I would ever recover if she was dead. I knew then I would never be the same without her in my life. When I reached her, I knelt down, checking for a pulse. It was there, weak, but there. I scooped her up in my arms, applying pressure to the source of the blood escaping her neck.

She was alone in a house in Grand Cayman. Fuck.

If she only knew how that affected me every day she’d been gone; how worried I was about her safety. She wasn’t concerned about it in the least, or if she was, I couldn’t tell. I didn’t want to scare her by voicing mine. Then again, I had gotten into her house through an unlocked door the night I confronted her about her husband.

I’d never been anywhere close to doing anything like that with anyone else. I should have given her a chance to explain. Then maybe she wouldn’t be off on some island wondering where the hell my head was at, and why I didn’t tell her what I should have a month ago.

The guilt I felt while she lay in that hospital bed consumed me. I wouldn’t fuck up like that again, not with her.

When I had laid Bryce down for the night, I called to apologize.

“
I’m sorry, I had a bad morning.” I didn’t even let her finish her hello.

“I figured. What happened?” I could tell she was on edge. I’d probably done that to her. She didn’t deserve it.

“Can we not talk about it right now?”

“No secrets,” she reminded me.

“This isn’t a secret. We can call it a delayed conversation,” I gritted out.

“Nice. I can tell you are still angry. I wish I could serve you some ass to take it out on.” I could practically see the smile she was wearing and groaned in reply. Fuck, she was perfect.

“And this is why I couldn’t get anything done at work today.”

“Tell me about music,” she murmured, her voice putting me at ease.

“Music?”

“Yeah, tell me what you like.”

“I have a thing for good guitar solos,” I said, my mood evening out for the first time today. I climbed the stairs and checked on Bryce then went to my room to strip and bathe.

“Hmm, interesting,” she said, playing along.

“No, it’s not really,” I mused at her reach for small conversation. “I’m taking a bath. Why don’t you join me?”

“I took one today. I was in the tub when I texted you, remember?”

“Take another one,” I said suggestively.

“Okay.” I heard the rush of water as she readied her bath, and minutes later, we both sank into our tubs.

“Kind of a feminine habit you have here, Rhys.” She laughed and I joined her.

“Baths are relaxing. I don’t drink when I have Bryce, so this is what I do. Don’t hate on Daddy’s bath.”

“Not hating, just an observation. Don’t forget to sprinkle your salt.” She laughed again and I heard her water splash.

“Cute, really you are adorable. In my mind, I have blistered your ass about a hundred times since you left.” I knew I had her attention.

“Well then, I guess I’m thankful my ass is safe.” She sighed and I could picture her beautiful hazel eyes peering at me, mouth parted.

My bath was no longer relaxing.

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, Violet. I don’t like that you’ll be alone.”

“I have a chicken to cook,” she said, upbeat.

“I’m cooking my first turkey.” I laughed at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, her silky voice making it hard for me to concentrate on her question.

“Me, Bryce and a raw turkey. I can’t wait until you get a chance to know him. He is a twenty-eight pound Godzilla.

“Tell me more,” she said sweetly.

“What do you want to know?” I asked, rolling up a hand towel with one hand before sticking it behind my head.

“Everything,” she sighed.

“Before I brought him home from the hospital, I Googled everything and I mean everything. I watched a few videos to get the gist of it. There was a lot of trial and error. I had help from my family, but I’ve been pretty much alone the whole time. I thought it would be easier than it was. Feed him, clothe him, change him. I didn’t put much weight on sleeping schedules or an extra set of clothes just in case, or the croup or baby reflux.” I paused. “I really never thought I would be a dad. I’ve been pretty selfish with my freedom my whole life. I liked just worrying about me. And then I found out he was coming and I couldn’t handle the thought of not keeping him.”

Thinking about the lengths I had gone to be his father, I admitted the truth to her. “You know I had to beg for his life. I had to beg every day for her to keep him until it was too late and she had to carry full term.” I thought about my son and smiled. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I really do love it, being a father. I’m not resentful I had to give up my freedom, because honestly, I realized I wasn’t too happy with it. Things changed for me so drastically, I didn’t even realize that I’d become a father and nothing else. You were the first thing I had for myself since he was born. I guess that’s why I waited to tell you; I was being selfish.” There was nothing but silence on her end of the phone.

“Violet?”

“Can I call you right back?”

“Sure, is everything—”

When I was done sobbing into my washcloth, I waited a few extra minutes to call him back to make sure my emotions stayed in check.

This
woman,
who he referred to so carefully, intrigued me. What kind of a woman wouldn’t want to have a family with Rhys? I was in no place to judge and I had agreed to learn more, but I already knew I didn’t like her. And from what it looked like, she had abandoned them both.

I had to get a grip on these feelings. But in truth, when he spoke about his struggle and his love for his son, it left little room for doubt.