Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kati

My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror for the fourth time in under two minutes. Easton was still right behind me, like he was afraid if more than ten feet separated us, I would be gone forever. That didn't bode well for whatever his team needed to discuss with me.

Easton and I had been having such a nice time shopping too. I would've even classified the time together as normal. Good conversation, laughter, and some sexual tension that promised a good time. All good things in my opinion. Then Easton had to go and ruin it by mentioning the one person that I wanted to fall off the face of the earth.

A lot of people wanted to be rid of their baby daddies but none more than me. He was one of the worst, and I was the unlucky recipient who got stuck with him.

No, not stuck. Lucien was an amazing son. I wouldn't change him for the world. Alejandro might be a piece of shit, but he gave me the best blessing, so for that, I would be forever grateful.

However, if the man himself fell over and died tomorrow, I wouldn't be upset.

Horrible thought for me to have? Yes.

Was I going to have it anyway? Hell yes.

I never claimed to be a perfect person and sometimes the truth hurt.

By the time I pulled into my driveway five minutes later, Hendrix was already waiting for me along with two other vehicles I didn't recognize. Easton's team worked fast. Not once did I notice Easton on the phone. And though Hendrix had originally followed me to the store, I didn't remember seeing his Jeep when we walked out. Not that I was paying much attention. My focus was primarily on the man who made my stomach flip any time he was near.

I used to have better situational awareness. I should probably work on that, given how my life has been going lately.

I didn't even get my car door fully open before Easton was at my side.

"The guys and I will bring the bags in if you want to go inside."

Any other time I would have reminded Easton that I was a single mother who brought her own groceries inside on the regular, but I was too worked up to care. Besides, it was kind of nice to have help. I always did the grocery shopping while Lucien was at school, so unloading the car was normally a solo act. The independent woman inside me wanted to argue but the practical side knew it was better to just accept the help when I could get it. Who knew when it would happen again?

One trip and Easton's teammates had everything in the house and were even helping me put stuff away. It made the normally mundane task go by quickly, and Lucien couldn't complain that we didn't have any food in the house. A win-win in my book.

With all the food put away and the bags stored for future use, there was nothing more I could do to stall. This conversation was happening whether I wanted it to or not.

"Easton mentioned you had to talk to me about something?"

It was bad that I didn't even want to say the name. It was like Beetlejuice; say the name three times and he would appear. My luck, if I said baby daddy's name, my life would get further complicated.

"The prison warden reached out to the local sheriff who, in turn, reached out to us," Nolen was the one to answer my question. "Alejandro was attacked early this morning and is in critical condition."

Words escaped me. My mind went blank. I'm pretty sure I blinked. Several times actually. I let what Nolen said wash over me, and when they finally sunk in, it was game over.

Laughter bubbled out of my mouth. I bent over at the knee and just let it consume me. Tears leaked out of my eyes. Hadn't I just been thinking how great it would be if he died? Maybe there was, in fact, a guardian angel watching over me after all.

"I'm sorry," I wheezed. I fanned my face and tried to control the amusement pouring out of me but it was no use.

Really I wasn't sorry at all but it wasn't appropriate to laugh so hard when someone explained that the father of your child was in the hospital after being attacked in prison. Come to think of it, normal people didn't have those kinds of problems, so who was I to say what was appropriate or not?

"Not that I don't love a good fit of laughter, but care to share with the class so we can all enjoy it?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When I finally felt like I had myself under control, I answered Hendrix's question.

"I was laughing because it wasn't that long ago that I thought how much easier life would be if Alejandro was dead. I didn't expect you to give me such good news. I know that's morbid, but seriously, I can't find it in me to be sad."

"Not that I would prefer you were sad, but this might not be the good news you think it is."

I didn't like Maverick's tone. Not one bit. And I really didn't like the expression on his face. I didn't think it would be possible to wipe away such joy so quickly. Apparently I was wrong.

"Why's that?"

The guys glanced back and forth at each other. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was bad news.

"Based on the information we have, we don't know yet if the attack was targeted or a general-population riot. If it turns out to be targeted, that could be a problem."

I didn't know the first thing about prison life or how things worked on the inside. For obvious reasons, I never visited Alejandro. But the concern on their faces told me I needed to take this seriously.

"Nolen, can you please explain this to someone who doesn't understand gang or prison life?"

I glanced at the clock on the microwave. Lucien had an early dismissal and would be home shortly. As much as I preferred to keep my son oblivious to what was happening, it was better if he found out from me rather than someone else. I needed them to give me as much information before he arrived so I could prepare to pass it along to Lucien.

"Prison riots aren't uncommon. They certainly aren't the norm at most places, but some facilities have it worse than others. Normally people like Alejandro have protection. Their position before they were arrested provides them with that. The protection usually comes from their own gang members, or recruits who are promised affiliations once they are out. The fact that only Alejandro was seriously hurt tells me he was targeted, which means someone is either trying to overthrow him, or a rival gang wants to take him out."

The longer Nolen talked, the bigger the cold dread in my stomach grew. I had no idea what I did in a past life, but the karma was real. No matter how good of a mother I tried to be, there would always be something working against me where my son was concerned. So much for having a guardian angel.

"What does that mean for Lucien?" I finally asked.

"It means more protection." Easton was quick to answer. "It means I'll be spending every night outside your house until we have this figured out."

Sure, I wanted Lucien safe, but every night until who knew how long seemed a bit extreme.

"Can't it just be the nights I work my overnight shift? That's when they like to strike."

"Are you forgetting the cookies at work yesterday?"

Shit, I had almost forgotten about that. Trauma response. My mind decided it didn't want to remember the incident.

"That was a one-off," I tried to argue.

"That's what we like to call escalation and probably will only get worse over time. Especially if more people are learning the paternity of Lucien."

That statement stopped me dead in my tracks. Outside of our small town, I had done everything to ensure no one knew who the father was of my son. If what Easton said was true, would that put Lucien in danger? Or God forbid, in the middle of some gang war.

"Do you think that's a possibility?" I hated that my voice quivered when I asked. This whole problem started because of some stupid mailbox, but in a matter of days, it had gone from a minor inconvenience to a big problem. Thank goodness Lyla convinced me to call Easton's company. It was better they were here now rather than coming in after the fact.

Easton came around the kitchen island to stand next to me, and it hit me what a great hostess I was. We were having this conversation in the middle of the kitchen. I hadn't even asked anyone if they needed or wanted anything.

"Is Alejandro aware of Lucien's paternity?"

I nodded my head yes. "He reached out when Lucien was a year old, claiming he knew he was the father of my son. I got in touch with a lawyer who assured me there was nothing Alejandro could do about it. He was serving a life sentence and I didn't list him on the birth certificate. Alejandro could've demanded a paternity test but it was pointless. All it would mean was he owed child support and I didn't want anything. I never responded to the letter and he never reached out again."

Stupidly, I thought that meant the issue was dropped. I should've known better.

Maverick cleared his throat. "I think it's safe to assume his rivals are also aware, then."

This was what happened when I got too comfortable. Those first five years after Lucien was born I spent every second looking over my shoulder that someone would snatch my baby boy away from me. Slowly over the years, I’ve relaxed, but it wasn't until the past two years that I finally felt confident enough that my past was behind me.

Oh, how wrong I was.

"Are you expecting a visitor?"

Nolen's question, and car doors slamming outside, jarred me out of my thoughts, and my eyes drifted over to the clock. "Shit, it's Lucien. He had an early dismissal today and asked if one of his friends’ mothers could bring him home."

I headed for the door with Easton hot on my heels. I was tempted to tell him to go back to the kitchen, that I could get my son on my own, but it was probably no use. He appeared to take this protection thing very seriously.

It wasn't until I opened the door that I realized my mistake. I should've fought to keep Easton out of the line of sight.

"Kati." Lauren's nasally voice went straight through me. "Having a midday get-together and you didn't invite me? Tsk tsk." She looked over my shoulder and her eyes grew ten sizes bigger, I swear. "Oh, hello there. You must be the man everyone in town is talking about." Lauren attempted to lean in and whisper to me but it was pointless. The woman didn't understand the concept of keeping quiet. Her version of a whisper was just as loud as her regular talking voice. "The rumors are true. He's a fine specimen of a man."

Kill me now. If Ms. Daisy was the gossip of her generation, then Lauren Jacobs was of ours. The woman didn't know how to keep a secret or shut her mouth if her life depended on it. News about Easton being inside my house would be spread across town within the hour. Everyone would be speculating about why he was there and what was happening between us.

"Thank you so much, Lauren, for bringing Lucien home. We both appreciate it."

"Yes, thanks, Mrs. Jacobs. Let Michael know I’ll text him later to hang out."

I could kiss my son for understanding the need to rush the woman along. I would hear about my rude behavior later as I slammed the door on a slack-jawed Lauren. Oh well. That was a problem for another day. I had plenty on my plate already.

"Why is Easton here, and why are there so many cars in front of our house?"

There was no point in dragging things out. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sigh. "Drop your backpack and meet me in the kitchen. I'll explain everything."

Lucien was a little too eager, while I needed to gather my thoughts. Talking about my son's sperm donor wasn't in the top five things I loved to do. It wasn't even in the top one hundred.

"You okay?"

Easton was so close. I wondered what he would do if I just leaned into him. Just for a second. Just enough to soak up some of his strength. The man proved he knew what I needed without voicing it. His big arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me into a side hug. It wasn't an overly romantic gesture, some might even consider it a friendly one, but it was exactly what I needed.

"I'll be here every step of the way."

Tears pooled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, not while there were six men I barely knew in my house. I could break down later when I was alone. Maybe in a bubble bath with a glass of wine. A candle or two. Hell, maybe I would throw a book in there, just to bring some levity to the situation after I cried everything out.

I shamelessly took the few moments he offered, my arms crossed in front of me, and my head down. After a beat, I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"I'm good now." I blinked away the last of the tears that threatened to call me a liar and continued to look at the floor. I'm sure my eyes were red and my cheeks a little blotchy. I was one of those unfortunate women who were ugly criers. My face always gave me away.

"I get why you might want to hide it from my team,” Easton said quietly, “but you never need to hide it from me."

I couldn't be sure, but it felt like his lips ghosted across my hair. People said forehead kisses were like crack, but this felt a thousand times more intimate.

I soaked up Easton for another second before I pulled out of his embrace, and the loss was immediate. Once in his arms would never be enough. Now that my body knew what it felt like to be pressed against his, it wanted more.

I held my head high, trying to appear resolute, and we walked back into the kitchen where everyone was introducing themselves to my son.

"So, who's going to tell me why my mother is upset?"

The next twenty minutes Nolen explained the same thing to Lucien that he had to me. Just like I had done, my son interrupted occasionally to ask questions or seek clarification. Lucien seemed to know far more about prison and gang life than I did. I made a mental note to ask him about that later.

By the time Nolen was done talking, my nerves were shot. I wanted to snatch up my teenage son and run away. I obviously couldn't do that though. Lucien loved Willow Creek. He liked his school despite the principal being an asshole. He liked his teachers and had the same friends since kindergarten. There was no way I could take him away from all that just because I was worried. That wasn't fair.

"You haven't said much about how all this makes you feel?" Easton was looking directly at Lucien when he asked.

I appreciated what Easton was trying to do, but I understood my son. He didn't like to discuss his feelings in front of strangers.

I was about to cut in, so Lucien didn't say something rude, when my son beat me to it.

"That's because I don't have any feelings either way. He's not my father in any way that counts. I hate what this is doing to my mother and I wish I could make it better for her, but otherwise, my sperm donor could die tomorrow and I would feel nothing but relief."

There were probably a million things I should say to my son about his speech, but honestly, I was just proud.

Easton's team accepted Lucien's declaration. Hendrix stated he would stay outside and the team would rotate watch as I walked them all to the door. It took some encouragement, but Easton agreed to try and rest before coming back for the night shift. Call it intuition or just being in tune with me, but Easton seemed to recognize that I needed some alone time with my son.

"Mom?" Lucien found me a minute later with my eyes closed and head resting back against the front door.

"Nope." I popped open my eyes and met his concerned gaze. "No more talking about this right now. Instead, we're going to find a movie to watch, grab a ton of snacks, and veg out on the couch until we're mindless idiots. Sound good?"

Lucien looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, a small smile tipped up his lips. "Sounds great, Mom."

And that's exactly how we spent the rest of the day until Easton showed up that evening for his shift.