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2024-02-03 18:49:42ALEC
NO WARRANT. NO HELP. NOTHING BUT MORE I’M SORRY, WE CAN’Texcuses. Nothing but reasons why this wasn’t considered anything more serious than a custody issue when we all knew that if the situation had been reversed and I had been the one to take our daughter while Keli’d had custody, a warrant would have already been out for my arrest on charges of kidnapping.I’d gone straight from the police station to meet Percival Scarpa, where he’d agreed with my scathing opinion regarding how the issue was being handled. He’d also agreed that maybe it was time to play to the press.When I asked him, however, about how I should go about doing just that, he’d asked if I had a public relations person. He had been able to give me legal advice but recommended that I speak to a PR person regarding what, exactly, should be said.After leaving his o ce, I’d reached out to the firm that handled all of the public relations for
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The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Eighty seven
LUMEN“YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.”When he’d kissed me, a thousand things had gone through my head at the same time, not the least of which was how good it felt, how right. But following quick on that thought had been the taste of alcohol, and it had been that more than anything else that had cleared my head.It became clear rather quickly after that the real reason he’d come. Not to apologize or ask about Soleil. He hadn’t even really come to tell me about Evanne. He’d come because he was drunk and horny, and that had somehow made him think I’d fall into his arms and then into bed.“Shite. Sorry. I’m such a fuck up.”His voice broke on the last word, and my anger gave way to sympathy. Our fight hadn’t meant that I’d thought Evanne’s situation wasn’t stressful or problematic. I was worried about her too and hoped that Keli would come to her senses and see that what she was doing wasn’t good for her daughter.
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Eighty eight
LUMENWELL, THAT HAD BEEN A BIG FUCKING MISTAKE. LITERALLY AS WELLas figuratively. I should have known better.I had known better.I just hadn’t wanted to listen. I’d wanted him.We’d fallen asleep after, and I’d woken up first, just after dawn. He’d still been sleeping, and considering the alcohol he’d had on top of the stress of the past couple days and our late-night workout, I figured he’d be out for a while yet. That, at least, had given me time to shower, dress, and get some coffee going before I let my decisions from last night catch up with me.I should have just sent him home. He hadn’t driven, and he’d been coherent enough to take a cab home again. If I’d really been worried, I could’ve gone back with him, gotten him into his own bed, and then come back home. He would’ve had no problem paying for the trip.But I hadn’t done the smart thing. I’d let him stay, had taken care of him
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Eighty Nine
ALECI FOLLOWED LUMEN TO THE DOOR. WHO WAS KNOCKING ON HER DOORon a Saturday morning? A spike of something too close to jealousy went through me. I had a vague memory of her saying that her roommate had stayed elsewhere last night, which meant it likely was someone for Lumen.When the door opened, however, I realized that the people on the other side were actually here for me.“What are you doing here?” I asked.Lumen turned and looked at me. “Your brothers?” “Aye. Eoin and Brody.”“I remember that one.” She pointed at Eoin as she turned back to them. “Good timing. Get your brother out of my place.”“I should beat your ass for leaving without telling me,” Brody said, looking over Lumen’s head at me. “What the hell were you thinking?”“He wasn’t,” Eoin answered for me. “At least not with his big head.”His gaze slid to Lumen, and I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want him looking at he
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Ninety
LUMENWHAT. THE. HELL.Was I ever going to have a nice, boring weekend? Or a boring week, for that matter? Honestly, the way this school year had been going, I was beginning to wonder if this was just what my life was going to be, moving from one moment of confusion and chaos to another, in both my professional and personal lives.Getting involved with Alec McCrae had been a huge mistake. I should have known the moment he’d walked into Real Life Bodywork that he’d derail the plans I had in place for my life. There had been so many red flags. I really had no one to blame but myself.The realization only made me feel worse, especially since I knew I still cared about Alec. I still wanted him.I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and went back to the kitchen to clean up. I had some grading to do, and lesson plans to write, but I wasn’t in any frame of mind to do that. What I could do, however, was find physical things to d
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Ninety one
ALECNEITHER OF MY BROTHERS TRUSTED ME TO DRIVE, AND I COULDN’Treally blame them, not after the completely immature way I’d handled things last night and this morning. I still didn’t want to believe I’d been such an idiot. I could count on one hand the number of times I had actually been drunk in my life, and the other times had ended with me hugging a toilet, not showing up at a woman’s house and making a fool of myself.Despite the three-and-a-half-hour drive, I didn’t have much time to think about any of this since Eoin was sleeping in the back, and Brody was driving. When Brody drove, he liked to either talk…or sing. My brother had a lot of talents, but music wasn’t one of them. Not only was he completely tone deaf, but he had no rhythm, not when it came to music anyway. And he never knew the lyrics.None of that, however, stopped him from torturing people whenever the need struck him. Such as when he was in t
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Ninety two
LUMEN“I’LL CALL YOU WHEN I KNOW MORE,” I PROMISED MAI AS SHEpulled up to the hospital. “Thanks for the ride.”“Of course,” she said, her expression somber. “I hope she’s okay.”“Me too.”I hurried through the hallways, following the directions Josalyn had given me fifteen minutes ago. She hadn’t provided me with any details beyond saying that Soleil was in the hospital, and my presence when Josalyn saw her would be a big help, which meant when I stepped off the elevator, I was surprised to find myself at the psych ward.“Lumen, over here,” Josalyn called to me.I hurried to where she stood, her face pinched with worry. “What happened?” I had a feeling I knew, but I wasn’t going to believe it until someone said it for sure.“She tried to kill herself. One of the other kids found her and called 911.”“Dammit.” Everything in me sank. “Will she be okay?”“I haven’
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Ninety three
ALECIN THE PAST, KELI HAD SENT ME PICTURES OF EVANNE IN HERcostumes and a couple pictures of her while trick-or- treating. I’d never been a part of the process.It was quite entertaining, actually. Especially since Evanne hadn’t been able to decide on just one costume when I’d taken her shopping yesterday. Now that Keli was here, Evanne insisted on modeling each costume for both of us and having us decide which one she should wear.“Which one?” Evanne asked as she twirled, her shiny skirt billowing out around her. “Princess, cheetah, or ninja?” “That’s quite the range you have there, mo chride,” I saidwith a chuckle.“I have potential,” she said. She was practically beaming. “Everybody says so.”Keli and I burst out laughing, the sound easing the tension between us. She’d been perfectly polite from the moment she’d gotten here, but I still didn’t trust her. I doubted I’d ever
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Ninety four
LUMENI DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING, GOING TO ALEC’S HOUSE TOask for him to put me in contact with his brother. The last two times Alec and I had been together, we’d fought, and we hadn’t resolved any of the issues that had gotten us to that point in the first place. Why had I thought for even a moment that he’d put that aside to help me, or that he’d even care why I was asking, I didn’t know. I knew how the world worked, how people really were. The only emotion he’d displayed had been jealousy, and I was willing to bet that was more due to wounded pride than anything else.No matter how much I wished things were different.He’d told me things with Keli were over, but she’d been there, looking as if she belonged within those walls. Sure, maybe she was just there so they could take Evanne trick- or-treating together, but I didn’t have much in the way of trust at the moment, not when it came to him.Th
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- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
183
EOINI’D JUST BEEN READY TO CALL ALINE WHEN A TEXT CAME THROUGHthat she was coming back and we needed to talk. I went back and forth between anxiety and relief while I waited for her. We couldn’t keep doing this.Our lives were linked, and we didn’t have the luxury of waiting until we had our shit figured out before deciding to start a family. The baby was on the way, and no matter what she and I disagreed about, I had no doubt that we were on the same page when it came to being the best parents we could be. To do that, we needed to work this out sooner rather than later.Since I didn’t know if Aline had her key, I unlocked the door and then spent the next fifteen minutes or so pacing from one end of the living room to the other and back again.When she came in, I wanted to just blurt out an apology and explanation, but I also didn’t want to come on too strong. How the fuck did people do this? How did they know what to say or how to say it? I didn’t know the ans
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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EOINTHE MOMENT THE WORDS CAME OUT OF ALINE’S MOUTH, I COULD SEEthat she wanted to take them back. Not because she regretted accepting my proposal or didn’t want to live with me, but because blurting it out like that had been like dropping a bomb.Now, we were just waiting for it to explode. I could read it on their faces. I read it on her face too. She realized the impact of what she’d done.And then Freedom turned on me, her expression furious.“What the hell did you do?!” She pointed at me, her clear blue eyes flashing. “How dare you take advantage of her when she was upset! Out on her own for the first time and vulner–”“We’re engaged,” Aline cut her off, clearly deciding to get it all out now that things were in motion for a confrontation. “And I’m pregnant.”Freedom’s jaw dropped, and her face went white. Aline’s jaw tightened. “So, back off.”“What?”The word came out as a whisper, confirming for me that Aline had never spoken to Freedom that way before.“Eoin is m
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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EOINIF I DIDN’T QUIT SNEAKING LOOKS AT ALINE, SHE WAS GOING TO CATCHme and want to know what the hell I was doing. Then I’d be put in the very awkward position of either lying to her and her figuring it out or telling the truth and pissing her off. Neither scenario ended well for me.She’d agreed to tell my parents about our engagement and the baby, and I was going with her tomorrow to spend Christmas Day with her family. Both of those were things that I wanted, but I kept feeling like some other shoe was going to drop and ruin it. That she’d suddenly recognize the fact that she could do so much better than me and decide that, while she might want the baby, she didn’t want me along with it. Or she’d think about how pissed Freedom was going to be when she saw me and realize I wasn’t worth the headache.Death wasn’t the only thing that could take someone away.So, I kept watching her, paying close attention to every expression, to every shift in body language.I’d been worried at Marti
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
180
EOINTHE SCENT OF PEACHES WOKE ME UP, AND IT TOOK A MOMENT FOR MEto remember why my bed smelled like fruit. Aline. My eyes opened, my need to reassure myself that she really was here greater than me wanting to sleep a little longer. Once I saw her, I couldn’t look away.We were both on our sides, her back to my front. Her body was curled up, making her look even smaller than she was, and a surge of protectiveness went through me. I slid my hand from her hip to her stomach, wondering when I’d be able to feel the changes to her body, when the baby would start to move, how big it was right now.Was it a boy or girl? Would Aline want to know before or have it be a surprise? When would we be able to tell?I had a lot of research to do, I realized. I wanted to do this right, and that meant not leaving everything up to Aline. Some of the questions colliding together in my brain were the kind that she and I could talk about. I could find the answers for all the others myself. S
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
179
EOINI PUT MY PHONE DOWN ON THE COUNTER AND GOT A BEER FROM THEfridge. If I wasn’t driving anywhere tonight, I didn’t need to worry about how much I drank. If I couldn’t be with Aline, taking care of her, getting a little drunk sounded like a good idea. Not so much that I’d be hung over tomorrow, but enough to take the edge off.It was a hell of an edge. Pregnant.I was going to be a father.Maybe. Aline could decide to terminate the pregnancy, but after how her parents had struggled to have kids, I didn’t think that was going to be the route she took. If she did, I’d be there with her, but even as shell-shocked as I was right now, I was hoping she’d have the baby.My baby. Fuck.I needed to sit down, but the few chairs I had were covered with shit from my storage unit. The floor would have to do. I leaned back against my refrigerator and took a long drink.I’d never really thought about being a father. My parents never pressured any of us kids about giving them
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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EOINI DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY ALINE WOULD – AGAIN – THINK I DIDN’Twant her. I knew her family was really overprotective of her, but I couldn’t imagine that translating into any type of emotional abuse. She was a certified genius and one of the most selfless people I’d ever met. And she was gorgeous. The fact that she’d been a virgin – barely even kissed if Freedom had been right about that too – confused the shit out of me because she had to have had guys all over her.Just the thought of any other man near her made my arms tighten around her. I still had my hand in her pants, could hear her ragged breathing slow and even out…and I was jealous of men I didn’t even know, men who might not even exist.Men I didn’t want to exist.I wanted to be it for her. The only man who’d ever know what she looked like when she came.Shit.The thought should have terrified me, but it didn’t. Even though I was painfully hard, I was content to stand here, holding her, rubbing her back with my free hand.
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
177
ALINEEOIN’S PLACE WAS GORGEOUS. AND HUGE. NOT AT ALL WHAT I’D BEENexpecting, even after he’d told me that he’d leased a condo rather than an apartment. I’d already known that he’d come from a wealthy family, so it wasn’t the cost of a place like this that surprised me. It was more that this didn’t seem like the sort of place that a single, not-quite-thirty, former military man would live. This was more of a…family home.A beautiful one, but I was starting to feel like seeing all of it, being here with him while such a large question was looming over us, was untethering me from reality. I had experienced this strange disconnect only a few times in my life, most of them recently.“Hey.” His hands were on either side of my face, his skin hot against my cheeks. “It’s okay.”I looked up at him, and then his mouth was on mine, firm pressure without being aggressive, and the contact sent a wave of warmth washing over me, pushing away thoughts of anything else.This man could distract
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EOINMY BROTHER, ROME, HAD OUTDONE HIMSELF WITH THIS CONDO, ANDI’d made a point of telling him that when he’d met me there before I’d gone to pick up Aline this morning. I hadn’t, however, told him about what was going on.I wanted her to meet my family. I knew that by now, but I didn’t want it to happen with a question mark over our heads. So, until we got those test results, only Alec knew that this was a possibility. No matter what happened, though, I wanted her to see my new place because, at some point, I planned for it to be our place.Some of my tension had left when Aline had told me that she was okay and that the IUD debacle hadn’t been my fault, but it’d been such a small bit that as we moved into Playa Vista, my stomach was one giant knot of nerves. Most of it was because we still didn’t know for certain whether or not she was pregnant, but there was still a part of it that had to do with how she felt about my new home. I wanted her to love it.I took her hand as we w
- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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ALINEI DIDN’T KNOW IF I’D THROWN UP FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO BECAUSE Ihad morning sickness or if it’d been nerves, but either way, it hadn’t been pleasant. I’d been able to force down some crackers, and they’d helped with my upset stomach, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to completely quell my anxiety until I had the results of the blood test. Even if I was pregnant, the waiting was far worse than either answer would be.Eoin seemed to share my sentiments as he arrived nearly twenty minutes early, and apart from the drive, hadn’t been able to sit still. Even in the car, he’d been moving, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel or on his leg, flipping through radio stations, that sort of thing.The latter would have annoyed me normally, but nothing about this situation was normal. And if I were to be entirely honest, I didn’t mind the radio being on because neither of us had said more than a few words, and I preferred the background noise that prevented a total awkward silence betw
