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2024-01-13 13:36:02ALEC
I yanked my hand away from Keli and stuck both of my hands inmy pockets to remind myself that it wouldn’t be smart to punch the bastard again. I’d seen red when he’d threatened Lumen, and that slip of control might end up costing me, but my gut said this arsehole was a coward, and he wouldn’t want to have to explain to anyone the reason why I’d hit him.I looked away from the man sluggishly getting to his feet and saw that Lumen was gone.“Shite,” I cursed under my breath. I needed to talk to her now more than ever. In addition to wanting to explain about our unexpected visit this morning, I wanted to know how long this clot-heid had been harassing her.“Daddy, what happened?” Evanne’s voice brought me back to myself.“What was that, mo chride?” I looked down at her.Her eyes were huge, but she didn’t look upset. “What happened?”The vice principal was limping away now, sho
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The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law sixty four
LUMENThe second time it happened, I had to admit that it wasn’t myimagination. They were talking about me.When I hadn’t gotten a call or a visit from Principal McKenna or the police, I’d hoped that meant Harvey had decided not to make an issue of what’d happened. He’d probably been embarrassed, but since Alec had been the one who’d thrown the punch, Harvey might have decided that it’d be in his best interest to let it go. He had, after all, been the one to tell me just how important Alec McCrae was to the school.Still, I’d been nervous when I’d gotten up this morning. Even if Harvey didn’t go to any authorities about what’d happened, that didn’t mean he’d leave me alone. Some people might’ve been intimidated by Alec’s threat, and I didn’t doubt Harvey would leave me alone any time Alec was around, but I’d known men like Cornelius Harvey my whole life, and I didn’t doubt for a moment that he’d go after me even harder as veng
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law Sixty five
ALECDammit!Thanks to two red lights, I was ten minutes later in getting to the school than I’d wanted to be, which meant I was there five minutes after school let out for the day instead of five minutes before. In my head, I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. Kids were sometimes at the school up to fifteen or twenty minutes after the end of the day, but those other kids weren’t my responsibility. They weren’t my kid.The parking lot wasn’t full when I pulled into a spot, but it also wasn’t completely empty. The parents and staff I passed all had the same pinched, harried expression, and I wondered if I looked the same. I hated when I got off schedule, when the control I needed slipped through my fingers.My shoes squeaked on the tile floor as I made my way down the hall to Evanne’s classroom. I’d passed two teachers before I realized that they were giving me sideways looks, and not the usual admiration I received when I went places where the money I spent made a difference.I sudde
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law sixty six
LUMENI really needed to get a car.This wasn’t the first time I’d had that thought recently, but it was becoming more frequent. Besides the di culties that came with taking the bus to get to work – I wasn’t looking forward to the evenings I had projects to take home – I had a feeling I would be the person Soleil called when she needed something that she didn’t want Brie or Josalyn to know about.Such as getting caught shoplifting at the Grab ‘N Go two blocks from the group home.I’d just finished washing up from dinner when store security called to say that my ‘sister,’ Soleil, had been seen stealing, and they were now holding her. If I was willing to come down and get her, we could discuss whether or not to call the cops.Despite the little white lie concerning our relationship, I was glad that she’d given my name, though I wished the circumstances had been different. She still hadn’t told me why she’d called m
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law sixty seven
ALECCompletely understandable.Lumen had sent me that text last night in response to me saying we needed time apart. No disagreement. No asking about what it meant or how long I thought I might need.I should have been thankful that she hadn’t become angry or accused me of leading her on or using her. Neither of those things were true, but someone who was hurt might not be thinking clearly. What I feared, however, was that Lumen had been able to think clearly because she wasn’t hurt.It was unfair of me, I knew. I’d changed the expectations between us the first time. I’d told her that I’d wanted to pursue something with her. I’d given her a key to my house.And then I’d blown it all up because Keli had decided she wanted us to be a family.I told myself I had done it the right way. When I’d realized that I needed to at least try to make a normal family for Evanne, I had been honest with Lumen rather than keep
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law sixty eight
LUMEN“Lumen?”I looked up to see a concerned-looking Siobhan standing in my doorway. After my awkward Monday, things had quieted back down even though Harvey was back. It seemed everyone had found juicier gossip fodder, though I hadn’t inquired what.“Yes?”“Principal McKenna wants to see you in his o ce.” She hesitated, then added, “Vice Principal Harvey is there too.”Shit. Shit. Shit.I didn’t let any of my concern show on my face. It wasn’t easy, but I managed. “Thank you. I’ll head right down.”I waited until she left before I closed my eyes and reigned in the panic flooding my system. I’d thought when I’d made it through Tuesday and Wednesday without a word from Principal McKenna or Harvey that he’d decided to let things go. Apparently, I hadn’t been as lucky as I’d thought.The clicking of my shoes on the hallway tile as I made my way to the o ce seemed louder than usual, as if callin
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law sixty nine
ALECWhen Keli said her friends had invited her to go out withthem for dinner and dancing, I hadn’t even hesitated to encourage her to go. I wondered if she was testing me, wanting to see how I would react, but I’d been eager enough for a night without her that I hadn’t bothered to try to figure it out. Now that I was cleaning up after the dinner Evanne and I had made, however, I was thinking about it.Had she perhaps wanted to see if I’d be jealous? Tell her that I didn’t want her dancing with other men? Or ask her to stay because I wanted to spend more time with her? Maybe she was testing to see what she could do if we had a relationship again.Before, she’d had my weekends free, and she’d never complained about needing more time. She might have thought my expectations would be different if we lived together again.Only I didn’t think that would be a problem because this wasn’t going to work. It couldn’t.
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law seventy
LUMEN“I honestly don’t know what to say to that.”Mai’s response did nothing to make things any better. After a week of watching Keli pick up Evanne and an empty weekend with nothing to do but grade papers and clean, I’d hoped things would get better. Yesterday hadn’t been any little bit better.Today had been downright awful.“I mean, I thought you’d had an awful week, but today…” She shook her head. “I couldn’t imagine it. Probably why it’s a good thing I’m not a teacher.”I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Mai. It’s a good thing you’re not a teacher.”“How did you handle it? I mean, any kid being upset over a bad grade would be hard, but the kid whose dad you dated?”I winced as I remembered the way Evanne’s face had crumpled when she’d seen the red marks on her homework. It hadn’t been an actual grade, but I’d marked what was wrong so that the kids could follow along while I showed the correct work and answ
The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law seventy one
ALECHow did things get so out of control so fast?I had to admit that coming here had been a mistake, but when Keli had told me that Evanne had seemed upset when she’d come home from school, and then I’d found her crying, her homework crumpled up in her hand…I snapped. My little girl had been hurting, and I’d needed to make it right.Now, I saw that the way I had done things had been wrong, but I had no way of stopping what I had put into motion.“I’ll leave,” I said, “but I’m going to speak to Principal McKenna about this. Evanne is smart, and there’s no reason she should have done so poorly on a piece of homework.”Lumen’s eyes flashed. “I always give my students the chance to ask questions, and if Evanne doesn’t understand something, she asks. I can’t read minds.”“Then how do you explain the mistakes?”“I wasn’t there when she did the work,” Lumen reminded me. “I encourage my students to ask for
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- The Billionaire Impotent son-in-law
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
