The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play #3) - B.B. Reid Page 0,22
came face-to-face with a man I recognized. I was sure I was staring at a fucking ghost.
The only thing that distinguished this tall, bearded man from his son were his gray eyes instead of Ever’s gold and the gray peppering his dark-brown hair. I even knew a chin dimple was hidden underneath the short hairs covering his lower face.
“How the fuck… what the fuck?”
“You must be Jamie,” Sean greeted.
“And you’re clearly not as dead as everyone thinks you are.”
“Lucky for you,” he retorted dismissively. “You and my sons would be dead, otherwise.”
I frowned, not knowing which of his claims to focus on or address first. “Sons?” I echoed after choosing.
As in more than one?
I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know Ever’s true paternity, but I truly had no idea there was another kid out there with the same deadbeat for a father. Lucky him.
I wondered who the poor bastard could be. There wasn’t much I knew about Sean other than he used to be best friends with my uncle and father. His parents, who, after thirty years of no contact, assumed he was dead, still came to family functions. Six months ago, they’d shared Thanksgiving dinner with us. Bart and Claire Kelly were kind people who didn’t deserve this piece of shit for a son. Three decades and they still mourned him, for fuck’s sake.
Before he could elaborate, Aunt Evelyn drifted into the foyer with a questioning look until she noticed me standing there. Panic replaced her confusion as she quickly closed her robe. Was she fucking kidding?
“Jamie, honey, what are you doing here?”
“What are you doing?”
“I was just—I—”
“You should know,” I said, cutting her off before she could insult my intelligence, “your son is probably on his way over here as we speak.” I made sure to make eye contact with them both when I mentioned Ever. “You need to leave,” I told Sean when he continued to stand there.
His only response was to cross his arms over his chest as he stared me down. “Maybe it’s time he met me.”
“You mean after you’ve been absent from his life for eighteen fucking years? Sorry, but he’s not interested.”
Okay, I had no right to speak for Ever, but I couldn’t help my need to protect him. Ever was more than just my cousin; he was my best friend, and instinct was screaming at me not to trust his douchebag father. Thirty years ago, Sean Kelly set off a chain of events that led us all here, and now he’s back to stir up more trouble.
He grinned as if I’d just told a joke, but his tone was wistful when he spoke. “Goddamn, boy, you remind me of your father. He was a nosy shit, too.”
I took a step forward, ready to deliver the ass-kicking of the century, and probably get my ass handed to me too, when Aunt Evelyn intervened.
“Okay, Sean. It’s time for you to go.” She pushed him toward the door, and he let her.
“We’ll continue our discussion later,” he warned her when he was over the threshold.
“No the fuck you won’t,” I snarled before slamming the door in his face. Locking it, I rounded on the tiny woman who had caused so much confusion and pain and waited for her to explain.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“I think it is. Did you sleep with him?”
“That’s none of your business, Jameson!”
She had a fierce look in her eye that warned me not to push. I’d never seen her this angry before. It was too bad I didn’t give a shit.
“You did, didn’t you?” I prodded. “You actually slept with him in the house my uncle, your wedded husband, is paying for.”
“It’s complicated, Jamie.”
“Nothing is ever that complicated.”
Reaching up, I thought she’d slap me, but she cupped my cheek instead. “Then you haven’t yet experienced real life, my darling. I’d pray you never do, but I know it would be in vain.”
My hands shook as my frustration surged to an all-time high. I wanted to reach for the smokes burning a hole in my pocket, but I refrained. “Why did you leave?” I blurted, causing her hand to fall. “Was it really that bad?”
“I can’t discuss that with you, Jamie, but I want you to know that I had the best intentions.”
Suddenly, I recalled Lou’s cynical view that no one truly knows what’s best for you other than yourself. I was starting to agree with her. Look at the havoc we often wreak on one another in the name of