She looked down at her body and gasped, apparently realizing she was almost completely exposed. She dashed down the hall and returned with a cotton dress thrown haphazardly over her head. I didn't like how quickly she was trying to get out there to see this guy.
“Ree Ree?” I asked her in a hoarse whisper, as she ran on bare feet back toward me.
“You’re mad?” she breathed. She lifted her hands up to my chest and I loved the warmth that poured out through my thin shirt.
“Never at you, babe.”
“I just need to know why he’s here. Please, just let me talk to him. Alone.” Her voice was small, but it was also final. There was that word again… alone. Except this time it didn't include me.
“I don’t like this,” I admitted. Maybe to anyone else this would seem as if I was being a possessive caveman, but our situation wasn’t normal. She had been kidnapped, for Christ’s sake. I think my feelings were justified. Now someone from her past life was here—in Texas—and all of my protective instincts were lighting up. I wanted to grab Raegan, go get our kids, and keep them all within my sight.
“I don’t either, but he’s harmless…” She waved it off as if she really believed her words.
“I’ll be on the other side of this door. That’s as alone as I can let you be. Please, don’t push it, Rae.” I straightened her dress for her, pulled it up higher to cover her cleavage, and looked into her blazing green eyes—the very eyes that I had come to enjoy seeing open every morning and close every night. No one was going to take that away from me.
She moved for the door and I leaned in to kiss her forehead, right over her scar. I didn't mean to remind her it was there, but it was my comfort that she was actually here. She rubbed her fingers over it self-consciously and shut the door behind her.
RAEGAN -
Shit, shit, shit, shit! When Lane and I had been interrupted in the kitchen, the last person I ever imagined would be at our front door was Adam. Adam Murphy aka Braden’s father. Even though he didn't deserve that title.
I could tell that Lane didn't know who he was yet; he just didn’t appreciate the attitude I have no doubt Adam gave him. Adam had nothing on Lane—literally, nothing. His build was scrawny compared to Lane, and not once had he ever looked at me as if I rose and set the sun all on my own, which was basically the way Lane looked at me on a daily basis.
There had been a time when I would have followed Adam anywhere. I knew he was an extreme gambler and he set off on trips to Vegas constantly. If at any point he would have asked for Braden and me to come with him, I would have. I would have dropped anything for Adam. I was also nineteen and an idiot.
I thought Adam had been just as crazy about me as I had been about him. He was always showering me with gifts and showing up wherever I was to surprise me. I wouldn't hear from him for a week or more, and then he would pull this big romantic gesture and I would melt at his feet. Looking back, it had all been so childish.
Then, I found out I was pregnant. I made the mistake of telling him right before we went in to see a movie, but I just couldn’t hold it in anymore and he had been off to God-knows-where the previous four days. At first, his reaction seemed totally normal. He was speechless. A tight smile stretched across his face and he grabbed my hand. I knew that he would need time to process the news.
When he excused himself halfway through the movie to go to the restroom, I clearly remembered a sinking feeling in my stomach the second he turned out of my sight. I made myself wait a full five minutes, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. The restrooms were empty. Yeah, I checked. He ditched me, changed his number, and moved. I had never known someone to be so desperate to disappear.
Of course I would have preferred some help, but I was okay with it being just Braden and me. Adam had come back around at one point wanting to talk, and begrudgingly I’d agreed to meet up with him. Turned out, I didn’t make it to that little reunion because I’d been kidnapped. And then it was just Braden, Kate, and I. Now we had Lane, and I didn't want any newcomers to mess things up. I was happy. Braden was happy. Why was Adam here? And now in Texas, of all places. Guess I was about to find out.
I stepped out onto the porch and looked up into his eyes, cringing when I saw them. I had forgotten how they were an identical match to Braden’s. Braden had my naturally tan coloring and brown, almost black hair, but he also had Adam’s brilliant golden eyes. Looking at Adam’s eyes was like viewing Braden twenty years down the road. My throat choked up at the idea.
Adam looked me over and gasped when he’d finally made a full perusal. “Your head, Ree Ree.” His hand moved to gently brush down the side of my face and I knew he was touching my scar. That damn ugly scar—I would never be able to cover it up. The only reason it was starting to not bother me was that Lane seemed to adore it.
“Don’t call me that, Adam, I never liked it,” I whispered. His hand made me instantly uncomfortable.
Before I could swat it away, the door swung open and Lane’s bulky figure stepped out behind mine. “Hands down if you want keep them attached to your body.” His eerie calm yet menacing voice demanded compliance. I turned to see him looking intently at Adam’s face and saw the moment realization hit him. Stepping further into Lane’s body, I hoped to tamp down the emotions bubbling out of him.
“You’re Braden’s sperm donor?” he growled. I wanted to chuckle at that.
“Dad,” Adam corrected. “I’m his dad and Ree—” He caught himself from saying my old nickname. “Raegan and I go way back.”
“Oh, I’ve heard. I know all about your disappearing act. Where were you when they went missing? You sure as hell weren’t looking for them. You sure as hell weren’t talking to police. We didn't know a damn thing about you.” Lane tried to step closer to Adam, but I braced myself and tried to hold back as much of his weight as I could manage. “Better yet, where were you when your son was born?”
I could tell that had been hard for him to say. Lane would never be able to respect a man who ditched his child. Neither could I.
Adam stared at him for a heated moment, and I watched something similar to confusion cross his face. Surprisingly, he didn't respond to any of Lane’s questions, but instead asked, “Have we met before?”
“I’ve met a lot of deadbeat dads, but I think you’re a new one…” Lane shrugged. “Maybe I’ve arrested you before. Ever been handcuffed by a New York cop?” Lane was getting worked up and Adam shifted on his feet while looking at me again.
I turned to face Lane and looked up into his eyes until he reluctantly pulled his glare away from Adam. His hazel eyes, which had more green in them than usual, slid down to mine and I gave him a small, pleading smile.
“Let me take care of this. Please?” I tried to whisper, but honestly I didn't care if Adam heard as well. He had been uncharacteristically silent after Lane had torn into him. Probably a survival instinct. Without a word, Lane stepped back inside and closed the door. Adam’s eyes averted to the window, and I assumed Lane was leering at him through the glass.
I was actually surprised Lane hadn’t grabbed me and planted his lips on me so hard that there would have been no question as to what my relationship with him was. But instead of marking his territory, he had quietly stepped back like I had asked and now I wished I had let him stay. I needed his strong presence. I guess in a way, Lane didn't need to physically mark his territory. One look and you knew not to cross him.