21. Cormac
Chapter Twenty-One
CORMAC
I hate to admit it, but I’m nervous.
Tonight, Scout will officially be meeting my brothers for the first time. Even though I want him to have a relationship with his uncles, I can’t ignore the sick feeling in my stomach at the thought of more people knowing about him.
I know I’m being paranoid, but can anyone really blame me after what happened to his mother?
Scout catches my eye in the mirror above my dresser. “Why are you being weird?”
“I’m not being weird.” I rebutton my cuffs for the third time.
“You keep messing with your hair and rolling up your sleeves.”
I turn around and reach out to ruffle Scout’s hair, and he bats my hand away, scowling at me.
“Are you nervous about meeting all of your uncles?”
“A little,” Scout mumbles.
“They’re going to love you.”
“What if they don’t?”
I crouch down in front of Scout and take his face in my hands. “Then they’re idiots.”
Scout’s face breaks out into a smile, and I ruffle his hair again.
“Come on, Fiona is going to be here any second.”
By the time I’ve checked on the dinner, which I cooked up myself with the help of Scout this afternoon, my phone buzzes in my pocket with a call from the lobby letting me know Fiona is on her way up.
This is it.
The doors chime open, and Fiona steps out wearing a figure-hugging black dress and heels, her blonde hair loose and curled around her shoulders. She flashes me a smile that almost sends me to my knees.
Scout jumps off the couch and hurries over to Fiona. “Hi! I’m Scout.”
I swallow a laugh as he sticks his hand out for Fiona to shake.
Fiona takes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Scout. I’m Fiona.”
“You’re my daddy’s assistant.”
Fiona glances over at me then, and for a beat, we just stare at each other.
I’m really starting to regret bringing her back to my place and fucking her on the couch because it’s like my body is now conditioned to think of nothing else the second she steps foot into my apartment.
It doesn’t help that the dress she’s wearing clings to her every curve.
I can’t decide whether I want to rip it off or keep it on while I bury myself inside her.
I clear my throat as I try to think of literally anything else. “Yes, bud. That’s right.”
“But she’s going to be hanging out with you sometimes, too.”
“I hope that’s okay,” Fiona says.
Scout frowns as he looks up at Fiona. “Do you like Mario Kart?”
“Who doesn’t like Mario Kart?”
“I always play as Mario, and Daddy is Luigi.”
“That works out perfectly as I like to play as Princess Peach.”
Scout’s face breaks out into a grin, and so does Fiona’s.
I stare at her, completely mesmerized by the way her blue eyes light up when she smiles.
“Tell me, Scout. How old are you?”
“He’s five.” Even though my son is six, adjusting his age is just another way I can ensure that his mother’s true identity can be kept a secret, in case Adrian Smirnov does decide to come sniffing around me.
“That’s a pretty good age. That’s halfway to ten.”
“But I’m tall for my age.” Scout puffs out his chest.
“You’re almost as tall as me!”
I bend down to whisper in Scout’s ear. “Why don’t you ask if Fiona wants something to drink?”
“Oh, right. Fiona, you can have a drink!”
She laughs. “Thanks.”
I meet her gaze. “Champagne okay?”
I watch her throat bob, and for a beat, I let my eyes trail down her elegant neck that is practically begging for my attention.
She bites her lower lip. “Champagne is perfect.”
It feels like torture to peel my eyes away from her.
Thankfully, Scout does the hard work for me by taking Fiona by the hand and dragging her over to the table where he’s lined up a bunch of his toy cars despite me telling him to tidy them away.
Hearing the two of them laughing together both pleases and annoys me.
The fact that he’s so quick to accept someone else, a stranger no doubt, tells me all I need to know about the bond I thought I had with my son.
I push the thoughts aside as I finish pouring the drinks.
Right now, I need to focus on making sure Scout is comfortable.
I’ve barely put the glass of champagne in Fiona’s hand when the elevator opens and the entirety of my family steps out, including Addison and Nico.
Scout immediately steps behind me as all eyes turn to him.
“Where’s my nephew?” Brennan forces his way between Ronan and Kieran. “Hey Scout, I’m Brennan. Just so you know, I’m about to be your favorite uncle.”
Scout looks at me, and I offer him a nod of encouragement.
“I’m Scout.”
Ciara offers me a one-armed hug as she holds Addison on her hip. “Cormac, it’s so nice to see you. I hope you don’t mind that we brought the kids. We gave Elena the night off, and honestly, it didn’t feel right to have a family dinner without them.”
“Of course not.”
“We thought Scout might want to meet his cousins,” Ronan says.
“Where’s Riley?” I suddenly ask.
“She didn’t feel up to it,” Kieran replies, though his eyes are fixed on Fiona.
He opens his mouth as if he’s about to ask, but I quickly shut it down.
“We can talk after dinner.”
Brennan crouches down in front of Scout. “So, your dad tells me you like sports.”
Scout looks at me again. He looks a little overwhelmed, considering he has half a dozen strangers all staring at him, so I place a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“He’ll give you a run for your money when it comes to baseball, that’s for sure.”
Brennan grins. “Is that so? Want to bet?”
Ronan huffs. “Let’s not get the kid into gambling, Brennan.”
“Hundred bucks?” Scout asks, and everyone bursts out laughing.
After that, Scout quickly becomes the center of attention, and I barely get the chance to talk to him for most of the dinner. Between Ciara fussing over him and Brennan grilling him about his favorite sports teams, I’ve been officially bumped to the bottom of the pile.
But I don’t mind. Seeing Scout smile so much is worth it.
“He’s a cute kid.” Fiona’s sitting to my left, holding a sleeping Addison in one arm as she watches Scout across the table.
“You sound surprised.”
“Well, he has half of your genes, and I wouldn’t exactly use the word cute to describe you.”
“Oh, yeah?” I lean in just a little. “What word would you use?”
“Asshole is the first one that comes to mind.”
I swallow a laugh as I reach for my drink.
Brennan is nudging Scout. “Come on, you’re telling me that you’re not willing to give up the Dodgers in favor of the Yankees? You’re in New York now, kid. You can’t be seen supporting the enemy.”
“Don’t care.” Scout crosses his arms.
“Why not?”
“Because I have a Dodgers jersey.”
Brennan looks horrified. “This is about a jersey? Kid, I can buy you a thousand jerseys.”
Scout frowns. “I don’t want a thousand jerseys.”
“What do you want? I can buy you anything.”
“Stop trying to buy my kid,” I interject.
Brennan scoffs, throwing his hands in the air. “This is serious business, Cormac. You have raised your son to be a Dodgers fan!”
“I watched Dodgers games with Ray,” Scout says. “He bought me my jersey.”
Brennan looks at me. “Who’s Ray?”
“An old friend.” I reach for my drink and drain it.
“Fine. So, your loyalty can’t be swayed for baseball. What about basketball?”
Ciara sighs. “Can we please talk about anything other than sports?”
Fiona laughs. “I second that.”
Once the plates have been cleared and I catch Scout yawning across the table, I decide it’s time for him to go to bed.
The poor kid is exhausted, and I really need a chance to talk with my brothers without Fiona being around to witness the fallout I know is coming from the looks Kieran keeps shooting at me and Fiona across the table.
Fiona and Ciara are deep in conversation as they fuss over the twins, but I subtly lean over and whisper in her ear.
“Would you mind taking Scout upstairs? I need to talk with my brothers.”
Fiona glances over her shoulder at me, and my gaze instantly drops to her mouth, which is barely an inch from mine.
Fuck, I want to kiss her so badly, but that would really put a nail in my coffin if I do that in front of Kieran.
“So, the new job starts now, then?” she murmurs.
I glance up to find Ciara looking at us with raised brows, so I quickly pull away and clear my throat. “Please.”
“I didn’t realize you knew that word. But sure.”
“Scout, Fiona is going to take you upstairs to read a book before bed,” I call across to Scout, who is once again arguing with Brennan over God knows what.
But it seems the moment I mention Fiona, Scout immediately loses all interest in his uncle as he jumps down from his seat and rushes around the table to Fiona’s side.
“Your kid is fickle as shit, Cormac!” Brennan calls over to me, and I subtly flip him off when Scout isn’t looking.
“I have this really cool dinosaur book. Do you want to see?” Scout asks Fiona.
“I’d love to.”
“Do you mind if I join you?” Ciara glances down at Nico, who looks like he’s gearing up for a screaming session. “I think the twins need a feed.”
“I can show them my dinosaur book too!” Scout announces.
Ciara laughs. “They would love that.”
“Do you want some help?” Ronan asks Fiona as she gets to her feet and adjusts Addison in her arms.
“That’s okay, let us girls take the kids and leave you men to talk shop. Come on, Scout.” She holds out her free hand.
He eagerly takes hold of it and leads Fiona up the stairs without so much as a glance back at me.
I can’t deny, a small part of me wishes he would have begged me to take him. He’s known Fiona less than two hours and already seems completely captivated by her. Though, I guess I’m not one to talk.
Kieran doesn’t waste any time getting to the point. The moment we hear Scout’s door slamming shut upstairs, he launches into an interrogation. “What the hell is going on, Cormac? How exactly are you planning on raising your kid and running Sullivan Investments?”
“He has a point,” Ronan chimes in.
Brennan gets up from the table and goes in search of something stronger to drink. “I knew I should have been made CEO.”
“I’ve got it handled,” I say coolly.
Kieran frowns. “How?”
“Fiona is helping.”
“As in, your assistant?”
“Pretty sure she’s the only Fiona I know.”