CHAPTER TWENTY
Cal
Aspen’s eyes flick up to mine, and she gives me a short nod to come in—like I needed her permission at this point. Skip, whoever the fuck he is, sees her attention has been divided and turns his head to peer up at me.
He has dishwater blonde hair, brown eyes, light skin, and a medium build. Objectively, he’s a good-looking dude but nothing to write home about. He goes to open his mouth, but River cuts him off by holding up her hand.
“Now, Skip.” River says. “Just so you know, none of us are leaving, so whatever you have to say can be said in front of all of us.”
“You know damn well that’s not my name. Would you please quit calling me that?”
“I also know you skipped out on ten years of your son’s life, so it’s fitting. And no, I won’t,” she retorts.
The puzzle pieces quickly fall together, and my blood boils. What the hell is this guy doing here? Possessiveness like I have never felt radiates through me. Immediately, I want to pummel his ass, but instead I saunter over to Aspen and give her a quick peck on the lips. “Sorry, I’m late.” I look into her beautiful green eyes, and I can see fear there. “Practice went over.” We haven’t defined what this is between us, but for some reason I don’t want this guy to know that. Let him think she and I are together.
I turn to him and hold out my hand for him to shake. “Hi, Callan Miles,” I say sternly.
“Jason Bryant.” He takes my hand; I squeeze harder than necessary.
Like he needs an introduction. I know exactly who he is. My question is, why the fuck is he sitting in Aspen’s office? He flexes his hand once I release him. I can see some of Tuck’s features in him, like the smattering of freckles and his nose maybe, but that’s about as far as the resemblance goes.
He scratches the back of his neck nervously. “I . . . uh . . . I’m sorry to hear about your dad.”
Silence lingers in the air for a few minutes as if he doesn’t know what to say.
“I . . . I know it seems out of the blue, but . . .” He stammers again, and Aspen throws him a pointed look to spit out whatever the fuck he has to say. “I made a huge mistake when I signed over my rights. I, uh . . .” He runs a hand through his hair. “I was only eighteen, you know? And you know how my parents are. I didn’t really know what to do. I was about to go to college, and I thought I was doing what was best for him.”
“You mean you were doing what was best for you ,” Aspen cuts in. “How is leaving a single mom, who is still in high school, to care for a baby the best thing for him?”
“I was a selfish prick, yes. But I also feel like I wasn’t mature enough to make the decision to sign my rights away. I want to make things right.”
My chest radiates with a pain that I’m foreign to. Tuck is mine . I’m the one who’s been doing homework with him and picking him up from school when I’m not in practice. I’m the one who taught him hockey and makes it to his games. I’m also the one who took him to enroll in school. I have dinner with him. I celebrate holidays. I take time for him every fucking day, whether it’s in person or a phone call, to ask him how his day went. I have been the only male present in his life. Am I being selfish? Fuck yeah, I am. I don’t give a flying fuck.
This guy has been absent for over ten years, and now that Aspen has come into a windfall, he wants to show his face? Fuck no! I feel blindsided. No. I’m not Tuck’s dad, but I realize I’ve been filling that role for the past six months.
She hums and stays silent, calculating for a few minutes before she finally speaks. “I find it very convenient you didn’t come to see him in the few months you lived in the same town as us. You lived one block down the fucking road, and not once did you stop by.”
“I didn’t know what to say to you, Aspen.”
“Pfft.” Aspen shakes her head. “You know what? It really doesn’t matter.” She says to him, and I go to open my mouth, but she holds up a hand. I don’t have a place here, but somewhere along the way they became mine to take care of. I’m calling a spade a spade. This guy doesn’t want Tuck. I know Aspen can handle herself, so I shut my mouth.
“You gave up your rights; he doesn’t know you. Hell, I don’t know you anymore. I’m not picking up what you’re putting down.”
She grabs a pen. What is she doing? Taking notes? Then she pulls a checkbook from her purse. Jason’s eyes follow the checkbook, and he eyes her curiously.
“How much, Jason?”
“W-What?” He asks.
She begins to write his name on a check. He peers over her desk trying to catch a glimpse of what she is writing. “You heard me, how much? Look, we all know Tucker isn’t what you really came here for, so I’ll ask you one last time. How. Fucking. Much?” There is venom in her tone.
Jason averts his eyes to the window behind her before bringing them back to her. Then one by one, he looks to each of us. “Can we talk alone?”
Wrong answer. I’ve had enough. I slam my hand on the desk, drawing his attention to me. Aspen and River both jump. “No. You can’t.” My voice booms. “There is no reality in which I would ever leave my woman alone with you, so cut the shit if you’re playing fucking games. If it’s money you want, just say it—name your price, and I’ll take care of it myself. No questions asked. If you want a relationship with Tuck, well, we can figure that out too. But I’m warning you right now, don’t you fucking dare fuck with that kid if he’s not the reason you’re really here.”
He stares at me, probably gauging just how serious I am, but he remains mute. He doesn’t realize the lengths I would go to for Aspen and Tuck. I would light a fucking match and watch the world burn to the ground around us with a smile on my face if it meant protecting them.
I turn to Aspen. “Okay, get his information. Like you said, we don’t know him, and there is no way in hell I’m letting anyone we don’t know come around Tuck without a background check.”
I roll my lips together and address Jason in the most professional and diplomatic way possible, even though that is the furthest from how I want to behave right now. “We have a lady in public relations who has contact with a private investigator. If you truly want to know Tuck, write down your information: full name, past three addresses, social security number, date of birth—you know, all the pertinent information. The report comes back pretty quickly. It may take a couple of hours, though, so you’re welcome to hang out in the game room, or you can . . .”
He cuts me off. “We’re in bankruptcy.” He exasperates, putting his hands in his hair.
Aspen goes to speak, but this time, I’m the one who puts up a hand to silence her. “Are you disclosing this because it’s going to show up on the background check?” It’s taking all my willpower to restrain myself from obliterating this asshole. I wanted to be wrong about him, but I know I’m not. A person doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere after ten years if there isn’t money involved, especially when he knows where they were all along and had ample opportunity to make amends before now. His jaw ticks. He knows he’s busted.
“Three hundred thousand will pull us out of bankruptcy,” the fucker says. All the blood rushes to my head, my vision goes black, and tingles travel throughout my body. I want to punch him in his goddamn face for trying to use Tuck. I flick my eyes over to Aspen, and she looks just as pissed off as I feel.
“Remember, no questions asked. Put your checkbook away,” I say to Aspen, even though the woman has more money than me. I’m taking care of this shit, and as a parting shot to Jason, I say, “I take care of what’s fucking mine. Write down your bank details, and I’ll have the funds transferred.”
I pull out my phone, scroll through my contacts, and stroll over to the window in the back of her office to make the call to my financial advisor. I watch Jason as he writes down his banking information.
“There will be no coming back from this, Jason. Please don’t make this choice.” Her voice catches as she pleads with him. “You have no idea the abandonment Tucker will feel if he finds out about this, but I do.” She pats her chest. “I know what it’s like. It’s bad enough that you walked away the first time, but doing this—selling him out for money . . .” She points at the paper. He sets the pen down and glances at me before directing his attention back to her as she continues, “Please. Just don’t. I don’t care about your financial status. If you want in his life . . . just . . .” She begins to sob. “Just say so. I won’t keep him from you; I promise.”
I can’t stand that she is feeling this rejection all over again. I can hear the little girl in her begging for her own dad, and it’s breaking my fucking heart. I go to her and wrap my arms around her as her body wracks with grief. “We can help you,” I tell him over the top of her head.
“I’m sorry.” He says and walks out of the door.
“River, take her. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She nods, and I release Aspen and guide her towards River. I grab the slip of paper he jotted down his information on and rush out of the office, making a beeline for the parking lot. When I get outside, Jason is approaching a parked white sedan with a rental car emblem.
“Jason!” I call out.
The car beeps as he clicks the fob, opens the door, then turns to face me.
“I have to know, is this what you really want? To walk away from your son again? She just told you we would help you get out of this financial mess. We won’t hold it over your head. If you want a relationship with your son, we will help you and Tuck to navigate that.”
“You and I both know I didn’t come here for the kid.”
I throw my arms up in the air. “What about his siblings? Don’t you think he has a right to know them?”
“Siblings?” He frowns. “Those are my girlfriend’s kids.”
“You take care of another man’s children, but not your own child?” I ponder his idiocy.
“Look man, are we going to stand here and discuss trivial shit, or are you going to help me?”
“I’ll give you what you want, but you will stay away from Tucker for good. Don’t come back another ten years down the road and try to start a relationship with him. This was your final chance. He’s mine now. You understand?”
He shrugs.
I hear boots scuffling behind me and turn my head to find Michaelson with his arms crossed and biceps straining from his navy-blue security uniform.
“Hey, Champ.” He nods to me, “Aspen sent me out here to check on things.”
I turn my focus back to Jason. “I asked you a question, but maybe you didn’t hear me. Do. You. Fucking. Understand. Me?”
“Yeah, I understand.” He ducks down into his car.
The engine revs as he starts it; then he’s reversing out of the parking lot and driving off towards the exit, leaving nothing behind but his bank information and another heartbreak for Aspen.
I dial my financial advisor.
“This is Nick.”
“I need to make a three hundred-thousand-dollar transfer.”
“That’s a lot of money, Cal. What’s it for?”
I really don’t want to get into the details of Aspen’s life, but this is what I’ve hired him for—to manage my finances, so I don’t have to. I tell him the entire story, praying Aspen will be okay with it.
“You do know he will come back. People like that are like leeches. Once you give them money, they will find a reason or way to come back for more. As your advisor, I’m advising you against this.”
I rub my hand down my face. “Fuck my life. Look, I don’t care. I want this taken care of. It’s a drop in the bucket for me. Just handle it.” I rattle off the routing and account number and hang up.
These emotions are too much for me to handle right now. I send a text to Aspen letting her know everything is taken care of and head to my car.
We leave for Colorado tomorrow, and my time there isn’t going to be pleasant. It’s inevitable that my past and my future are about to collide.