Chapter 36 James
James
It was high time Georgie and I had the talk.
As my feelings deepened and we began a physical affair, I knew I needed to tell Georgie exactly how I felt.
She needed to hear it, and I needed to say it.
We’d been dancing around it for weeks, and when she started working double shifts at Deb’s, I worried she was saving up her tips so she could move out.
We hadn’t talked about her four-month timeline in a while, but I couldn’t risk her moving out before I told her I was in love with her.
I was enamored with her from the very first time her sapphire eyes caught mine.
From her candid, vulnerable confession following the car accident, she has bewitched me.
It took me time for my love to overcome my fear of falling into the same trap my dad did.
Growing up, I witnessed how loving my mom broke my dad’s spirit.
More than that, it destroyed him. I never wanted to fall into the trap of loving the wrong woman too much, so I’ve always kept the women I’ve dated at arm’s length.
But with each passing day, I’ve become more and more convinced that Georgie isn’t the wrong woman.
She’s the right woman.
She’s my woman, and I fucking love her.
While Georgie bathes Weston, I rinse the dinner dishes and load the dishwasher. The housekeeper came today, so there’s little cleaning to do. When I finish, I dry my hands on a towel and then fold it back up how Georgie likes and place it next to the left side of the sink.
As I turn to go join Georgie and help with Weston’s nighttime routine, I spy her old cell phone, discarded on the countertop next to her purse.
It strikes me as sad. This isn’t the first, second, or even the third time I’ve seen it lying around over the past few weeks. A part of her will always love her mama, and it kills me to think of Georgie carrying that phone around, hoping against logic that her mama will reach out.
I have a lot of flaws, all men do, but I’m grateful I had the wherewithal to cut my mom off and go no contact.
She didn’t want to have any significant role in our lives when we were growing up, but once Outlaw became a household name, she changed her tune.
After decades of watching my dad lose himself to alcoholism to cushion his pain from her leaving, it was easy for me to block her and not think twice about it.
It was easy for me because I have Josh and the rest of the band. They’re my family. Even after my dad passed away, I didn’t need my mom. But until Georgie gave birth and met me, she didn’t have anyone else to fill that void after her grandmother died.
Picking up Georgie’s old phone, I spin it in my hand, pondering what to do.
I’d love to take it outside and smash it into smithereens.
I’d settle for just throwing it away. But I won’t take that choice away from Georgie, so instead, I tuck it in the back of the junk drawer.
Hopefully, the saying out of sight, out of mind will prove true.
Flipping off the light in the kitchen, I head to the bathroom. When I find it empty, I walk into the nursery, where I find Georgie rocking Weston and singing to him softly.
Yeah, she’s nothing like my mom. Even before my mom physically left our house, she’d checked out emotionally, leaving Josh and me to fend for ourselves. I can’t remember a single time my mom tucked me into bed or sang me a bedtime song.
I drop down beside the glider to brush a kiss on Georgie’s temple and stroke Weston’s cheek with my finger. The little dude is already almost asleep after the excitement of bath time.
After Georgie places him in his crib and turns on his monitor, I twine my fingers through Georgie’s and tug her into the bedroom—our bedroom—where we make love for half the night.
The next morning, I stumble out of bed to start the coffeepot and find Georgie dumping the contents of her purse on the counter, her hands frantically searching through the scads of stuff that comes pouring out.
With a yawn, I ask, “Looking for something?”
She jumps, as if she didn’t hear me pad into the room. With a hand over her heart, she replies, “Jeez, you scared me. But yeah, I’m looking for my cell phone. I can’t find it anywhere.”
“It’s plugged in by the nightstand, Georgie.” I point over my shoulder, in the direction of our bedroom. “Want me to go grab it?”
“No, not that one.” She worries her bottom lip between her teeth before quietly admitting, “I’m looking for my old phone.”
I stand in front of her and place my hands on her shoulders. “Darlin’, your mama isn’t worth it. You’re not alone anymore. You have me and you have Weston. We’re your family now.”
“It’s not about my mom, James,” Georgie snaps, a tremor of terror infusing her voice.
My eyes narrow. Besides her mom and the medical clinic, she had only one other contact saved on that phone.
D.D.
Dickhead Deluxe.
Weston’s biological father.
“Then what is it about, Georgie?” I bite out.
She wilts before my eyes as her shoulders slump and her head drops. “It’s about Nolan, Weston’s father.”
“Fuck that!” I slam my hand into my chest. “I am Weston’s father. That asshat may have donated his sperm, but he is not, and will never be, Weston’s father. Do you hear me, Georgie?”
“Loud and clear.” A ghost of a smile teases her lips. “You need to calm down, James.”
Damn, she was right all those months ago. Telling someone to calm down rarely has the intended effect. I huff, crossing my arms over my chest, willing myself to chill out. “So, as you were saying…”
Her smile drops, and she takes a fortifying breath. “Nolan has been texting me, threatening to go to the media unless I pay him off.”
Nah, not calming down. My jaw clenches as I mutter angrily, “Fucking hell. How much does he want?”
“He started at $10,000, but yesterday, he increased it to $15,000.”
My initial inclination is just to pay him. Fifteen grand is nothing to me. But I know that once you capitulate to a blackmailer’s demands, they just keep coming back for more.
I pace the kitchen, firing off questions. “Does he know he’s Weston’s biological… sperm donor?” I spit out, hating this situation and hating Nolan for creating it. “Is that why he’s coming after you?”
“Originally, that’s what he assumed, but I’ve denied it at every turn. I told him I’m only paying him off because I don’t want to cause any negative publicity for you… out of fear that you might leave me if I stir up trouble.”
The way she stands with her hands knotted makes me think this isn’t an unfounded fear for her.
Connecting the dots, my head jolts up. “Is this why you’ve been working so hard these last few weeks? To try and raise money to pay the asshole off?”
She nods meekly.
Well, at least she wasn’t working so many hours so she could move out.
I run my fingers through my hair. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“Because I really didn’t want to cause you any problems. Or at least not any more problems.”
I stop my pacing to look at her. “Georgie, problems are a fact of life, and I won’t stop loving you just because we have problems, darlin’.”
My cell phone rings, clattering loudly on the kitchen counter. Picking it up, I see Char’s name flash across the screen. She can wait. I decline the call and turn back to Georgie to continue our conversation.
But then my phone rings again with another incoming call from Char again. “For Christ’s sake,” I mutter. “She won’t stop until I answer.”
As I click the button to answer the call, Char’s voice rings out, urgent and serious. “We have a problem, James. A big one. Is Georgie there?”
My eyes dart to Georgie’s. “Yeah, she’s standing right here.”
“Good, put the call on speaker so I can talk to both of you.”
Dread filling me at the intensity in Char’s voice, I drop onto a seat at the kitchen table. Georgie does the same, and I place the phone on the table between us.
“I just got off the phone with a tabloid reporter who was asking for a comment on an article he’s working on.
Apparently, Georgie’s ex-boyfriend called him, wanting to tell his side of the story.
If he goes to the press and outs his previous relationship with Georgie, it won’t look good for either of you.
In order for anyone to believe that you’re Weston’s father, James, there would have had to have been overlap between the start of your relationship with Georgie and the end of her relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
She’ll be painted as a cheater, and you won’t look much better if people believe you broke up a relationship, James. ”
Multiple expletives leave my mouth as I push my fingers roughly through my hair.
“But… there’s more. Georgie’s ex is also claiming he has photos that authenticate his sexual relationship with Georgie.” Char pauses. “Georgie, I need to know exactly what I’m dealing with here. What kind of photos?”