Chapter 15
15
J AMES
Monaco
James’ hotel suite
“Tough week, huh?” Ed asks from the terrace, flicking his eyes to me as I pour two glasses of scotch at the bar inside.
“Yeah, “ I mutter, sunk in thought.
I walk outside and set the glasses on the patio table before crashing into a chair across from him.
The sea shimmers nearby, reflecting the starry sky, while the evening breeze brings in the soft lights and muted sounds of Monte Carlo.
It’s almost nine, and cars pull up in front of the hotel, some people going to the restaurant, others heading to the Casinos.
I take a drink of hard liquor. The aroma and fire roll over my palate.
He takes a swig of his drink.
A soft knock on the door makes us move our eyes to the entrance.
“Come in,” I bark.
A woman, an employee of the hotel, walks in.
“We’re here,” I say.
She sidles up to me and sets a pack of cigarettes on the patio table.
“Let me know if you need anything else, sir.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
The woman nods and spins away, making a beeline for the door.
A moment later, we’re alone again.
“What’s up with you and the cigarettes? You haven’t smoked that much lately.”
He leans back in his seat while I fish out a cigarette from the pack and slip it between my lips.
Smoothly, I flick my lighter open and let the flame lick the tip.
“I’m cutting back,” I say, talking around my cigarette.
“Because?”
Pacing myself, I take a long drag and exhale the smoke, my whole body relaxing.
“Because it’s healthy,” I say, tipping my gaze to him, grinning.
He doesn’t say a word but folds his arms over his chest.
“You never do anything without a damn good reason, Sexton. Do you want me to believe you’re suddenly preoccupied with your health?”
“It’s never too late, Preston,” I say, gesturing with the hand holding my cigarette.
A knowing smile curves his lips.
“Are you going to tell me, or do you want me to guess?”
“Since when are you so nosy?”
I lock his eyes, taking another drag.
“Was it the doctor’s advice?”
“Always,” I say, humor lining my voice.
His eyebrows lift.
“Don’t tell me...” he says. “Is it because of Rain?”
I look down and blow the smoke to the side, smiling secretly.
“Maybe,” I say, lifting my gaze and taking another drag.
“Did she ask you to quit?”
“Some time ago.”
“Does she want to have kids?” he asks.
“Since you are an expert now... Yeah, maybe,” I say.
His eyes light up.
“Is she pregnant?”
I chuckle.
“No, she’s not,” I murmur, looking at my glass briefly. “But she wants to get pregnant, and this is part of the deal,” I add, focusing on him again.
“A deal that you can’t keep.”
“I can, and I will. I haven’t had a smoke in weeks.”
“That’s not keeping it,” he says, motioning to my cigarette.
“Stop busting my balls, Preston,” I grump, running my hand over my eyes. “It’s been a hell of a week, and it’s not done,” I say, locking his eyes again.
“Your work is done.”
“Yeah, my work...” I say hoarsely.
He brings his glass to his lips and takes a swing.
“Great move with David Moore, by the way,” he says, setting his glass down.
“It was luck.”
He studies my face for a moment as my gaze slides to his blue-gray shirt and navy tie.
I raise my eyes.
“The man is flushed with money. He’s done really well for himself these past years. And he was looking for something big to invest in. Something with a solid payout. He’d never been in this industry before, and he was really interested. Also, he has a lot of time on his hands.”
“Not married, huh?”
“Nope. I doubt he’s in a hurry to do it again, which works in my favor.”
A grin creases his lips.
“As always.”
I laugh again before bringing my cigarette to my lips.
“What can I say? I’m a lucky bastard.”
“You sure are.”
He rests his elbows on the table.
“It’s good that things worked out,” he says seriously.
“Yeah, they did...”
“You don’t seem happy, though,” he says, searching my eyes.
“It’s not about that.”
A few moments pass before I take another drag and put the cigarette out.
Flicking my hand, I disperse the smoke and empty my glass in a gulp. A long exhale leaves my chest before I crash back into my seat.
“Theresa called me this past Sunday.”
His mouth pulls open, his eyes widening in surprise.
“No way,” he says, wrestling with disbelief.
“Mm-hmm.”
“What did she say?”
“Not much. She wants to talk to me. She said she’d come to see me this weekend. I haven’t heard from her yet, so I don’t know if she’ll show up or not, but that’s the drill.”
“Hence the cigarettes.”
“Yeah, motherfucker,” I say, chuckling.
“I don’t blame you. Where is she?”
“Lisbon.”
“Still with the same man?”
I shrug.
And look down.
“I have no idea. I didn’t feel like hiring a PI to find out. I don’t care, to be honest.”
I feel his stare on my face before I shift my gaze.
“You can’t be possibly mad at her after all this time,” he says.
“You were mad at your father.”
“It was different.”
“How?”
“First off, I had no good memory of him. And then, I held him responsible for my mother's death.”
Silently, I study his face.
He continues.
“I’m not saying I wasn’t mad at him when I went to see him, but things were different than what I expected. Besides, that shit happened almost thirty years ago. That’s a lifetime, and a lot of things can change. People change and have regrets sometimes, and I’m sure Theresa has some regrets too.”
“We’ll see. She sounded pretty cold.”
“She must’ve been nervous.”
“Perhaps,” I say, peeling my gaze away from him. “Anyway, I don’t expect anything good to come out of it, but the woman wants to talk, so I’ll let her talk.”
“I don’t know what to say,” he says quietly. “Other than what I said to myself. Parents are not always the strong people their children need them to be.”
“I know all that.”
“Then, don’t fret about it. Sooner or later, you’ll be a parent too and see how it is.”
“Yeah... Scary thought, though,” I murmur, not looking at him.
He doesn’t say a thing.
“What makes her want a baby?” he asks after a few moments.
I whip my gaze at him.
Grinning.
“Is that even a question, Preston?”
Laughing, he throws his hands in the air.
“Don’t blame it on me, man. I had to ask. I had no plan to have a baby.”
Our eyes connect again.
“How did you feel about it when you found out?” I ask.
His eyes soften with a smile.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. And then it quickly sank in, and it felt good.”
His smile fades as he stares blankly at his glass.
“It was the strangest feeling ever. I suddenly didn’t feel alone anymore.”
My grin dies out as he continues.
“I didn’t even realize how alone I’d felt before that moment. Thea took my mind away from it. She filled a lot of space in my head, and although I knew it to a degree––or at least I had prepared myself for the possibility that things might not work out between the two of us in the end––I still let myself get carried away by the idea of her. With Thea, I also built this wall between us, some sort of protection, I thought, in case everything would crumble in the end. At least, that’s how I felt until she said she didn’t want to have anything to do with me other than perhaps to be friends with me and all that crap. We knew it was crap, but she wanted to teach me a lesson. What I failed to recognize was something that revealed itself on that trip to Las Vegas. At the time, we still danced around it, holding ourselves back. But after we’d spent some time together, it finally dawned on me how much she needed me. And more so, how much I needed her. As she headed to Turkey and I came here, that feeling solidified and became a certitude. Here, I had everything I wanted, yet, my days were so much better when I heard her voice and saw her pictures. When she told me how her day went and what she saw that afternoon. I then realized I wanted to be with her, do things with her, and spend time with her. But truly, what made the whole thing come full circle for me was the news that she was expecting. When I heard that something she and I had made was on the way, I knew I no longer wanted to be alone. And as long as we kept this thing together–– the three of us––none of us would feel alone.”
He pauses, gathering his thoughts.
“That moment cemented my belief that we were meant to be together. Before that, we never talked about the future or having children or anything like that. But even if it was an accident, it would still feel like it was meant to be,” he says before bringing his drink to his lips and taking a sip.
“So that’s how it felt,” he adds after a moment, silence falling over his words.
It’s almost ten o’clock when Ed walks out of my place, heading to his suite.
I spin around, ready to peel off my shirt, when I hear a knock on the door. Instinctively, I look at the patio, my gaze hovering over the table, convinced that Ed has forgotten his phone.
I hear another rap at the door.
I head over there and swing it open, my gaze drifting up, moving over the silhouette of a beautiful woman.
I freeze.
Dark green eyes flicker between soft lashes. Her eyebrows lift slowly as our eyes connect.
Her hair is long and dark, and her features resemble mine.
She looks unchanged except for the soft, almost invisible lines at the corners of her eyes.
If anything, she looks better.
Sporting a subdued glamour that fits her perfectly and blends with the surroundings, she studies me as well, her gaze lined with curiosity.
My blood turns cold.
For a moment, we look at each other in silence.
“James,” she says in a clear voice, not altered by the passing of time.
“Theresa.”
End of Book Twelve
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