Chapter Fourteen
Adrian
Denis’s brows winged high. The lingering assessment he gave me set my skin crawling.
“Hmm. The boy has claws.”
My face grew hot with anger. “I’m no boy. And there’s no reason for you to be rude to Rip. From what I heard, you were the one who cheated on him.”
Denis’s face tightened, and he stormed away. Rip cupped my cheek with a smile. “You were pretty hot defending me.”
I rolled my eyes, then frowned. “Was he always this much of a jerk? I honestly can’t picture the two of you together. You’re so different from him.”
“It’s complicated. I thought we were compatible, and I overlooked things that bothered me because it didn’t seem important at the time.
Like his ego. Denis believes he’s the best, and that kind of self-confidence can be sexy.
Or at least it was for a while. But Denis had to be the best or first in everything.
I swear I once caught him measuring his dick to see if it was bigger than mine. ”
My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. How childish can you get?”
Rip smirked. “Just for the record, mine is bigger.”
I huffed. “Not a fact I needed to know.”
Rip snickered and checked his watch. “Shit. I gotta go.” He caught my mouth in a quick kiss. “Remember to call me tonight when you get home,” he yelled out, halfway down the hall. He turned the corner and disappeared from sight. I skimmed my fingers over my lips.
Rip was gone, leaving me to wonder why he’d kissed me as a real lover, and why he wanted me to call him later.
I closed my door but didn’t return to packing.
Instead, I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, reminiscing about the night we’d shared and this morning.
That glorious, delicious night where he’d awakened me from the sleep of loneliness, followed by a morning of joy and pleasure such as I’d never known existed.
“No use sitting here. I’d better get my ass moving. No private plane home for me.”
I finished packing and wheeled my suitcase to the lobby.
I’d checked out online, and I was debating whether I should get something fast to eat at the coffee shop before I left, or maybe a muffin to take with me, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned to see Rip’s father, John Carver.
My face must have not been welcoming, as he took a step away from me.
“Hello. You do recognize me, don’tcha?”
Wary, I nodded. “Yes. You’re Rip’s father. He left already.”
“I know. I’m here to talk to you.”
I put up a hand. “No. I have nothing to say.”
“Please? Can you just listen to me?”
I pulled out my phone to check the time. “I have to go. My plane leaves at four.”
“It’s not even two. Please? Rip won’t listen to me.”
“What makes you think I will?”
The resemblance between father and son was strikingly apparent—both had high cheekbones, an angular jaw, and the same wide hazel eyes.
“Because I’ve got nothin’ else to lose. All I want is for you to listen to what I gotta say.”
Feeling guilty, as if I were betraying Rip, I motioned him to follow me to the corner. I pulled my suitcase along, and we took seats opposite each other. “Go ahead.”
He clasped his hands over and over, but I sat quietly, giving him time to quell his nerves. Wetness glimmered on his cheeks, startling me. Still, I waited, and he blew out a harsh breath.
“I’m not here to plead my case by tellin’ you I was a great person.
Me and Abby, Rip’s mother, we were two young kids who fell in love, but where she was strong and worked hard, I was the hothead.
If things didn’t go right, I blamed someone else for my mistakes.
” He pinched his eyes for a moment, then straightened his shoulders.
“I started gamblin’—small-time shit at first, but fell deeper in the hole, and soon it was my paycheck.
Eventually that wasn’t enough. I borrowed money, and when I couldn’t pay it back, I robbed houses, stole things…
anything I could get my hands on.” He coughed, and I girded myself to avoid feeling any sympathy toward him, the way I would for anyone with an addiction.
“None of this explains why you left her alone,” I said, determined not to let his story sway me. Each time Rip spoke to his father, he came away worse than before. My allegiance was to Rip. “She was young and was going to have a baby.”
“The loan sharks threatened me, and I knew I’d never be able to get ahead of the interest rates.
They wanted me to get into more and more dangerous shit, so I left.
Ran out on Abby without a word and made my way south.
I got to San Antonio and decided it was far enough and stayed.
I never knew she was pregnant, not until years later when I heard of this kid drafted into the NHL with the name Ripley Tremaine.
Ripley was Abby’s mother’s maiden name, and Abby’s last name was Tremaine.
I thought it was too much of a coincidence, and when I saw he grew up where we once lived, I figured he had to be my kid. ”
“You do look alike.”
“I never woulda left if I knew she was pregnant,” he insisted, and I grimaced.
“I’m not sure I believe that. You easily walked away from someone you supposedly loved to save your own skin and disappeared. Never once cared to contact her.”
He lowered his gaze to his tightly laced fingers. “I-I know I was wrong. But I did what I thought was best.”
“Yeah,” I said. “For you. No one else. Certainly not Abby, whom you claim you loved.”
“I did love her.” He made a fist. “I did.”
“Then why wouldn’t you ask her to go with you? You saved your own ass and to hell with anything or anyone else. And when you knew your son was going to be rich, you decided it was okay to show your face.”
“I was wrong, okay?” he burst out, loud enough to turn the heads of other patrons sitting nearby.
He rubbed his face and hitched his chair closer.
“It was a mistake to ask for money. But I was younger and stupid back then. I just want Rip to understand I didn’t walk away from him or his mother voluntarily.
If I’d known I was going to have a kid…” Weary, he shook his head, but I pushed him.
“If you had, what? Would you have taken Abby with you? Raised your family?”
He hunched his shoulders. “I-I dunno.”
The conversation was going nowhere. “What is it you expect from me? This all happened long ago. There’s nothing I can do.”
“Can you…do you think you can get Rip to speak to me? Maybe if he listens to what I gotta say, he won’t be so mad.”
While I understood why Carver wanted a relationship with Rip, I still questioned his motivation. “And so what? Let’s say he forgives you. What do you hope to accomplish?”
His face was incredulous. “What’re you talking about? I’ll have a son—my son.” Carver’s jaw worked hard. “You don’t get it.”
“Get what? Make me understand it, then. Why do you really want to be his father? Have you changed?” That lingering silence told me everything. “I’ve had enough. And I have a plane to catch.”
Shoulders hunched, he didn’t rise or offer any more words to convince me otherwise. Maybe he’d used up his practiced speech, or I’d hit a nerve. Either way, more than anything, I wished I were with Rip to help him find clarity in the muddy waters his father had churned up.
Suitcase in hand, I walked away and found a cab idling outside. My phone buzzed.
About to take off. Come to my place tonight to watch the show?
I should’ve said no, but I typed: I’d be better watching it alone, picking up all the things I did wrong. My finger hovered over the Send button.
Don’t be stupid. You made it clear you’re just friends. Nothing’s gonna happen.
I deleted the text and answered instead: I’ll try.
No answer—not that I expected one since he was probably in the air—and I reached the airport, becoming busy with my check-in.
I boarded my plane and settled in for the flight home.
Aside from a few bumps, it was uneventful, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally entered my apartment.
I lay on the couch for a moment of quiet, which of course meant my phone rang.
“Hi,” Neil said. “Have a nice weekend?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?” he grumbled.
“What’s there to tell? You know I’m a pretty private person.
I’m not used to all this attention.” Even if Neil and I were closer, I still wouldn’t talk about my sex life with him.
Having it on public display would take some getting used to, at least until it ran its course and Rip and I no longer needed to pretend.
“Social media had you everywhere with him.”
There was more behind those words, but I wasn’t going to pick a fight with my brother about this game Rip and I were playing. We were building a friendship alongside the pretend, and I didn’t want to risk knocking down what was already there.
“We’re friends. That’s more important than anything.”
“You’re right. Have I told you how happy I am you’re home again?”
Tears threatened, and I wiped my eyes. “Maybe I can come over next weekend?”
“Yeah. We’d all like that.”
“Talk to you soon.”
I ended the call filled with happiness and checked my watch.
Nine forty-five. If I left now, I could make it to Rip’s before the show started.
I picked up my phone and shoved it into my jacket pocket.
When I opened the door, Rip exited the elevator and slowed his steps. My stupid heart gave a jump for joy.
“Wh-what’re you doing here?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d come. And I really wanted to watch the show with you. You worked so hard, and I wanted to see the end result. I know it’s gonna be a success.” Surprisingly shy, he raised a shoulder, his gaze fixed on mine. “So I figured I’d come here.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “Considering I was going to you for the same reason, I think that’d be okay. I-I’d like that.”
He came in and set his duffel on the floor. I raised a brow, and he blushed. “I brought some sandwiches, figuring you probably wouldn’t have anything here and it’s late.”