Chapter 11
Tiago
As Dallas exits, Gretchen steps into the library. She’s wringing her hands together. She looks nervous, and that’s not like her. She clears her throat. “I hate to bother you…”
I rise and face her. “You’re no bother, Gretchen. What’s wrong?”
“There’s a woman at the front door. She says she’s here to see you. Says her name is Silvia.”
I freeze. Silvia ? Here? Why? My brows lift.
Reagan stiffens. “Is that your ex-girlfriend?”
“I guess.”
Ryder stands also, setting Claire down on the couch. “Didn’t you break up with her like four years ago?”
“Yes.” I reach for Reagan’s hand and pull her up. I’m not facing an ex without her by my side.
She tugs on her hand. “I’ll just wait here.”
“You’ll come with me,” I tell her. “You’re my girlfriend. You belong next to me.”
Reagan is my world. I’m not holding court with a woman from my past while she sits in the library.
If the shoe were on the other foot and someone like Greg came to the door to see her, I probably wouldn’t even let her talk to him.
I’d handle it myself. I sure as shit wouldn’t sit in the library while she met with him.
Fuck, no. And I wouldn’t ask her to do it either.
We wind our way to the front door. It’s not even open. Gretchen didn’t let Silvia into the mansion. I snicker inside. Gretchen is a good woman. Her instincts were right on.
I open the door, and sure enough, Silvia is standing on the porch. She’s changed. Her hair is bleached blond, but her roots are showing. She’s put on some weight. She looks…tired.
“What are you doing here, Silvia? How did you even find me?”
“I ran into your sister.” Silvia glances at Reagan and seems to lift her nose a bit. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“No. Why are you here?” I ease Reagan to my side and wrap my arm around her.
“We need to talk,” Silvia says. She looks at Reagan again and sneers. “Isn’t she a bit young for you, Tiago? Is she even out of high school?”
Reagan gasps, her body stiffening.
I keep her close and watch as she makes a fist at her side. She has the right to reach out and slap Silvia across the face.
“Don’t be a bitch, Silvia. It’s not becoming. What the fuck do you want?”
She reaches into her giant purse, rummages around, and pulls out her phone. After tapping the screen a few times, she holds it out to me.
I’m staring at the picture of a small child.
“He’s yours.”
My heart stops as I slowly lift my gaze. “Pardon me?”
Reagan is paralyzed in my arms.
“His name is Joey. I was pregnant when we broke up.”
I stare at her. Does she think I’m an idiot? Besides the fact that I would need far more proof than a photo of a kid that might not even be hers, I’m definitely sure that child cannot be mine.
I narrow my gaze. “And you heard I was about to inherit some money, so you came running, looking for a handout?”
Reagan flinches and then struggles to free herself. I don’t let go of her because I know she will run from me, and that’s not happening.
“You can’t seriously expect me to believe that child is mine,” I deadpan. I’m close to slapping Silvia myself, and I’ve never hit a woman.
Her eyes widen. “Of course he is.”
“Why the fuck wouldn’t you have told me before now?”
She stands taller, holding her head high. “Because I knew you would be a shitty deadbeat dad.”
“And now you want money,” I growl. “Go away, Silvia.” I take a step back, keeping Reagan in my arms, and reach for the door.
“You’re just going to dismiss me?” Silvia squeals.
“Yes. Go find some other shmuck to blackmail. I’m not falling for it.”
“He’s your son!”
“You were sleeping with about five people when we broke up, Silvia. I’m not buying it.” I’m so confident that child is not mine that I don’t even flinch. I’m surprised Silvia would stoop this low.
“I’ll get a lawyer,” she shouts as I shut the door.
“You do that,” I shout back through the closed door. I’m so fucking furious with her that I release Reagan to run my hands through my hair. I’m afraid I was holding her too tightly.
“ Tiago ,” she gasps.
I draw in a deep breath through my nose. “I’m sorry, baby. Jesus.”
“What if he is yours?”
“He’s not.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I never once fucked that bitch without a condom, and we weren’t having sex at all at the end. She was cheating on me with several people, had been for a while. I was the last to find out, but I knew something was off between us.”
Reagan takes a step back and flattens herself to the wall. “You can’t just dismiss her.”
I realize how this looks to my girl. Bad. I’m not handling it well. “Reagan…”
My brother shows up. “What’s going on? What did Silvia want?”
“Money,” I say. “She flashed a picture of a kid on her phone and said it was mine.”
Ryder cringes. “That’s low, even for Silvia.”
Reagan throws her hands in the air. “Neither of you is the least bit concerned that the kid could be Tiago’s?”
“No,” my brother and I say in unison.
“You’re being so callous,” Reagan argues.
Claire joins us. “What’s going on?”
Ryder pulls her into his arms and quietly brings her up to speed.
I’m focused on my girl and how upset she is. “Baby…”
She shakes her head. “No. I’m serious. I don’t like your attitude. It’s freaking me out. You don’t have to believe her, but you do have to ask for a paternity test and make sure. You can’t just shut the door in her face.”
I take a step forward, my heart clenching. I hate how she’s looking at me. It’s my fault, but I need her to listen.
She shakes her head and moves farther out of my reach.
“No, Tiago. Don’t touch me. I can’t believe this is happening.
You’ve been talking non-stop about wanting to have a child with me, and this is how you react to the news that you might already have a kid you’ve never met?
That doesn’t make me want your sperm anywhere near my uterus, Tiago. ”
Ryder and Claire back out of the entryway, leaving us alone.
I stand still, not wanting to make things worse. I draw in a deep breath. “Please come upstairs to our room so I can explain better, baby,” I say as calmly as possible.
She shakes her head. “I think I’d rather go home. I’ll see if Dallas or Ryder will take me.”
My blood stops pumping through my veins. “Reagan, baby, please don’t leave. Let me explain.”
“Explain how an ex-girlfriend just came to your house and told you you’re the father of her child, and you shut the door in her face? I don’t see how you can explain that.”
I’m desperate, so I yank open the front door to see if Silvia has left yet. She has not. In fact, she’s having an animated discussion with our groundskeeper, Andre.
I have to fix this, so I leave the door open and jog down the steps before stomping toward Silvia.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demand.
She spins around. “Talking to Andre,” she says with a fake smile.
Andre’s eyes are wide, and he takes a step back. It’s obvious he’d been corralled by Silvia and would rather be anywhere else.
I meet Andre’s gaze. “Ryder has some questions about the awning we spoke about earlier.”
He gives a quick nod and rushes away toward the side of the mansion. We never spoke about any awning. Andre is sharp. He knows I was giving him an opportunity to escape the crazy.
I turn toward Silvia. “Do you have a birth certificate?”
“Of course I have a birth certificate,” she spits out.
“On you?”
“No. Who carries around birth certificates?”
“Money-hungry bitches who think they can get their hands on some guy’s inheritance by showing up with a legitimate claim.”
She gasps dramatically and sets a hand on her chest. “This is why I never told you about Joey. You’re not a good person. I didn’t want him to know you.”
“That’s a lie, and you know it. If anything, I was way too good of a person.
Such a good person that I was snowed under by you and had no idea you were sleeping with half of New York while I was dating you.
Such a good person that I believed you every time you made excuses not to sleep over because you were too tired or had to work early.
Such a good person that I gave you the benefit of the doubt for months even though my cock was nowhere near your pussy. ”
Another audible gasp from Silvia. “That’s not true. We had sex.”
I shake my head. “Silvia, you had sex. So much sex that you don’t even remember that you weren’t having it with me .”
She looks legitimately shocked, as though she honestly didn’t realize how long we’d gone without sleeping together. “We did.”
“We did not . Now, let me explain how this is going to work. You’re going to get in your car and leave my property.
Think hard about what you want to do next.
I do not want to see your face again until you have a paternity test in your hand that proves I’m the father.
I’ll get my bloodwork done today and turn the results over to my lawyer.
Stop in town and leave your information with him.
You can’t miss his office. It’s on Main Street. Thomas McAndrews, Attorney at Law.”
She’s pale and trembling. “Why must you be such a dick about this? He’s your son.”
“If he were my son, I would file for full custody immediately, Silvia.”
Her eyes go wide. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would. But we both know he isn’t, so stop acting.” I turn to walk away and then pause and look over my shoulder. “Oh, and Silvia… Just so you know, I don’t have access to a single dime of my inheritance. I won’t until that kid of yours is about thirteen.”
I’m exaggerating a bit. Thomas is the executor of my grandfather’s estate.
He is a good person. He would never deny any request for funds I need for a good reason, but he also wouldn’t let me give it to a money-grabbing liar.
And besides, Silvia doesn’t know how easy it is for me to get access to cash.
“Why?” She looks at the mansion behind me. “Didn’t you inherit this town?”
I turn back to face her fully and set my hands on my hips.
“I, along with all of my siblings and cousins, inherited a dilapidated structure and a run-down town. We have to spend ten years fixing everything before we have access to our inheritance. Now, go see the lawyer. Get the ball rolling. I’ll expect bloodwork from your lawyer in a few days. ”
I know she won’t do it, but I don’t care. I turn and walk back toward the mansion. I’m glad Reagan is standing in the doorway. Her arms are crossed, and I doubt she heard any of my conversation with Silvia because I was too far away, but she hasn’t run. That’s all that matters.