Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Violet
“Hi!” A woman who looked vaguely familiar crested the stairs. She was tall and willowy, with blond hair pulled up in a messy bun. The jean shorts she wore only highlighted her long legs, and her yellow Reservoir Barrel T-shirt was tied at the waist. She probably hadn’t puked over any railings.
My gaze flew to the side where the crime had happened. The irises in the flower bed glistened with droplets of water. Had he cleaned up my mess while I’d been in the bathroom?
Evan— Evander —Barron was hard to get a read on, but one thing I gathered was that he was intensely private. He also wasn’t my biggest fan, and after dealing with Willis’s calls, it would’ve been nice to have a guy look at me the interested way Evander had when we met at the bar.
Aunt Linda’s mystery renter was my one-night stand. Evander Barron? Small damn world. Most of my shock had been evacuated with the contents of my stomach, and I was left trying to untangle the mess my life had become. Now I had to deal with him as a renter and the dad of my baby when I would’ve been driving away to figure my shit out by myself if he’d been a stranger.
The new arrival smiled at me. The giant man next to her could almost make Evander seem dainty, but not quite. While he had an inch or two on Evander, he didn’t outmuscle the man standing just behind me. Streaks of gray dusted his temples, and his gaze was assessing, but his mouth was tilted up as he glanced from me to Evander.
Oh. What must this look like? I was opening the door to a house I didn’t yet own with a guy I’d only known for one night.
“Sorry to intrude, Evander. We’re a little early.” The woman stretched out a hand to me. “I’m Isla, and this is my brother, Stetson.”
Isla. We used to go to school together. She was Evander’s cousin. Now I recognized her brother. Like Evander, he was older than me. He hadn’t changed a lot since school. Still a big guy, just with laugh lines and twinkling eyes. I struggled to recall Evander, but he’d left town so quickly after graduation, and of course, he hadn’t given Isla rides to and from school like Stetson had.
“V-Violet.” I tentatively accepted the shake. My phone buzzed. Willis. I released her hand and stuffed my hand in my pocket to hit the silence button. “We went to school together,” I blurted out. Way to be smooth. But between Willis and his pestering texts and Evander and his intensity, my brain was fried. “Until my family moved.”
A triumphant grin spread across her lips. “Yes! I thought you looked familiar. Violet Duke, right?” When I nodded, her smile widened. “Wow—it’s been years. How are your parents?”
“Good.” Should I ask the same? Do your parents still swallow children’s souls? That was how it had felt when I was younger and Cameron and Naomi Barron were around. I remember little more than wondering why Dad would work for him for so long. Dad had said he was a better boss than he was anything else.
Evander’s heat soaked into my side. He was crowding me at the doorway. The shame of telling him he couldn’t renew his lease still burned into my soul. I was a horrible person. Dammit, Grandma! I could really use this place. If I didn’t have to worry about a roof over my head, I’d worry less about the whole job issue.
Mom and Dad would always let me live with them if my money ran out. I hadn’t told them I was pregnant yet. It hadn’t felt right when the dad hadn’t known, and I also hadn’t figured out what to do about that.
At least that problem was solved. Didn’t mean I wanted to leave a disappointing relationship and live with my parents to have a baby. I was in my midthirties, and I’d given up too much life for Willis.
Isla was smiling at me. Stetson had a twinkle in his eye. Right. Evander and I looked like a thing, but his distance after I told him I was pregnant suggested that’d never happen. It could’ve been the vomit.
Was my mascara still running rampant across my face? I forced a weak smile. “I’m sorry to intrude. I was just leaving.”
Isla’s expression fell. “Oh no. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” Her hopeful gaze passed from me to Evander. “We can always talk another time. ”
“It’s no problem.” If my nerves cranked up higher, the irises on the other side of the porch would get a sick blast too. “I was just stopping by to talk about the lease.” Guilt looped through my stomach and pulled tight. I skated around a lie, but my conscience didn’t like it.
“That’s right.” Stetson nodded. “I forgot a Duke owned this place.”
“The old renters were here so long, we all did,” Isla added.
The previous tenants were the original owners of the old farmhouse. They had fallen on hard times and had to sell. My grandparents bought the place and gave them a steep discount to rent. Had she suspected the trouble her damn trust would cause?
My smile this time had to look more like a grimace. “It was nice to see you again.”
I edged out of the door, and the siblings stepped back.
Evander’s heat followed me. “I’ll be right back,” he said to his cousins.
“Hope to see you again,” Isla said to me. “We might cross paths more if you come to town to see Lily. Eliot has a sister that’s married to one of our cousins.”
Curiosity got me to stop. Lily had mentioned how close the Knights were, and I’d probably met that cousin. Eliot only had one sister, Aggie. “Ansen?”
Stetson hooked a thumb in his belt loop. “Archer and Ansen were raised in Texas, but now they’re back, and so is their dad. One Barron from each generation seems to take off and never communicate.”
He wasn’t looking at Evander, but we all knew who he was talking about.
With the attention off me, a yawn snuck out. I tried to stifle it. Evander and Isla were shooting dirty looks toward Stetson, but Evander switched his attention to me.
My belly flipped, but the reaction wasn’t from morning sickness and anxiety. His piercing whiskey gaze was a spark to my libido, striking the tinder and making it ignite.
“You’re tired,” he said.
“It’s been a long few months,” I murmured. I gave Isla and Stetson a little wave. “Before I make this a Midwest goodbye?—”
“Guys, can we do this another night?” Evander asked. Did he wish to avoid them? Or to make sure I drove out of city limits? He curled his hand around my elbow, and I almost moaned from the strong, hot grip. “I’ll call you.”
Stetson snorted. “Sure ’bout that?” His tone was good-natured, but the intent behind his statement was not. One Barron from each generation seems to take off and never communicate.
“I don’t give a crap about contracts,” Evander retorted. “Isla needs pumpkins; I’ll grow them.”
“I just need to set the rate with you,” Isla said. “We can do it over email, but I wanted to be nosy.” She nudged her brother. “It was Stetson’s idea.”
Stetson grunted. “I’d turn into a skeleton before I got an invite.”
The wall that was Evander softened. Did Stetson’s words bother him? “You already told me the rate. I told you I’d grow them for free. I don’t care.”
“I need the write-off.” Isla shrugged. “And I need to be by the book just because. Anyway, we’ll let you two be.” She tossed her arms around Evander for a lightning- quick hug that made him release me and left him stiff and blinking and caused Stetson to smirk at him.
Evander shot Stetson a promising glare.
Whatever had happened between Evander and his family left hard feelings.
Had the fallout been Evander’s fault? Or had it been a slow dive into isolation? Was he the type to burn bridges and that was why he wasn’t interested in me beyond whether the baby was his or not?
Would he give up parental rights? And the house?
Isla and Stetson left. The tension they had brought was gone from Evander’s shoulders, but his scowl remained in place. It was likely permanent.
I propped a hip against the railing. A caffeine stop would be necessary before I left town. I didn’t want to sleep at the motel. I’d come into town last night for Lily and Eliot’s party, but I’d been given room five again. Nothing like trying to fall asleep with a roiling stomach and the memories of the most intense sexual experience of my life. That night would hold the record forever.
I folded my arms. I’d done more than I had set out to do today, and I had no other reason to be in Coal Haven.
I rubbed between my eyes. “What do you need?”
“You’re too tired to drive all the way to Billings.”
I exhaled a gusty breath. “And you know what? I’m tired of men who think they know better than me.”
A dark brow quirked. “Are they taking paternity tests too?”
My nausea vacated with a spike of anger. I’d been patient. I’d been understanding. I’d been respectful. The irises might disagree. But the last of my patience snapped. “Trust me, I want nothing more than for you to sign away your parental rights and move out so I can have a nice, quiet place that’s mine to raise this kid. No pretentious, domineering men allowed.”
Evander hadn’t been pretentious. But he could be! He was also domineering in the most titillating way, but I could not afford to romanticize a one-night stand. I no longer had just me to consider. This baby was part of the future I had envisioned for myself. The path to this point—no. But I had wanted to be a mom and would do right by this kid.
“Why do you think I’ll sign away rights?” he asked evenly.
The pitching stomach made a resurgence. Same with the buzzing of my phone. Dammit, Willis! I squeezed the damn button through my shorts. “I said I’d like nothing more. I don’t know if you will, but I don’t know you. I don’t know if you’d make a shitty dad or if time spent with you would corrupt the kid.” His eyes narrowed. He might not like to hear it, but I’d gotten a vaguely insulting vibe from him. If he could dish it out, he had to take it. “I don’t know if you think car seats are a marketing ploy or if you think boys will be boys.” His brows drew together. “No. I don’t know the gender, and I don’t want to find out. Everything about this kid has been a surprise. Why not that too?”
My phone started vibrating again. I huffed and dragged it out of my pocket. “I’m just going to shut it off.”
“Who is it?”
I scanned the litany of texts from Willis. The diamond ring was four-point-five carats. Kaitlyn remembers a platinum-set, sustainably-farmed pearl necklace. She has the insurance papers for each item. Do we need to file a report with the police?
Frustration burned away some of the nausea. He was still going on about the stupid jewelry? I’d been fielding messages all day about his grandmother’s gaudy costume jewelry. I didn’t care how much money he claimed they were worth. I wouldn’t pay five dollars for them.
“My ex,” I explained. “Out of nowhere, he thinks I took his grandma’s ugly costume jewelry.” I let the phone continue buzzing in my hand. “I didn’t, for the record. I didn’t work a job I hated to pay off my student loans only to sit on a fortune I planned to steal later. But I think he’s threatening me with going to the police.” I prodded my temples. “I’ve had too many other important things to worry about than that ugly jewelry.”
Evander plucked the phone out of my hand. Horror dawned cold along my flesh as he answered. “File a police report or leave her the fuck alone.” He hung up on Willis and calmly passed the phone back.
It was warm from his grip. I just gazed at the dark screen, astonished. What did Willis think about Evander answering? That I’d moved on so quickly after years with him?
I had, but not like that.
Should I care what Willis thought? He was the one who’d dragged his feet.
“At least we know where each other stands,” Evander continued like he hadn’t intercepted a call from my ex. “But you can’t drive to Billings tonight.”
“Who says?”
“The bags under your eyes.”
Ouch. I palpated the puffy spots above my cheeks. My sleep had been horrible. I’d been too sick to find a job in Billings. Since I was coming to Coal Haven, I had looked at openings in the area. There were two chemist positions at the refinery my dad used to work at. If Evander moved out at the end of his lease, I’d only have six months to rent a place. A home and a job.
I might not get the position, but between the vacancies and the house that should be mine—I couldn’t not try. It’d also take the planets lining up and some deception, which I hated myself for. But I had a kid to take care of and no income or benefits.
Because of that kid, I wouldn’t make the long drive. Lily and Eliot would be leaving for their honeymoon, but I didn’t want to stay with them anyway. They had a full family and a rambunctious house. I needed a little quiet to think about everything.
I could stay another night and check out rentals and the job openings. “I can get a room in Dickinson. I think my brother is staying there tonight.”
Somehow, Evander managed to look even grumpier. “You went to talk to a male tenant alone instead of asking Linda and her husband or your brother to come with you?”
Definitely not my aunt and uncle. Alder would’ve required an explanation. “I was in town for my sister’s anniversary party. I left early, and they don’t know I’m pregnant.” When he cast a sharp look in my direction, I shrugged. “I’ve had a lot to juggle, and their reactions weren’t one of them.”
He propped his hands on his hips and glowered at the horizon. His strong jaw worked back and forth, then I was pinned again by his direct gaze. “Stay here.”
Evander
“ Here here?” Her big blue eyes were saucers. Buried deep in them was wistfulness. She coveted this house, and my rental agreement tampered with her plans.
Did she know who I was when I had hit on her at the refinery? I tried to figure out a way the information would’ve been useful to her then.
Did she need an escape from that jackass who kept calling her? I’d only heard a partial word in a whiny voice and that’d almost been enough for me to go full asshole on him. But I also didn’t know what he was capable of, and I didn’t need more trouble that came with the short, sexy whirlwind who’d entered my life.
“There’s more than one bedroom.” We’d shared a bed before, but we sure as hell hadn’t been sleeping, and I’d been gone before morning. “We’ll order the paternity test, get the samples, send it back in, and get the results. Then you can go.”
“Then I can go?” She almost sounded like she was going to laugh, and yeah, I heard how it came out.
If she wasn’t trying to use me, then she’d have serious reservations about living with a guy she barely knew. If she was conning me, then I didn’t want her hours away, plotting.
“I need to oversee every part of this test process.” I ground my molars together. “You’re not the first woman to claim I’m the father of her baby.”
A mix of emotions played through those expressive eyes. Surprise, curiosity, hurt. “Really?” She shook her head. “Sorry. None of my business. I take it your experience wasn’t a good one. ”
I dipped my head once. The scam had ripped my heart out.
Violet folded her arms. “I do have some business in town, but what if your family stops by again? What do we tell them?”
“That you’re checking the place out, making sure I’m a good tenant.”
She screwed her face up. “You think that’ll work?”
Did she care? Shouldn’t I be the one who was poking holes in the story? I should be the guy shoving her out the door and not caring how far she drove while she was drooping and yawning. Yet I’d made the stupid demand that she stay here. It made sense. Given what Kandi had tried to do.
If my mom showed up, would she believe that a pretty young woman was in my house because she was making sure I wasn’t living in filth?
I was an idiot. “We can say we’re dating. Then, when you leave, we broke up. Simple as that.”
Her expression remained impassive. Yeah, I hadn’t alluded to the baby actually being mine.
“We can order the test now.” I ticked a finger up. “When it arrives, do not open it.” I put up a second finger. “When we collect the samples, we do it together.” A third finger. “When the kit gets packaged to mail, I’m there.” I added a fourth finger. “I watch you drop it off.” I might even squat by the mailbox until the postal carrier emptied the damn thing. “And I’ll be the only one checking the mail.”
Her mouth dropped open farther with each demand. She shook herself, and I braced for a tirade.
“Okay,” she said. “But the results will be emailed, or they’ll have their own account to log in to. ”
My brain whirled like my tires were spinning to keep up. She was way ahead of me, but I had my past to lean on. Technology had updated. Of course it had, but it worked out for me. Harder for Violet to alter results. The obstacle didn’t faze her.
Damn. Was I really going to be a dad? “You sure you’re okay with that?”
She tipped her head. “What am I supposed to say? I didn’t steal Willis’s grandma’s jewelry, and I’m not conning you. But just like he has to rant to his sister and paint me as the villain until she remembers that she has it—” A gasp left her. “Oh my god.”
She yanked her phone out, and her fingers flew over the screen. She punched one last button that must’ve been send. “There. I bet his perfect sister’s delinquent teen sold the ugly jewels. But Willis was with me when we gave it to her because she nagged so much about which pieces actually went to her. As if I’d put up a fight over them. He must’ve forgotten. He hadn’t cared about the damn things until now.”
Violet really hated that jewelry. I almost laughed.
No softening around her. She’d kick me out if I didn’t have a rental agreement. As it was, I’d have to watch her to try to figure out her game. But the thought of her staying under my roof loosened a knot behind my sternum.
I didn’t want to be behind an accident caused by fatigue. That was it. It had nothing to do with the satisfaction I got from picturing her in my bed. Guest bed. In a guest room. Until she left. Then Violet Duke would never be in my bed, or under my roof, again.