Chapter 27 #2
He pushes off the jamb, tapping the side of his nose. “You’re right, and I won’t be saying anything to anyone. I value my job too much. Are you okay to close up tonight?”
I suppress a yawn and nod, relieved on Mason’s behalf that Julian understands discretion. “Yeah, I need to check over the inventory before I leave anyway.”
“Cool, thanks.” He gives me a wave and disappears, the front door closing a few seconds later.
Grabbing my scarf from the back of a chair, I wrap it around my neck and pull my earmuffs on. It’s cold as hell in Seattle, and at past one a.m., I know I’ll be waiting a while for a bus.
Another door closes, and my head whips toward the bar area. Since I’m in the staff room, I can’t see who entered the building, but a familiar feeling of dread tingles in my extremities.
Calling Julian’s name, I exit the staff room and go down the darkened hallway, pushing through the single swing door and into the bar area.
“Now I understand why you wouldn’t even acknowledge me.”
All my worst nightmares come true when I look right and find Kane standing at the bar with my purse sitting next to him.
Dressed in the black coat and jeans he was wearing earlier, he keeps his back to me and his head bowed.
“Kane, you shouldn’t be here,” I warn, trying my best to inject a firmness into a trembling voice.
Stoke the flames, Ves.
You’re fire.
“Did you hear me?” I bite out as I walk toward him, yet he still doesn’t turn around to face me.
He must’ve waited for Julian to leave the building and then snuck in a moment later.
“When were you planning on telling me, Vesper?”
My eyes track back to my purse. It’s open, and it wasn’t when I left it on the bar a few minutes ago.
Slowly, Kane turns on his heel, and that’s when I see it—the leaflet in his hands, the one Dr. Buendia gave me at our appointment the other week.
The one titled Navigating the Early Stages of Pregnancy.
“What do you mean?” I question, knowing exactly what Kane’s referring to.
Folding the leaflet, he tosses it on the bar. It slides off the edge and onto the freshly mopped floor.
That action right there is a perfect example of why this man will never make a good father. Not while he treats everything and everyone around him like trash.
“How many weeks are you?” he asks, tone cold.
“Have you been waiting around all night to corner me after my shift?” I counter.
He scoffs and stuffs his hands into his pockets. “When did you learn to argue back, baby?”
White-hot rage bubbles beneath the surface of my skin. “Why? Does my confidence bother you?”
His eyes burn into me. “Are you keeping the pregnancy?”
My throat runs dry, and palms are sweating, but my fingers are icy. I should’ve known that he would assume the baby was his. Kane could never imagine me wanting or being with anyone else.
If I tell him that the pregnancy isn’t his to be concerned over, then his next question is obvious.
Whose is it?
But it will be a cold day in hell when I lie over something as huge as a baby.
I point to the front door. “You should leave.”
He moves toward me, and I step back, burying my trembling lips beneath my scarf.
Kane doesn’t get to witness my fear again.
Hostile eyes drop to my stomach. “You need to get rid of it.”
It?
“Kane,” I begin in a calm voice, ready to tell him to leave again when the door swings open and Mason walks in.
Like a knight in shining fucking armor.
Pulling on the bill of his Rogues cap, he looks between me and Kane. “I saw the light was still on, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Kane chuckles darkly. “I’ll go ahead and assume you aren’t here to check on my well-being.”
Saying nothing, Mason takes the few steps toward Kane, stopping around a foot in front of him. They’re a similar height, but I’d definitely back Mason in a fight.
And by the look on Kane’s face, I’m pretty sure he agrees.
“Do you want Kane to leave, Vesper?” Mason’s deep voice is more of a growl as he doesn’t take his eyes off my ex.
I have never been more grateful to Mason for showing up tonight or more confused about why Eloise left this man in the first place. His kindness for others is evident.
Holding my chin high, I pin Kane in my gaze. “Yes. I want him to leave.”
Mason edges closer, a broad smile on his face that promises a whole world of trouble if Kane doesn’t exit the bar in the next few seconds.
Both men are locked in a standoff before Kane diverts his attention back to me.
“We need to talk, Vesper. And soon,” he bites out before he steps around Mason and heads for the door. He yanks it open, and it crashes against the jamb, making me jolt.
Closing my eyes, I exhale a long breath, trying to re-center myself.
“I thought you’d already be back home. Thank you for coming to check on me.”
Mason steps around the bar and picks up my leaflet, wiping it down with a cloth before he drops it back into my purse and hands it to me.
“I’m old enough to recognize a predator when I see one. After I left here, I nursed a soda next door for a couple of hours. I didn’t get a good feeling about leaving you alone, and clearly, my instincts were right.”
Since I don’t have the words to express my gratitude, I reach inside my bag for my phone.
“If you’re calling for a taxi, I already have it covered. There should be an Uber outside in the next few minutes.”
“I was actually going to check the bus times.”
Mason shakes his head, moving across to the light switch on the far side of the room. He kills the overhead lights and heads toward the door, holding it open for me to leave.
“If you think I’m letting you take public transport with that weirdo still lurking, you must be crazy.
Plus …” He takes my keys from me when we both step outside, locking up and checking the door.
“Staying on the right side of my captain has never been more important to me these days, and I’m a hundred percent certain that you and the baby are his whole fucking world. ”