Chapter 29
Penny
It’s been harder to keep this secret than I thought.
It’s been over a month now, and I keep beating around the bush with Declan on when we’re going to tell everyone.
But I’m scared. I don’t want people to think that I trapped Declan.
I mean, look at him. He’s so beautiful it hurts.
I know I shouldn’t care what other people think about me, I usually don’t, but this is different.
I’m a single mom, and Declan is… Declan.
And let’s be honest, everyone judges people who spontaneously get married in Las Vegas.
Plus, Autumn is getting more and more attached to him by the second, and I can already tell that when we say something to her, she’s going to flip out.
There’s also another thing that has been giving me anxiety.
I want to tell Declan about who Autumn’s father is.
I want him to know the whole truth, but I’m so afraid that if I open my mouth, the boogeyman himself will appear.
The NDA I signed specifically said that under no circumstances could I tell anyone, and if I were to get married, my husband should never know either.
It’s been a terrible secret to keep from my parents and everyone around me, and it’s eating me alive.
The coffee shop wasn’t super busy this afternoon, so I decided to go pick Autumn up from school myself.
“Mommy, will Declan go to the father-daughter dance with me?” she asks as we walk down the sidewalk, back toward the shop.
I stop us in our tracks and blink a few times. “Um…”
Autumn looks up at me expectantly. “I know he’s not my daddy, but he loves me and maybe can pretend for one night.”
Oh, my heart.
I crouch down so I’m on Autumn’s level. “Baby girl, I’m sure Declan would love to go to the father-daughter dance with you.”
Her eyes widen, and she beams at me. “Really?”
I nod my head. “Really.” Because I know he would. Declan and Autumn are like two peas in a pod. She clings to him with so much love, and he doesn’t hesitate to give it back. He treats her like a princess.
When we get in front of Declan's shop, I grab Autumn’s hand. “Let’s go say hi to Declan.”
We’ve stopped by a few times when he’s been working, just to drop off a coffee or food, so I know he won’t be put off by us stopping by right now.
When I pull open the door, Preston is checking out a client at the reception desk, blocking our view of Declan.
“Hey!” he says with a smile. “I’m so happy you’ve come to see me.”
I roll my eyes and smile back.
Much like Becca, Preston doesn’t hesitate to give me shit.
He’s slowly become like a brother and is always happy to see Autumn and me when we stop by here, or he stops by the coffee shop.
Jude, on the other hand, stays fairly quiet, but he’s always quick to greet me and my daughter and treats us with the utmost kindness.
Autumn races behind the desk, and Preston fist bumps her and then lets her help get his client checked out.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Becca says a second later, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders for a hug.
“Been busy today?” I ask her.
“Very. Declan has been too. He’s working on some hotshot right now,” she says and wiggles her eyebrows.
“Famous?” I whisper back.
She shakes her head. “His mommy is famous, apparently.”
My eyes go wide, and I wonder who it is. I still don’t have a line of sight to Declan and am itching to get a look at who he’s working on.
“The guy is kind of a prick if you ask me, though,” she adds.
“Why?”
“Won’t shut his mouth. He keeps talking about how much ass he gets. He even said he used to poke holes in his condoms just for the thrill of it.”
My eyes go wide, and I scrunch my face in disgust. “What the fuck. Who just says that out loud?”
“Declan has barely said a word to him. The guy is offering up the information like everyone wants to know.”
“Gross.”
Becca nods in agreement, and finally, Preston’s client moves to leave.
“At least his face is nice to look at. Otherwise, he has no redeeming qualities,” Becca says softly as my heart plummets to the floor.
“Hi, Dec,” my daughter says, waving at him over the pony wall.
Declan pauses what he’s doing and pulls back to smile at Autumn. The man in his chair pauses what he is saying to look at my daughter, too, and it takes everything in me not to throw up on the spot.
“Are you okay?” Becca asks, and I flinch when she touches my arm.
“Autumn. Let’s go,” I grind out, trying not to sound frantic or desperate.
“But, mommy.”
I avoid everyone’s eyes except my daughters and go to her to grab her hand.
I don’t say a word as I drag Autumn out of the tattoo shop and up to the apartment.
I’m pretty sure I caught Becca’s shocked wide eyes from my peripheral, but I’m going to have to apologize to her later for not saying goodbye.
When I get the door to the apartment unlocked, I drop Autumn’s hand and race to the bathroom to throw up.
My stomach is in knots and my heart is racing a million miles a minute.
I never thought I would ever have to see that face again.
Senator Mary-Catherine Elias’s son, Bradley Elias.
The man who fathered my child.
~ ~ ~
Declan
My whole crew, including me, watches Penny drag Autumn out of the tattoo shop like her ass is on fire. Every instinct in me wants to follow her, but I’m in the middle of tattooing a client and can’t leave right now.
She looked like she saw a ghost, and as soon as I finish up with this asshole, I’m leaving to go check on her.
“Oh, shit. I know her. Fuck. She’s hotter now than she was in college.” My gaze flicks back to the man named Brad, who’s been sitting in my chair, spewing his mouth for the last two hours.
He’s one of the biggest pricks I’ve ever had the pleasure of tattooing.
I don’t know how men like him make it in life.
When he called and said who he was, he introduced himself as the senator's son like a grade-A asshole. He won’t shut his mouth about how many women he’s fucked.
If he thinks that’s going to impress me, it’s not.
And the fact that he said he used to poke holes in condoms makes him that much worse.
That’s got to be illegal, right?
To top it all off, he’s getting his mom’s face tattooed on his shoulder.
“Who are you talking about?” I ask him cautiously.
“The piece of ass who just walked out of here,” he says loudly.
All I can do is stare at him. I see Preston and Becca turn to look at us, and my skin crawls at what he just said.
“Piece of ass?” I grind out.
“Yeah, man. Her name is Penny, if I remember correctly.” He lets out a laugh that says he thinks this whole situation is funny.
“I followed her around for months just to get in her pants. My frat bros made a bet with me, saying they didn’t think she would ever fuck me because she wouldn’t let anyone touch her.
But I won that bet,” he brags with a laugh.
“She was the first one I poked holes in the condom with. She came back around saying she was pregnant, but I had my lawyer… wait… how old was that kid who was with her?” he pauses mid-rant to ask the question.
He seems genuinely perplexed, and I can see the gears turning in his head.
If the motherfucker so much as paid attention to anyone but himself, he would notice that the shop is deadly silent.
I stand from my seat and toss my gloves into the trash next to my station.
Jude stopped tattooing his client at some point and stands as well.
All three of my friends have moved in on me, and I know it’s because they’re worried I’m about to do something that’s going to send my ass to jail.
There’s no way they didn’t hear what this guy just said. His mouth is loud as fuck. And everyone who knows Penny knows that she doesn’t talk about Autumn’s sperm donor… ever. She’s a steel vault, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who knows the story.
I’m about to throw fists, but Becca sidles up next to me and says in my ear, “She needs you right now. Go. I’ll take care of this.”
Brad doesn’t even notice what’s happening around him, and I decide Becca is right. Penny needs me more than I need to deck this guy. When I head toward the front without saying a word, I can hear him say, “That fucking cunt.”
I turn because I can’t let that slide, but Becca is already on it. Her fist is pulled back, and she swings it hard, punching him square in the jaw. His face snaps to the side, and Jude and Preston immediately grab her, holding her back from doing more damage.
“Get the fuck out of here, you fucking pig,” she spits at him and goes to try to kick him.
The guys pull her away, and Brad holds his face in shock. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer, you fucking whore!” he screams when he goes to stand.
“Bring it, bitch boy,” Becca spews back.
“And where the fuck do you think you’re going? You’re not done with my tattoo,” he yells at me, just now noticing I’ve left his side.
I don’t dare take a step toward him, even though I want to. “Get the fuck out of my shop, asshole. If I ever see you around this town again, I’ll make sure you leave with two broken legs and a nose job.”
I don’t stay to see what happens next.
I have a wife who needs me more.