Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Cresley got up to make herself presentable, pulled on her favorite robe and stepped into slippers before going into the living room to find Ty sitting with Carson like it was something they did every day.
“Mom! Mr. Carson slept over!”
“I know. We got home late and he was tired, so he slept on the couch.”
“You could’ve stayed in my room,” Ty said. “I have a trundle bed for sleepovers.”
“That’s very good to know,” Carson said, his lips quivering with amusement.
“Can Mr. Carson sleep over tonight, too?” Ty asked. “We can watch the new Spider-Man movie. Have you seen it?”
“Not yet, but I’d love to watch it with you.”
“Cool!” Ty took off running to his room. “I’ll show you my Spider-Man stuff.”
Cresley sat on the sofa next to Carson, feeling shy and uncertain and slightly overwhelmed after seeing him hanging with her son like it was no big deal. “Morning.”
“Morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Like a dead woman. Was it awkward when he found you here?”
“Not at all. He was thrilled.”
“I bet there’ll be some questions later.”
“His first question was if we can surf today. I had to break the news that it’s Thursday and he has school and I have work, but in two days, it’s Saturday. We can surf then.”
“He’s apt to not sleep until then.”
Ty returned with his arms full of Spider-Man toys that he dumped on the sofa.
“You can introduce Mr. Carson to your Spidey guys after you get washed up and dressed—and eat your breakfast.”
“But, Mom…”
She pointed to his room. “Go.”
With a huff of protest, he did as he was told, as he usually did.
“Sorry to mess up your groove,” Carson said, “but your mom mode is kinda hot.”
“Stop it,” she said with a sputter of laughter. “I’m a mess in the morning.”
“No, you’re not. You’re great with him, and he adores you. It’s fun to watch.”
“Well, thank you. He makes it easy by being such a great kid. I got lucky with him.”
“And he got lucky with you. I can drop him at school for you on my way home to shower and change if you want.”
“He’d love that. Thank you.”
“No problem. What’ve you got on tap for today?”
“A meeting in Burbank at eleven and a fitting after that in Beverly Hills.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“You have to work!”
“I can work from the car while you’re in your meetings.”
“That’s crazy, Carson. I can drive myself and steer clear of trouble.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “He’s escalating, Cres. I don’t want to take any chances.”
Whereas she was a mess in the morning, he was sexier than ever with stubble on his jaw and his hair mussed from sleeping. “Okay, then.”
“Okay, then,” he said with a smile. “Go get your boy ready for school, and if you get a second, could you text Julian to let him know you’re changing law firms?”
“Shouldn’t I call him to tell him that?”
“Either way.”
“He deserves a phone call at the very least.”
“Whatever you want to do is fine. I’ll text my sister about taking over your case.”
“Thank you.”
Ty came bursting out of the hallway, wearing his school uniform of navy blue pants and a light blue polo shirt. His hair had been brushed, and he carried a pair of sneakers as he ran into the room. “I’m ready. Can I show Mr. Carson my guys while you make breakfast?”
“You’ve never gotten ready that fast in your life. Go ahead.”
While Ty introduced Carson to each of his Spider-Man toys, Cresley went into the kitchen to make coffee and the oatmeal Ty ate every morning. She could hear Carson asking questions and Ty’s delight in answering them.
He’d never before woken up to a man in their house and was clearly enjoying the experience.
Cresley felt a pang of regret that he hadn’t had that before now.
She liked to think she’d given him everything he needed, but the one thing she couldn’t give him was male companionship, which he clearly had been craving, if his response to Carson was any indication.
“Mom! Can I surf on Saturday?”
“After hockey practice in the morning.”
“Does that work for you, Mr. Carson?”
“Sure does. I’ll get you a wet suit. What’re you, a men’s extra-large?”
Ty’s belly laugh was her favorite thing in life. “You’re so dumb about kids.”
“What? Is that not big enough?”
Cresley smiled as she listened to them. “Come eat your oatmeal.”
“Mom, what size am I?”
“A boy’s seven or eight.”
“Not a men’s extra-large, you big dummy.”
“Ty, no name-calling.”
“Mom, come on. He thought I was a men’s extra-large. That’s kinda dumb.”
“He does have a point,” Carson said.
Cresley shook her head as she smiled at him.
Carson carried Ty under one arm to deposit him on a stool at the island.
“Coffee?” she asked.
“Please.”
“How do you take it?”
“Cream, no sugar.”
“Would oat milk suffice?”
“Absolutely not, but I’ll make do.”
She handed him the oat milk container and a spoon.
“Thank you.”
“Breakfast?”
“No, thanks. I don’t eat breakfast.”
“Mom says it’s the most important meal of the day.”
“So I’ve heard, but I’ve never wanted to eat first thing. I get around to it later.”
“That’s not healthy,” Ty said. “Your brain needs energy. Maybe that’s why you’re dumb about kids.”
“Could be that or the fact that I haven’t been around them since my youngest siblings were little a long time ago. You’ll have to teach me what I need to know.”
“That’ll take a long time.”
“You can teach me about kids while I teach you how to surf.”
Ty smiled. “Okay.”
As Cresley was seeing them off a few minutes later, she noticed a large bulge under Carson’s shirt. “What’s that?”
He raised the hem so she could see the handgun he’d tucked into the waistband of his jeans.
She shook her head. “I’d really rather not have a gun in the house.”
“It’s just a precaution, and Ty will never see it. I promise.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know, but I don’t want to be caught off guard by any surprises.” Carson kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back to pick you up for your meeting. Call Julian, okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it right now. Where’s my kiss, Ty?”
“Whoops, sorry, Mom.” He came over to hug and kiss her. “Have a good day.”
“That’s my line.”
“I beat you to it.”
She bopped him playfully on the head. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Ty shot out the door and ran to Carson’s SUV.
Carson stole a quick kiss from her. “Set the alarm.”
She handed him Ty’s booster seat. “I will.”
He walked toward the vehicle, held the back door, helped Ty into the seat and made sure he was belted in before he walked around to the driver’s side and flashed her a grin that made her heart do a funny flip in her chest.
She could get used to mornings like this, she thought as she waved them off.
Slow your roll, girl. Mornings like this aren’t what he wants, so don’t go there.
In the kitchen, she used her phone to arm the security system and then called Julian.
His delightful assistant, Mattie, picked up. “Good morning, Cresley. How are you today?”
“I’m doing well. Hope you are, too.”
“Every day is a new adventure.”
“That it is. Is Julian available by any chance?”
“He sure is. I’ll put you right through. You have a blessed day, honey.”
“You do the same.”
Cresley would miss talking to Mattie.
“Hey, Cresley,” Julian said. “What happened with Marlon last night?”
“The police came and checked things out. Carson noticed a footprint in the garden, so the police brought in a crime scene team to retrieve it.”
“Wow, that’s brazen for a guy under an RO.”
“I understand they’re often not worth the paper they’re written on.”
“That is sadly true.”
“Carson has appointed himself my protector, and as such, he said I need to change law firms. He’s going to set me up with your sister Kaidan.”
That was met with silence.
“Julian?”
“I’m here.”
“I’m sorry about this, but Carson said there are ethical concerns.”
“He said that, did he?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry to lose you as a client. I’ll hope for all the best for you and Ty. If you decide to go with Kaidan, let me know, and I’ll have the file sent over to her.”
“Thank you so much for understanding. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far.”
“Of course. No problem. Take care, Cresley.”
“You, too. I hope things work out for you and Isla.”
“Thank you.”
Cresley ended the call, feeling bad about ending her professional relationship with him.
He’d been good to her from the minute they’d first met when they’d been photographed having lunch together, which had sparked romance rumors.
Funny that the romance, if that’s what you’d call it, had happened with his brother and not him.
As she went to change into her yoga clothes, she hoped there wouldn’t be trouble between Julian and Carson over this.
Carson had dropped Ty off at school and was on the way home to shower and change when he took a call from Julian.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“That’s exactly what I want to know. I just got dumped by Cresley because you’re concerned about ethics all of a sudden.”
“It’s not all of a sudden. I know I’m not a lawyer, but as you know, I’m a certified legal investigator, bound by the same ethical code you are.”
“What possible reason would you have to be concerned about an ethical violation with Cresley? You said you’re just friends.”
“We are, but I plan to stick close to her and Ty until this situation with Marlon is resolved, and I’m doing that as her friend and not on behalf of the firm, which makes it murky.”
“So you’re willing to cost the firm a high-profile client so you can babysit her and her son?”
“I’m providing security, not babysitting. The guy is escalating. I don’t feel comfortable leaving them unprotected.”
“And you’ve decided to handle this personally?”
“That’s what I said. Look, I know you think your career is far more important than mine, but the fact remains that I’m bound by ethical restraints the same way you were when you turned Isla’s case over to Jackson.”
“I did that because I had feelings for her, not because we’d become friends.”
Fuck. He’d walked right into that trap.
“Do you have feelings for her? Is there more to it than what you’re telling me, because that’d be rich after the way you’ve treated me since I got involved with Isla.”
“I’ve said all I’m going to say about it. I’ve got to go.”
“Carson—”
He pressed the button on the steering wheel to end the call.
There’d be hell to pay for hanging up on his brother, but he was unprepared to explain something to Julian that made no sense to him.
Every time he thought about having sex with Cresley, he went hard as stone, with the desire for more pulsing through him like an extra heartbeat.
Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and he had no idea how to deal with it beyond severing her ties to the firm, which had to happen after they had sex.
Now he was regretting doing the ethical thing, because it had opened the door to Julian—and the others—asking him what the hell was really going on with Cresley.
He took a call from Kaidan. “Hey.”
“Got your text. Does Julian know that Cresley is jumping ship?”
“He just heard from her.”
“What’s this really about?”
“I’m helping her out as a friend since this shit with the ex is heating up. I thought it’d be the right thing to do to extricate the firm from that.”
“Huh. That’s a pretty big move to make for a friend. Wait till Dad catches wind of it. He won’t be happy to lose her as a client.”
That was true. Corbin loved having famous clients and wouldn’t take kindly to losing one as high-profile as Cresley was. Carson clearly hadn’t thought this all the way through.
“Are you able to take her on?”
“We never say no to the rich and famous around here.”
“She’s much more than that, Kay. She’s a great person and fantastic mom. They need to be rid of this guy once and for all.”
“And she’s just a friend, right?”
“That’s what I said. Can you follow up with the LAPD about the footprint their crime scene team took from her yard last night? The nanny recognized him, so it should be a slam-dunk RO violation, and you need to get your best security people positioned at her house and Ty’s school right away.”
“I’ll get on it as soon as I get the files from Julian, and our people are assigned to other cases. We’ll do what we can for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure, brother. Anything for you. I hope you’re looking out for yourself while you’re looking out for her and her son.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just what I said. You don’t usually get involved in situations like this. You go out of your way to avoid them, so it’s odd to me that you’ve decided to personally protect her and cost your firm a high-profile client in the process.”
“She’s a single mom with an adorable son, and she’s scared. The guy was in her yard while she was out last night. That’s terrifying. The firm will somehow manage to survive without this one client.”
“Hmmm.”
“I’ve got to go. Thank you for your help. I’ll talk to you later.”
He ended the call before she could say something else that would piss him off and alarm him in equal measure. He’d heard the disbelief and concern coming from Julian and Kaidan and would no doubt be treated to the wrath of Corbin before the day was out, too.
As he pulled into the driveway at home, he sat for a second to think it through.
It wasn’t too late to take a step back, to hire someone else to protect her and Ty.
He knew lots of people he’d trust with the job, but the thought of having to hope others kept them safe was unthinkable.
When you wanted something done right, it was best to do it yourself, and she and Ty were too important to leave to anyone else, even others he considered the best in the business.
Someone else wouldn’t care about them the way he did.
Shit.
He cared.
Goddamn it.