I knew it. I knew things were too good to last. How had all my searches come up empty while that little bitch was right in my backyard the whole time? But I had to keep my shit together and go back inside that courtroom and make sure justice was served for Hannah.
And what was that all about?
Did she get a call from her sister? Was her dad having another heart attack? She just got in that cab and drove away. Although, I had to admit, my head was so far up my own ass in that moment, she might have told me what was going on and I simply didn’t remember.
“All right, man, get your shit together. One step at a time here.” I muttered the encouragement to myself and rubbed the tension from my forehead. “Go back inside and listen to the sentence.” I turned on my heel and started walking back toward the building. I felt like I was losing my damn mind. For fuck’s sake, I was pacing in front of the county courthouse, talking to myself. And the craziest part of the entire scenario? Not a single passerby gave me a second look.
When these proceedings were over, I needed to call Bas and Grant. It was time to rally the troops. Hopefully their women would let them out on a weeknight.
As suspected, Shawna was given six months minus time served, which only amounted to about seventy-two hours for breaking and entering my home. Because she had a spotless record, extensive education, and long list of volunteer gigs in the community, her sentence was reduced to one year of court-approved community service less time served.
In other words, complete bullshit. I was kind of glad Hannah wasn’t there to hear this in person. At least I could break it to her gently or sugarcoat it somehow. But where did she go?
I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen again, figuring she would have texted me by now to tell me what was going on, but the screen was still empty. No text messages, no voicemails, and not a single email from her either. This was not like her at all. Something was going on.
At least my two most threatening enemies to her were still in this room with me. Right where I could see them.
When I looked up, they were both staring at me, as if my thoughts had attracted their attention. But in reality, the last thing I wanted was attention from either of those two sirens. Shawna kept her eyes laser focused on me while leaning closer to Hensley and saying something exclusively for her ears.
My ex looked good. I’d be lying if I said she didn’t. Like most females, pregnancy had left her with a woman’s body. Delicious curves where there used to be none, and fuller, heavier breasts that advertised the woman was healthy and fertile.
Hensley let a devious smile—one I was much too familiar with—spread across her lips. A smile that ran the blood in my veins cold. I needed to get out of this courtroom as fast as possible.
Unfortunately, my attorney wanted to chitchat about everything and anything. Because the guy was getting paid by the hour, and it was in his best interest to drag out every single meeting we had.
With a hearty pat on the back, I leaned into the guy. “Hey, man, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for us on this case, but I need to get going. Something has come up with Hannah, and I need to meet up with her.”
“I was wondering what happened to her,” he said. “I hope everything is okay.”
“Me too. Thank you again. Please send all the bills to my office. Not a single one to Hannah. I’ll be taking care of everything. Have a great day.” I shook his hand one last time before making a beeline toward the exit.
Cell phone already in hand, I hit the speed dial for Hannah’s number and put the phone to my ear. The call rang straight through to her voicemail. With a frown, I checked the display and disconnected the call. Then redialed. Two, three, four rings, and voicemail again. This time I decided to leave a message, and I was sure I sounded winded as I bounced down the concrete stairs in front of the building.
“Hey, beauty, it’s me. Where did you go? Call me back please so I can meet up with you.” I disconnected the call and made sure my ringer was on one more time, since I had turned it off for the court proceedings. I dashed out a quick text to Lorenzo and let him know I was ready to be picked up in front of the building and then stashed my phone inside my suit jacket. I would call my buddies from inside the car.
While I waited for my driver, I heard a familiar feminine voice behind me. Just not the one I wanted to hear. Every hair on my neck stood on end, and not from arousal.
“Elijah. Do you have a minute?” Hensley Pritchett—in the flesh—stood beside me on the sidewalk.
“For you? No, not really.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.” She reached out to put her hand on mine, and I moved out of her grasp. Hurt filled her eyes while her other features fell with sadness.
Well, tough shit, wasn’t it? If she knew half the time I spent hurting because of her, she’d be a little more gracious about taking one measly comment for the team.
“I was hoping you would meet me here for dinner.” She handed me a business card from a small restaurant near Shark Enterprises. “I’ve made reservations for seven.” She put her hand up in a stop gesture. “Don’t answer now. Just show up or don’t. But I think we have some things to discuss.”
“I’m with someone now,” I blurted for no reason at all.
“Good. You should bring her. We can swap stories. You know”—she looked at me slyly—“maybe of your childhood and stuff.” She blew me a kiss and sauntered off toward the parking garage.
God, how I wished I was behind the wheel of a moving vehicle right then. It would be so easy to just mow her down, throw it in reverse, and hit her again. Maybe drive forward one last time for good measure as I escaped the scene of the crime. I mean, what the hell, right? I already had one murder on my conscience. What was one more? Once your soul was damned, it’s damned, as far as I could figure.
Lorenzo picked me up moments after she disappeared. I called Hannah at least five more times by the time we got to Shark Enterprises.
“Usual time today, boss?” my faithful driver asked.
“Actually, it looks like I have dinner plans here in downtown. Can you leave a car in the parking structure for me sometime today? That way you don’t have to stay on the clock too late.”
“Yeah, sure, I can do that. But you know I don’t mind. That’s what you pay me for.” He said the last bit with a laugh, but honestly, my mood had taken a nosedive, so I just got out of the car and, with purposeful strides, made it to the front door.
Once upstairs at my office, I was surprised to see a female at Carmen’s desk.
“Oh, hi there,” she purred.
“Hello,” I said curiously. “Where’s the man who usually sits at this desk?”
“I’m not really sure. The agency just tells me where to report and what the job will be. They don’t really tell me why the person is absent from work.” She raked her gaze up and down my body, and I shivered. Just that look made me want to take a shower.
“I see. Well, this is my office. Hopefully you’ve been able to make heads or tails of my schedule there.” I tapped my finger on the computer monitor. “I don’t think I have anything particularly challenging today besides the appointment I just came from, so it should be a pretty routine day. And I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name?”
The pretty woman stood and offered her hand. “I’m so sorry. My name is Gina. Just let me know what I can do to help you, Mr. Banks.”
After shaking her hand, I went into my office and closed the door. I called Lorenzo because I was running out of options.
“Yes, Mr. Banks, how can I help you? Did you leave something in the car?”
“No, but I’m hoping you can help me. I’m having trouble getting a hold of Hannah. Can you look on the car’s phone history and see if there are any numbers for her family members? Maybe her parents or her sisters?”
“Oh, yes, of course. Give me one second. Actually, let me hang up, and I’ll check. I think it will be quicker if I’m not connected to the system. I think she usually uses her own phone, but I’ll look. I will text you if I find anything, okay?”
“Yeah, sure. That’s great. I’ll look for your text.” I threw my phone onto my desk—probably a little harder than I should have—then quickly picked it back up to make sure I didn’t just break anything vital…and then set it down more gently. I fell into my chair and let it roll back a little from the desk and tried to remember what Hannah had said to me before she got into that cab.
I remember being agitated about seeing Hensley. But I thought I was just ranting and raving about the unexpectedness of that and how I had been searching for her and being frustrated that I’d searched for years for that woman and she’d somehow managed to elude me.
Was that it?
Was it admitting I’d searched for years? Did I sound obsessed? Like a stalker? Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Shit. No. No…no! I’d said she’d had my baby inside her.
It all came flooding back. I could see the whole scene playing out in front of me like I was watching a movie. I heard the words come out of my mouth and saw the look on her face in reaction. I scrubbed my face with my palms and shot to my feet. How the hell was this happening? For one thing, how was Hensley back in Los Angeles and none of my contacts alerted me? And how the hell did I temporarily lose my shit about it in front of Hannah? Well, I wouldn’t be shocked if I’d just destroyed the best thing I ever had in my life.
Out of habit, I picked up the phone and hit the button to call Grant. His assistant, Reina, picked up after two rings.
“Good afternoon. Grant Twombley’s office. This is Reina.”
“Good afternoon, Reina. Is the tall guy around? This is Elijah Banks.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Banks. I believe he’s in Mr. Shark’s office. Do you want me to patch you through?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just walk down there. I could use some fresh air. Thank you.” I hung up the phone and rested my head back on the chair. Jesus Christ, what have I done? I knew I had at least three emails that needed attention, though, before I could go worry about my personal life.
I brought my computer to life, typed in my password, and opened my email. Maybe I could try to get some work done. As usual, those three emails led to two monumental problems, and only one had an immediate solution.
By the time I was finished doing damage control, most of the building had gone home for the day. If I were going to make it to my dinner appointment with my ex, I needed to get on my way. Earlier, Lorenzo messaged that a car was waiting for me in the parking structure, and I sent Gina downstairs to the security desk to pick up the key.
Before I pulled out, I looked at the card again to make sure I had the address correct. I punched it into the navigation assistant in the car and followed the directions to the restaurant.
From the moment I walked in, I didn’t like the layout. Romantic tables were set up in a very dimly lit dining room, and almost every table had only two place settings.
What was this woman playing at? Well, she was in for a rude awakening if she thought she was going to catch my interest ever again. No matter what she was trying to pull, she wouldn’t get away with it.
I gave the hostess my name and told her who I was meeting, and she efficiently showed me to the table where Hensley was already waiting. She wore a bloodred cocktail dress with a plunging neckline, not the suit she’d worn in court today. When the hell did she have time to go home and change? And did it really matter? I certainly wasn’t going to compliment her on her appearance. She had always been a very shallow girl and insecure about her looks. But those weren’t my problems anymore.
When she began to stand as I approached the table, I held my hand out. “No, please stay seated,” I said and quickly took my seat so we wouldn’t attract attention. The last thing I needed was to be seen here with this woman. I still hadn’t been able to get ahold of Hannah before coming here, and if for some reason she found out about this before I was able to tell her, it would look bad. Really bad.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” Hensley cooed.
“Save the niceties and just get to the point. What do you want to talk to me about?” I kept my tone curt.
“Let’s order drinks,” she said. “Still a Scotch man?” she inquired as the waitress approached our table.
“I’m driving tonight, so I’ll just have an iced tea, please,” I said to the server.
Hensley frowned dramatically, and honestly, I’d forgotten how ridiculous this girl could be with her pageantry. “Oh, you’re no fun.” She pouted and took a playful swipe at my hand.
I moved both hands into my lap so she wouldn’t be tempted to try to touch me again. She noticed my movement but didn’t comment, but I could see the hurt in her eyes. She always did have a shitty poker face.
After turning her attention to the waitress, she asked for a glass of the house cab. With a polite smile, the server hurried off to get our drinks, and we were left alone once more.
She leaned forward on her forearms, thrusting her breasts up and toward me in a calculated maneuver while she spoke. I made sure to keep my eyes locked on hers the entire time. She needed to get the message that every game she played, I would shut down on the first move.
“It’s so good to see you,” Hensley offered quietly. “You really look good.”
“What did you want to see me about? Why did you ask me to meet you?”
“Can’t we visit a little bit first? Don’t treat me like I’m a stranger. There was a time you said I was the love of your life.” Hensley arranged and rearranged her silverware while she spoke.
“Well, I was wrong.”
“So, the girl you were with today, the blonde? Is she the love of your life currently? Because my client was under the impression she was. Isn’t it funny how all the women you get involved with end up thinking that?” Hensley stared at me after laying down that mouthful.
I’d promised myself I wouldn’t take her bait. I wouldn’t fight with this woman in public or cause a scene in any way. From the moment I’d agreed to this meeting, I’d had to keep reminding myself of all those promises to ensure none of those things happened. I didn’t need that kind of publicity, and neither did Hannah. If nothing else, that was what motivated me most. Hannah. So I just sat and glared across the table, waiting for this evil woman to get to the point.
Our waitress returned with our drinks and took our dinner order. I stuck with something quick and light because there was a good chance I wasn’t going to be eating it anyway. If I made it that far into this meeting, it would be a small miracle.
“So how are Sebastian and Grant? I’m assuming the three of you are still thick as thieves?” She smiled when she asked about my best friends.
“They’re both really good. That’s all you need to know.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” She kept her eyes fixed on me while she said it, determined to convince me it was genuine. Didn’t she understand I would never believe another word out of her mouth as long as I lived?
“Why are you here? Back in LA, I mean?” If she wouldn’t get to the point, I would. I really was not interested in a social call with this woman.
“I grew up here. This is my home. You know that. Plus, I got a really good job offer with the city. I couldn’t turn it down. It really made the most sense.” She shrugged like it was just that easy. Like she didn’t rip my heart out when she ran off with another man while pregnant with my child. Oh, minor details…so easy to forget.
“Then why did you leave in the first place? If you had such deep roots in your hometown?”
“To go to law school. And to have help with the baby while I did that. I went and stayed with my mom in Chicago.”
“I would’ve helped you,” I snarled through gritted teeth. And what the fuck? I thought her mother lived here in Los Angeles. Just another lie. But it didn’t matter at this point. None of it did.
“Don’t start, okay?” she implored calmly. “I really just wanted to catch up. Not rehash old arguments.”
“What did you think would happen? I know that child is mine. I looked everywhere for you, so I know you were intentionally trying to not be found. I have a right to know my own child, Hensley,” I said in a low, lethal voice. I couldn’t help the anger that seethed from my heart when I thought of how many years of my child’s life I’d already been denied.
“He’s not yours, Elijah. I’ve said it before. I’m not trying to hurt you with that information, but it’s the truth,” she said in a sympathetic tone while reaching out to touch my hand atop the table.
Swiftly I moved it out of reach.
“The timing doesn’t line up. I’ve been over it and over it. There’s just no way…” I drifted off. I didn’t know what else to say. She was right. The pain was as fresh as if it had just happened ten minutes ago. If she had been unfaithful and made a life—a fucking life—with another man while living with me and then led me to believe it was my child for months until she couldn’t take the guilt anymore—it was the lowest thing a woman could do to a man.
“I want a paternity test. I’ll take it to the courts if I have to.” My hurt quickly morphed to anger, as it so often did when I thought about this situation. I didn’t have a trick to quell my rage on the topic, either. No breathing technique or mantra could bring me down from the adrenaline spike lashing my system.
“I don’t want to have to leave the area again, but I will if it comes to that,” she said with resignation. “Please don’t force my hand.”
“Why would you have to leave the area? If he’s not my child, you have nothing to worry about, right?” I stared at her for a few long moments, then finally said, “The fact that you would even consider running again tells me you’re not sure who the father is. For one thing, it makes me sick and really pisses me off that you were cheating on me. I gave you everything. Every fucking thing. But more importantly, I’m determined to find out if the child is mine, because I deserve to be a part of his life if he is.”
“I didn’t want to have to do this, but you’re going to leave me no choice,” she said through gritted teeth.
Ahhh, here came the woman I knew.
“Do what?”
“I’ll expose your dirty laundry if I hear another word about a paternity test. So help me God, Elijah, I will. I’m not going to have my child’s world split in two while he’s shuffled from household to household.” She sat back and drained her glass of wine in one gulp.
There was no way I was going to sit here and enjoy a friendly meal with this bitch. I stood up while reaching in my back pocket for my wallet. I couldn’t even stand the thought of being indebted to her for the drink I only half consumed. While preoccupied with the task, someone approached the table from behind.
“Elijah? Is that you?” a vaguely familiar female voice questioned.
When I turned to see who was standing behind me, I was shocked to see Hannah’s younger sister Sheppard standing there, looking mighty proud of herself, if I was reading her posture correctly.
For Christ’s sake, could this night get any worse?
It took me a few beats to organize my thoughts into a coherent sentence and pull my facial expression into one that wasn’t full of frustration. Or guilt. Because I wasn’t doing anything wrong, goddammit.
“Hey, Sheppard, how are you?” I nearly choked on the question.
I was still seething from Hensley’s rant, and now this. I didn’t know the young woman well enough to pull her in for so much as a friendly hug, so I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do with my hands. Shoving them into my pockets seemed like the best option.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your”—she paused there, assessing Hensley and then the romantic table setting for two, and then roamed her eyes up and down my frame—“date?”
“Oh, this is not a date,” I said with way too much insistence and volume for the setting. I physically winced and remodulated my voice. “More of a business meeting.”
Sheppard just nodded through my stammering and kept her shrewd eyes fixed on mine, definitely not buying my story and not offering an out by way of a conversational shift either.
After an eternity of uncomfortable silence, she said, “Well, I’ll let Hannah know I saw you tonight. I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear I ran into you. And I’m sorry”—here she plastered on the cheerleader smile I’d seen Hannah deploy so many times—“what did you say your name was?” The twin thrust her hand in Hensley’s face to shake.
Taken aback by her forwardness, Hensley automatically offered her hand in response and said, “I’m Hensley Pritchett. It’s so nice to meet you. Enjoy your dinner. I love this place.”
“Oh, thank you. This is my first time here. It looks lovely, though. Very romantic.” Sheppard widened her eyes comically and gave a little shimmy as though she were so excited to be on her own date. “I’m really sorry I interrupted you two. I’ll get out of your way now. Bye.” She threw one last glare in my direction, thrust her hand into her waiting date’s, and strolled off toward their table.
Hensley chuckled. “Another heart you broke, I’m guessing by the daggers she was shooting you?”
“No,” I grumbled. “That’s Hannah’s sister, and she’s probably texting her right now telling her that she saw me here with another woman. Fuck me, seriously. This night just keeps getting better and better.” I rubbed my forehead in frustration. I’d be lucky if my beauty ever spoke to me again after this. To my ex, I said, “This isn’t over.” And I nearly knocked our waitress down as I stormed out of the restaurant.
I didn’t want to hear her response or give her an opportunity to say anything more. I just needed to get out of there and call Hannah and do as much damage control as I could—maybe even before her sister got in touch with her. And of all the sisters to run into, it had to be that one.
Sheppard would take delight in hurting Hannah with traitorous news. And I was the bastard who’d loaded the weapon and handed it to her with the safety off.
The windshield in my car fogged while I sat staring at the dashboard, trying to figure out my plan of attack. Every way I thought of turning seemed like a brick wall or a viper’s pit. For fuck’s sake, how had I gotten myself into this predicament? Oh, that’s right. Fucking Hensley Pritchett. Of course! I should’ve known better than to meet her without telling Hannah about it first.
Hitting the programmed name on my phone, I waited for the call to connect. I was in no shape to drive until I had some sort of mental clarity, so waiting for the defroster to clear the glass in front of my face wasn’t a hardship.
“Where the fuck have you been all day?” Grant said in greeting when he picked up.
“You won’t believe the day I’ve had, man,” I said, and I swear it came out close to a whimper as I rested my forehead on the steering wheel. A fucking whimper. “Can you get away for a bit?”
“You okay, my brother? You don’t sound so good.” My best friend’s tone shifted from his typical upbeat razz to immediate concern.
“No.” I sighed so heavily, the windshield immediately clouded up again. “No, I’m not. I fucked up big time, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Where are you? Stay put, and I’ll come to you. I’m at the downtown condo. Are you close?”
“Yeah,” I huffed. “I’m actually sitting in my car a few blocks from SE.”
“Do you want me to loop Bas in? Three heads are better than two and all that? Why don’t we meet up top?”
Grant was referring to our modern-day clubhouse we’d been frequenting up on the rooftop of the building the Shark’s Edge offices were in. A little more than a month back, Sebastian’s sister, Pia, arranged a comfortable secret hangout for us.
“Yeah, that’s a solid plan, actually. And dude?”
“Shit, Banks, you’re freaking me out, not gonna lie right now,” Grant vowed solemnly.
“Just bring the Lagavulin,” I requested while rubbing my forehead. The stress of the evening—no, the entire day—was throbbing at my temples and radiating across my frontal lobe by that point.
“Oh, hell. Sit tight, my brother. I’ll see if I can wrangle Shark, and we’ll meet up top in less than thirty. Do you need me to come find you, or are you good to get there?”
“Nah, I’ll see you up there. Like I said, I’m just blocks away. Think I’ll hoof it, though. The movement might do me some good.” I exhaled fully for the first time possibly all day. Before the line was cut, I said, “Grant?”
“Yeah, man?”
“Thank you. I mean it.”
“I got you.”
Deciding it was safe enough to leave my car where it was, I locked the doors and walked several blocks south to the building where we were meeting. I showed the night security guard my identification and took the elevator to the roof. I was the first one to arrive, and I walked to the edge to look out over the city. It was a stunning view from up here. High enough to feel insulated from the hassles of society but not so high that you weren’t reminded there was life throbbing right below you in the streets.
Overall, it was exactly what I needed. To take a step back and look at the day, look at the events of the day, because so much had happened in the past twelve hours, it was hard to digest while in the thick of it.
When I asked myself the vital question, Did it matter to me if things worked out with Hannah?, the answer was unequivocally yes. Every single time. Yes. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything that mattered to me more.
I still didn’t trust Hensley. I didn’t think I could ever trust that woman again. But the fact remained, I had the right to know if I was the father of her child. I had a right to know the child, too. Neither of those two things were negotiable in my mind and, more importantly, in my heart.
By that point, I surmised that the child was a boy, and I had personal experience with what growing up fatherless did to a young boy and young man. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Hell, even if the child wasn’t mine, if there was a way to somehow nurture the boy without giving his mother the wrong idea, I would do it.
Knowing Hannah and the kind of family ties she had, I felt pretty certain she would support me on all those decisions, too. I just had to have the opportunity to talk to her about the situation.
Behind me, I heard the elevator door open, and Sebastian and Grant’s conversation spread across the quiet rooftop like a blanket of fog. Low and lush, their baritone voices were a dull hum until they were close enough for me to discern individual words.
Why I was gifted with these two men in my life, I would never know. But I was so grateful to see them I could have wept. Not that I did—talk about the quickest way to have Bas run for an exit. Hell, he might even dive right over the side of the building. Even though his tolerance for emotional displays had loosened up since meeting Abbigail and especially since their son arrived, he still avoided discussing feelings like the plague.
After the compulsory round of handshakes, backslaps, and bro hugs, Grant thumped the bottle of Scotch in the center of the low coffee table.
Bas gave me a skeptical glance. “How bad is it? Do we need a shot before we hear what dragged us out here?”
“Couldn’t hurt,” I said with my hands deep in my trouser pockets. I wasn’t ready to dive into the nightmare just yet.
Grant grabbed the glasses from the cabinet built into the coffee table—seriously, Pia thought of everything with this sun deck design—and poured us each a drink.
I held my glass toward the center of our group and said, “To women.” My best friends tapped my glass with theirs, and we threw our heads back and shot our drinks in one gulp. I followed the motion through and slumped down until my head rested on the back cushion of the sofa. Then I just sat there for a few minutes with my eyes closed and enjoyed the burn of the Scotch until my stomach was warm from the alcohol.
Christ, no wonder my dad was a drunk. That feeling was heavenly. Especially after a day like the one I’d had. With his temperament, I think most of his days were difficult ones.
But honestly, that motherfucker was the last person I wanted to be thinking about at the moment. I sighed loudly and sat up, reaching for the bottle.
Grant shot out his long arm and stopped me. Only turning my head, I stared at him and nearly growled, “What?”
“Talk.”
I continued the staredown, but it was getting me nowhere. Other than pissing me off, I couldn’t figure out why the guy was stopping me from catching a buzz.
“Seriously, man, you didn’t round us up to watch you get shitfaced. What’s going on?” Grant let his hand slide off the bottle and sat back in his chair but never took his blue eyes off me.
“I saw Hensley today.” There. He wanted me to talk, I talked. What more did I need to say to these two? They knew everything that woman stood for in my life. All the poisonous lies and evil manipulations she used to gut me. They’d had to bear witness to it all. They’d watched me go from a strong, productive, confident man…to a shell.
Because of her.
If anyone wouldn’t need further explanation of what just seeing that woman would do to me, it would be these two men.
“Fuck me,” Grant said and gripped the back of his neck.
“That’s a Benji, Twombley.” Bas held his flat palm out as if to collect a debt from Grant.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Oh, this is precious.” I scowled at their antics. “You two assholes are betting on my worst nightmare now? Awesome.”
Grant folded his wallet and stuffed it back in his pocket. “It’s not like that. Don’t get all butthurt. On our way over here, we were speculating what this could be about.” He took a slow drink and then asked, “So where did she park her broom? I thought the sky looked a bit darker around midday. Must have been when she flew into town.”
Bas stuffed the hundred into his billfold and put his wallet away while Grant was talking. I couldn’t help but be annoyed about their bet, but truth be told, if the shoe were on the other foot, I would’ve done the same thing, so I shook it off.
“Well? Where did you see her?” Bas asked, already growing impatient. He never had liked the woman. Even when things were good between us.
“You are not going to believe this.” I shook my head, still finding it all too coincidental. I slammed my second drink and waited for the burn to clear from my throat.
“Hannah and I had to be in court this morning for the breaking-and-entering case against Shawna. And guess who her attorney was?”
Grant snapped his head to look my way. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. There’s nothing about that woman I find remotely humorous. Trust me.”
“Shit. What did Hannah do?” Grant asked but immediately answered his own question. “Well, nothing, I suppose. She wouldn’t know who that woman was unless you were stupid enough to tell her,” Grant narrated, as if telling the story of my day. Or at least my day in a perfect world.
“Dude. Tell us you didn’t do that,” Bas added.
Both men froze in place, hanging on my next words.
Shaking my head, I said, “No. I didn’t have to.”
“That…little,” Grant said as if each word was its own sentence. As if separating each individual word would highlight its specific gravity and therefore its value in his statement.
“Bitch,” Sebastian finished, whether for effect or impatience, I couldn’t tell, but I was the first to vocally agree.
With a curt nod, I said, “My thoughts exactly. Christ, it felt like seeing a ghost.”
They both kept their eyes fixed on me like I was a grenade with the pin pulled. Then, they looked at each other, maybe trying to decide who would dive on the thing to save the city below from the impending explosion. Because after all these years of anxiously threatening how that woman would rue the day she came face-to-face with me again, they were expecting an emotional display of epic proportion.
Shit. Those were just the threats I made out loud. If anyone was privy to the dark ideas that ran through my mind on a frequent, evil loop? I probably would have had the room next to Rio Gibson’s at that fancy little loony bin Grant sprang her from.
“You good, Banks?” Grant choked out.
His words shook me from the darkness. And I wasn’t talking about the rooftop ambiance. But it jolted me back to regaling them with the day’s events.
“And then!” My voice went up about two octaves in tone, and my agitation blasted the volume way past conversational. “Then!” I repeated just as loud, this time rocking on the balls of my feet like an attorney objecting to a judge’s ruling. “She asked me to meet her for dinner!”
I waited for my buddies’ outraged input, but they both stared at me like they were still waiting for the story’s climax. So I charged on.
“And Hannah was already gone. She just got in a cab and drove away. And now she’s been ghosting me all day.” I wearily fell back into my seat and rested my elbows on my knees and my face in my palms.
“Oh, shit. Not good,” Grant commiserated. “That’s never good.”
I dragged my hands down my forlorn face and looked at my best friends. The weight of the entire day settled on my shoulders and cramped the muscles in my neck.
“Yeah, tell me about it. That girl is so true. So honest—to her very soul. I’m so scared I fucked things up with her,” I mumbled and hung my head.
Bas had been characteristically quiet. His pacing was on brand too. The man was a Socratic thinker, we always teased. If he was moving on the outside, his gears were moving on the inside as well.
“Back up the broomstick for a minute,” the guy said and came to a halt. He narrowed his eyes while staring at me for a few uncomfortable moments. “These dots aren’t connecting for me.”
Instantly I felt defensive. “What’s to connect, man? My lying, cheating ex is back in town, and apparently the woman I’m in love with can’t handle it and is now ghosting me.” I rubbed the tense muscle in my forehead, trying to relax at least marginally. I was going to need Botox injections by the time I cleared up this mess.
“Dude. None of this makes sense. Everyone has exes. Shit, you’ve had your cock in half the city at this point. She’s okay with that, but one legit girlfriend crawls out from under whatever rock she’s been hiding, and that’s what sends her running? Doesn’t add up.” Sebastian gave his head a little shake like he was swiping away a pesty gnat and looked to Twombley for some backup.
“You gonna say anything over there? Or are you just window dressing tonight?” He knocked Grant’s knee with the toe of his dress shoe.
Does this man ever wear casual clothes?
“Yeah, I’m trying to make sense of all of it myself,” Grant said. He gave me a shrewd head-to-toe scan before saying, “Don’t think we missed the”—he made air quotes—“woman I’m in love with comment. I’m just waiting to unpack that gift and give it the full attention it deserves.”
Bas chuckled. “Shit, right? Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier for you, man. Just hearing that someone has possibly reignited that level of emotion in you again is worth finishing that whole bottle in celebration.” He gestured toward the Scotch on the low table in front of Grant.
“So why are we here watching you drown in misery instead? It seems like there’s something you’re not telling us,” Grant subtly accused.
“I’ve gone over it again and again and again,” I admitted and cringed when I figuratively stepped back and heard myself in this conversation. I sounded like a whining pussy, and it wasn’t a part I took pride in playing.
Bas cut me off. “No way. Not you.”
For that he got a glare and the head tilt, but I held back the expletive I wanted to spit in his direction. Especially after my own self-evaluation of the situation. Instead, I poured us all another drink and promptly consumed mine in one long chug. Finally, I was starting to feel more from the Scotch than just the burn in my throat.
Both of my friends cringed while watching me, and I scowled. “When did the two of you become so judgmental? You’re like a bunch of nagging women.”
My own comment made me take pause. Before this incident, I would have thought Hannah Farsey was the least judgmental person I had ever met. Yet here I was, alone, when I could have really used her support. However, upon hearing one fact she didn’t like the sound of, she ran away.
Facing that character flaw in her was one of the hardest parts of today. No, not one of—it was the single worst. I had put her up so high on a pedestal, and she just knocked herself down a notch or two, and it sucked watching her fall.
I still thought she was the closest thing to perfect I would ever know, but I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. I’d like to think if the shoe were on the other foot, I’d at least hear her out. I didn’t even know where she was staying, or I would just show up at her doorstep and insist we talk this out.
“So did you just want us to sit and admire your model good looks while you think things through, or are you going to let us help you?” Grant asked. “I mean, you are pretty and all that shit the ladies say, but you know that doesn’t fly with me.” He nodded toward Sebastian. “And I don’t think Abbi is into sharing him, so those days are done for the two of you.”
Bas glared at Grant. “Shut the fuck up,” he growled, shaking his head, but I didn’t miss the way the corner of his mouth was fighting not to rise in a grin.
“Was anything said about the baby? Or child by now. Christ, how long has it been—three…no, five years?”
“Would you believe it’s been six?”
“That’s crazy.”
“It really is. And yes, when I asked her about the child, she continued to deny I’m the father. I told her I wanted a paternity test done, and she said no.”
“Well, it’s not going to be up to her,” Bas said. “I mean, you’re still going to pursue it, right? Now that you know where she is, you can have a court-ordered test. I think there are attorneys who specialize in this very thing.” Sebastian finally sat down but leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, never relaxing while he spoke. I wasn’t sure if it was his new trip down Fatherhood Lane that had him so invested in this topic or if he really hated Hensley that much. Any way he could see her burn would be good enough in his mind.
“What’s up, man?” Grant zeroed in on my discomfort. While Sebastian focused on what people said and what he was going to say in response, Grant typically focused on their body language and their emotional tells. It was why they made such a powerful team in business. They were the perfect one-two punch.
“I keep getting hung up on the same thing. I mean, fuck…” I gave my head a little shake and chuckled. Although there wasn’t a single thing funny about this situation. When no one spoke, I looked up and saw both of my best friends’ eyes on me, both silently supporting me and encouraging me to get what was bothering me off my chest. Again. Just like they had been our entire friendship.
“If that child is not mine, that means she was cheating on me. I just can’t wrap my head around that. I know I’ve had a long time to build up serious ill will toward that woman, but it wasn’t always that way. When we were happy, we were really happy.” I traced the rim of the glass with my finger just to do something with the nervous energy still coursing through my system.
“It’s hard to look back on that time and try to figure out where it went wrong. You know? Like what did I do wrong? Where did I come up short? I really thought I was a great boyfriend. When she told me she was pregnant, I thought we were both over the moon with happiness and excitement.”
I was on a roll now. It was like the floodgates had opened and I couldn’t stop talking. “And do you want to know something even crazier? I feel bad for the other guy. That’s ridiculous, right? I actually feel bad for the guy who knocked up my girlfriend because she was playing that dude too. I mean, think about it. He’s in the exact same shitty situation I am. He doesn’t know if that’s his kid or not.”
Grant’s face twisted with objection, and I could tell he didn’t want to say what he was thinking.
We all knew each other way too long to pull any punches with each other, so I goaded him, “Just say what you need to say, my brother. I’m not going to break into pieces here.”
“Not this time, at least,” Bas mumbled into his glass.
“Well, you don’t know what situation he’s in. He may not even know that she had a child, or a boyfriend at the time.” Grant threw his arms up to accentuate his point. But when you’re six-and-a-half-feet tall, your arms are more like the wingspan of a Boeing 737, and clearance from the nearest air traffic control tower must first be obtained.
Bas and I both ducked and narrowly missed being clipped by his exuberant arm gestures.
“Hell, there may not even be another guy. She could be lying about that. Just because she wasn’t with you when she walked out doesn’t mean she was with someone else.”
“You make a solid point, Twombley,” Bas conceded and stretched a fist toward the big guy to bump.
“Hold up, hold up. Before you start celebrating too much, I haven’t gotten to the worst part yet.”
I really should have had my camera at the ready to capture their reaction. In tandem, both Grant and Bas turned their heads in my direction and said, “What?”
That one word came at me in stereo with one voice just a fraction of a second behind the other, so it sounded more like an echo. “Wha-What?”
“Hard to believe, isn’t it? That this mess can get even bigger? Messier?”
“Well, lay it on us. Rip the damn Band-Aid off already.”
“I decided to meet Hensley for dinner. I mean, what the hell, right? How much worse could the day get?” I said, trying to play it off like I hadn’t been shitting bricks the whole time leading up to that fiasco.
“Why does this feel like you agreed to go into the belly of the beast? I mean, already, without hearing any other details…?” Grant asked, his light brows hiked all the way up to meet where his hair flopped across the middle of his forehead.
“Because at this point, agreeing to do anything involving that woman feels like making a deal with the devil himself.”