Page 112 of Somebody's Watching Me
And when she returned, he was hoping to hear some good news. The McIntyre was ill. It was about time the bastard did them all a favor and died. Everything would be so much simpler without the threat of a buyout hanging over their heads.
Not that he would give up his life with Viv for Becca. The very idea was ludicrous. She might be the mother of his children, and he respected that, but she could never compare to Vivian.
However, once The McIntyre was gone from their lives, he might figure something out. Maybe he could acknowledge his children like Ben had done with Selah. Vivian had been the most supportive of everyone when it had gone down, and perhaps she could open her sympathetic heart enough to love her husband’s children.
After she finished beating the shit out of him, of course.
But to have a life with Viv and the kids, Charlie would endure just about anything.
“What game are we playing next?” Tobias asked.
Livy tickled her brother. “Can we watch a movie?”
The kids opted for a movie, and Charlie smiled across their brood at Becca. A movie wouldn’t take long, and after the kids were fed, they could send them to the main house for some alone time.
Something he sorely needed.
Vivian hadn’t been in the mood lately, too busy making appointments with fertility specialists again. She had a new one, who made the same empty promises the rest of them did. Nothing hurt worse than seeing the hope in his wife’s eyes when they left those stark, sterile offices.
The kids clamored into the living room, fighting over who would sit where. The small cottage offered little space, but it was enough for these nights together.
“I hope they pick a short movie.” With the kids gone, he rolled on top of Becca. “I need some time with you.”
“It’ll be the Lion King.” On cue, a melodious wail carried through the cottage. “Ugh, that movie drives me bonkers.”
Moving off her, he stood and held out a hand. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
He watched the movie with the kids while Becca heated frozen pizzas. They ate sitting on the floor, using the coffee table as a gathering spot. Most families would classify it as a normal Saturday night, but to Charlie, it was so much more. As a kid, Fairweathers didn’t have pizza and movie nights.
He bet Ben didn’t share moments like this with his boys and gave himself a mental pat on the back for being the cooler dad in comparison.
Pizza in hand, he nudged Tobias sitting next to him on the floor and nodded at the scraggly lion singing to a pack of hyenas. “That’s how it is when you have brothers.”
Finishing his third piece, Tobias stared at the screen. “I don’t have brothers.”
“Good thing.” His son was growing, and it was time he knew the truth. “Fairweather men can’t be trusted.”
Tobias paused in his chewing. “I trust you, and I trust Uncle Ben.”
“Trusting me is one thing.” With the girls and Becca distracted, he set down his pizza to speak to his son. It was true. He’d spent little time with the boy, and maybe that needed to change. “I’m your dad, and my word is law.”
Recognizing this was turning into a serious conversation, Tobias gave his full attention. Becca had a tendency to think he didn’t comprehend things like the other kids did, but she was wrong. That cunning Fairweather spirit shimmered in the boy’s eyes, and occasionally, it reminded Charlie of his own father.
“Yes, sir.” Tobias gave a curt nod. “I know that.”
“But trusting Ben or your other uncle isn’t a good idea.”
Tobias and his sisters were a threat to Ben. To the company. Charlie didn’t doubt his brother wanted his own sons to one day take the helm, but with Livy, Tobias, and CeCe possibly coming into play, things might get interesting in the future.
Then there was Trevor. Not him, exactly. Trevor was about as much of a threat as a housefly. That wife of his was a different story. Chosen by their mother as a suitable Fairweather wife, Helen got in Heather what she’d always wanted. A daughter-in-law who could play against Ben and win from time to time.
Far too beautiful for someone like Trevor, Heather took the art of manipulation to an entirely new level, and smartly began having children the moment they were married.
“I didn’t know I had two uncles.” Tobias studied him, debating if what he was hearing was the truth. “What’s his name?”
“Trevor.”
“Is he like you, or is he like Uncle Ben?”
