Page 39 of Dirty Little Secret
“Well, technically he didn’t do it—at least not alone. He said his aunt and uncle did the research and were the ones to officially adopt the baby. His aunt was even in the delivery room when Fox was born. She took him shortly after the delivery was over.” I filled my glass up then looked at it. “I bet most moms don’t drink as much as I do.”
“Who knows,” Taylor said, then laughed. “Maybe they drink even more than we do. I mean, dealing with kids doesn’t seem like a picnic.”
She was right. The exchanges between Kane and Fox didn’t exactly look easy. “Yeah, I bet it’s not a picnic at all.”
“So, this kid’s name is Fox?” She nodded, as if she approved of the name. “Pretty cool name.”
“Fox Colton Price,” I murmured. “My son’s name is Fox Colton Price. I’m a mom.”Now that just feels weird.“Am I ever going to get used to this, Taylor?”
“How the hell should I know?” She leaned forward as I passed by her, holding out her glass. I clanked mine against hers. “Congratulations, Zandra Larkin, on becoming a real mother today. So, what’s the plan now?”
I took my seat again, pondering her question. “I’m not really sure. Kane wants me. I know that much. Fox wants me around—I know that too. What I don’t know is if Kane actually wants me around all that much.”
One of her brows arched in confusion. “Wait. Kane wants you. The kid wants you. But you didn’t feel like Kane wanted you around? I don’t get it.”
“Me neither.” It was true. I didn’t understand everything yet. “Fox asked if I could take him to school in the morning. Kane shot that down.”
“Be thankful.” She nodded. “That school traffic is a nightmare. Not that I’ve ever been in it, but I’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” I agreed. “But there was something about the way Kane looked when Fox asked that. Like he didn’t think it was a good idea. And just before I left, Fox asked me to go over to their home for dinner and to stay the night. Kane shut that down too, and quickly. And I don’t know why he did that.”
“I thought you said he wanted you,” Taylor said, taking another sip of her drink as she contemplated my words. “Did you mean sexually, he wanted you?”
“He did. Before he told me that Fox was my son, the two of us were alone in his office for a little while, and Kane was all over me. He asked me out on a date then, too.” My body got warm as I recalled the way it felt to have that man’s hands on me again. “At first I said no way. You know, because of the whole secret baby thingy. But once I found out everything and he asked me again, I said yes. So, we’ve got a date sometime.”
Taylor seemed to be deep in thought. “So, he wants to see you. But he doesn’t want you to be at his home with him and your kid. That’s odd. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“Kinda.” I thought about it a bit. “But then again, it’s not. You know?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. He wants you, but he doesn’t want to share you with your son?”
“I think he’s just being cautious.” I put the glass down then looked at the tattoo on my wrist. “He’s always been out of my league, Taylor. He still is. He’s a doctor, and I’m just a cocktail waitress with no aspirations. He asked me if I was waitressing while going to college. I had to tell him that I wasn’t doing anything, and I saw the disappointment in his gorgeous green eyes.”
“Those eyes are like emeralds,” she mused, her lips curling into a dreamy smile.
“Hey!” I made her look at me. “I know he’s not mine, technically. But he’s mine. So no thinking about which gem his eyes most resemble. And by the way, our son has his eyes, too. He’s such a handsome little guy.”
“I bet.” She chewed her lower lip. “That man is built, too. Oh, Zandy, am I jealous.”
“Stop it.” I gave her my take-no-shit expression. “I don’t like the look you’ve got on your face right now.”
With a laugh, she changed her expression. “Sorry. I would be mad too if you went on about some guy I’d been with.”
“Good. So, we understand each other then.” Picking up the glass, I took a dainty sip. “I’ve got so much to learn about being a mother. If Kane allows that, I guess.”
“Do you honestly think he won’t let you be a mom to your own kid?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me. “Is there something you can do about that if he does try to keep you out of the boy’s life?”
“I don’t think there would be anything for me to do about it. I signed away my rights when they made me give him up.” The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. “What if Kane thinks I won’t be a good influence on Fox? What if Kane has a problem with my job or something, or the way I live my life? What if he just wants to screw me now and then, but won’t let me be anything more than an occasional lay?”
Taylor shook her head adamantly. “No. You can’t let him treat you that way. You’re going to have to up your game, girl. We need to mother you up. We’ll get you some mom clothes to wear around the kid—things that are less sexy and more casual or something. Maybe trade that Mustang for a minivan. Is the kid into sports of any kind?”
“Yeah, baseball. He’s an athlete, just like his dad.” The thought of a minivan made my stomach clench. “But I don’t want a minivan. That’s going too far, Taylor. But maybe something kind of sporty, but more like something a mom would drive.”
She tapped her chin with her index finger. “My Beemer is kind of like that.”
“Yeah!” I agreed with enthusiasm. “Something along those lines. I like the way you’re thinking.” But then I thought about the fact I would need to keep my current job to make that kind of a payment. “Or maybe something a bit cheaper. I’ll have to look around, and maybe look around for a more suitable job, too.”
Clucking her tongue, Taylor went on, “You know what the bills are here, Zandy. Not every job will pay well enough to keep the lights on.”
