Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

I left the bowl of dip on the side table on the deck and walked to the fridge to grab two beers. Cole texted that he would be home in five minutes. My stomach was in knots. How was I going to tell him that I had met his supposed uncle today? I decided to grab a third beer. I chugged the first half of the beer, forgetting I usually liked to stick a lime in the top.

“Kaitlyn, you home?” I heard Cole call from the other end of the house. I winced and the knots in my stomach started to flip.

“Out here!” I finished the beer, before placing the empty bottle next to me, out of Cole’s view.

He walked out onto the deck. “It took longer than I thought to get that door in place.” He sank into the open lounge chair. We didn’t have proper patio furniture. I had picked up beach chairs at Lisa’s shop. They worked for now.

I handed him the beer. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He twisted off the cap and took a few chugs. “Damn, it’s a beautiful afternoon.” He surveyed the beach in front of us. “My favorites: chips, dip, beer, and you.” He smiled. “It doesn’t get better than this.”

I could just blurt it out. I could say, “Hey, met this guy today who says he is your uncle.” Or, I could slide him the business card and tell him to call Aiden and find out for himself, or what if I shredded the damn card and threw it in the waves? That plan would come back to bite me in the ass.

He looked happy, relaxed, and I was getting ready to blow that all to hell.

“Cole?”

“Mmm-hmm?” His eyes closed, and I thought he must be taking in the sounds of the waves and gulls.

“I have something I need to talk to you about.” I turned in my chaise so I was lying on my side facing him.

“What’s up, darlin’? Did you find a couch you like?”

I winced. “No, it’s not house-related.”

He opened one eye at a time and looked at me from the side. “Go on. What is it?”

I held my breath. Get it together, Kaitlyn. I coaxed the words from my mouth. “I met someone at the office today.” I pulled the business card from my front pocket. “He introduced himself as Aiden Thomas. He says he’s your uncle.”

Cole sat up, throwing his feet on the wooden deck planks. “What are you talking about?” He snatched the card from my hand.

I lowered my eyes. “He says he has a right to the Dunes, and he wants you to call him. His number is on the back.”

“Not possible.” Cole shook his head. “I don’t have any family. Pops died, and that was the end of any blood relations I had. This guy is just pulling your leg, Kaitlyn.”

I wanted that to be true. I prayed that was true. “Ok. I just thought you should know, and I felt like I had to give you the message.”

If he had been holding it together, he let that strategy go. Cole erupted. “Message? He’s using my girlfriend as a messenger? Who does this guy think he is?” He jumped from the chair. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m going to take care of this right now.” He stormed into the house, shoving the sliding glass door until I heard the door latch.

I don’t think he intended to lock me out of the house. It was best if I sat and drank my beer anyway. I waited for Cole to return.

The sun sank on the other side of the ocean, leaving the beach cast in shadows. Cole had been on the phone for half an hour. I walked to the door, hoping he would let me in. He was inside pacing from the kitchen to the living room and then back to the kitchen. I couldn’t make out full sentences, but his voice was raised, his cheeks red, and his eyebrows high on his forehead. None of this was good.

He saw me at the door and crossed the room to let me in. He held up a finger. “You better bring proof. You’re not stepping one foot on the Dunes’s land until I see some kind of evidence.” Cole paused. “Really? I will fight you for it.” He ended the call and tossed the phone on the floor.

“What’s happening?” I ran my hand along his arm, trying to calm him.

“The asshole claims he is Pops’s son.” He looked at me, his eyes filled with pain. “He says Pops had an affair twenty-eight years ago and kept him a secret from everyone.”

My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my God. Are you serious?” The way Cole talked about Pops was as if the man was a saint. The most perfect of grandfathers.

“It can’t be true. He has to have some kind of angle. He wants to sell the Dunes to a developer for $2.5 million. For that kind of money, people will say and do anything.” I wasn’t sure Cole believed the story was fabricated. He looked devastated.

How do you handle the news that the man who raised you had an affair and a secret child? If it was true, it wasn’t something Cole would accept easily.

He rose from the carpet, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and headed to the deck. “I’m going to take a walk.” He closed the door behind him and left me on the floor. I watched as he disappeared down the staircase.

If he wanted me to go with him, he didn’t pause or ask. This was one of those moody Cole times I knew I had to leave him alone, even though it was killing me to do it.