Hotshot (The Bennett Brothers 1)

Her eyes bulge as her face reddens to the point I wonder if she’s going to blow. Instead, she scares me by gathering her composure and nodding. Without another word, she motions to her lawyer and walks out, him following behind.

Once the door closes, I sink into my seat and scrub my hands down my face.

“Sorry, man.” Caldwell slaps me on the shoulder. “Wish our gut instincts would have been wrong this time.”

“Me too, but we’ll get through it.”

“Shit,” Nick hisses. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us.”

“Us?”

“Hell yes, you didn’t think we’d leave you hanging, did you? We’re family.” His lips twitch into a lopsided grin.

“Yeah, we are.” I give him an appreciative chin jerk.

“Hate to break up this brotherly bond, but what the hell happened to your face?” Caldwell points to my jaw.

“He wasn’t fast enough,” Nick answers, motioning with his fist in the air.

“Ahhh, got it.”

“So, what happens next?” Nick looks between us expectantly. “If I know you two, there’s a plan in place to ensure this baby is taken care of and Sasha is controlled.”

“Hell yes, there is. You brother has a detailed plan. Helps he’s a damage control specialist when it comes to his clients. Paternity rights, custody agreements, financial responsibilities, it’s all here.”

Caldwell opens the folder I brought last week with an outline of each and every step we’ll follow. Sasha is going to fight tooth and nail, but it’ll be up to her whether she cooperates. Because barring any health complications, I now have rights to this child.

My child…

Chapter 18

Bizzy

“Are you okay?” Shaw asks me for the third time since we sat down to dinner.

“I’d be better if you quit asking me.”

“Noted,” he rumbles, and I don’t have to look up to know he’s staring at me with the same concern Nicky, Claire, and Mathis throw my way each time they see me.

Obviously, I’ve become a walking, talking, and functioning china doll. Yeesh! One little break-down and suddenly, I’m scared to sneeze for risk of having arms wrapped around me from someone lurking in the background.

I personally think I deserved the two-and-a-half day meltdown, considering I’d found out the love of my life believed another woman was having his baby. Hell, I’d even held it together when Shaw shared with me the paternity results and the details of the meeting with Sasha. I was prepared, so the news didn’t come as a surprise.

Sure, maybe I’d lost it when I saw the yellowing bruise that covered Shaw’s jaw.

Maybe I did call Nicky and challenge him to a duel of epic proportions for punching my boyfriend.

Maybe I did threaten to kill Claire once, or twice, or however many times, for watching my every move like a hawk, expecting me to crack.

Maybe I did threaten to gouge out Mathis’ eyes for shooting sympathetic and cautious glares my way EVERY TIME he sees me.

Maybe I did call in sick for the first time in two-years and not mention to anyone I was going to my mom’s… and oops… I forgot my phone at home.

And, finally, maybe I did eat six pints of ice cream and consume a whole bottle of wine while I spilled the story to my mother. There were tears and lots of screaming, but in the end, I got it out and got back to normal… after throwing up repeatedly.

The bright side to this was I now know Cabernet and mint chocolate chip don’t mix well. Who knew?

So why everyone is so worried is a mystery to me. Clearly, I’m great. It’s not me that has to deal with Sasha Crane for the next eighteen years or more.