My mouth almost dropped. “Whoa, what? No. Deacon, I’m fine.”
“Get in.” He nodded to the back seat.
“I can take a cab.”
“I can take a cab,” he said. “Come on.”
I took a deep breath, touched by the offer but also annoyed by it. “Deacon, that’s very sweet—”
“I’m your client. You do what I say, right?”
I stared at him.
“Well, I’m telling you to get in this car. Now.”
“My job is to make your life easier. Not—”
“Knowing you’ll get there safely makes my life easier. Please get in.”
The driver just stood there, unsure what to do.
Since this was a standoff I wouldn’t win, I moved to the door. “It’s very unnecessary, but thank you.”
“Have a safe flight.” He stared at me for a few seconds, his hand on the door.
I got into the back seat and pulled in my legs.
He stared down at me before he shut the door. Then he walked away, waving down a cab like he wasn’t some billionaire, just a regular person trying to get to work in Manhattan.
My car pulled away, and I turned to look at him, watching him raise his hand and wave down a cab like he’d done it before.
I’d been dreading this long flight back and forth across the country, but seeing him before I left made me look forward to it, made me happy to do something for him…when he always did things for me.
Valerie had a mansion in Beverly Hills. It was in a quiet neighborhood with lots of distance between the homes, filled with palm trees, flowers, bushes, and the mountains nearby. I sat in the back of the private car and felt my heart race a million miles an hour. I would have taken a cab, but I thought it would make Valerie uncomfortable to let her son sit in the back of a taxi with a stranger, so I forked over the cash for something nice.
Deacon would pay me back.
I got out of the car and walked to the double doors. It was a beautiful two-story home with a huge entryway and plenty of land around it. I assumed this was where Deacon had been living while he was married, and it seemed like I was stepping into his past, meeting a version of him that didn’t exist anymore.
I rang the doorbell.
A few minutes passed before Valerie opened the door.
I knew it was her without introduction.
She was the supermodel type, with thick hair, heavy makeup, in short-shorts and a top that showed some of her belly button piercing. She was tall, stunning, confident…a trophy wife. I couldn’t blame Deacon for being attracted to her, even though I thought he could do better.
I forced a smile and extended my hand. “Valerie, it’s nice to meet you in person. Your home is stunning. And I love your hair.” Compliments right off the bat were probably the best way to keep her in a good mood.
It worked. She shook my hand and smiled. “Thank you. We’ve been here for a long time now. It’s got everything we need.”
“And California weather,” I said with a chuckle. “Already feels like summer.”
“Oh, honey. It feels like summer in October.” She stepped aside and allowed me inside. “Let me get Derek.” She turned away and walked off. “Derek!”
I turned to the wall, seeing Deacon’s wedding picture right in the entryway.
He was in a black suit, looking just as handsome as he did whenever I saw him dressed up. He held Valerie’s hands as he faced her during the ceremony. She was in a mermaid gown, gorgeous, perfect, every guy’s dream wife.
It made me sick to my stomach.
I turned away and noticed the small suitcase by the door, decorated in a superhero print. That must belong to Derek.
Valerie returned, her heels tapping against the hardwood floor, her hand holding the cutest little boy I’d ever seen.
Oh my god, he looked just like Deacon.
Derek stared up at me, wearing jeans and a shirt with the Giants logo on it. With thick dark hair, brown eyes, and fair skin, his features were so similar to Deacon’s that it was unbelievable. Pictures didn’t do him justice. He stared up at me, like he didn’t know what to make of me.
“Derek, this is Cleo. She’s going to take you to see Dad.”
Derek stared at me before he turned back to his mom. “She’s friends with Dad?”
“Yes.” Valerie kneeled down so they were eye level. “You want to see Dad, right?”
He nodded.
“She’s gonna take you there. She’ll take good care of you, alright?”
I moved to my knees on the floor, because squatting was too hard in my pencil skirt. Letting the tile hurt my knees was better. “Hey, Derek. I know you’re nervous because you don’t know me, but we’re going to be great friends. I promise.”
He stared at me just the way his father did.