More Layers: Book Two Layers Series (15 page)

“She told me.”

“I’ve decided to take it. My first day will be on Tuesday. Is this going to be a problem for you?”

Of course I have a problem with it. “No, no problem.”

He hesitates for a few seconds. “I never did apologize for accusing you of acquiring Ryan. I never really looked at the signature. I saw Grant, then saw red. I’d assumed it was you, not Lizbet. I’m sorry for that.”

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s not easy working with Gram.”

“I’m bankrupt. I’ve lost my company and I have a pregnant wife to take care of. For what’s she offering to pay me, I’ll manage.”

Every time he says “wife,” I want to cry and or ralph. I can’t believe this is happening—again. Fuck Mia! Fuck Jaxson Ryan! Fuck it all!

He opens the door and steps out.

“Jaxson, one more...little thing.”

He nods.

“I’m pregnant.”

It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To

Alexia

“Daddy!” the boys yell in unison and run to him.”

He lifts them both. “Oh my gosh, you’re getting big.”

He looks over at me. “You look...beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

He puts the boys down. “Where’s Carrie?”

“It’s her weekend off.”

“Oh...Okay.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, I just wanted to know if she was home.”

“Just us men tonight,” Chase tells him.

“Sounds good to me.”

JB takes his dad’s hand. “Come on Dad, come see what Chase and I made today.”

“It’s awesome, dude,” Chase adds.

“Lane helped us. He’s a Lego master.”

“Go on up to your room, I need a minute with your mom.”

“Come give me a kiss first.”

They roll their eyes at me in unison, then walk over and give me a kiss on the cheek.

“Be good for your Dad.”

“We will,” JB says.

Chase kisses my tummy. “Be good, Peaches.”

I smile. Yes, I nicknamed her Peaches—I just had to.

I rub my tummy. “She will.”

They run off.

I wait for Jaxson to say whatever he wanted to say. He remains silent, so I do the mom thing. “It’s pizza night. Everything you need is in the fridge; no juice, even if they give you their sad puppy look. Limit bath time to thirty minutes and no diving or whale spouting. And yes, belly flopping is considered diving. Help them floss, then electric toothbrushes for the entire two minutes, then rinse. JB will debate with you about the necessity of the routine because they’re going to start falling out in about 1.498973306 years. If it becomes annoying, tell him because I said so, and I’m the mom. In bed by nine, and I’m not kidding. We’re reading
Treasure Island
—we just started chapter six.” I pause. “‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!’“

“What?”

I guess he’s not a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson. “Never mind. And they will ask and the answers is no. They will not die of scurvy by morning if they don’t get to drink a carton of juice with added vitamin C. We have juice in the mornings and only on juice days. Juice days are when I say they are, because I’m the mom and the adult, and I pay for the juice and the roof over their heads. Technically, they have enough money in their trust funds to buy several houses and millions of cartons or bottles of juice, but they don’t need to know this until they are twenty-one, or when they finish college with their masters. And no, they can’t have a bottle of rum for their birthday, even though Lane thinks it’s hilarious that they ask. Which reminds me, we need to talk about their party, and coordinate our schedules. They want a dog, but I’m not going there right now.”

I grab my clutch and coat.

“What’s this guy’s name again?”

What? “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“I just want to know the guy’s name. Why are you acting so hostile?”

“His name is Calvin Lucas. He’s a cardiologist that made a fortune on some kind of replacement heart valve. A few years ago he started a foundation called ‘Heart Beats’ and now he and his team travel around the world and give treatment to those who can’t afford, or have no access to, heart care. After I set up the Karen Foundation, he got ahold of me and asked me to join his cause. I did. The Karen Foundation bought them new equipment and a jet that could act as a flying hospital if necessary. His home is in London, but he grew up in Malibu.

He’s a kind, smart, fun, handsome, talented man and the boys adore him. Did you get that?”

He gives me “The Brow.”

“Why do you even care?”

“You’re the mother of my sons and you’re pregnant with my daughter.”

“And...?”

“I have the right to know what kind of man you’re exposing my baby to.”

“What?”

“It’s a legitimate concern.”

“Maybe on Uranus or whatever planet your brain’s vacationing on. I would never harm my baby and it’s none of your business who I date or if I ‘do’ my date.”

“Are you ‘doing’ Calvin?”

I put my coat on. “A month ago I thought this jealous routine, and don’t try and deny it, it’s jealousy. I thought it was cute, but now it’s...painfully annoying and it just makes me mad. You’re not alone in any of this. You might not love Mia, but you’re married to her. You go home to her every night, and I go home alone. I’m not really alone, but you get what I mean. I don’t want to be alone any more, Jaxson. I like Calvin, a lot. No, I don’t love him but...he’s the first man, other than you, that I’ve been attracted to in years. You ended us, remember? You said I drove you batshit crazy, and you wanted off the roller coaster. I can’t be with you, there is no ‘us’—remember? You can’t have it both ways, Ryan. You can’t want me, or act like you do, and be with her, or be with me and feel guilty about her and the baby. It’s not fair and it’s...selfish. I don’t ask you about what you and Mia do together, because quite frankly the thought of you ‘doing’ Mia makes me ill. Thinking of anyone ‘doing’ her makes me ill. All I want and care about when it comes to her is that she’s never alone with our boys, and that she stays the fuck away from me. The woman is not right, Jaxson, and there’s something not right about your relationship with her. I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I’m done. It hurts my head. I’m pregnant, Jaxson, and I’m horny and I want to ‘do’ it. I want sex. I want to fuck. And if it can’t be with you, then it will be with Dr. Calvin Lucas because he’s hot and I go a little crazy when I’m pregnant. I hump furniture and it’s all your fault anyway.”

The doorbell rings.

“Are you going to get that, Ryan, or just stand with your mouth gaping open, looking like an idiot?”

He shuts his mouth and walks to the door, opens it and Lee steps in.

“Mr. Ryan.”

“Lee.”

Lee looks at me and then back at Jaxson.

I roll my eyes. “Don’t ask?”

“Okay. Are you ready?”

“More than you know.”

Lee steps out the door and I follow.

“Have...a nice time,” Jaxson says.

“Thank you, I intend to.”

He nods.

“What is a belly flop?”

“Diving.”

“What can they not consume no matter what, because I said so?”

“Juice.”

“I’ll be late, as in two a.m. late. So you better call Mia now and let her know before she seizures and goes into premature labor. If you plan to spend the night, you sleep in the guest room at the far end of the hall; the one furthest from the master bedroom. And don’t...”

He shuts the door on me.

Lee laughs.

“If I didn’t love you and trust you with my life, I’d fire your muscled ass.”

* * *

“You’ve been holding out. Dr. Calvin Lucas is hot.”

“He’s not bad.”

“Not bad?” Marco chuckles.

“Okay, he’s hot.”

“The man is head over feet into you. Why did you end your...thing?”

“Because that’s all it was. A thing, and he wanted it to be more than a thing.”

“So, what do you want now, and what does he want?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t have time to get into it.”

“I thought he was in New York for a week.”

“One of his surgeons fell ill, so he had to fill in. I think he said they were going to Uruguay or Argentina or something. I don’t know. I was distracted all evening. Thanks for putting up with me and letting me hang out. I couldn’t go home early after I told Jaxson I was going to be out until two a.m.

“When we close the restaurant we’re here until two or three.”

“I’m glad you were closing because I didn’t want to ring your bell at midnight and beg you to let me in.”

“You would never have to beg. What kind of shit is that?”

“Sorry, I’m a little...off. I would have gone to Jules and Nick if they weren’t...you know, all the time. The honeymoon is over, for hell sake. And goddamn her for calling me all the time and telling me about their all-day-long fuck fests and how many orgasms she has in an hour. Slut.”

He laughs.

“Not funny. I’m in hell. Let’s not talk about sex anymore.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Okay, don’t let me talk about it.”

“All right then, what should we talk about?”

“Anything but sex, Jaxson Ryan, kids, pregnancy stuff, work, Gram, Calvin, and sex.”

“You said sex twice.”

“I did?”

“Yup.”

“Let’s talk about you. Did you get that mole looked at? Did you decide on granite or Glasscrete counter tops? If I were you, I’d go with the one that’s made from recycled plastic shopping bags and shells. Or was it sand? Did you like that new playlist I sent you? Alternative rock—rocks. Do you think I should get a car? Are you and Henry going to Tuscany for Christmas, or are you spending it with us at Grant House? Where is he by the way? And where is Lee?”

“You’re babbling.”

“I am?”

He nods.

“Sorry, where are those two? We have to get going soon.”

“They’re at the bar. Henry has a friend that wanted to meet Lee.”

“You know he’s a manwhoring slut. That man goes through men like I go through batteries and toilet paper.”

“Toilet paper?”

“Never mind. My point is, if Henry likes this guy, and values his friendship—don’t let him go out with Lee. He’s a total butt-fuck-um-n-chuck-um. A one chip-dipper, a pop his weasel and run. He’ll break the guy’s heart. After he bed-dazzles them, he’ll say, ‘it was great. I’ll call you,’ but he won’t. He never calls them back. And the guy wonders why he doesn’t have any guy friends. We’re talking about sex again.”

He holds up his hands. “Not me. I’m not even talking.”

“Oh God, I’m sorry. It’s all Jaxson’s fault. Curse him and his big cocky cock, and his fuck-me hard body and he’s thigh-rubbing-scratching goatee. I think I’ll go to work tomorrow—I mean later today.”

“It’s Saturday.”

“You’re right. That could be a problem because I gave Carrie the weekend off. If I can’t get Sam and Lane to watch the boys, will you and Henry? Maybe I’ll take in a yoga class first or go for a swim. Gram is thinking about adding an employee health club to Grant. It would be nice to have a pool at the office. What do you think?”

“Jesus Christ woman! You need to lay off the decaf.”

“Really? I only have two cups a day, well, okay three.”

Lee walks in. “Are you ready to go, Lex? It’s almost two.”

Marco throws up his hand in praise. “Thank fuck! Halleluiah!”

* * *

We pull up to the curb in front of my townhouse.

“I think it’s a bad idea, Lee.”

“Why?”

“Because Henry’s friend seems like a sweet guy.”

“So?”

“Lee, you don’t do sweet.”

“I do sweet.”

“Okay, you ‘do’ sweet, but you don’t
‘
do’
sweet.”

“What?”

“You’re a slut, Lee.”

“And you’re a bitch.”

Lee gets out of the Rover and walks around an opens the passenger door.

“God, I’m sorry, Lee. It’s none of my business who you ‘do’ or don’t ‘do.’“

“No, I’m sorry.”

He helps me out and we walk to the security gate and he punches in the code.

“What’s wrong with me, Lee?”

He opens the gate and we walk up to the door. He punches in another code and opens the door and we step inside, and he closes it.

“I think you’re pregnant and you’ve been working too hard.”

“That’s not what you really think, is it?”

He sighs. “I think your problem is Jaxson Ryan.”

I hang up my coat. “I think your right. What the hell am I going to do?”

“I don’t know, Lex. If it were me, I’d ‘do’ Calvin.”

I smile. “Maybe I should.”

“Are you going into work later?”

“No, I’ve changed my mind.”

“Maybe you should take some time off.”

“I can’t take any time off, things are crazy at Grant.”

“Marco said something about an intervention. What was he taking about?”

“Did he really?”

He nods.

“When I was six months pregnant with the boys I went a little...crazy. So, my dear friends kidnaped me and we went to the Caribbean for a few days.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It was. But for hell, I’m only four months along, I guess the crazies are starting sooner with this pregnancy.”

“Maybe it has something to do with being pregnant with a girl. Extra female hormones or something.”

“You could be right. I just can’t take any time off right now.”

“Maybe you could take some extra days off before Christmas.”

“Maybe.”

He nods. Then sigh-frowns.

“What?”

“I’m hesitant to bring this up...in your current state.”

“Bring what up?”

“I don’t want you to worry.”

“Tell me.”

“My team...we think—no, we know that you’re being tagged, watched.”

“What?”

“I haven’t had time to really look into it yet. It just came up this afternoon. One of my team members noticed a van that was parked near Grant Headquarters this past week, and then a couple of days later outside of your gym. The same van was spotted this afternoon just down the street. Whoever they were knew they’d been made and took off, and we haven’t seen them since.”

“Who do you think it was?”

“I don’t know. I need time to look into it.”

“Have there been any threats from the labor union or pissed off fired managers since we left London?”