Accidental Shield (Marriage Mistake #6)(40)

She leaves, and I walk over to Bryce, who’s running his index finger up and down the window, playing a touch-paw game with Savanny through the glass. The cat stands up on both legs, batting at his hand.

“Cool cat, Dad. Love the little leopard spots. What’s its name? Is it ours?”

“His name’s Savanny, and he belongs to a friend of mine. Her name’s Valerie.”

“Sweet. Are we cat sitting then?”

“Sort of.”

Inquisitive and smart, he looks up at me, waiting for more. This is one time I wish he wasn’t always so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Fuck. How do I even find the words?

“Son, listen...you know how Cash and I sold our security business a few years ago?”

He nods. “Yeah. I remember. Then you got all that money from the big deal.”

“Well, we’ve decided to take on one last job.”

“Damn, that’s cool!” He holds up a hand for a high five.

“Language,” I grunt.

“Sorry!”

I humor him with a high five. Part of me can’t blame the kid. He practically worships the ground I walk on.

He’s always thought having a father who chases bad guys for a living was cool. Mainly because I never let on how dangerous it truly was. And I never said one word about the horror in Bali, what happened thanks to fuckface Cornaro...

“This is serious, Bryce. I need you to listen and keep this a secret. Totally mum.”

“You got it!”

“My friend Valerie’s already inside. I’m keeping her at our place so she can chill and keep a low profile. Thing is, she doesn’t know that because she was in an accident. She has amnesia, meaning she doesn’t remember what happened, or even a lot about who she is.”

“Whoa,” Bryce mouths silently. “Weird.”

“Yeah. She was scared when Cash brought her here, so...” I pause, trying to find a good way for this next part, but there isn’t one. “So, I know this sounds crazy, but you know how Cash is. That big brain of his gets screwy sometimes when he’s not dealing in medicine. He wanted to help make her comfortable. He told her we’re married, and...she still thinks we are.”

“Married?” Bryce squints at me like I’m speaking Portuguese.

I want to throw my head back and start screaming. Instead, I just nod.

“Wowwww. You mean it, huh? This isn’t just a joke? You can trust me, Dad! I won’t breathe one word.” Grinning, he adds, “This is so cool.”

Yeah, just fucking stunning.

Now, I have to go introduce my not-wife to her not-stepson.

Bryce walks to the door but stops before opening it. “Uh, weird question but...do I need to call her mom?”

“No,” I bite off. “Her name’s Valerie. Stick with that.”

“Valerie. Got it, Dad.”

The second his back is turned, my hand flies up and pinches the bridge of my nose so hard I see stars.

Why? Why is this my life?

Now, I’ve got my kid lying, too. Asking me if he should call a total stranger I’m not actually married to his mother, something he’s never had.

Triple shit.





7





Balancing Act (Valerie)





I’m frozen in my tracks.

Like that touch and go game kids play, where you have to freeze and fall down instantly, and can’t move again until someone unfreezes you.

That’s me. A deer in front of a speeding train would have a better chance at getting its brain unstuck.

Flint stares at me with an eyebrow quirked. “You okay? Hope the news didn’t short-circuit anything.”

His thick, strong hand lands on my shoulder and squeezes.

Ah, there’s my unfreeze cue.

“A son? I have a son?” Even the words taste like some strange, foreign flavor I can’t quite recognize.

“Stepson, technically. His name’s Bryce.”

I’ve heard the name before. Louie the Boy Scout said he knew a Bryce. I thought I’d heard that Kael boy mention it a few times at the shrimp truck, too.

I’ve thought a whole heaping lot of things the past few days in this confused tizzy of amnesia and freaky secrets. But I never stopped to think I’d be a parent until it slapped me across the face like a scarf caught in an ocean breeze.

I’d just walked out of the bathroom when Flint came into the room, said he needed to tell me something. He’d said it so casually, too, something like, “Bryce is home. You remember our son, don’t you?”

Holy Toledo. I need a minute to let that sink in.

No, maybe I need an entire flipping decade.

Somehow, my knees still work, so I cross the room and sit down on the bed. The good thing is, this isn’t making my head spin like the bad memories over the past few days. But maybe that’s because my head just popped right off.

I take a long breath, holding it in. “Bryce. And he’s been with your mother for the past week?”

“Yes, at the big Aulani resort across the island. It’s an annual thing for them. They do this adventure scavenger hunt every year. Haven’t figured out who loves it more, the kid or my ma.” Smiling, Flint walks over to the French doors and pushes a button.