“What do you think about our room? You can change anything you want. I’m not attached to anything in particular. I had a decorator do it all. You can make it your own, however you’d like. I am partial to the den and playroom, though, but just the electronics. The furniture, walls, all of that is up to you, just so it’s comfortable. I have a studio beyond the office that I’ll show you later. I do some recording here and work a lot from home, so that is pretty much set as well.”
“I can’t imagine changing anything. It’s perfect. Maybe some pictures of Eli, but other than that…” Her voice faded off and she turned to look up at him. “About sharing your room…”
“Don’t even think it, baby. I have to insist on this. I’ve been without you for too long already, and I refuse to spend another night alone.”
“I’m worried about Eli.”
“We have to tell him. He’s wondering already.”
“I know.”
“It’s probably better to just bite the bullet and get it over with. That way we can move forward and learn to live as a family. “
“You’re right, I know, but I’m nervous.”
“You think he’ll be upset?”
“I’m afraid he’ll be angry at me for lying to him about his father being dead.”
“We’ll tell him the truth and help him understand. Moving forward, we’re about honesty, remember?”
Nodding, she agreed, although she was still afraid.
“It’s going to be okay, Shannon.” Lifting her face to his, he sealed his lips over hers and kissed her breathless. “How about we tell him over dinner?”
She buried her face against him and groaned.
“Kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid, you’ve just got to rip it off and get it over with, yeah?”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Chapter Eight
Shannon watched them making homemade pizza together in Gideon’s fabulous, fully stocked kitchen. They had two ready-made pizza crusts and Eli was making his favorite pizza; pepperoni, ham, pineapple, and green pepper, while Gid made a pizza with the works sans pineapple. From a seat at the island where Gid had placed her with a full glass of red wine “to calm her nerves”, she watched their identical heads bowed at identical angles. Matching green eyes glinted with happiness as they worked together and chatted about manly stuff like football, video games, and comics. The same dimple appeared in their right cheek when they smiled. It was extraordinary, really.
She noticed how Eli watched Gideon closely, hanging on his every word. When his new hero called him ‘bud’, he grinned from ear to ear as if a great gift had been bestowed upon him. Shannon had a feeling no matter what Gideon called him, Eli would think it was cool. She was amazed he was so taken with a man he’d just met, but it showed how much he’d needed a man in his life. She had mixed feelings about all this. Having been the only one in his life for the past nine years, she was jealous of losing a piece of him, but at the same time, hopeful that they could establish a strong father/son bond that all boys need so desperately.
The pizza went in the oven and they had fifteen minutes to wait. She decided it was time to rip off the Band-Aid.
“Eli, come sit next to me for a minute. I need to tell you something.”
After he’d settled, sipping on the one soda he was allowed that day, he looked at her expectantly.
“I have to tell you something about your dad.” Seeing the expectation in her son’s eyes, she looked toward Gideon for support. He was standing nearby, leaning against the kitchen counter with arms crossed. He was letting her handle it in her own way, but he gave her a slight nod of encouragement as if to say, “You can do this.”
Clearing her throat, she started again, “You see, honey, your dad is really—”
“Gideon. I know, Mom. After he came by that night, I was going through that scrapbook you kept on Northern Exposure. You had my birth certificate stuck in it.”
Shannon’s mouth hung open. Gape-mouthed was becoming a common facial expression these days. “Why didn’t you say something? Weren’t you surprised? Don’t you have questions?”
He shrugged, taking another sip of his Coke. “I didn’t want to mess things up. You told me he was dead for some reason. I was afraid if you knew I knew, he might leave again.”
Gideon moved to the table, pulled a chair out across from them, and sat. “I’m not going anywhere, Eli. I promise.”
“Why didn’t you come around until now?”
Gid looked at her and she knew she had to take ownership of this one. “We knew each other a long time ago, Eli. We were in love and planning a future together, but there was a big misunderstanding. I saw him doing something wrong and I got mad. I ran away and didn’t want to see him or talk to him again. Then when I found out about you, I went looking for him and was trying to make things right, but a bad man ruined it and your dad never knew about you. Please don’t think he didn’t want you.”
Eli looked at Gideon for confirmation. “What did you do that made Mom so mad?”
Shannon jumped in right away. This was her fault and she wanted to make sure Eli didn’t blame Gideon for any of it. Other than bad choices in managers, none of this was on him. “He didn’t do anything. None of this was Gideon’s fault, I promise.”
She struggled against tears and gave Gid a desperate look as he reached across to take her hand. He stepped in at that point. “Eli, I have a cousin who looks just like me. We could be twins we look so much alike. Except for my tattoo, no one can tell us apart. Your mom saw him kissing another girl, and she thought it was me.”
“Oh yeah! Something like that would really tick Mom off.”
She smiled weakly. Her precocious child knew her better than anyone. She’d often spouted off about TV character’s betrayals and it must have made an impression on Eli.
Gid patted her hand before he continued with the explanation, keeping it at a PG rating. “The bad man was my band’s manager. He wanted to break your mom and me up. He lied to her and even forged my name on a letter that said I didn’t want to see her again. He did such a good job of convincing her that he was able to keep us apart for all this time. I didn’t know about you until the other night.”
“Can’t you call the police on this bad man? Shouldn’t they put him in jail or something?”
“He didn’t really commit a crime, bud, except for the forgery. There was no money involved, and after ten years, I don’t think they’d do much. I did fire him, though. I can’t stand a liar and won’t tolerate someone so dishonest or spiteful working for me.”
“I’m sorry I told you Gideon was dead, Eli. I thought he didn’t want you and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
Eli sat silently considering this for a long time. She watched as he shifted his gaze between her and the man he now knew for sure was his dad. She’d give anything to know what was going on in that nine-year-old brain. The buzzer rang and Gideon got up to serve the pizzas.
“Are you okay, Eli?” Shannon asked worriedly. He was very quiet for such big news.
He shrugged, then proceeded to scarf down three slices before coming up for air. His first question was for Gideon. “So, are you gonna marry my mom?”
“Absolutely! I’d like us to be a real family. That’s why I had you guys come stay with me.”
Eli grabbed another slice, and after he was done with that, asked another question. “Will I have to change schools?”
Of course, he’d want to know that. It was a big part of his life—school, friends, and his basketball team. She and Gideon exchanged glances. They hadn’t discussed that yet.
“We haven’t even thought about that, Eli,” Gid offered. “Private or public school options are both open, or there is tutoring. Malibu Unified Schools have an excellent reputation.”
“I don’t like my school. The kids are mean, and the librarian sucks.”
“Don’t say sucks, Eli,” she said reflexively. “It’s not polite. You never told me you didn’t like your school. Were you being picked on by someone?”
“Not me, but one of my friends was. I told the teachers, but they didn’t do anything.”
“I say we check out the Malibu schools on Monday,” Gid suggested. “There’s an elementary school just a few blocks from here where a lot of the neighbors’ kids go. You could make some new friends. How’s that?”
He just shrugged again.
Gideon looked at her, quirking a brow in question. He would learn that kids were unpredictable, devastated by inconsequential news at times, unconcerned by devastating news at others. She shrugged, giving a good impersonation of their son, smiling at his puzzled expression.
Gideon shook his head, a smile curving his beautiful lips. “Any other questions, bud?”
Shannon watched as Eli chewed thoughtfully. He was on his fifth slice, and she wondered where he put it. She waited expectantly for another question as soon as he swallowed. He’d been averaging one per slice.
“I’ve got one more…”
“Ask away, bud.”
“Cool, can I see your tattoo?”
* * *
“He handled that well.”
His voice had Shannon turning from the window where she’d been watching the waning light over the Pacific. Gideon and Eli had gone swimming after dinner, and it was 9 o’clock before they finally managed to drag him away from the pool. She had taken Eli upstairs while Gideon locked up. He was half asleep before his head hit the pillow on his new bed, in his new room. Shannon had tucked him in and was heading out the door when his sleepy voice called to her. “It’s going to be okay, isn’t it, Mom?”
She had gone back, crouching down beside his bed as she watched him struggle to keep his heavy eyelids open. “Yes, honey. Gideon is a good man and he loves you already. We are going to be fine. Sleep tight now.” Before she finished those reassurances, he was sound asleep. Leaning forward, she whispered against his forehead, “I love you, Eli.”
Now, as Gideon entered the room, she thought of them together again after all this time. Her eyes followed him around the room as he emptied his pockets and kicked off his shoes. As his hands moved to his belt, his eyes found her and she remembered he’d asked her something. About Eli, maybe. She tried to recall, but it didn’t come to her.
“Are you okay, babe?”
“Yeah, it’s just… um, it’s all happened so fast, Gid.” She turned back to the window. Feeling vulnerable and at loose ends was not something she enjoyed.
She didn’t hear him cross the room, but she felt his warmth against her back a second before his hands slid up her arms and wrapped around her. His chin came to rest on the top of her head, and she sighed at the familiar pose. Since he stood at least a head taller, she fit naturally beneath his chin.
“It’s going to be okay, Shannon. I promise.” He brushed her long hair away from her neck and lapped at her skin where it met her shoulder. “How about a bath to help you relax?”
“That would be nice.”
“Would it still be nice if I joined you?”
Leaning her head back against him, she angled her head, giving him free access. Moaning softly, she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t turned on. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. Join me—that is.”
He slid a hand up her throat and cupping her chin, pulled her face up to his as he captured her lips in a scorching kiss. After several moments of tongues tangling and stroking, he growled low against her mouth. “Let’s get you in the bath before I change my mind.”
Pulling her along by the hand, he brought her into the luxurious en suite bathroom and flipped the spigot open, adding a bit of cocoa butter bath oil he found on the vanity. “You were busy while we were in the pool.”
“It wasn’t so much,” she murmured as the familiar scent of coconut and vanilla filled the air.
“Go ahead and get naked, or do you need me to help?”
He used to love undressing her, but she didn’t know if she was up for that tonight. She answered by moving her hands to her blouse and releasing the buttons. He quickly shucked his clothes and was in the tub, steadfastly watching her. As she revealed every inch of her skin, she felt shy, turning away as she released her bra and folded it neatly on the vanity top. Her shorts and panties were next. With nothing left to remove, she stood still, taking a deep steadying breath. A movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention, that’s when she saw the full length mirror on the wall opposite the tub. He’d had a 360 view of her as she stripped.
Their eyes met in the mirror. After a few moments, he lifted his hand, beckoning her.
“You’re as gorgeous as ever, Shannon. Come to me.”
Gracefully, she slipped into the tub, his strong hands steadying her as he guided her between his spread legs. The warm water soothed her frayed nerves, but not enough to overcome the stimulating effects of the hard body behind her. He pulled her back against him and picked up the shower scrubby. “What about your hair?”
“I washed it this morning,” she murmured as she twisted it up on top of her head and knotted it.
He then began to squeeze warm, sudsy water over her shoulders and breasts. “I missed this so much, Shannon. This was one of my favorite things—bath time. Lean forward and I’ll get your back.”
He poured bodywash into his hands and began massaging her back with his hands, the scrubby forgotten. “Your skin is still perfect.” Rinsing her with large scoops of warm water, he soon proclaimed in a husky rasp, “All done here. Now lean back and let me get your front.”
As she relaxed against his broad chest, his slick hands slid around her sides and began soaping her belly. After a few moments, he swept lower over her hips and barely skimmed her bikini line before his hands swept slowly upward, stopping just below her breasts. He repeated this again as he spread kisses along her jaw. It was pure unadulterated torment. Her breathing became shallow and her chest began to rise and fall more rapidly. As his hands moved over her and approached her breasts again, she arched into him. When they skittered away again, she groaned, her head twisting to see him.
“Please, Gideon, don’t tease me.”
“Sorry, babe,” he murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers. “It’s just been so long since I had you to touch and play with, I want to savor it.”