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Rachael slid into the back of the S.U.V. and stared at MJ. He saw the recognition hit her eyes the moment she realized who he was. She covered her mouth and whispered, “Oh my God.”
Yeah, oh my God. That was the least she should be thinking. Climbing into the backseat next to your boyfriend’s son you didn’t know existed qualifies for more of a holy shit, or Jesus Christ, response.
Even after asking his grandfather, MJ still didn’t understand why the Old Man chose to reveal his existence to his dad, Merrick, through Rachael. Why wouldn’t his grandfather just call Merrick and tell him, hey, remember that time you screwed your babysitter? Well, I’ve been hiding your twenty-year-old kid from you all this time. Surprise!
What did the Old Man want with Rachael? She must be a player in some game he had planned. If there was one thing MJ had grown to learn from his summers spent at his grandfather’s estate, it was to always question the motives of Enzo Rocha. The man might be his grandfather, but he was a Rocha, and Rocha men were always thinking of ways to gain more. That’s what his grandfather had tried to drill into his head for as long as he could remember.
Gain more what? He’d asked the summer before his freshman year in high school. Just more, Enzo had said. There’s always more.
Enzo reached back and patted Rachael’s shoulder. “Now you see what I mean by protecting my family’s interests. MJ won’t be left with nothing. It’s his inheritance.”
“But, Merrick doesn’t know. He would ̶ ”
Enzo shook his head. “You don’t know what he would do, Rachael. The man you know and the man I know are different beings. Yours would embrace this young man beside you, but mine would not.”
MJ squeezed his hands together into one big fist. They couldn’t both be right about Merrick, so what kind of man was he? The selfish bastard MJ had always been told was his father, or this great guy Rachael was in love with? Who the hell knew?
They were pulling out of the airport, and MJ felt Rachael’s eyes boring into the side of his head. He turned and held out a hand to shake hers. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
He’d never experienced anything more awkward in his life.
“We’ll have a late dinner and get to know each other,” the Old Man said. “I don’t have anything else to tell you, Rachael. I only wanted you to see him for yourself. It’s time Merrick knows. I hope you can help break the news.”
MJ’s unease grew from not being able to put his finger on what was going down inside the Old Man’s head.
“He’ll take it better coming from you,” Enzo told Rachael. She didn’t look convinced.
“I’m sure he’ll be very happy regardless,” she said, smiling at M.J. “He should’ve known all along.”
“It wasn’t possible,” Enzo said. “I couldn’t breathe a word until he was eighteen. By then Merrick and I had fallen so far apart there wasn’t a way to tell him.”
“Heidi knows,” Rachael said, and MJ watched her eyebrow twitch.
“Yeah, my aunt knows,” M.J. said, his voice steady despite the battering nerves threatening to pitch his stomach out through his throat. “So does Roger, but not Holly or Sam. I’ve only seen pictures of them.”
“You can meet them!” She reached out and touched his knee. “Come back with me. They’re at the hotel. They’re staying for a week.”
It was all too much. First Rachael, and then his…Merrick would be told he had a son. Could he face meeting his little cousins too? He took a shaky breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Maybe.”
MJ kept his eyes turned out the window the rest of the ride back to the Rocha Estate. After they’d pulled into the circular driveway and the driver parked in front of the massive, brick Tudor, he hopped out as fast as he could.
On their way up the sidewalk to the door, Rachael’s phone chimed. “Excuse me,” she said, and stepped to the side, into the yard.
The driver carried her bag inside, followed by Enzo. As MJ was about to step over the threshold, he caught the look of despair and flash of anger on Rachael’s face. He had a feeling she was texting with Merrick and it wasn’t going well.
Confirming his suspicions, she sat on the stoop and lowered her head into her hands. A curtain of brown hair hid her face.
MJ wanted nothing more than to turn around, walk inside and close the door. He’d been thrown to the wolves by his grandfather, and now he was faced with an upset female he barely knew.
Shit.
He sat down beside her and stretched out his legs. “This can’t be easy for you. I asked my grandfather to let me handle this, but he insisted he knows best.”
And you don’t argue with Enzo Rocha. There’s no point.
MJ picked up a pebble from the sidewalk and threw it into the driveway.
Rachael lifted her head. “I’m okay. Just…sorting everything out.” She sighed, then nudged his knee with hers. “M.J., huh? The “J” stands for junior?”
A wave of anxiety made MJ grit his teeth. He’d always been a junior with a missing senior. But no longer.
He rubbed his knuckles over his lips. “Yeah. Guess so.”
Rachael’s phone chimed again, making her jump. MJ watched her eyes scan her phone’s screen. She worried the peeling skin on her bottom lip with her teeth as her thumbs tapped letters texting back.
When she was finished, she sat the phone on her lap. Her knees trembled. She stared at her phone like she was expecting a reply, but the more time that passed with the phone remaining silent, the more she fidgeted.
When she finally threw the phone back in her bag and pounded her fist on her leg, MJ knew he had to say or do something. He couldn’t take the silence for one more second. “Was that him?” He nodded to the bag where her phone was stashed. “Merrick?”
She shoved her hair back off her face with both hands, then gathered it at the nape of her neck. “Yes.”
“You told him about me?” MJ’s heart stuttered like he was having a heart attack.
“Yes.”
He couldn’t take a deep breath. “What did he say?”
Rachael tilted her head and gazed at him with wide, pitying eyes. Slowly, she shook her head. “Nothing. He’s gone.”
Yeah, oh my God. That was the least she should be thinking. Climbing into the backseat next to your boyfriend’s son you didn’t know existed qualifies for more of a holy shit, or Jesus Christ, response.
Even after asking his grandfather, MJ still didn’t understand why the Old Man chose to reveal his existence to his dad, Merrick, through Rachael. Why wouldn’t his grandfather just call Merrick and tell him, hey, remember that time you screwed your babysitter? Well, I’ve been hiding your twenty-year-old kid from you all this time. Surprise!
What did the Old Man want with Rachael? She must be a player in some game he had planned. If there was one thing MJ had grown to learn from his summers spent at his grandfather’s estate, it was to always question the motives of Enzo Rocha. The man might be his grandfather, but he was a Rocha, and Rocha men were always thinking of ways to gain more. That’s what his grandfather had tried to drill into his head for as long as he could remember.
Gain more what? He’d asked the summer before his freshman year in high school. Just more, Enzo had said. There’s always more.
Enzo reached back and patted Rachael’s shoulder. “Now you see what I mean by protecting my family’s interests. MJ won’t be left with nothing. It’s his inheritance.”
“But, Merrick doesn’t know. He would ̶ ”
Enzo shook his head. “You don’t know what he would do, Rachael. The man you know and the man I know are different beings. Yours would embrace this young man beside you, but mine would not.”
MJ squeezed his hands together into one big fist. They couldn’t both be right about Merrick, so what kind of man was he? The selfish bastard MJ had always been told was his father, or this great guy Rachael was in love with? Who the hell knew?
They were pulling out of the airport, and MJ felt Rachael’s eyes boring into the side of his head. He turned and held out a hand to shake hers. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
He’d never experienced anything more awkward in his life.
“We’ll have a late dinner and get to know each other,” the Old Man said. “I don’t have anything else to tell you, Rachael. I only wanted you to see him for yourself. It’s time Merrick knows. I hope you can help break the news.”
MJ’s unease grew from not being able to put his finger on what was going down inside the Old Man’s head.
“He’ll take it better coming from you,” Enzo told Rachael. She didn’t look convinced.
“I’m sure he’ll be very happy regardless,” she said, smiling at M.J. “He should’ve known all along.”
“It wasn’t possible,” Enzo said. “I couldn’t breathe a word until he was eighteen. By then Merrick and I had fallen so far apart there wasn’t a way to tell him.”
“Heidi knows,” Rachael said, and MJ watched her eyebrow twitch.
“Yeah, my aunt knows,” M.J. said, his voice steady despite the battering nerves threatening to pitch his stomach out through his throat. “So does Roger, but not Holly or Sam. I’ve only seen pictures of them.”
“You can meet them!” She reached out and touched his knee. “Come back with me. They’re at the hotel. They’re staying for a week.”
It was all too much. First Rachael, and then his…Merrick would be told he had a son. Could he face meeting his little cousins too? He took a shaky breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Maybe.”
MJ kept his eyes turned out the window the rest of the ride back to the Rocha Estate. After they’d pulled into the circular driveway and the driver parked in front of the massive, brick Tudor, he hopped out as fast as he could.
On their way up the sidewalk to the door, Rachael’s phone chimed. “Excuse me,” she said, and stepped to the side, into the yard.
The driver carried her bag inside, followed by Enzo. As MJ was about to step over the threshold, he caught the look of despair and flash of anger on Rachael’s face. He had a feeling she was texting with Merrick and it wasn’t going well.
Confirming his suspicions, she sat on the stoop and lowered her head into her hands. A curtain of brown hair hid her face.
MJ wanted nothing more than to turn around, walk inside and close the door. He’d been thrown to the wolves by his grandfather, and now he was faced with an upset female he barely knew.
Shit.
He sat down beside her and stretched out his legs. “This can’t be easy for you. I asked my grandfather to let me handle this, but he insisted he knows best.”
And you don’t argue with Enzo Rocha. There’s no point.
MJ picked up a pebble from the sidewalk and threw it into the driveway.
Rachael lifted her head. “I’m okay. Just…sorting everything out.” She sighed, then nudged his knee with hers. “M.J., huh? The “J” stands for junior?”
A wave of anxiety made MJ grit his teeth. He’d always been a junior with a missing senior. But no longer.
He rubbed his knuckles over his lips. “Yeah. Guess so.”
Rachael’s phone chimed again, making her jump. MJ watched her eyes scan her phone’s screen. She worried the peeling skin on her bottom lip with her teeth as her thumbs tapped letters texting back.
When she was finished, she sat the phone on her lap. Her knees trembled. She stared at her phone like she was expecting a reply, but the more time that passed with the phone remaining silent, the more she fidgeted.
When she finally threw the phone back in her bag and pounded her fist on her leg, MJ knew he had to say or do something. He couldn’t take the silence for one more second. “Was that him?” He nodded to the bag where her phone was stashed. “Merrick?”
She shoved her hair back off her face with both hands, then gathered it at the nape of her neck. “Yes.”
“You told him about me?” MJ’s heart stuttered like he was having a heart attack.
“Yes.”
He couldn’t take a deep breath. “What did he say?”
Rachael tilted her head and gazed at him with wide, pitying eyes. Slowly, she shook her head. “Nothing. He’s gone.”
This is where MJ is introduced to us, now go buy Taken by Storm!
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