“That’s never gonna happen,” she said, pulling her legs off the bed.
“No, stay there,” he said, taking his shoes off and crawling onto the bed. “I know tonight’s been exhausting and I don’t wanna argue about this anymore, but we still need to discuss it.”
“I get it, AJ. You don’t want me keeping anything about him from you.” AJ snuggled up next to her, kissing her lips softly before leaning his back up against the headboard. “Except for giving you the specifics about who he is, because I really feel strongly that it doesn’t matter, I’ll tell you everything you need to know. And as far as agreeing to keep anything from you if your siblings ask me to, I only did because it seemed so trivial.”
“It isn’t really, but I’ll tell you about that another time.” He slipped his hand into hers, brought it to his lips, and kissed it softly. “Clair knows about Fred.”
She turned to him, the alarm more intense than the one she felt when AJ first asked her who Fred was. “How?”
“I’m probably shooting myself in the foot by telling you, but I trust you and I’m holding you to it that you won’t be keeping to yourself anything more about your relationship with this guy, including any phone conversations you have with him.”
Addison nodded, staring at him, glued to his every word now. “Yes, you have my word. How do you know she knows?”
“She overheard you on the phone, babe. You need to be more careful about that whenever she’s anywhere nearby or even in the house. She told me about it months ago when she heard you the first time but begged me not to tell you.”
Addison lifted a brow and pulled her hand away from him. “You’re gonna get on me about something so insignificant your brother asked me to keep from you, but you kept this from me?”
“You know Clair has that power over me, Addison.” He reached for her hand again. “It hadn’t even dawned on me until just now that I never hold anything in or keep secrets, and damn if that little girl wasn’t able to convince me to keep this from you. She was just so worried, and she called you the smartest person she knows. She said she trusted that, if you didn’t want her to know, you probably had a good reason, so she wouldn’t ask you about it. She didn’t seem upset or anything. I believe her words were ‘I’m not sure how I feel about it.’”
Addison groaned. She knew the day would come when she’d be forced to talk, even if only minimally, about Fred; she’d just hoped it wouldn’t be this soon. First AJ and now Clair. AJ brought his arm around her and pulled her down slowly onto his lap. He stared down at her, caressing her hair and forehead. “She’s gonna be fine,” he said, kissing her softly. “Tell her a little more about it and then do the same thing you did before. If she still wants to know more about it when she’s older, she can ask you again. At least until you know for sure what’s gonna happen with this asshole.”
Staring at him for a moment, she finally smiled. “I love you,” she said, sitting up and kissing him a little longer and deeper than he’d kissed her. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I really am.” Straightening up a little more, she turned her body so she was still on his lap; only her knees straddled him now. “I’m not a liar,” she said, kissing him again, loving how instantly she could make him go from rock-hard tense to rock-hard aroused. She could already feel the evidence of that against her crotch, and it got her breathing a little faster. “I swear it’s not like me to lie as blatantly as I did today, but it was only because I panicked. This is so important to me. I knew you’d be demanding answers. Answers I’m not ready to give, nor do I think I ever will be. I actually wish even I didn’t know who her father was. As shameful as that would be, it beats having to worry about his threats.”
Just like that, AJ tensed again, and he pulled back. “You said he hadn’t threatened you.”
“Not recently, not in so many words anyway, and never physically. But what he said when I was still in Chicago about going to court and things getting ugly still lingers. It terrifies me,” she whispered as AJ took a deep breath to calm his own anxieties, no doubt. “My only hope,” she added, trying to sound optimistic, “is I know how full of himself he is. It’s all a game to him. All about his ego. I told you that from when Clair was born until now, the only time he made an effort to reach out to me was when there was something in it for him or his ego was feeling bruised because I’d started seeing someone else. I think he always thought I’d stay single forever for the sake of protecting Clair, and for the longest time, I was very hesitant to bring anyone into her life. I guess I may’ve given him the vibe that I just might stay single. The way things happened with you”—she stopped and stared at him for a moment, remembering his words—“it really does feel like we were destined to find each other, and the way we did was so perfect. Clair and my dad knowing you and both already being so smitten by you prior to my meeting you were two things that made doing this less terrifying. That and the fact that I’ve never met such an honest and genuine person in my life. You really don’t hold anything back.” She felt the corner of her lip tug. “Even at times when maybe you should.”
“Never,” he whispered with a smirk. “That’ll never happen and don’t you forget it. And just because I forgive you this time for lying, Addison, doesn’t mean I’ll let it go again.” He lifted a brow. “I mean it.”
“I know,” she whispered, trying not to gulp so noticeably because she wasn’t sure if she’d ever have to again.
It already felt like she was keeping so much more from him, but it was absolutely necessary, so she took a deep breath and cupped his big strong jaw, kissing him softly. “I’ll keep you in the loop, I promise. I’m really hoping he’ll disappear again as he does so often after whatever hair he has up his ass goes away. I certainly won’t be contacting him.”
“Good,” AJ said, slipping his hands in her shorts from behind, and kissed her deeply. “I think it’s time to make up then.”
All it took was one rub of his erection against her crotch to get her moaning against his lips, and their conversation was officially over.
~~~
Just as Addison hoped, it’d been weeks since she’d met with Fred back in California that she’d heard from him. Every day that passed and she didn’t hear from him took a little weight off her shoulders, but she couldn’t help feeling like he was just biding his time.
It was their first night in Chicago for the Padres series against the Cubs. Once again, AJ’s mood was palpable. The man couldn’t hide his unease or tension if he tried. Addison noticed it the moment she met him on the field before the game for their batting practice. He openly kissed her hello, and while he didn’t devour her mouth as he would in private, it wasn’t nearly as sweet and gentle as he normally kissed her in front of Clair. He had waited until Clair ran off before laying the deeper, longer kisses on her. It felt almost like he was making a statement.
The moment he gave her a chance to come up for air after one of the longer kisses, she had to ask. “What’s the matter?”
He shook his head as he brought the bat over behind his head, stretching his arms, but there was no hiding the tensed jaw as he glanced around.
“Spill it, Mister,” she teased in an effort to make light of his obvious unease. It was so forbearing that it practically radiated off him. “You’re so obvious—”
“Is he here?” he asked, bringing the bat down in front of him.
“Who?”
“Fred,” he said immediately. “You said he’s from the Chicago area. Just made me wonder if maybe he doesn’t play for the Cubs.”