Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Silver bit into her cheek as Dean stepped into the living room, a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. It was just past two. He never drank this early.

The call hadn’t gone well.

Laying on the floor, lifting their daughter up in the air, Landon made airplane sounds as Amia ‘flew’ above him, her little blonde curls bouncing around her head. She let out a high-pitched giggle, then dropped her arms, wiggling her fingers at him until Landon lowered her to his muscular chest. Amia looked so tiny, surrounded by his thick arms, but despite his powerful body, Landon was a giant teddy bear when it came to their daughter.

He noticed Dean and sat up, grabbing the remote he’d dropped on the thick, charcoal carpet. “Before you say another word, you’ve got to see this.”

Dean smiled and took a seat on the couch beside Silver, slipping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his side. He wasn’t as big as Landon, and didn’t train as insanely hard, but she could still feel the strength of him when she rested her head on his shoulder. As she glanced up at him, he gave her a reassuring smile that didn’t help much. He was good at those, but she knew him too well. The fine lines around his hazel eyes had deepened and his neatly styled, grey-dusted, dark brown hair looked mussed up, like he’d been raking his fingers through it.

Music came on, Amia’s favorite song by Justin Timberlake, Can’t Stop This Feeling. She bopped around to it every time they were in the car. Keeping it on repeat made going anywhere much easier.

Amia’s lips formed a wide O. She gave Landon a huge smile. Hesitated and glanced over at Silver and Dean. Then she started moving, wiggling to the music, spinning in circles, then rushing over to grab Landon’s hand as the song reached the chorus.

He danced with her and Silver let out a happy sigh, hugging Dean’s arm. This was the family she’d always wanted. One full of love and joy, everything she could have ever wanted for their daughter. Or herself. Moments like this could make all the worries in the world go away, if only for a little bit.

“Okay, now just like last time.” Landon crouched in front of Amia. She mirrored him, her expression serious. “Ready?”

The garbled response almost sounded like ‘Yes’. With a few more syllables, but the excitement in Amia’s eyes said it all.

As the climax of the song hit, they both leaped up.

Crack!

Silver winced as Landon brought a hand to his head.

Amia giggled and Dean leaned forward, holding out his arms as she ran to him. “I think your Daddy’s broken.”

Landon huffed out a laugh and plunked down on the carpet by the couch as Amia settled in Dean’s arms. He leaned his big body against Dean’s thigh and reached out to take Silver’s hand. “I misjudged the height of our ceiling.”

Dean smirked. “You don’t say?”

“She’s only done that twice. And never when you’re both here.” Landon grinned at Amia. “Your performance was perfect, mon petit chou. But mine needs work.”

“Well, now that you’ve gotten her all wound up, it’s naptime.” Dean stood carefully, bracing himself on his good leg, shaking his head when Landon and Silver moved to help him. “My knee’s just a little stiff. I’ve got her.”

“You sure you can carry her up the stairs?” Landon frowned at Silver when she elbowed him in the ribs. “What? She’s getting bigger.”

“I think he’s noticed. And he’d tell us if he couldn’t do it.” She refused to dwell on Dean favoring his bad knee more often lately. He’d promised to consider further treatment if the physical therapy he was doing didn’t improve his mobility. Then pointed out he wouldn’t risk not being able to run around and play with their baby girl as she got older.

But Landon, ever overprotective, still made his way to the stairs, following Dean up while badly attempting not to make it too obvious. When Silver reached the landing behind him, he was backing away from Amia’s bedroom door, hands up.

“Was just gonna offer the TENS. No need for the daggers, babe.”

Hand covering her mouth, Silver stifled a laugh. No one besides Landon had the balls to call Dean ‘babe’. Well, except maybe his mother, but Verity Richter was a force of nature.

Silver called Dean many things when she was mad. Or being a brat.

‘Babe’, however…

She hadn’t felt quite that brave just yet.

“Get some rest, my angel. I’m going to go have a chat with your other daddy.” Dean spoke softly, and the light in Amia’s room dimmed a moment before he stepped out. He gave Landon an unreadable look, his tone dry. “I thought I asked you not to call me that.”

Folding his arms over his chest, Landon leaned against the wall. The edge of his lips curved. “You like it.”

“And you’re not as cute as you think you are, goalie.” Dean let out a heavy sigh, but his eyes were sparkling. “You should be setting a better example.”

Landon’s brow furrowed slightly. “For Amia?”

“For Silver.”

“Hey!” Silver frowned at Dean, who simply arched a brow. “I’ve been on my best behavior. Don’t drag me into this.”

Reaching out, Landon pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. “You’ve been very good. He’s just got this obsession with me submitting to him. And it ain’t happening.”

“It’s not an obsession. I believe you’d enjoy it.” Dean moved behind Landon, brushing his lips along the other man’s neck. “You’d look hot wearing my collar.”

A tingling warmth spread over Silver as Landon’s dick swelled against her hip. The sexual tension between them all was as intense as ever, like a steady flame that flared up with a splash of accelerant. They needed to take this to the bedroom. See if any of the collars Dean kept in his toy bag were big enough for Landon. She’d never indulged in the idea of one of her Doms submitting the same way she did, but the power play between them had to come to a head eventually.

I need to be there when it happens.

Amia wouldn’t nap for long. They didn’t usually play during their limited quiet time—there was always too much to do. Cleaning, discussing the team, bills, doctor’s appointments, training schedules. She had wanted to talk to Dean about something, but right this moment, her brain wasn’t functioning well enough to remember what that was.

Landon let out a low laugh. “You’d look just as hot with mine, Dean. But I don’t think you’d be comfortable with turnaround being fair play.”

Dean inclined his head. “True.” He grazed his teeth over a sensitive spot at the base of Landon’s throat. “Shall we forgo the props?”

“Mmm…” Landon pulled Silver against him, moving toward the door. He groaned as her phone buzzed and she pulled away from him. “Really?”

“It’s Oriana. I have to take this.” She bit her lip as the men separated. She’d refused to talk about the visit to her father’s place when she’d gotten home, needing to enjoy the time she had with them both, and their daughter, before the new season made opportunities like this few and far between. But she also needed to make sure Oriana didn’t have any illusions about their father. “Don’t wait for me.” She rose up on her tiptoes to kiss Landon’s frowning lips as her phone stopped ringing. “I get him all to myself when you’re on the road, big guy.”

Landon’s lips quirked. “You have a point.”

“But you will tell us what’s going on after, pet.” Dean gave her a stern look that had her wishing she could be bratty and get a spanking instead of calling her sister back.

She wouldn’t let their father hurt Oriana again though. She had to get through to her.

Somehow.

“I will. I promise.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as Landon ducked into their bedroom. “Let him take care of your knee. I’m more worried about you than you should be about me.”

“No need. And don’t change the subject. I’ve been honest with you both about my condition and taken steps to improve it.” He cupped her cheek and leaned in close to kiss her. “Go talk to your sister. Tell her I expect her to come visit soon. And then prepare to share everything that is going on with our family.”

The mood had shifted and she groaned as he headed into the room, where Landon was already setting up the TENS unit. Rather than erotic playtime, Landon would tend to Dean’s knee and then they’d probably discuss what was going on with her. She’d hoped at least they could enjoy themselves, but everything was serious now.

She rubbed a hand over her face as she headed downstairs, holding the phone against her ear.

Oriana sounded relaxed when she answered. Which might or might not be good. Silver stepped into the kitchen, considering the whiskey Dean kept on the top shelf of the antique cabinet by the pantry.

“Sorry I didn’t answer right away. We just put Amia down for a nap.”

“It’s okay. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t still stressing about visiting our father.” Oriana went quiet, then cleared her throat. “I shouldn’t have asked you to come.”

Digging her nails into her palm, Silver shook her head. “I had to be there. Had to see… Oriana, he hasn’t changed. You have to know that.”

“I’m not sure about that, Silver. But I don’t trust him any more than you do. Not yet.” Her sister groaned. “I wish things were different, but I won’t pretend they are. He’s still the man who was ready to take the men I love to court over an accident. Who wanted to prove I wasn’t mentally fit to make decisions for myself. His own condition might have messed with his reasoning, but he’s always manipulated us. That didn’t change overnight.”

“Then why even bother with him?”

“Because I’m strong enough to decide what role he plays in my life. He asked for the chance to be a father. To be a grandfather. So long as he doesn’t ask for more, I’m willing to see where this goes. Not for him. For me. If he died and never saw West, I’d always wonder if I should have tried harder. If I should have answered his call. Now I have.” Oriana’s tone softened. “That doesn’t mean you have to do the same, Silver. You owe him nothing. Not even forgiveness. That has to be something you do for you, and only if it will give you closure. If it will only hurt you more, then it’s pointless.”

Silver’s throat tightened. She leaned against the kitchen table. “I’d already decided I wouldn’t forgive him when I didn’t invite him to my wedding.”

“And you had a beautiful wedding. The family you chose was there. Do you regret it?”

“Not for a fucking second.” The tightness eased from Silver’s chest. She meant it. She hadn’t wanted their father there.

But how fucked up was that? Didn’t that make her a horrible person?

“Hey, I know exactly what you’re thinking and you need to stop.” Oriana let out a light laugh. “Did I mention you owe him nothing? I mean it. Nothing. If you never want to see him again, you don’t have to. And there’s nothing wrong with you making that choice.”

“Or with you making a different one.”

“Exactly.”

“Ugh, why do you have to be so reasonable about everything? Now I feel silly for worrying about you.” Silver tipped her head back, pressing her eyes shut. “I don’t know what I want to do. We’ll see how things go down. If he’s any good at playing ‘Daddy’. And I have to see how Dean and Landon feel about it before I bring Amia.”

“Of course. I spoke to Sloan and Max before I brought West.”

“And they were okay with it?”

“Yes. Not right away, but after he’d called a few times. After I’d spoken to his therapist. And my own.”

Silver frowned. “I didn’t know you were seeing one.”

Oriana sighed. “I wasn’t, though maybe I should have sooner. I thought there was something wrong with me even wanting to give him another chance, so I made an appointment after his first call. I just told you a lot of the things the therapist told me. She also said I’d needed to close the door to him, for my own well-being, but it’s mine to open when—and if—I’m ready. The same goes for you and Ford.”

“That makes sense. I like the idea of it being a door, though burning that bridge was a bit more badass.”

“I bet!” Oriana chuckled, then groaned at a sharp cry. “West is in a clingy mood and the guys are with their trainer. I have to go. But don’t stress.”

“I won’t. I promise.” She hoped she could keep that promise. Knowing that Oriana was talking to a professional helped. This shit was a lot to deal with. She should probably make an appointment with her own. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Oh, and Ford should be calling. He mentioned inviting himself over for dinner. He has something to tell you.”

“What?”

“Not for me to tell. But it’s…big.”

“Oh come on! You were my sister before he was your brother! Where’s the loyalty?”

“One. Don’t pull that, it’s not fair. Two. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s a year older than you are, so—”

“You know what I mean!”

“Stop it. Talk to Ford. And give Amia a kiss for me.”

After they hung up. Silver paced the kitchen, her phone on the counter, waiting for it to ring. Over the summer she hadn’t spent much time with Ford, other than at her wedding. They all had their own lives and time passed too fast. Oriana was usually the one who called them both after a few weeks and insisted on sibling time. They’d go to a movie, or dinner, just the three of them.

Every single time, Silver and Ford managed to annoy the hell out of one another. It was kinda fun.

But she missed him. Missed them both. Thankfully, the season was starting again, so they’d see one another every day at work. Only Ford and Silver would be in the offices, but Oriana split her time between board meetings and her position on the medical staff. She might play referee between Silver and Ford, but when things were serious, they always pulled together.

They were family. The fact that Ford had called Oriana without hesitation, but not her, wasn’t good. She wanted her brother to feel comfortable talking to her.

She glared at her phone.

Then stepped across the room, picked it up, and called him.

“Hey, little sis.” Ford’s tone sounded strained. “Umm…I guess you talked to Oriana?”

“Yes.” She softened her tone, going for the good sister vibe that came so naturally to their elder sister. “I’m not really upset you didn’t read the article, you know. You have a lot going on. Did Akira seal the deal on her new rink?”

“She did. And she’s so excited. The place needs a lot of renovations, but she should be able to start her figure skating school within the next year. And making the rink available for free skate will bring in some money from the city, so she’ll be able to manage the property taxes.” He inhaled roughly. “Not sure how she does it, but once she sets her mind to something…damn.”

“Not even the least bit surprised. You’ve got yourself an amazing woman.” So far so good. At least it didn’t sound like he’d be giving her bad news. And Akira was okay. “How’s Cort?”

“Doing a lot of custom work. He’s expanding his shop. Bringing in enough so he’s not stressing about mortgage payments and bills.” Ford’s tone changed, hardening a bit. “They’re both doing awesome. If not for me being a stupid fuck, life would be perfect.”

Here we go.

Maybe it was bad news.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah… How about I come over this weekend? Tell you after—”

“Or you could tell me now. Do I need to go over there? I’ll bring Dean’s whip.”

Ford burst out laughing. “That is a disturbing image. You do know I love being whipped, right?”

“Why did you have to make it weird?”

“You started it.”

Silver snickered, tipping her head back as she leaned against the counter. “Oh my god, how does Oriana put up with either of us? We’re, like, twelve.”

Ford laughed and she could picture him nodding. “I guess we’re making up for lost time.”

Her throat tightened at that. She’d hated Ford so much when she’d met him, but over time what she’d learned showed her he was just as fucked up as she was. And no less deserving of love. Growing up in a toxic home had done more damage to her than she’d ever realized. At least she’d had Oriana. Ford had his mother, but from what she knew, he’d spent more time taking care of her, protecting the woman from the darkest parts of the world the Kingsley family was tainted with than she’d ever spent shielding him.

They were making up for lost time. She couldn’t erase what Ford had been through, but she could be here for him now.

She just had to figure out how to make him believe she was.

“Look, you don’t have to tell me anything. And you’re more than welcome to come over any time.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not the best sister. I call you names and throw things at you and we argue about everything. But when it comes down to the serious shit, I’ve got your back.”

“I know that, Silver. And I hope you know…same here.” He sighed. “I was at your father’s—”

“Our.”

“Yeah… Our father’s place for a bit after you left. We talked about the team and…” His voice trailed off and he went quiet for so long, Silver was tempted to ask if he was still there. He cleared his throat abruptly. “There’s…there’s no good way to say this. You’re gonna think I’m a deadbeat and I guess that won’t change if your men are around. Having them disgusted with me too ain’t gonna improve the situation.”

“Jesus, Ford. What did you do?” She chewed on her bottom lip. Maybe that reaction wasn’t the best way to show support. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Do you want me to call Asher?”

A sharp laugh. Then Ford groaned. “I don’t think he can help with this.”

“So you’re not in legal trouble?”

“No.” Ford’s voice was muffled. “I’m a dad.”

Her brow furrowed. She crossed the kitchen, pulling a chair away from the round kitchen table, and dropping into it, trying to sort through her thoughts. Fine, Ford had mentioned not being ready to have kids, but if the woman he loved was pregnant, would he really treat it like a mistake he’d made?

“Does Akira not want to keep the baby?”

“Akira’s not pregnant.”

Oh fuck. She rubbed a hand over her face. “I’m trying to be supportive here, but if you cheated on her—”

“I didn’t! Fuck, why is that the first thing everyone asks? The kid’s ten. I’m suddenly the father of a ten-year-old and I’m fucking terrified. But I should have known. He’s been through some shit and I wasn’t there for him.” Ford’s voice tightened. “Maybe it’s better I wasn’t there though. Maybe I would have made things worse.”

She tightened her grip on her phone seconds before dropping it. Stared at it for a moment. Her mouth went dry and she scrambled to find the right words. To comfort him like Oriana would.

Or had.

She probably had.

Right away.

Say something!

“Umm…” The few facts he’d laid out hit her and she frowned. “Wait, he’s ten? Dude, you were only sixteen when he was born. How old is the mom?”

“She’s dead.”

“Okay… How old was she at the time? If she was young too she probably did her best, and maybe she didn’t know how to reach you, but—”

“She was in her late twenties. And she knew. I don’t know why she didn’t tell me. Does that matter now?”

Almost thirty and fucking a sixteen-year-old? Sick bitch. All right, probably not the right thing to say. But no way would Silver let her brother take the blame for not being in the kid’s life. “It does matter. You weren’t given the choice to be there. But you have it now. And you’re not alone. What did Cort and Akira say?”

“Akira’s at the movies with Justina and Sahara. She doesn’t know yet…” He made a rough sound, almost pained. “She’s got so much going on, she doesn’t need me dumping this on her. She’s made it clear she’s not ready for kids.”

“You didn’t plan this.”

“So? It’s my problem. Not hers.”

“Maybe stop calling your son your ‘problem’.” She snapped her mouth shut, but damn it, she didn’t know how to comfort him like their big sister must have. And he was starting to piss her off. “Give the woman a chance to react before you assume the worst. Life is fucked up. It throws shit at you that you’re not ready for, but you gotta get ready for this real quick. Whatever Akira, or Cort, decide, that little boy needs you.”

“And I’m here for him. I will be… as soon as I figure out how.”

“Good. Then figure that out. Where is he staying?”

“With our father.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, that’s gotta end, like, yesterday.”

“I’m working on it. Jaxon—my son—has his aunt and uncle with him. They won’t let him come home with me until I can prove myself. Since our father brought them up here and is paying for everything, they think he’s fucking awesome. I’m just the guy that knocked-up their sister.”

“You’re his father. They don’t get to decide that.”

“They kinda do. They’re the only family he knows.”

“Yeah, well I think you need to talk to a lawyer. Asher probably knows a good family one.”

“No.” Ford’s sharp tone startled her. He went quiet, then continued, calm this time. “I don’t want to drag Jaxon through court and all kinds of shit. I’ll visit him, let him get to know me. And in the meantime, do what I can to stabilize the team so I can afford to take care of a kid because I hear they’re expensive.”

“Sooo expensive. Amia grew out of everything and now won’t wear anything pink. She cries when I try to put anything pink on her! Gives Landon this pitiful look until he pulls out something purple or blue. My kid hates pink! How did that happen?”

Ford chuckled, sounding more relaxed. “I don’t know, maybe you had the poor thing drowning in it for the first year of her life?”

“Because it’s the perfect color!”

“She clearly does not agree.”

“Clearly.” She smiled, not all that upset that her daughter was developing her own sense of style. The kid loved shopping and got excited about trying on new hats and dresses. Landon and Dean actually enjoyed trips to the mall now. Their precious baby girl made everything seem exciting and new. “Listen, you’ve got a lot to work through, but just think about it. Before long you’ll be filling your son’s life with all the things he’s missed out on. You’ll figure it out, Ford. I have faith in you.”

Silence. Then a rough inhale. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. From you. Seriously, Silver…it means a lot.”

“You feel any better?”

“Yeah. Just gotta figure out what to do with the team so I can give him all that. I…” He paused. “I haven’t told anyone else, but between me and you, our father asked me to delay Keane selling the team. Give him a reason to stick around a little longer.”

“By any means necessary?”

“Why do you think he asked me?”

Silver ground her teeth. “He’s going to want to pull in his own investors, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Well fuck that.” She lowered her voice, hearing soft footsteps above. Dean and Landon would be pissed if they heard her getting involved in something like this, but if she told them, they’d want to handle this the ‘right way’.

Which wouldn’t save the team.

She was a Delgado. So was Ford. They knew how to get dirty when they had to. How exactly was Ford going to delay Keane? She didn’t want to know. She had to trust him not to go too far.

And help the only way she knew how. “Let me make some calls. Life in Hollywood was crazy, but I do have some good contacts. No better time to use them, right?”

“Are we talking insanely rich contacts?”

“We are. And I won’t ask for details if you don’t.”

“Probably better that way. Spread out the blame.”

“If we’re careful, no one ever needs to know. So no blame. Just our team fighting their way to the top, our family name one we can be proud of again, and everything we’ve built still here for a long, long time.”

A slow exhale, then Ford laughed. “Damn. You get it. I wasn’t sure anyone would. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, go prepare to tell Akira all about your boy, and not like he’s a bad thing you did. She’ll surprise you.” Silver leaned back in the chair, lifting her feet up to the one across from her. “And I still want you guys to come over this weekend. Bring Jaxon. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“I will. Give Amia a kiss for me.”

After hanging up, Silver pulled up her list of contacts, scrolling through them until she found the name she was looking for. Donnell Priest. A man she hadn’t spoken to in almost four years.

She wasn’t surprised when the call went straight to voicemail. He was a busy man.

But she didn’t doubt he’d call her back.

“You asked me once if I’d ever consider getting back in the business. Well…I have an offer for you. One that will work for us both.”