Engaging (Alluring Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter Four

"And then do you know what happened?"

Cassie looked in the rear-view mirror at her son and smiled.  "What?" 

They were in the car driving home from his preschool.  Doug would be picking her up in a few hours, and she needed to get Logan bathed and fed before she got herself ready.

"Katie told the teacher, and she gived him a timeout."

"It's gave, little man."

"Uh?"

"She gave him a timeout."

"Mamma!"

"Logan!"

They both giggled.

Cassie pulled up to the ranch house, got out of the SUV, and walked around to the passenger rear door.  Logan had already unbuckled himself and jumped out before Cassie had the door fully opened.  "Whoa, what's the rush?"

"I gotta go potty."

Cassie chuckled as she watched her son scamper to the front door.  Her laughter died when she saw Gage standing on the front porch.  She looked around and belatedly noticed his Escalade parked at the side of the house.  Her aunt's car was nowhere in sight.  Cassie looked back at the house.  Logan had stopped and was staring up at Gage, saying something that she couldn't hear. 

She rushed to the porch, put her hand on her son's head, opened the front door, and directed him through.  "Go potty, little man, and don't forget to wash your hands."  She watched Logan hurry to the bathroom.

She turned.  Gage stared in disbelief at the open front door.  "What the fuck?"  He said, barely above a whisper.

"Gage, I can explain," Cassie said, quickly.

"Explain!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, Logan will hear."

"Logan?"  He said in a harsh tone.

Cassie looked down at the ground.

"Look at me."

She instantly brought her head back up.

Logan came back into view.  "Momma, I'm hungry."

"Okay, little man, I'll be right in.  Why don't you go color a picture while you're waiting."

Logan looked up at Gage.  "Who are you?"

Gage squatted so he was at Logan's eye level.  "My name's Gage.  What's yours?"

"Logan Alexander Wagner."  Logan said that mouthful proudly.

Cassie watched Gage's smile slip a little.  "Well, it's nice to meet you, Logan."  Gage held out his hand, and Logan's tiny one was engulfed by Gage's as they gave a mini manly handshake.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go in and color and let mommy talk with Gage for a minute, okay."

"Okay, Momma."  Logan went back into the house, and she was again alone with Gage.

"What the fuck?"  He said, once again, running his hand through his hair.  "That's my son," he accused, loudly, pointing a finger at the door.

"Shh, Logan will hear you," Cassie said, in as calm a voice as she could muster at the moment.

"I don't give a fuck." 

She could tell he was angry, but now, she started to get angry as well.  "Well, I do."

"You had no right to keep that from me."

Cassie straightened her spine.  She knew that was true, but she had her reasons.  "You might be the sperm donor, but you're not his father."

"Because I never knew of his existence," Gage growled.

He was right, again, damn him.  "You didn't want me.  How was I to know if you would want a child?  I wasn't going to trap you, Gage.  What would you have done if you'd known?  Drop everything and rush right back here?"

"Well, seeing as I wasn't given that option, we'll never know, now will we?"  He was beyond angry.  She could tell he tried to keep his voice low but had trouble succeeding. 

She needed to be the voice of reason.  "You're right, I should have told you, but when I found out you had just left, and you never called, and I was so scared.  I didn't know what to do.  I didn't know what I was going to do.  My parents wanted me to get an abortion, but I knew I could never do that.  My Aunt Laurie took me in when I quit school.  I was so sick the first few months that I ended up dropping out, and without my parents help, I couldn't afford it anyway." 

She finally looked back at Gage.  After her word vomit, he didn't look quite as angry.  "I'm so sorry.  I was just a kid that didn't know what to do."

* * * * *

Gage stepped away from Cassie and walked the length of the porch.  He reached its end and placed his hands on the railing, slightly leaning forward, head bowed deep in thought.  He had a son.  A son he hadn't known about.  A son Cassie had kept hidden from him. 

Disbelief had been his initial reaction and then anger.  Anger that she could have kept something so important from him.  But then, what she had said started to sink in.  He thought about it from her point of view.  She had been abandoned, alone, and afraid, and he didn't blame her for not reaching out.  For two months, he didn't reach out either.  And by the time he tried, he had been too late.

They had both been wrong.  They had both made poor choices, but he was here now, and he planned on fixing the mistakes of the past.

He walked back to her, took her face in his hands, and tilted it so she looked right at him.  "You're not going on that date tonight."

She wrenched her face out of his hands and took a step back.  "This doesn't change anything between us."

"The hell it doesn't.  We're getting married."

* * * * *

Cassie stood silent for a full count of three, opening and closing her mouth before she was able to release a shouted, "What?"

"Shh, Logan will hear," Gage said, with a grin.

"Are you insane?"  She whisper-shouted.

His face grew serious.  "What's insane is that you kept my son from me for five years."

"Four."

"What?"

"He turns four next week."

"When's his birthday?"

"May 29th."

Gage gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before saying, "We're getting married, then we're changing Logan's birth certificate to Logan Alexander Hunter."

Is that what all this marriage business was about, changing Logan's last name?  Cassie felt her body sag in relief.  "Gage, if you want to change Logan's name legally, I won't stop you.  We don't have to get married."

Gage went to her and captured her around the waist drawing her body close.  "Oh, but we do.  I've already told you, you were mine.  This just gives me leverage."

Cassie shook her head.  "I don't understand.  Why do you want me all of a sudden?"

"All of a sudden?  I've wanted you for five years."

Cassie pushed at Gage's chest wanting to be released.  "This is all too much.  I need time to think."

Gage wasn't letting go.  "I'll give you time to think.  And while you do, you think about this."  His lips descended on hers before she had time to turn her head away.  This kiss was nothing like the last one.  This one was hard and demanding.  His tongue invaded her mouth, swooping in and taking charge.  Cassie had forgotten how wonderful a kiss could be.  The powerful thrust of his tongue caressing against hers caused her nipples to harden and wetness to form between her legs.  God it had been so long.

She moaned into his mouth and that was all the encouragement he needed to take it to the next level.  He backed her up until she was flush against the wall of the house.  One of his hands tangled in her hair at her nape, tilting her head giving him better access while his other hand explored up her ribcage.

Cassie gripped his shoulders, so lost in sensation, she didn't know what to do other than hang on for dear life.  His roaming hand had reached her breast, his thumb swiped her nipple, once, twice before he pinched it between his fingers, giving it a little twist, causing her to moan once again. 

A loud throat clearing interrupted them.  Cassie knew it was her aunt.  Although, she couldn't see around Gage's body.  "I suppose introductions might be in order."

Gage dropped his hand back down to her waist and leaned his forehead against hers.  His breathing was as labored as her own and if the bulge she felt against her stomach was any indication, he was just as aroused.

"I'll just give you two a minute.  I'll be inside waiting."  She heard her aunt close the front door, and she took a deep breath to get her bearings.

Gage recovered his speech first.  "And that's why we need to get married."  His lips made a trail from her cheek to the back of her ear.

Cassie gave her head a slight shake.  "That's just sex.  You're a devastatingly handsome guy with a wicked tongue that you know how to use.  It's been a long time, and my body responded but that has nothing to do with my heart."

"How long?"  She heard him ask, whispering close to her ear.

Cassie sighed but didn't speak.

"How long?"  He asked again, nipping her lobe.

"Five years."

Gage whipped his head up.  "What?"

"You heard me.  Don't make me repeat it.  It was embarrassing enough the first time."

He gave her a cocky grin.  "You haven't slept with anyone since me?"

"Yeah well, being pregnant, then having a baby, then having a toddler doesn't lead to a very active social life."

"You have a date tonight."  He disputed.

Cassie looked down at the ground and mumbled her response.

"What?  I didn't hear you."  He lifted her chin with a finger forcing her to look at him. 

"I said, this will be my first date since you."

"Ah, Sunshine, you don't know how happy that makes me."

"I can die happy," she said, sarcastically.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to bathe and feed Logan so I can get ready for my date."  She walked into the house.

"I told you, you're not going," he said, following her in.

Cassie turned to face him.  "And I told you," she said, emphasizing her point by poking him in the chest with her finger, "Doug is a nice guy, and I'm not going to stand him up." 

She watched Gage's jaw harden, but before he could speak, Laurie stepped out of the kitchen.  "Children, let's stop the bickering.  Cassie, why don't you introduce me to your friend."

Cassie gave her aunt a
whose side are you on
face, but before she could say anything, Gage held out his hand.  "Gage Hunter, Cassie's fianc
é
and Logan's father.  Nice to meet you."

Laurie tipped her head back and laughed.  "Oh, I like him," She said, wiping the moisture from her eyes.

"Oh my God, this is not happening," Cassie spoke to the ceiling.

Laurie took Gage's hand.  "Then I guess you better call me Aunt Laurie."

Cassie threw up her hands.  "I'm going to go feed Logan."

"He's already eating, dear," her aunt said, with a smile.

"Then I guess I'll go sit with him.  I'm sure he's better company."  Cassie gave them a glare before leaving the room.

Cassie was in her bedroom, putting the finishing touches on her make-up.  Gage was still there, sitting in the living room, chatting with her aunt.  She couldn't get rid of him.  After Logan had finished eating, Gage sat with her while she gave him a bath and put him to bed.  He even stayed in Logan's room and sang to him while she got ready for her date. 

Cassie didn't know what to do about Gage.  She couldn't restrict him access to his son's life.  So far, Logan had taken everything in stride, but she knew the questions would start, and she wasn't quite sure how she would tell him that Gage was his father.  From going to school, Logan was aware of what a father was, he'd just never asked her about his. 

Cassie spritz some perfume, slipped on a pair of high-heeled sandals, then made her way to Logan's room.  She poked her head in and saw he was sound asleep, curled on his side, clutching Mr. Bear.

"You look lovely, honey," Laurie said, when she walked into the living room.

Cassie looked down at herself.  She wore a long-sleeved, black, jersey-knit dress that hugged all her curves and displayed quite a bit of cleavage.  She had bought the dress on a whim about a year ago and sadly this was her first opportunity to wear it.

She glanced over at Gage.  He didn't look too happy if the clenched jaw and tight fists were any indications.

Oblivious, Laurie asked Gage, "Doesn't she look lovely?"

"Beautiful," he mumbled, his eyes devouring her.

The doorbell rang, and Cassie jumped.  God, she was nervous.

"I'll get it."  Laurie stood and made her way to the door to answer it.  Cassie heard her say, "You must be Doug.  Come on in.  Cassie is in the living room."

Cassie plastered on a smile that she hoped didn't appear fake.  Out of the corner of her eye saw Gage stand, and she nervously chewed her lip.  This had bad idea written all over it.

Doug walked into the room.  His eyes were immediately drawn to her, and he gave her a smile.  His eyes flicked over to Gage, he gave him a slight frown, then his eyes settled back on her.  "You look beautiful."  He took her hands, leaned forward, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.