“Good morning, Easton,” Luis greeted as he opened the front door to my father’s house. “I believe Miss Jewel is in the library with her mother before they start the picnic in the backyard.”

Smiling, I nodded. “Thanks, Luis.” I leaned in. “Is Amit around?”

Luis smirked and nodded. “He’s in his study.”

I rolled my eyes, patted his shoulder and made my way down to the library. Jewel loved to read and to have someone read to her. It didn’t surprise me they were in the library, but what did was the male voice behind the closed door.

“He’ll arrive when he does, Jewel. Now be quiet so I can work,” Amit bit out, his tone frustrated.

Either Jewel ignored it or just didn’t understand the difference. “Mummy said we were going to have a picnic. Do you want to come with us, Daddy?”

“No,” he snarled. “Now shut up before I shut you up.”

I swung the door open, strode in and picked up Jewel, whose bottom lip was trembling, and said, “I see nothing has changed with you.”

He stood from the chair, his teeth grinding together. “Easton, you didn’t hear—”

“I heard enough. She’s five years old. Five.”

He threw out an arm. “I have a headache, and she wouldn’t stop questioning me.”

Jewel whimpered. I drew her into my chest more and rubbed her back. Glaring at what was supposed to be our father, I shook my head and walked out of the library.

“Son,” he called. “Easton, do not tell Darlene about this.”

He was such a dick.

Jewel was usually accompanied by Darlene, or if she were busy preparing a meal, because she loved to cook, Henrietta, Jewel’s nanny or sometimes even Luis was with her. Darlene must have thought she could trust her own fiancée and the father to her daughter with Jewel. She couldn’t. He would always be curt and find a child’s company nothing but a nuisance.

Should I inform Darlene about it?

Would she listen?

When we spent time together, she hardly spoke of the man, but that could be because she could see how tense it was between us. After all, I hadn’t been in his life for so many years.

“You okay, bubblegum?” I asked Jewel. Like usual, she let out a little giggle over the nickname I’d given her because she always smelled like bubblegum. Only that time it wasn’t her normal happy one. “You know what I know about Amit?”

She shook her head, but before I could say anything she asked, “Why do you call him his name and not Daddy?”

I opened my mouth to answer and then snapped it closed trying to think of the best way to answer. “He is my father, but I don’t know him too well, that’s probably why. It might change when we get to know each other more.” Never.

She looked up at me, and asked, “Will you call me Jewel when you know me more?”

I laughed. “Nope. Since I already know you and adore you, you’ll always be my bubblegum.”

She smiled. The darkness that had been there vanished. “I ’dore you too, East,” she said as we entered the kitchen.

“Aw, that’s the sweetest thing,” Darlene cooed from behind the counter as she placed things in the basket in front of her. “You know she’s going to miss you when you leave.”

I placed Jewel back on her feet with a kiss to her forehead.

“Come, Miss Jewel. I have bubbles for us to blow,” Henrietta called from the glass doors that led out onto the back patio.

Jewel glanced up at me. “Come with, East?”

“Soon, I’ll just help your mum finish packing our lunch.”

“'Kay.” She grinned and took off.

“She talks about you all the time. Maybe if you and the gentleman Amit is setting you up with on Saturday night work out, things will be different.”

Thankfully I was already near the counter. I gripped it as shock tore through me. “Sorry?” I whispered.

She smiled over at me, saw something in my expression and her smile vanished. “Amit told you, didn’t he?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please tell me.”

She pulled her lips between her teeth and searched my face. “I’m not sure. Amit may have wanted it as a surprise.”

I needed to know what Amit was playing at. “Darlene, I need to be honest with you.”

“Okay,” she said hesitantly.

“Have you noticed Amit and I hardly speak to each other?” When she nodded, I went on, “He may have had a hand in making me, but he will never be my father. I have my reasons for it and don’t want to say them because I don’t want to sway your feelings for him in any way. However, what I will warn you is that you should never leave Jewel alone with him.” Her eyes widened. I rushed on, “He’s not violent. He would never hit a child, but he doesn’t have the patience for them, and it can sometimes show in harsh words. Now, knowing enough, I need you to understand I would rather not have anything Amit considers as a surprise for me.”

A stab of guilt flowed through me for warning her about the relationship between her own fiancé and their daughter.

She swallowed, and it looked like it hurt. “Okay.” Her clear acceptance told me Darlene had already witnessed something between Amit and Jewel. She took a deep breath. “Your father has someone coming to the party Saturday night for you.”

“What do you mean for me?”

“Well, you see, he’s hoping you and this gentleman will hit it off, and maybe he could be a reason to have you come back here to live one day.”

I stared and then laughed my arse off. I slapped the counter and snorted. Wiping my eyes, I shook my head, smiling at Darlene. “That’s rich, especially when he disowned me for being gay in the first place. Now here he is setting me up with someone in the hopes I’ll hit it off with them.”

“H-he disowned you?” Darlene’s voice shook. She may have been thirty-two years old, but she was sheltered and had no doubt been brought up in a loving household.

I waved my hand in front of me. “Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past. What I can’t understand is how he thinks one look at a guy he picked would have me wanting to come back and stay in Queensland.” He was up to something else. There had to be another reason for it because he didn’t do anything without gaining something in return. “Anyway,” I chirped. “Let’s forget about it for now and enjoy the sun. I’m starving.”

“Easton—”

I took her hand in mine. “I’m happy to be here. Happy I’ve had the chance to know you and Jewel. That’s all that matters. He has one thing right. I will come back, but it won’t be for anything he sets up. It’ll be to see you and bubblegum.”

She smiled softly. “Okay, and I know both Jewel and I would love to have you come back anytime you want.”

“Good.” I winked, picked up the basket, and started for the doors. I guessed Saturday night I’d learn what was behind Amit’s sudden change of heart by accepting me being gay and trying to set me up with someone.

I walked out chuckling to myself.

“He fuckin’ wants to do what?” Lan roared through the phone. I flopped back to lie on the bed. I could even hear the heavy footsteps he took as he either started to pace or headed to another room.

“Where are you?”

“At the compound,” he told me. He must be headed to another room for privacy.

“What are you doing there?” I asked.

“I went out with a couple of brothers on some leads we had with Miller. Didn’t work out, so we’re back here for a while.”

“Should you even be out of the house? You’re still healing.”

“I’m good, East.”

“Lan, you were shot and beat.”

“I’m wearing the brace on my arm, so it restricts the movement on my shoulder. Promise, I’m good. Like you worrying though.”

“Aw,” I heard drawn out in the background.

I flew to sit on the edge of the bed.

He hadn’t sought privacy.

He talked to me in front of people.

In front of bikers.

Warmth spread from my chest and out, all over my body.

“Fuck off,” Lan clipped. There was laughter. Then he said into the phone, “Before these dickheads give me too much shit, tell me again why your fuckin’ father is trying to set you up with someone.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know.”

“He disowned you because you’re gay,” he stated, as if I didn’t already know.

Rolling my eyes, I said, “I know.”

“He’s planning something. Some way to hold you to him still.”

“I’m thinking that too, but I don’t have a clue what. He should know none of it will matter. I’ve enjoyed my time with Darlene and Jewel, but come Sunday, he’s giving me my mother’s things and I’m leaving.”

“I don’t trust him,” he said. Things quietened on the other end. Obviously people were listening now.

“I don’t either, but nothing he can say or do will have me not coming back to Melbourne. Besides, I start back at work next Tuesday.”

“Will you let me do some diggin’ on your father?”

“How?”

“Gamer has a few skills with a computer. I’ll see if he can find anything.”

It would probably be for the best, might give me a chance to figure out Amit before Saturday night.

“Okay.”

“I think I’ll get a flight tom—”

“Lan.” I laughed. “There’s nothing to come here for. He’s harmless in the end.”

“You do not get set up with anyone.”

I smiled. “Now who’s the one worrying. Unless the guy is Hugh Jackman, I won’t be fawning all over him. I’ll tell him politely that I’m involved with someone, apologise for Amit being an idiot, and leave it at that.”

“So you are involved with someone.”

My pulse raced. “Yes,” I whispered.

Silence for a few beats and then, “Wait, with me right?”

Laughing, I shook my head. “Yes, Lan. I don’t masturbate over the phone with just a random person.”

“Good, from this day and forever, I’ll be the only one you do it with.”

“You can’t promise forever.”

“I can.” He sounded so certain. “I still think I should get a flight.”

Grinning, I said, “No, Lan. I’m a big boy. I can take care of Amit Ravel.”