The full bottle of whiskey taunted Gavin from the coffee table, the oblivion it offered a dirty temptation. It sat untouched. What was the point?

She’d still be gone.

One thing was for sure, he couldn’t raise Aiden without her. What did he know about raising a kid? She’d been the heart of him, and without her, he had nothing to give. He wasn’t even sure he had the right wiring for love and affection.

No, Aiden didn’t need him around to screw up his life too. He’d never forgive himself if that happened. No. It was best to let Kristy raise him.

Only thing to do now was to set them up with a nanny and a nice house where she and Aiden could live.

Pain oozed from every pore, and the cavern in his chest ripped wider. He hugged his guitar to his chest. He hadn’t played a note, but he didn’t want to be alone, and he needed the comfort Patsy provided.

The elevator indicated a visitor, and Jack strolled in. “Geez, turn on some damn lights.”

“Turn ’em on yourself if it bothers you,” he mumbled.

“Are you drunk?”

“No. I just like sitting in the dark.”

Jack flipped on lights. “You look like shit.”

He placed the guitar back in the case. “Yeah, well I feel like shit.”

“Where’s your wife?”

“Gone.”

“Gone?”

“She took off. She ran out on me.”

Jack took the chair opposite him. “Whoa. Slow down and start from the beginning.”

Gavin ran his hands down his face. “She left me, man.”

“Why? Did you two get into a fight?”

“No. She left to protect Aiden and me.”

“From what? Sunday school overload?” Jack unbuttoned his jacket and reclined into the chair.

“Turns out I’ve made her into someone who could hurt us, or some shit like that.” He picked up the bottle of whiskey and examined the label. It wasn’t too late to get hammered. Bile filled his throat. The thought of mixing alcohol with his misery made him nauseous. He tossed the closed bottle onto the cushion beside him.

Jack pressed his fingers into his closed eyes. “You’re going to have to give me a minute to catch up.”

“Once you’ve caught up, we need to talk about the divorce and setting Aiden and his aunt up with a house, and college funds for both. And a nanny.”

“Aiden and his aunt? What are you saying?”

“I’m not going to fight Kristy for custody. I don’t know what I was thinking before. Honestly, the thought of me raising a kid is laughable. And to try to do it without Scarlett would be dangerous. What do I know about the care and welfare of a child? I don’t have a clue what to do.”

Jack sat forward in the chair. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yeah. It is.” It was the very last thing he wanted, but he hadn’t been lying to Jack. He didn’t know the first thing about raising a kid.

Jack rubbed his chin, then waved his hand in the air, as if to say what can you do? “We always knew the marriage had an expiration date, and since you rejected Storm Side’s offer, we don’t really need her anymore. Frankly, she’s turning out to be more trouble than she’s worth.” He loosened his tie, slipped it off and stuck it in his pocket. “But it’s too bad about the kid. We could’ve gotten a lot of miles out of him. ‘Gavin Bain the dad’ plays well, but hey, screw ’em both. Who needs ’em, right? They were both dead weight anyway.”

Fury hurtled Gavin from his seat, and he took Jack by the shoulders and pinned him to the chair. “Shut your mouth, you son of a bitch. That’s my family you’re talking about.”

“Really?” Jack gritted out. “Then why aren’t you fighting for them, you idiot.”

He released Jack like the man was on fire. “What?”

His friend sat up and straightened his jacket. “If they’re your family, then why are you throwing them away?”

“You heard the part where Scarlett left me, right?” Gavin’s legs wouldn’t hold him anymore, and he dropped down on the ottoman.

“Yes, but that doesn’t explain why you’re going to walk away from your son.”

“I… What if I can’t do it? What if I screw him up?” That was the real issue. A weight that had hung around his neck since the first time he read Johnny’s letter and knew he might have a kid in the world. The thought of turning Aiden from the happy, loving boy he was into something bitter and sad kept him awake at night.

Jack rested his arms on his thighs, his hands clasped. “Do you know why I decided to represent you?”

“No.”

“You’re loyal to a fault, and you have more heart in those golden hands of yours than most people in this business have in their whole bodies. You stood by Johnny for years—even when he relapsed and did stupid shit, you never gave up on him. I don’t care what you say, there’s no way you can walk away from your people like this. That’s not who you are, Gav. You’re a good man, and you’ll be a great dad. Now can you get your shit together before we have to hug or something?”

Gavin’s lips twitched. “Piss off.”

“Gladly.” Jack slapped his leg and sat back. “Seriously, you can raise this boy. I believe in you.”

“Thanks, man.” His people. Jack was right. Aiden, Scarlett, Kristy, Scarlett’s family, even his lawyer were his people. Strange how a man who’d lived most of his life alone could accumulate so many individuals he cared about in such a short period of time.

“Is the thing with Scarlett really over?”

Gavin exhaled and let his head fall to the back of the sofa. “I don’t know, man.”

Then the elevator dinged again, and Kristy stumbled in carrying a screaming Aiden.

He was up and at their side before they crossed the threshold. Aiden fell into his arms, burying his face in Gavin’s neck. Fear rattled his bones as he tried to check the boy for injuries. “What’s wrong?” He put his palm on Aiden’s forehead. “Is he sick?”

“No. He hasn’t stopped crying since you dropped him off, and he keeps asking for the boy. He got so upset when I tried to leave him at Maxine’s he threw up all over the place.” Now she was crying too. “I couldn’t leave him, so I called work to tell them, and they fired me. Just like that. What am I supposed to do now? I didn’t know where else to go.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she fell completely apart. A fierce protectiveness rushed through him. “Hey, I’ve got you. You’re not alone anymore.”

He ignored Jack, who was grinning like a fool.

He rocked his son and Kristy, and let the knowledge that none of them would ever be alone again cradle his heart.

* * *

It was late by the time Scarlett got back to Zachsville. Lucky for her, there were flights out of Las Vegas to Houston every hour. She maneuvered the rental car through the streets of her hometown until she came to a quaint yellow house on Austin Street.

She’d called Luanne as soon as she got to the airport and asked if she could stay at her house tonight. She couldn’t bear to go home yet.

The door to the house flew open the minute she knocked. Her best friend didn’t look like her normal pulled-together self, but then again, it was late.

“Get in here. You look like hell.”

“You don’t look much better.”

Luanne dismissed her comment with two words. “My father.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Please say yes.

“He says he wants to be more involved in my life.”

“Why do you look—”

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Case closed. When Luanne made up her mind about something, there was no changing it. It didn’t matter how normal or outrageous the decision, it was set in stone until she decided it wasn’t.

“Sit down, before you fall down. When’s the last time you ate?” Luanne moved a pile of papers off the sofa.

“I don’t know. Gavin and I split fries at lunch.” The words collided with the tears stuck in her throat.

“Why did you leave?”

“I’m in love with him.”

“Well, duh. I knew that the minute you didn’t call the cops on them at the farm.”

“I wasn’t—”

“You may not have known it then, but it was written all over your face.” She crossed her legs and nestled into the corner of the sofa.

Was Luanne right? Had she been in love with him from the beginning? Probably. Why else would she have agreed to marry him? “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Those tears and your red nose say different. I don’t understand why you left if you care this much about him?”

“Because I don’t only love him, I love Aiden as well. I won’t let a child grow up the way I did,” Scarlett said.

Luanne’s brow creased. “You lost me. Who’s Aiden?”

Scarlett yanked a tissue from the box on the side table and wiped her face. “He’s Gavin’s two-year-old son.”

“What?”

“Gavin has a son he just found out about, and his name is Aiden.” When she saw the baffled look on Luanne’s face, she said, “It’s a long story.”

“I don’t care. Spill.”

“Gavin was with a woman and she got pregnant. She tried to tell him, but Johnny got to her first and paid her to keep her quiet. He never told Gavin about the baby. Gavin only found out a few months ago, when he was going through some of Johnny’s things. He’s had a PI looking for them. He got a call last week that the boy and his aunt were living in Vegas.”

Luanne wrapped a throw around her legs. “Where’s the mom?”

“Gone.”

“Shit.”

“Yes. She left when Aiden was six weeks old. Aiden’s nineteen-year-old aunt has been raising him for the last two years.”

Luanne shook her head. “I think my brain exploded.”

“I know.” She hugged a pillow to her chest. “Jack arranged a DNA test at a private lab and Aiden is definitely Gavin’s son. You should see him, Lou. He’s adorable and so sweet. I love him, and that’s why I can’t be in his life.”

“I still don’t get it.” Luanne grabbed a forgotten glass of wine from the coffee table and threw it back.

“Over the last week, I’ve all but cussed out a room full of record execs, all but had sex in the wide open for anyone to see, nearly fought two women over Gavin, and took a reporter out. Now the Poppy thing is about to explode, not to mention the original Vegas event. I’m a walking embarrassment.”

“You’re not, Scarlett. That’s—”

Scarlett leapt from the sofa. “Yes. I am.” Her hands went to either side of her head. Her voice rising with every word. “Why doesn’t anybody get this? I won’t humiliate my husband and my child like…”

“Like your mother.”

“Yes.”

The silence squeezed in around them.

Luanne held her hand out to Scarlett. “Come sit down.”

It was either sit or collapse on the floor. She sat.

“Scarlett, look at me.”

She met her best friend’s eyes.

“I’m about to tell you some truths, and you’re not going to like them, but you need to listen.”

“There’s nothing—”

“Stop talking. Listen. Your mother was a selfish, manipulative, narcissist who didn’t care about anyone or anything but herself. The things she did to your father, to you, and to herself were cruel, dangerous, and eventually got her killed. You’re nothing like her. Nothing.”

She wiped the tears from her face. “I look like her, and have her mannerisms. Everyone says so.”

“So what? I look like my dad, but would you say I’m an unscrupulous asshole who shirks her responsibilities?”

“Of course not.”

“Are you sure? I’m as stubborn and as driven as him.”

“I don’t care. You’re not like Marcus Price at all. Just because you share his DNA, doesn’t mean you could ever be as horrible as he’s been. I don’t ever want to hear you compare yourself to him ever again. Do you hear me?”

Luanne’s perfect black eyebrow arched in challenge.

Scarlett couldn’t meet her eyes. “It’s different.”

“Oh, is it?”

“Yes.” She clutched her middle. “There’s this wild thing that lives inside me, Lou. It’s constantly trying to get out. And when I’m with Gavin, it runs stark ravin’ crazy.”

“Okay, so?”

“So, I can’t control it. I see him and I want to strip naked and beat the crap out of anyone who dares to look his way. I’m a menace.”

Luanne laughed. “You’re not a menace.”

“It’s not funny. It scares the crap out of me. And now Poppy. She’s going to release those pictures and you know I’ll never convince everyone that I wasn’t a call girl. I would never put Aiden through that. Once those photos hit the Internet, they’ll always be there. And, Gavin.” Tears choked her. “He was so hurt and angry. He told me to leave and that he didn’t want me around him and Aiden.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, it’s because he’s an idiot.”

“Because he knows I’m bad for him and Aiden.”

“Listen, I’ll admit Poppy is a loose cannon. But honestly, Scarlett, who cares? There weren’t any charges filed, and you were released within twelve hours. It was a misunderstanding. The only people who will give a damn are the people in this town, and don’t you think it’s time you stopped living your life for a bunch of people you don’t care about?”

“You don’t understand.”

Luanne shook her head. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really disappointed in you.”

The words speared through her heart. “Luanne.”

“No, really. I guess you are like your mother. She ran out on the people who loved her, crushed the ones who loved her, threw her family away because she was a weak, selfish woman. I never thought you’d do the same thing, but you are.” She rose to grab something from her briefcase. The slap of the large envelope on the coffee table rang through the silence. “This is everything you need to bury Poppy. What you choose to do with it is up to you. But you don’t need it to get your life back. You only need to stop being such a coward and stand up for yourself and the people who love you. And stop being so damn selfish.”

“Luanne, I—”

“I’m going to bed. I won’t be here in the morning. I have a meeting.”

Scarlett stared at her friend as she left the room. A huge stone sat on her chest. Was she throwing her family away?

No. She was protecting them.

Wasn’t she?