The Bluff (Calamity Montana)

“TOWELS ARE UNDER THE SINK. I put a spare toothbrush on the counter.”

Everly gave me a sleepy smile as she hugged a pillow. “Mm-hmm.”

“Take your time.”

Her eyes drifted shut. “Care if I sleep a little longer? Someone kept me up all night.”

“No rush.” I left the bedroom, closing the door behind me before jogging downstairs. Then I went straight for the coffee pot.

Today, I was supposed to be helping Katie rearrange the showroom. Though I doubted I’d be much help come noon. I was wiped.

Everly had drained all my energy. Not that I’d complain.

Yesterday, when Katie had told me there was an Everly Christian to see me at the gallery, I’d panicked. I’d assumed Everly had come to ask me on a date or some shit. Because no matter what women said, they saw me as a challenge: the guy who didn’t want a relationship. When they realized I was a lost cause, feelings got hurt. That was why I’d stopped hooking up with women in Calamity.

That was also why I’d decided to end it with Everly. To just . . . be done. She was simply too tempting, and I needed to focus on Savannah.

Yeah, the sex was otherworldly, but what happened if she caught feelings? What happened if she ran to Lucy, who then told Duke and rumors spread that I’d fucked and dumped his wife’s best friend? That kind of thing could blow my chances with a judge.

Duke was a good guy and all, but Lucy and Everly were tight. It was too much of a risk.

It was time to call it quits.

Then she’d walked into the gallery, not for me, but for my daughter. And damn if that hadn’t shattered my plans.

So I’d kissed her.

After that kiss, she’d given me a wink and walked out of my office. She’d left me standing there, my cock throbbing behind my zipper.

If her play had been to get me to chase her, it had worked. I’d slipped out the alley door and looped around the block, spotting Everly as she’d been about to cross the street for her apartment.

I’d whistled.

She’d stopped.

I’d jerked my chin for her to follow.

The afternoon, evening and midnight hours had been spent worshiping her body in my bed.

I yawned. Damn, that woman had stamina. She met me beat for beat when we were in bed, always fighting to take the pleasure to the next level.

Like last night, I’d been ready to call it quits, pass out and sleep for a few hours. But she’d given me just enough time to recover after making us both come, then trailed those long fingers up my thigh, letting them wander and trace the skin on my stomach, memorizing the peaks and valleys.

Five minutes of that delicious cruelty and I’d been hard again, so I’d flipped her over and taken her from behind, with one hand on her hip to hold her in place and the other stroking up and down her spine, memorizing my own path.

By the time I was finished, I’d been too tired to drive her home.

Truthfully, it didn’t really matter which bed she slept in. Everly might be the only woman in the world who understood the stakes of casual, and thank fuck I’d found her before someone else.

I brewed myself a cup of coffee, guzzling it the second it cooled off from scalding. Then I made another cup, drinking it from a stool at the kitchen island, while I called my daughter. School would be starting soon, so there was no risk she’d be home and around April.

“Hey.” Chatting teenagers and slamming lockers rang in the background.

“Hey, baby girl. How’s it going?”

“I’m okay.” Her voice was monotone. Flat. There was no smile in her words.

“You don’t sound okay.”

“Probably because I have a quiz in chemistry this morning and I’m going to flunk it.”

“Why do you think you’ll flunk it?”

Another locker slammed, this one so close to the phone I could hear the metal rattle. “I hate chemistry.”

I chuckled. “But is it worse than government?”

“No.” She giggled. It was barely there, but it was enough to put some fears at ease.

“How are you really? The truth.”

She sighed. “Mom found out you met me at the theater.”

“What?” My heart dropped. “How?” We’d been careful. Very careful.

“One of her bitchy friends was there and saw you when she went to the bathroom.”

Well, fuck. “Shit.”

Why hadn’t April called me? This was normally something she’d take out on me, not Savannah. Maybe she was just hoarding this bit of information to use against me later. Maybe she knew Aiden and I were done negotiating and the next step was court.

“What else did she say?” I asked.

“She said that no matter how much I want to live with you it’s never happening. Then Julian got all pissed off because I called him Julian instead of Dad and they told me I was grounded for a month.”

My free hand balled into a fist on the counter. I fucking hated them.

Julian had been Savannah’s father figure from day one. Not because he’d earned it. Because he’d stolen it from me.

Julian had been there the day she was born. He’d been the one to bring her home from the hospital. He’d been the one to feed her bottles and rock her to sleep. He’d been there to watch her take her first steps.

Savannah’s last name wasn’t even Huxley. It was Tosh. That son of a bitch Julian had given her his last name when that had been mine to hand down.

She’d called him Dad until she was thirteen, both from habit and his requirement.

Until she’d decided differently.

I’d never forget the day Savannah had walked into the gallery alone. She’d been downtown with some friends shopping and had ditched them. Luckily, I’d been at the gallery that day. Katie had taken a rare vacation, so I’d been stuck at the desk.

Thank God for it. When Savannah had stepped inside, I’d been petrified. Scared that I’d get thrown back in prison because my kid had come to see me.

But the fear had vanished the moment I’d noticed the look on her face. Empty. Lonely. Lost.

I’d immortalized that look in a painting. Then I’d hung the portrait on the gallery wall to remind myself that the reason she was alone was because I’d fucked up. I’d let her down before she was even born.

Maybe I was still letting her down. Maybe I should have fought harder to get her away from April and Julian. But a man can only have his heart broken so many times before he finally admits defeat.

That was the first day she’d snuck away to see me but it hadn’t been the last.

From that day forward, I’d been Dad. So fuck you, Julian. Somehow, I’d find a way for her to be a Huxley.

“I’m sorry, Savannah,” I said, unsure of what else to say. I didn’t want to tell her I was going to petition the court again. I didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“He’s a dick.”

I laughed. “You’re not wrong.”

“And Mom’s a bitch.”

I grunted my agreement.

“But they can’t keep me in that house.” The defiance in her voice rang loud and clear. I could practically see her jutting out her chin.

“Don’t get into trouble.”

She scoffed. “Maybe if I piss them off enough, they’ll let me go.”

Doubtful. She’d been trying that move for years. Savannah would push and push the limits, both at home and with the law. In her sixteen-year-old logic, if she got into enough trouble, either the legal system would yank her out of that house or April and Julian would finally give her the boot.

It wasn’t working and I didn’t like the risks she was taking. And I really didn’t like the dare in her voice. Like the trouble she’d already caused was only the tip of the iceberg.

“Just . . . hang tight. Please, don’t do anything stupid.” Don’t be like me.

A bell rang in the background and the chatter intensified. “I have to get to class.”

“Savannah—”

“Bye, Dad.”

The line went silent.

Fuck.

She was getting desperate. Nothing good would come of her acting out. Which meant it was time to pull the trigger. I pulled up another name on my phone, pressing it to my ear.

“Hux,” Aiden answered.

“Hey. Just wanted to check in. See if we couldn’t move things up.” We’d planned to file the petition in two weeks. That was a month since we’d tried to negotiate with April the last time. That month would show the judge we’d given her plenty of time to consider the last proposal.

“Why? Did something happen?”

“Yes. No. Just more of the same shit.”

“Are you at home? I’m actually in Calamity today. I had to meet with another client, so I came to town.”

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“Great. On my way over.”

I stood from the island, draining the last of my mug. This was good. Aiden and I could hash out a new plan and—shit. There was a woman in my bed.

This was not something I needed Everly involved in but maybe if Aiden was fast, we could talk about it while she was still asleep or in the shower.

It was silent upstairs. As I waited for Aiden to arrive, I listened intently for any sound of Everly as I drained another cup of coffee. But when I didn’t hear a footstep or the water turn on, I figured she’d fallen asleep. Good.

A car door slammed outside, and I made my way to the door, meeting Aiden before he could ring the doorbell.

“Thanks for coming over.” I shook his hand.

“Worked out well.” He stepped inside. “Good to see you.”

“You too.”

Aiden Archer was a few years older than I was and as honest as they came. I could always count on him to tell me the truth, no matter how brutal.

I led him to the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“Please. My daughter was up all night. I’m wiped.”

“She sick?”

“Yeah. She caught a cold at school. She’ll be just fine, but Lola caved and let her sleep in our bed all night,” he said, his face softening at his wife’s name.

Aiden was a down-to-business sort of guy and he respected the fact that clients paid by the hour, so he wasn’t prone to idle chatter. I didn’t know much about his wife, other than he’d met her at a party here in Calamity years ago. They had a daughter and a son, and like me, he’d do anything for his children’s happiness.

I made him a cup as he took a seat at the bar. Then I leaned on the counter across from him and cut right to the chase. “When’s the soonest we can try to get Savannah?”

Aiden sighed, drinking the steaming cup slowly. “Like I told you when we talked before, we can get the ball rolling whenever you want. But . . .”

“But, what?”

“Nothing has changed, Hux. You’re in the same position you were the last time we went to the judge. Yeah, it shows good faith that you’ve tried to work with April. It shows she’s uncooperative, that she’s refused any consolations. But you are an ex-convict and April loves to remind the judge you ended up there because of a violent crime.”

“That was years ago. I’ve been clean ever since. No trouble. No issue with the law. That’s got to count for something.”

“It does.” Aiden nodded. “It absolutely does. And Savannah is older, which means the judge will take into account her desires. Sounds like she wants to live with you.”

I nodded. “That’s what she says.”

“But . . .”

“Getting sick of that word, Aiden.”

He chuckled. “But Savannah has been getting into trouble. The judge is going to see that and start asking questions.”

“Good. Maybe they’ll actually look at what’s happening in that house.” We could find out if Julian was hurting Savannah. And if Julian and April were flaunting their kink in my daughter’s face, that had to score points in my favor, right?

“Or maybe the judge will assume she’s a rebellious teenager who wants to live with her single dad because he’ll let her get away with more than she does with her mother.”

“That’s bull—” I stopped myself. Shit.

It wouldn’t take Savannah long to figure out—if she hadn’t already—that I wasn’t good at telling her no. Not only was I scared to alienate her, but I didn’t know the first thing about being a full-time parent. Hell, I didn’t know how to be a part-time parent.

“I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

“It’s a long shot. But it’s a shot worth taking.”

Aiden had been telling me that for years. Brutal honesty.

“What should I do?” I asked. “I don’t want to wait any longer and have her be miserable. But every time I do this, it ends up hurting Savannah.” And me.

“The biggest difference between this time and the last is Savannah. Yeah, she’s causing trouble and acting out. But she’s also old enough to convey her wishes. The judge is going to do what’s best for the child. And often what’s best is what the child wants. But . . .”

“You’re killing me today, Archer.”

He chuckled. “This is a small town, Hux. People talk. People see. And judges are people. Get out. Be part of the community. Don’t just have a clean record on paper. Make people here believe you’re a good guy.”

“I’m downtown at the gallery almost every day.”

Aiden had encouraged me years ago to become part of the community, and the gallery was about as much community as I could stomach. He should be proud that I’d set up a shop at all. I could have just sold art from my home.

“That’s not what I’m talking about. You still haven’t squashed your reputation as the town recluse. I don’t even live here, and I know you make people nervous.”

People in Calamity didn’t like me. And I didn’t like them. It was better to maintain a distance, for everyone’s sake.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

“It’s too bad you never remarried.” Aiden chuckled. “I don’t suppose you have a wife hiding in the studio out back.”

“What?”

“I’m kidding. Shit, Hux. You’re white as a sheet.”

“I don’t want to get remarried.”

He held up a hand. “It was a joke. I know April did a number on you. I was only teasing because if you had a nice, serious girlfriend, it would go a long way. Right or wrong, a judge is going to prefer a female presence in your house before handing over a sixteen-year-old girl.”

“Well . . . I don’t.” I didn’t have the time, or desire, to establish a serious relationship. I didn’t have the time or desire to find a wife. Even the word made my skin clammy.

“Again, it was a joke.” Aiden waved it off. “We’ll do our best with what we’ve got.”

“It’s not much,” I muttered. “Why won’t April just let me have her?”

“I don’t know.” Aiden shook his head. He knew enough about April to know that her tactics with Savannah were selfish. None of this was for Savannah’s own good. “Some people are vindictive.”

“Haven’t I been punished enough?”

Wasn’t a prison sentence enough? Weren’t years and years of guilt enough? Wasn’t missing out on Savannah’s life enough? Because she’d stripped me bare. April had taken every good thing in my life. My freedom. My child. That woman had broken my heart.

Maybe she hadn’t loved me, but damn it, I’d loved her. I’d loved her since we were kids. Until I’d realized that love was nothing but a gateway to hate.

“I’m sorry.” Aiden sighed. “I wish I knew.”

“What if I offered her money?”

“No.”

“I’d pay, Aiden.” I’d give April every dime of the millions I had stashed in the bank for our daughter.

“You pay, she’ll drain you dry.”

“Maybe it’s worth it.”

“And when Savannah finds out, she’ll be devastated.” Aiden wasn’t wrong.

Savannah didn’t have much love for April, but April was still her mother. If Savannah learned that April had let me buy her, it would crush my daughter’s heart.

“Then we try this,” I said. “We keep trying. We keep fighting. She’s only got two years left before she’s eighteen. I know it’s probably too late but . . .”

“It’s the right thing to do.” Aiden stood from the stool. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

“Thanks.” I escorted him through the living room, shaking his hand once more. When I closed the door behind him, I let my forehead fall to its wooden face.

“So you need a wife.”

I jerked, stood straight and spun around to find Everly sitting on the staircase.

From those steps, you could hear everything that happened in the living room and adjoining kitchen.

My stomach dropped.

Everly stood, coming down the last few stairs. The shirt she’d put on was mine. The arms were too big so she’d rolled them at the cuffs. The blue plaid hung down her thighs, but there was still a lot of leg on display. She had great fucking legs.

Too bad my heart was too far up my throat for me to enjoy the view.

“Thought you were sleeping.”

She shook her head and headed for the kitchen. “I wanted some coffee before I took a shower.”

So she’d heard it all.

I followed her to the kitchen, watching as she opened the cabinets searching for a coffee mug. I was too stunned to help her find one, though it only took her three attempts. Then she put it under the coffee maker, inserted the single brew pod, and hit the button, waiting for her cup to fill.

With a steaming mug in hand, she turned to face me, leaning on the counter in nearly the exact same place I’d been during my discussion with Aiden. “You need a wife.”

“It was a joke.”

She sipped the hot, black liquid. “Was it?”

Everly had this way of posing a question that contradicted everything. Like the first night we’d met at the bar and I’d told her she’d missed the excitement.

Did I?

One two-word question that had led me straight to her bed.

Well, this two-word question wasn’t going to lead me to the altar.

“Did you want to shower before I drive you home?”

“Yes.” She didn’t move from the counter.

“Ev—”

“I’ll do it.”

“Shower?”

She shook her head. “Marry you.”