The Blackstone Heir

Seeing Christina now reminded KC how much she’d given up in the past year, but keeping Carter safe had been worth it.

“KC, I’m sorry we’ve never met formally,” Aiden said.

How should she respond? Me, too? Since she’d determined to stay as far away from the Blackstones as possible, that would be a complete lie.

He went on, apparently not expecting a response. “There’s no point in beating around the bush,” he said, earning an eye roll from his wife. “Jacob told us what happened, or rather, why you left town.”

He glanced at his wife, and they shared a look of momentary communion. “If Christina and I understand anything, it’s how manipulative my grandfather was, how he set out to twist the world into his own version of perfect. But for the record, we look forward to you and Carter joining our family.”

KC shot a glance at Jacob, wondering how he felt about all this. His stoic look gave nothing away. “I’m not sure how this will work out yet...”

Aiden shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. If you need us, we’re here.”

Then he turned to talk to Jacob as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb in the middle of the park.

“How’s everything comin’?” Jacob asked, seeming unfazed by his brother’s words.

“Hartwell’s doing a great job...”

KC watched as Aiden’s hand cupped Christina’s shoulder. He stroked up and down hypnotically, giving his wife his attention even while he talked to Jacob. The ache that bloomed deep in her gut didn’t mean KC was jealous of the other couple. Not really.

Knowing that bridging this gap was up to her, KC wasn’t willing to simply stand there while the men talked.

“Hey, Christina,” she said, feeling awkwardly formal. If she was going to be around Jacob’s family and regain her friendships, she would have to jump this hurdle. “How are you?”

“Good,” her friend said. “Things are really good.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Christina lifted dark, somber eyes. “Do you have any pictures of him? I haven’t gotten to see Carter up close since you’ve been back.”

KC tried not to wince. The implication hung in the air. It meant a lot to Christina that KC had cut her out of her life for the past year. Pulling her phone out of her back pocket, KC scrolled until she found the folder of Carter’s pictures.

Then she held the phone out for Christina, hoping her willingness to share would start to repair the breach in their relationship.

“Oh, how sweet,” the other woman breathed.

KC felt the motherly glow of pride she still wasn’t quite used to spread over her. Then Jacob reached out and took the phone from Christina’s hand. Turning the screen toward him, he started to scroll through the pictures. KC couldn’t stand to look at him, the sadness in his eyes was so profound.

The guilt that had been growing over her decision to keep Carter from Jacob burrowed so deep inside she doubted she’d ever be rid of it. Yes, she’d been afraid. She’d been angry. She’d been pressured. But in the end, her choice to cave under James Blackstone’s demands had deeply hurt Jacob. Now she got to live with the proof of that.

Finally he came to a single picture and stopped, simply staring at it. He didn’t say anything, and the ache was made worse by his silence.

In an effort to escape, KC shifted her eyes, but found herself caught by Aiden Blackstone’s hard stare. She’d heard he was a tough nut to crack, but the echo of his brother’s pain she saw in Aiden’s eyes told her she’d hurt not just Jacob but his family, too. A hard knot of self-disgust formed in her stomach.

“Let me show you what the construction crew is up to,” Christina said, taking her arm to guide KC away.

Probably for the best. She might ruin her boundaries with Jacob by bursting into tears right there.

Not that being with Christina was much easier. She knew the minute her friend threw the first glance her way, then threw several more as they walked slowly away from the men toward the half-standing fort. The sound of electric nail drivers peppered the air. To the right, three men were securing a set of monkey bars into the ground.

“I really don’t understand, KC,” Christina finally said. “And I want to understand. I do.”

“James threatened my family. I didn’t know how to get out of that without hurting them.”

“That part I get,” Christina said “Trust me, I really do. My own experiences with James are numerous and traumatic.”

KC could only imagine, living in Blackstone Manor with James while caring for his daughter, Lily, meant Christina had no way to avoid him. Lily required full-time care after a car accident had eventually led to a long-term coma. Christina’s dedication to her patient and friend had put her at James’s mercy. Then he’d forced Aiden and Christina to marry. Last year had been just as traumatic for her as for KC.

“What I don’t understand,” Christina said, “is why you wouldn’t come to me as your friend, ask for help, let me offer some kind of emotional support for you and Carter. Didn’t you think I’d want to do that for you?”

KC stopped, afraid if she tried to walk and talk at the same time she might fall flat on her face. She wasn’t prepared for this conversation, and sparring with Jacob took a lot out of her. “I am sorry, Christina. But I couldn’t risk you putting two and two together.”

“Putting two and two together? Honey, I had no idea you’d even met Jacob. How you managed to actually get pregnant by him is a mystery of biblical proportions.”

KC had always appreciated that Christina got her point across in a ladylike but effective manner.

“Keeping our—” she swallowed hard “—affair a secret wasn’t my choice. Only...afterward.”

“Well, y’all did a damn fine job of it. I mean, I saw Jacob some when he was home all those times. I never had an inkling.”

KC finally gathered the courage to meet Christina’s questioning gaze head-on. “Which is not what I wanted. I never chose for our relationship to be this hidden thing. That was how Jacob wanted it, though I didn’t realize it until after that first week. Somehow I knew, deep down, that Jacob wouldn’t continue seeing me if we went public.” So she’d bit her tongue and grasped at whatever crumb he’d thrown her, even though every secret encounter hurt more than the last.