Page 28 of Trust In Me

I watch as the beautiful, strong, sarcastic man in front of me shrinks away, looking completely dejected, like he’s actually considering giving this bitch what she wants. The problem is, she’s just voicing Kellan’s worst fears. I’ve heard his off-the-cuff comments before. He worries he won’t ever be enough for Hallie, but you only have to take one look at them together to know they’re all each other will ever need.

Kellan doesn’t look like he’s going to find the words to reply, so I look over at Liam. His face is turning a violent shade of purple, and the fire in his eyes matches Bree’s, but I see her silently telling Liam this isn’t his fight. I know she thinks this is Kellan’s fight, his family, but fuck that. Kellan can do this—and the whole parenting thing—by himself, but that doesn’t mean he should have to.

Squeezing Kellan’s and Hallie’s hands, I give them both a small smile, letting them know I’m here for them. I found a strength I didn’t know I had to address Mrs. Mattherson. “How fucking dare you?! You have no idea what kind of an excellent dad Kellan is. Look at her. Look how well she looks, and how happy she looks. That is one hundred percent because of Kellan.” I point to Hallie as proof, and thankfully the little beauty gives me a chuckle at just the right time.

Kellan’s mother begins to talk, but I hold my hand out to interrupt her, letting her know I haven’t finished speaking. “I’m not finished. You may not think Kellan is capable of raising this little girl, but I’m willing to bet that anyone who spends even ten minutes with these two will see what utter bullshit that is. Besides, Kellan may be able to do this alone, but he won’t ever have to. He has me, and he has Liam and Bree. When you abandoned him at six years old, he found a new family with the Doughtys. You may not like them, but they have supported your son through everything. They are his family, and if Kellan ever needs any help with Hallie, each one of his brothers and sisters would volunteer. They’re his family, and so am I. You’ve spent ten minutes with me and judged that I’m not good enough to look after Hallie. You think I’m a commoner, but I’m not. I was raised by a mother just like you, and a father who believes money can buy him everything and for a fucking long time, it did. I can assure you, that isn’t how you raise a child. The fact that Hallie is happy, beautiful, and filled with love and laughter, that’s more than enough.”

Oh fuck, I just can’t stop talking. I keep telling myself, with each point that I make, that it’s okay to stop now. That I’ve made my point and I’m very fucking done, yet more just keeps on coming. Mrs. Mattherson’s eyes are as wide as saucers and her mouth bobs open and closed.

I wait for someone, anyone, else to speak, and that’s when all eyes fall on Kellan. I expect him to be glaring at his mother, like he was a moment ago, but instead his gaze is latched onto me, and there’s a fire in his crystal blue eyes that lights my soul ablaze.

Liam decides to step in again for Kellan. “I think we can all agree that what Mia said is correct. Kellan can do this alone, but he doesn’t have to. He will have every member of the Doughty family by his side, not to mention Bree and all the people that work for her. Did I mention that my fiancée’s last name is O’Keenan? Or did Mia tell you her last name? She isn’t kidding around when she talks about coming from high society. In fact, she comes from the highest. She’s a Whitlock.” As soon as the words leave Liam’s mouth, shock-filled gasps echo around the room, each for a different reason.

Kellan seems shocked Liam would say that out loud, and Bree seems to agree with him. I, on the other hand, am shocked they know my last name. I didn’t tell them, and I trusted that Bree wouldn’t ever tell them. As for Mrs. Mattherson, her shocked expression tells me she not only knows exactly who my father is, but she knows to fear him. I guess if ever there was a time to capitalise on having such a fucked-up family, this would be it.

“Do you think that scares me? Your father is pathetic, and that means you are too,” she snaps at Liam, before turning to Bree and me. “As for these two, being an O’Keenan or a Whitlock, that means nothing to me. We both know that women are nobody in this line of work. Besides, you’ve just confirmed that my son is cavorting with known criminals, and is most likely engaging in some severely illegal activities. If you think flashing some surnames will work on me, you are wrong.” Her words may say one thing, but the quiver in her voice says something completely different. She is scared, and she has every right to be.

Bree’s obviously had enough of standing on the sidelines, or she’s worried Liam’s anger will get us into more trouble. “Let me be very clear, Mrs. Mattherson. I’m not just any O’Keenan, I am the ruler of our family. Historically, women haven’t had positions of power and were content to sit in the shadows of men, I’m not that type of woman, and neither is Mia. When Kellan needs us, we will be there to help him raise Mia, to teach her to be as resilient as we are. I don’t know if you think what you're doing is helping, but it isn’t. You aren’t thinking about what is best for Hallie, you’re thinking about yourself, and that’s why we won’t let this happen. You can hire as many people as you want, but I assure you, you will not win. We will dowhateverit takes to make sure that doesn't happen. Understand?” Bree’s voice remains calm and professional, but the snappy way she delivers the words indicates she’s pissed.

Hearing everyone else stick up for him and Hallie, it seems to be enough to pull Kellan out of the trance he is in. He lets go of Hallie's hand and laces our fingers together, giving my palm a gentle squeeze. I’m not sure if it’s for reassurance or if he is trying to pull more confidence from me. Either way, I give him a squeeze back to let him know I’m still here, and I always will be.

“I think that answers your question, Mother. No, I will not be handing my child over to you…today or any other day. You’re not capable of raising a child, you couldn’t even raise me. So no, you will not be going anywhere near Hallie. She has all the family she will ever need right here. You want to go to court, bring it on. Now, get the fuck out of our house,” Kellan shouts, as he angrily points towards the door, making his point very clear.

The cheeky girl on my knee squeals with delight at just the right time, making it sound like she’s cheering her dad on. You gotta love this beautiful girl.

“How dare yo—”

Before Mrs. Mattherson even gets the chance to finish her sentence, Liam cuts her off. “Well, as lovely as this has been, Marianna, it’s time for you to get the fuck out of our house. And next time you decide you want to visit, please do give us a bit of extra warning. That way I can go and boil my head in a bucket of piss, because even that would be more fun than seeing your ugly face. Let me show you to the door,” Liam says snarkily, as he jumps up and makes a big, grand gesture towards the door.

Marianna stands, gathering her big designer bag onto her shoulder, before opening it and pulling out a Manila envelope. She places it on the coffee table and heads towards the door. Just when I think she’s about to leave quietly, she turns her head and glances at Kellan with a sadistic grin. “I want that baby, and I always get what I want, Kellan. Read the papers. You will see you have already lost.”

“That’s enough out of you,” Liam says, as he places his hand against her back and practically pushes her out of the open-plan living room, into the corridor, and towards the front door. We all listen as the door opens and then slams shut only moments later. Just before Liam pushes her out of the house, we can hear him whispering to her, but it’s impossible to understand what he may have said. Although, I’m pretty sure I can guess.

As Liam walks back into the room, the silence is almost deafening. We all seem to be staring at the envelope she left here, and even though we just spoke a good fight, we don’t actually know what we’re doing. Bree, ever the leader, takes charge.

“Liam and I are going to go and get changed. We will do some research into the best family solicitors we can find, and we will cover it. You don’t have to worry about anything, we have got this. Shall we bathe this little lady since we are going up anyway? That way you two can get changed as well. We can meet back down here in like an hour and I will order us some takeout. How does that sound?” Bree asks, and honestly, it sounds amazing, but this is all on Kellan. I don’t know if he has any idea how he wants to fight his mother, but he sure as fuck isn’t doing it alone.

“Yeah, that sounds perfect, thank you. And you better be talking about Chinese?” Kellan asks. He still hasn’t got over the last time Bree was allowed to pick the takeout and she ordered Thai food. Apparently, Kellan is not a lover of spicy foods, nor is his sensitive stomach.

“Don’t worry, bro. Your asshole is safe with Chinese,” Liam jokes as he reaches down to take Hallie from my knee. Naturally, she reaches up for him, clutching onto him like a spider monkey and squawking with glee. There’s no denying he is her favourite person. Well…after her daddy…I think.

As soon as Bree, Liam, and Hallie have left the room, I feel Kellan physically flop next to me. He sits on the floor in front of the sofa with his back against it, but he doesn’t drop my hand, our fingers remain laced together. His head falls into his one remaining hand, and I feel him trying to get control of his breathing.

“Come on, let’s go and get you showered and changed,” I say, as I stand up. If I don’t get him moving, he’s just going to wallow here in his own self-pity.

As I get to my feet, I gently tug Kellan until he takes the hint and stands up. I lead him in silence up to his room. I don’t know when it happens, when the air around us starts to crackle from the chemistry. One minute it’s innocent, and I’m just helping my friend up the stairs, then it all changes. My heart starts to race, and my breathing speeds up as I try desperately to get control over my feelings. I know he can feel how clammy my hands are becoming, but I don’t care. It’s like our bodies are reacting of their own accord. I can hear his breathing become hitched, and it’s clear that his body thinks the same as mine. Blood is rushing to my lady parts, and she’s taking the lead.

As soon as I get him into his bedroom, I lead him over to the bed, pushing him to sit down on the edge and reluctantly our hands let go. I stand there, completely frozen over what to do next. If I listen to my pussy, who really fucking wants to run this show, then I should climb into his lap and devour him in every possible way. But, if I listen to my brain, the more logical side, I should walk away and let him have some time alone.

Luckily, Kellan makes the decision for me. He pulls me until my body is standing in between his legs. From his position sitting on the edge of his bed, his head only just reaches my belly. He snakes his arms around me, one hand resting on my lower back, the other on my ass, and he presses his cheek against my stomach. He lets out a deep sigh and it feels like he’s holding on for dear life. Then, so quietly I almost miss it, he speaks in a whisper. “Thank you.”

I remove my arms from around his neck until I’m cradling his cheeks and I pull his head up so that his gaze meets mine. I could get lost in the crystal blue orbs that are glistening slightly with unshed tears, making them look like a bottomless ocean. I want him to see the fire reflected in mine, so he knows I mean each and every word I’m about to say. “You don’t ever have to thank me. What you need to do is believe in yourself. That little girl couldn’t ask for a better father, and you sure as shit are not letting that asshole raise her. I was raised by a woman just like her, and I will not let that happen to Hallie.”

He looks at me with genuine warmth in his eyes and I can feel it heating my core. Having him so close is driving me fucking crazy. I’ve never felt like this before. Sex has never been a positive experience for me, nor have I ever found pleasure in it. Over the last couple of years, after a lot of therapy, I tried to experience sex under normal circumstances. I picked a guy up at a bar, I went on dates with a guy I met at the library, I even tried internet dating. But each and every time, sex just felt like a chore. I never got turned on or felt pleasure. My therapist always talked about passion and how I would feel it with the right guy. I laughed and told her that’s impossible, and that I’m broken.

Throughout my teens, I trained myself to view sex as something evil, and my brain became hardwired that way. I don’t think it’s possible to change how my brain’s intrinsically wired. My therapist would laugh and tell me one day I would feel it, I guess I owe her an apology now because I do feel. I feel everything with this man, and for the first time ever, I actually want more.

Without even thinking about what I’m doing, I act. Using my hands against his chest, I push him so that he shuffles back on the bed and I crawl until I’m straddling him. My knees on either side of his muscular thighs, and his hands instantly grab my ass, pulling us closer. We both still have our clothes on, but I can feel his hard cock pressing against my sensitive clit, and the sensations overwhelm me. A deep groan rips from my lips and fisting my hands in his hair, I waste no more time, slamming my lips against his.

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