“I think the reputation of the entire building is at stake,” Vivian prattled on. “And if I were you-”
“You’re not me,” Reed pointed out.
Vivian took an imperious breath, the feathers jiggling again. “If I were you, I would do everything in my power to bring a speedy end to this embarrassing episode.”
“You don’t think I’m already doing that?” he asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “You should think long and hard about how you go about protecting your family, your friends and your neighbors…”
Reed drew back from her shrewd expression and the odd turn of phrase.
“From the crushing embarrassment of being associated with an accused criminal,” she finished.
“Right,” said Reed. “The crushing embarrassment of my neighbors is my primary concern at the moment.”
“Good evening, Reed,” came a familiar male voice.
Vivian’s head came up, her self-confidence instantly evaporating.
“Good evening, Father,” said Reed.
Anton stared Vivian down until she mumbled something unintelligible and scooted away.
Reed resisted the urge to thank his father.
“Elizabeth is looking well.”
Reed turned his attention to the dance floor, agreeing that his wife looked incredibly beautiful, particularly considering everything she’d been through. “She’s coping the best she can.”
“I understand she’s taking care of her nephew now?”
“Our nephew,” Reed corrected.
“Yes, of course. And there are some grandparents in the picture?”
Reed gazed at his father’s inscrutable expression. “You mean the Vances?”
“I understand they’d like to raise the boy.”
“Lucas. His name is Lucas. And we’re his legal guardians.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
An uncomfortable feeling wedged its way into Reed’s stomach. “It’s not a matter of wise or unwise, Lucas
“Unless the grandparents win the court case.”
“They won’t.”
His father squared his shoulders and set his jaw. “I wonder if you’ve thought this through.”
Reed waited to see where Anton was going.
“Have you considered the impact this…nephew-”
“Lucas.”
“-will have on your future children?”
And then Reed got it. And it was horrible. “Please tell me you’re not suggesting-”
“He’s not your natural-born son.”
Reed coughed out a hollow, disgusted laugh. “You’re worried about his pedigree? You’re worried that he will somehow detract from…what? Their inheritance? Will his bad breeding somehow rub off on them?”
Anton’s eyes turned to flints and he put his infamous intimidation mask in place. But it wasn’t about to work on Reed.
“I’m adopting Lucas,” Reed said firmly. “He’ll have every legal right of any other child I may or may not have in the future.”
The mask slipped. “He’d be your eldest son. The Wellington heir.”
“Yeah,” said Reed. “How about that.”
“I can’t let you-”
“There is nothing,
Then he turned and walked away.
“Reed?” Collin appeared by his side, falling into step.
“Where’s the nearest bar?”
Collin pointed to one corner of the ballroom, and Reed started in that direction.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” said Reed, forcing himself to switch gears. His father was his father, and there was nothing he could do to change that. He could only protect his family as best he could from the man’s interference.
“What’s up?” he asked Collin.
“They’ve set a court date in California,” Collin told him. “In three weeks.”
Reed digested the new information as he ordered their drinks. “What are Ned Landers’s thoughts?”
“He’s somewhat worried about the Vances’ existing relationship with Lucas. They have documentary and pictorial evidence of having seen him nearly every day. They set up a scholarship trust fund for him mere days after his birth-”
“I could set up a scholarship trust fund,” said Reed. Trust fund, hell. He was about to make Lucas a boy- king.
“Too little, too late,” said Collin as they moved to a quieter spot with their drinks. “Besides, our argument isn’t that you’ve been close to Lucas since his birth, it’s that you and Elizabeth were Brandon and Heather’s choice as guardians. Economic wherewithal is self-evident. You just need to keep your head down and your nose clean.”
Reed knew what he meant. The SEC investigation.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” Reed pointed out. “Surely a judge understands that.”
“They’ll try to use it.”
“Let ’em.”
“Don’t get hostile,” Collin warned.
“I don’t need to get hostile. I’m in the right.”
“And don’t get cocky. Some judges see wealth as a handicap, not an advantage.”
“Because I’m rich, I’m de facto strange?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Hostile again,” Collin warned.
“Maybe you should go to the hearing instead of me.”
“You mean with you?”
“I mean instead of me.” The night the legal papers had arrived bloomed in Reed’s mind, surprising him with the rush of anger it provoked. “You did a good job taking my place with my wife on Wednesday.”
Collin stood stock-still, his martini halfway to his lips. “Don’t be an ass.”
“Elizabeth seemed pretty grateful.”
“You sent me,” Collin pointed out.
“We both know why I wasn’t there.”
“You accusing me of something?”
Reed squared his shoulders. “Is there something to accuse?”
Collin nodded to Reed’s drink. “How many of those have you had?”
“Not nearly enough.”
“You actually think I’m putting the moves on your wife?”
The blunt question stopped Reed in his tracks. “No.” Of course not. The very idea was ridiculous.
“Good. Because if I want your wife I’ll tell you straight up. Then we’ll duke it out.”
“Seems fair,” said Reed with a shrug, acknowledging that his anger with Collin was completely misdirected. “But I think I could probably have Joe kill you.”
“True enough,” Collin agreed easily. “But first, we have to deal with this court date.”
“Yeah.” Reed swirled the ice cube in his glass. “I don’t know what the hell happens if that doesn’t go our way.”
“Odds are with us on that one.” Then Collin nodded to the foyer. “Wish I could say the same thing about the SEC investigation.”
Reed followed Collin’s line of sight, catching Selina hovering in the archway. Her jaw was compressed, and her
