Gambling with Gabriella (Menage MfM Romance Novel) (Playing For Love Book 2) (13 page)

F
ive minutes later
, everyone is dressed, thank heavens, and the guns have been lowered. Carter’s finger still hovers near the trigger, but at least the weapon isn’t pointed at someone’s face.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the two men are facing each other, and from their body language, they are going to trade blows any second. Hatred is etched on both their faces.

“You kidnapped Noah,” Carter yells. “I should have you arrested.”

“For what? He’s my son, Hughes. I’m listed on his birth certificate. Do you think anyone’s going to arrest a father for wanting to be reunited with his son?”

“Father?” Carter sneers. “Please, give the devoted parent act a rest. You haven’t seen Noah in three years. Stop acting like you give a shit.”

My head swivels back and forth between the two of them, and my head hurts trying to take in this conversation. I thought Dominic would intervene, but he says nothing. There’s a peculiar look in his eyes and he appears troubled.

“Fuck you,” Ed says, his voice pained and raw. “My girlfriend died and I fell apart, okay? I’m not proud of it. Every time I saw Noah, all I could see was Chloe. We all deal with our grief in different ways.”

Carter clenches his fists. “Your way was to walk away from a two-year old, Wagner. And now that you have him, what do you do? Leave him alone while you play poker at Bulldog’s. Some father you are.”

“Carter,” I interject hesitantly. “There was a babysitter.” I take a deep breath before saying the next few words. “I know this is hard, but can’t the two of you let the past go?”

As I ask them that, I’m faced with a realization that stops me dead in my tracks. I’m asking Carter to do something that I cannot seem to do. Each no-good boyfriend has left scars on my heart, and they’ve made me afraid and angry. I’m the biggest hypocrite in the world. I’m asking Carter to forgive and forget, when I’m unable to do the same.

“You had a babysitter for Noah?” Dominic cuts in, his voice sharp.

“Yeah, of course,” Ed snaps, not taking his eyes away from Carter. “What do you expect, Hughes? You’ve seen to it that I can’t get a job in this town. You’ve put me in jail. You think I can raise a child without money? You think I want to be beholden to Bulldog? I do what I have to.”

Carter looks away, shamefaced. “I didn’t put you in jail,” he mutters, but he doesn’t deny Ed’s other accusations. “That wasn’t me.”

“Daddy?” A child’s voice interrupts the angry recriminations. I turn around and see an adorable little boy with a mop of curly red hair standing in the open bedroom doorway. His face breaks out into a wide smile when he spots Carter and Dominic. “Uncle Carter, Uncle Dominic,” he says excitedly. “Daddy took me to the zoo today. And we are going to get a puppy.”

The palpable tension in the room drains away. “Noah,” Ed picks the kid up. “Remember, you have to be good to get a puppy. No staying up past your bedtime, remember?”

“Can I have a glass of milk?” Noah bargains, in an effort to thwart all mention of bedtime.

“You actually have milk, Wagner?” Carter’s voice is hard.

Ed gives him a withering look. “In the refrigerator. Plain or chocolate, champ?”

“Chocolate,” Noah chooses, and Ed sets him down and pours out a glass.

Noah drinks the milk in silence, then Ed picks him up again and turns in the direction of the bedroom. “Okay, Champ. Bedtime.”

“I don’t wanna,” Noah whines.

Dominic’s lips twitch and he turns to me. “I’ve heard that whine from Noah more times than I can count,” he tells me. “Good luck to Wagner.”

“How about I read you a bedtime story?” Ed offers.

The young child considers that offer with his thumb in his mouth. “Both of you,” he says finally, removing his finger long enough to form a sentence. “Daddy and Uncle Carter can read me a story.”

Carter sighs. “You drive a hard bargain, kid,” he replies, giving Ed Wagner a dubious look. “Let’s do it.”

“
W
hat just happened
?” I ask Dominic bemusedly when the two of them have left the room.

Dominic shakes his head. “You know, I’m not sure,” he says.

“How much of what Ed said is true?”

“Depends on who you ask,” he says obliquely. Before I can ask him to clarify, he continues of his own volition. “We only saw Ed as the guy who had caused Chloe to overdose. Both Carter and I blamed him for it. We didn’t stop to think that he might also be suffering.”

“Why not?”

He makes a wry face. “Chloe picked Ed Wagner over me.” He shakes his head. “I guess it had more impact on me that I was prepared to admit.”

“What now, Dominic? Noah shouldn’t have to pick between feuding members of his family.”

“No, he shouldn’t,” Dominic agrees. “Tell that to Carter. He’ll listen to you.”

“Why?” I ask bluntly. “Why would either of you listen to me?”

He looks puzzled. “Because when Carter calms down enough, he can’t dispute that this is best for Noah. But most of all, Gabby,” he says. “We’ll listen to you because you are important to both of us.”

“
O
kay
, the two of you,” I point at both of them when they emerge from Noah’s bedroom. “Sit.”

Carter smothers a smile at my bossy tone and sits on the couch. Ed blinks in confusion, but he obeys as well.

“Listen to me,” I continue. “Carter, your parents were taken from you when you were just a teenager. Noah’s mother is already dead. Don’t you think he deserves a father?” I glare at him, willing him to agree with me.

He could reply and tell me that he’s acted like Noah’s father in Ed’s absence, and he would be entirely within his rights to do so. But he doesn’t say anything to contradict me, and right now, I’ll take that as a good sign. I turn to Ed. “And you,” I snap. “Drugs have killed Carter’s parents and Carter’s sister. Can you see why he might have gone off the deep end?” I’ve only just pieced it together. Carter’s parents were shot dead by some kids searching for money to buy drugs. Carter’s sister died from a drug overdose. When he heard that Sammy’s dealer might have drugged me, his reaction should have given me a clue that this particular cut runs deep.

Ed nods reluctantly. “I’m not using anymore,” he says to Carter. “I went away after she died, and I cleaned up.”

“Both of you love Noah,” I say softly. “Isn’t it time to leave the past behind?”

Dominic hasn't said a word until this moment, but he speaks now. “Chloe would have wanted us to get along,” he says. He looks at Ed Wagner. “I’m sorry for the role I’ve played in this.”

“Come on, you two,” I urge, looking at Ed and Carter. “Do the right thing. For Noah’s sake…”

Carter glares at me, and I stare right back, refusing to be cowed. He transfers his glower to Ed, who doesn’t quail either. “If I find that you are doing drugs again, even if it’s just pot, I’m going to sue for parental rights,” he warns.

“Fair enough,” Ed agrees. He extends his hand out to Carter, who shakes it. “Joint custody?”

Carter nods. “I don’t want to wake Noah,” he says. “Why don’t we all get out of here, and we’ll work the details out in the morning?”

“I’m assuming there’ll be guards posted at the door?” Ed says wryly. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

“And enough of the zoo. Take him to daycare tomorrow, god damn it,” Carter grumbles, though there’s very little malice in his tone. “Else the kid’s going to forget that I’m his favorite adult.”

“
Y
ou did a good thing
,” Dominic says, when we are all finally back in my suite of the Grand River. “You helped right an old wrong.”

“You did,” Carter agrees, putting an arm around my waist. “I’m still going to grumble about it.”

A weight lifts off me at his touch. I know I did the right thing tonight, but I wasn’t sure whether I was lobbying for a reconciliation at the cost of my relationship with Carter and Dominic.

“Fair enough.” My reply is distracted. I’ve just realized something, and it causes my heart to sink like a rock tossed into a pond. With Noah safe and sound, there’s no reason for me to remain in Atlantic City any more. A lump forms in my throat as I contemplate driving back to New York. Alone. Without the two of them. “You’ll have to grumble to Dominic, I guess.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because,” I say with a hitch in my voice.
Do the words need to be said?
“I’ve lived up to my end of the bargain. You’ve found Noah.” I force a smile on my face. “It’s time we all resumed our lives, don’t you think? I should head back to Manhattan in the morning.”

“I don’t want to resume my old life, Gabby.” Carter’s green eyes trap me in their gaze. “In that life, I was consumed with my failures and my regret. I nursed my hatred for Ed Wagner, and I lived in solitary bitterness.” He covers my hand with his. “Then I met you for the first time, and then I got lucky enough to meet you again. And while life can sometimes offer second chances, only a fool would hope for a third.”

“We aren’t fools, princess.” Dominic takes my other hand. “We aren’t going to let you go again.”

“What about the Vinny rule?” I ask faintly.

“What’s the Vinny rule?”

“I can’t sleep with a guy more than once, else they turn into assholes.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard,” Carter says bluntly. He never sugarcoats his words, Carter.

Dominic is a little more diplomatic, but his expression reveals his opinion of the Vinny rule. “Are you a gambler, Gabriella Alves?” he asks me seriously.

“I think the evidence suggests that that is the case,” I say, fighting the urge to cry. Both of them are holding onto my hands, and heaven help me, I don’t want to say goodbye. I’m not ready. They mean too much to me.

“Not for a hundred thousand dollars this time,” he says, bringing my hand up to his lips. His soft kiss breaks my heart. “Will you gamble for something more important?”

“Don’t do this, you guys,” I plead. “Don’t make this difficult.”

They ignore my faint protests. “Gabby,” Dominic’s grey eyes bore into me. “Will you gamble with your heart?”

“But I must warn you,” Carter interjects. “It’s not much of a gamble. We
will
keep your heart safe, Gabby. We
will
keep it protected. We will do whatever it takes to make you happy. We are,” his lips curve into a smile, “something of a sure thing.”

At the start of the week, my boss Nathan mentioned an Atlantic City office. Is that serendipity? Do I dare believe in love again?

“What are you suggesting?” I whisper. “What’s on offer? Will we date other people?”

Carter laughs in disbelief.

“Absolutely not, princess,” Dominic says. “Just the three of us. No one else. I had to fight to keep myself from ripping Ed Wagner apart with my bare hands when I saw the two of you. I can’t do that again.”

“Gabby,” Carter adds, just in case there’s any doubt in my heart. “I want you to live in Atlantic City. I want to come back home every evening and cook dinner for you. I want us to fight about who does the dishes. What I’m trying to say, Gabby, is that I love you, and I want to spend every single day with you.”

“I think Dominic should do dishes,” I mumble. My heart hums a happy tune, and it’s threatening to turn into a full-fledged aria any moment.

Dominic laughs. “I’m sure I can manage my way around a dishcloth and some soap,” he says. “The things you have to do for the girl you love…”

The girl you love… I’m trying to say I love you…
Their declarations hang in the air, waiting for me to form my own reply, but I don’t need to look too deep into my heart to find my answer. I’ve known the truth for a long time now, though I’ve never had the courage to acknowledge it before.

“This
is
a lovely suite,” I look around. “I could get used to living here.”

“You could,” Dominic agrees. “Or you could just move in with us.”

“You guys live together?”

He nods. “It was the most efficient thing to do when Noah was younger,” he says. He grins. “And now, well, it’s the most efficient way to do a lot of other things.”

I can imagine the
other things
he’s talking about, and my body’s definitely on board with all of them.

“So,” Carter asks. “Can we agree that we will never again speak of the Vinny rule?”

If there’s ever a time to roll the dice, it’s now. “Okay.” The two of them are still holding onto my hands, and I pull them into my body, hugging them tight against me. “Let’s do this thing.”