Redemption (The Bet) (26 page)

Nicholas shrugged. "She has her moments, but I've come to adore her and I think you will too."

"Mommy can I can go?"

"Yeah, me too, Mom?"

"I don't want to go." Dylan said mutinously, keeping his gaze on the screen.

"It'd honor my mother very much if she had the chance
to meet you."

"I don't care, I don't want to go."
He stood up from the couch heading towards Nicholas. "I knew you wouldn't keep your promise." He snarled, turning on his heel immediately after to head to his room, but before he could Nicholas grabbed hold of his forearm and halted his progress.

"Alright, you got me, what promise did I break?"

"It wasn't important enough for you to remember, so forget about it."

"I'm sorry but I ca
n't do that. It's very important to you otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation. Now please tell me what promise I broke so that I can explain myself."

"I said it's not important! Leave me alone....leave
 us alone!" he wrenched his arm from Nicholas grasp and ran to his room.

"Dylan!" Ellie made to go after him, but Nicholas stepped in her path.

"What promise did I break?" He seemed genuinely confused and Ellie took pity.

"He had his first little league game yesterday and I guess he thought you'd come."
She informed with a small shrug, hiding her disappointment in him better than their son.

Nicholas shook his head, frowning. "I do
n't remember promising him that…I didn't even know he was playing yesterday!"

Ellie sighed. "Well then I suggest you have a conversation with
your personal assistant about fibbing.”

"No, please, let me."

"He's hard to comfort when he's like this, maybe it's best if I went alone."

"He's my son too, Ellie. Please let me do this." The expression on his face conveyed
everything; Ellie reluctantly led the way to Dylan's room.

~*
~*~*~

Sophie was stupid! She was stupid for wanting to get
 that man back in their lives! He couldn't even keep stupid promises! And Dylan felt even stupider for wanting to trust him...for wanting him to be everything Sophie said he was. But Dylan hadn't seen much of that, sure they hung out, watched movies and played with all the cool toys he bought them, but that meant nothing if he couldn't be trusted to keep his promises. Maybe their uncle Gabe was right in thinking that their Dad was a bad man. A man who only hurt people and moved on. He hadn't loved them enough to stick around...what would make him stay this time around?

"Dylan... Dylan its Mom, can I come in?"

With a sigh, Dylan dropped the ball he was holding. "Come in."

The door opened and Nicholas walked in ahead of his mother, Dylan frowned. "I told you to leave me alone."

"Well, unfortunately for you, I'm averse to taking orders from anyone, my son especially,"

"I'm your son only by blood."

"Which I must say is thicker than anything. Blood will always be there for you."

"Like you were when we were born?" Ellie's eyes looked back at him, but the facial structure was all Nicholas, right down to the insolent sneer on his lips.

"Dylan that's enough."

Nicholas shook
his head and approached his son--the son who was so much a part of him, so much like him that it hurt. In those fervent hazel eyes, Nicholas saw the same burning anger, the veiled cry for acceptance and understanding, the underlying need to be loved by the man who sired you. Nicholas understood those emotions too well. It pained him to see his son hurting, to witness what ten years of cowardice and pride had wrought. He'd caused it and Nicholas was willing to rectify years of mistakes. He was willing and he was here to see that history did not repeat itself.

"No, he's right," Nicholas knelt in front of his scowling son. "I wasn't there when you and your sister were born Dylan a
nd for that I am honestly sorry. You can't begin to understand how remorseful I am."

Hands clenched in front of him in fists that were wound tighter than coils, Dylan chomped on his bottom lip and continued to glare at his father through a haze of tears. "You left us."

"I was scared, cowardly and very troubled and because of that I pushed your Mom away. I told her I didn't love her to keep her away from me, because I knew deep down that I would never be good enough for her. I didn't find out about you and your sister until recently. If I had known…I can't say that my decision would've been different, but I would not have been a stranger. Dylan I'm here now and I want to try and be a good father to you and you sisters. It's taken me a long time to get here, but I'm here now and I'm asking for a new start, I'm asking for your forgiveness."

Ellie tried,
she really tried to remain unhinged by the father and son moment happening a few feet away from where she stood and she tried not to let Nicholas's words affect her. But when her son looked up at her, lost and seeking guidance, it was all she could do not to run to him and envelope him in her arms. But she remained rooted. This was Nicholas's time, they had to resolve this without any sort of intrusion and Ellie permitted them that.

"I…I don't want to forgive you. I'm
mad and I want to hate you for not being there for us, but I can't!" He punched Nicholas, the power behind the fist not strong enough to hurt, but the emotions that propelled his fist forward, from the first to the second, third and finally the fourth punch hurt Nicholas far more than the blows themselves. And as his son collapsed in his arms, his sobs shaking them both, he couldn't fight back his own tears. Years of anger and pain poured from Dylan's small body and his father held him tightly, absorbing it all.

"I'm sorry, Dylan. I love you," Words he'd never heard spoken from the lips of his own father, spilled forth from his own like water from a fountain. "I love you
and I promise to never leave. No matter what happens I'm here now and always, you can hold me to that." He held his son close curly head pressed against his chest, Nicholas continued to whisper his promises.

"
I don't know how to forgive you." Dylan's whispered hiccup finally pulled Ellie from her spot and over to where they were seated.

"We'll take it one step at a time." Lord knew that's exactly what she was trying to do, it was hard, but what more could
they do?

Dylan pulled away from Nicholas's arms, suddenly abashed at his display o
f emotion. "I'm sorry I hit you."

Nicholas swiped his hands across his cheeks and smiled. "Don't worry about it, although I'm afraid you've inherited you Mom's punching arm."

"It's a good thing." Ellie reassured as her son looked at Nicholas for affirmation.

"She's
right; learn to punch like that and no one will mess with you." Standing up, Nicholas also helped Dylan to his feet.

"No one does at school anymore." He sniffed before turning towards his father. "Is it okay if I still come with you to your mom's house?" he inquired, unsure of where they now stood.

"If you're up for it, then we'll be honored to have you."

"I guess there's no point in
asking me. Just stay out of trouble and no scary movies!” That one was aimed at Nicholas, along with the glare before she looked at Dylan. “Dylan?"

"Yeah Mom?"

Ellie stooped down, captured his son's face between her hands and kissed him. "I love you."

"Aww Mooom!" voice dripping with indignation, Ellie and Nicholas's youngest child blushed with embarrassment, before swiping his hand across his lips and muttering beneath his breath about smothering Moms who didn't know how to keep the affections to a minim
um as he existed his bedroom.

"What I said earlier was the truth, Ellie." Nicholas said as the door closed behind Dylan.

"Nicholas…"

"I know its ten years too late to apologize, but
 I am sorry for what I did."

"Let's keep the past in the past and look to t
he future. We've both done things we regret…"

"I never regretted all the times we were together, I
 never regretted falling in love with you."

"You need to get over what we had and move on."

"Like you have?"

"Yes, Devlin is good for me and you should find someone that's good for you too.
” Those words hurt far more than she'd expected them to.

"He'
ll never be good enough for you."

"Well then I guess you both have something in common."

They were verbally fencing, their foils represented by every barb they made, veiled beneath a cloak of innuendos that anyone would understand, knowing the history they had. Ellie advanced, foil in hand and lunged, with every comment made and Nicholas parried, recovered and came back with an attack of his own, except he wasn't out for blood like Ellie was. She wanted to hurt Nicholas and Nicholas would only deflect, he could no nothing more.

They could both say that their hearts did not accelerate a little when they began these little tête-à-têtes. They could say that they did not inwardly enjoy the emotions, no matter how fleeting, they evoked in each other, but saying that, especially out loud would be detrimental.

"Yeah," Nicholas advanced but did not touch her. "We both love you."

"Why? Why are you doing this? What could you possibly gain by making me doubt my feelings for him? Do you want me to say I love you back? That I forgive you for ripping my heart out? Do you want me to leap into your arms, kiss you and forget everything? What?" Ellie shoved him. "What the hell do you want?" she shoved him again and before she could do it once more, Nicholas grabbed her wrists and stared down at her.

"I want your happiness."

"Then let me have it, Nicholas."
She pleaded desperately, hating that he made her feel this way. She hated that he made her doubt everything she’d once been so sure of.

"Not with him." He replied with just as much desperation
, silver eyes troubled, whirling with emotions that were hard to pin down.

"You have no right to do this to me, Nicholas. No right at all. How dare you come back into my life and tell me that you still love me when you gave up that right ten years ago? You took my heart and you left me broken. You ran away from me, Nicky. From
 us. You can't deny me happiness now when I was willing to give you everything back then. We had our chance and it passed us by. I can't have you in my life as more than the father of my children. I just can't…I won't set myself up for that kind of hurt again."

"You want me to tell you why it still hurts so much? Why every time you try and convince yourself to forget about me you can't? Why every time his lips brush against yours I'm the only one you can think about? D
o you want me to tell you, Elle?"

"Don't…
" Ellie struggled to be free, Nicholas's hold remained steadfast.

"Because somewhere deep down you still care about me
just as much as I do you. He'll never make you happy, because I've spoiled you for anyone else," they were so close, Nicholas's face centimeters away from Ellie's own. His smile was slow, sad as he brushed a kiss across her forehead. "Just as you've done for me."

Nicholas wanted to kiss her so much that it was a physical
ache, but he refrained. While he had her so close, sharing the same breath, her warmth seeping into his icy limbs, he closed his eyes and savored her nearness. Just for a sweet interminable moment, he allowed himself to take in all that she was. He could give her space, permit her this happiness she wanted so much, but Nicholas was incapable of doing so. He needed to let her go, this he knew, but the agony of releasing her would kill him.

"You're right," he said finally, voice gruff with emotion. "I have no right to ask you for anything. I've destroyed any hope of there ever being an
‘us’ again. But please know, Ellie, that loving you has been the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." He tentatively reached out to caress her cheek and ruefully smiled. "You were my greatest joy and I didn't know how to keep you."

"There can't be anything between us, Nicholas."

"I know," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers. "God help me, Ellie. I know."

This was how Gabe found them when he walked into Dylan's room. Nicholas's hand cupping Ellie
's cheek with the other wrapped around her waist. Their bodies were indecently close, faces a whisper apart alluding to the kiss Nicholas yearned to give and Ellie fought to deny. Gabe's anger rose and without a second's thought he wedged himself between them and lunged for Nicholas.

"Gabe!"

Gabe's fist made contact only twice, before Nicholas retaliated. He elbowed Gabe's face with enough force to leave the other man staggering. But not to be bested by that blow, Gabe came back like a branded bull and tackled Nicholas to the ground.

"Stop! Gabe! Nicholas!"

Impervious to her cries, Nicholas and Gabe tussled on the ground, delivering blows evenly matched. It had to take Ellie, Devlin and Ronnie to pull them apart. Bloodied and breathing hard, both men assessed the damage done.