Safe with Me

Matt nods and picks up where Caleb left off. “Then there was an employee at Isaac’s company who seemed…”

“Creepy as hell,” I finish for him. “He made comments about me being tied to a cop, and kept finding reasons to hit on me. Turns out he was just a creepy guy with a crush, but…”

“But I didn’t like it,” Caleb adds. “Then, the girls noticed someone poking around the house, looking in the mailbox up by the road after they got off the school bus one day.”

“Why are you telling us this now?” Jules asks. “We’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on with Brynna for months. So why now?”

“I’m sorry, guys,” I begin and close my eyes with a sigh. “I just didn’t want you all to worry and I figured the less you knew the less likely you could be a target, especially given how high profile some of you are.”

“But, our baby brother decided to grow a romantic side, and proposed to his girlfriend in a very public way last night,” Matt mutters and rubs his forehead with his hand. “It was on the news this morning, and I got a call from Chicago.”

“I was in the photos,” I add, and light bulbs go off above everyone’s heads.

“Are you in danger again?” Gail asks.

“We don’t know,” Caleb answers her. “But it’s only a matter of days before the images spread to papers and rag magazines, and as time progresses, chances improve that the wrong people will notice where Brynna is, and who she’s with.”

“Fuck,” Will mutters. “I’m sorry, guys.”

“You didn’t know,” I rush to assure him. “This is not your fault, Will.”

“We want you all to know so you can pay attention,” Matt informs everyone. “Keep your eyes open to anything that seems off. Someone’s already been asking around about the family, and we want to make sure that you all know what’s happening so you are sure to set your alarms and watch your backs. Whether we like it or not, we’re a high profile family.”

Suddenly, we notice that Gail is whispering feverishly at Steven, who is adamantly shaking his head.

“You have to tell them,” she insists, louder now. “They have the right to know. You can set their minds at ease, at least about this.”

“Mom?” Jules asks with a frown. “What’s going on?”

Steven stares at his wife for several long seconds and the tension is so thick in the room you could cut it with a knife.

“Dad.”

Isaac’s voice is calm but firm and Steven turns his gaze to him, and then to each of his children, one by one. His face is completely sober as he moves his eyes about the room and back to his wife who nods reassuringly.

Finally, he stands and moves next to Matt.

“I don’t really know how to say this,” he mutters, his eyes never leaving his wife. Finally, she stands and joins him, linking her hand with his and tilts her head to kiss his shoulder.

“You’re scaring me,” Jules whispers with wide eyes.

“Right after Caleb was born,” Gail begins and rubs her free hand up and down Steven’s arm, as though he’s cold. “Your father and I split.”

“What?” Matt exclaims.

“Let me finish the story,” Gail scolds him and keeps talking. “We went through a rough patch, like most marriages do. I had three little boys at home, and he worked more than I liked, and we decided to split. So, he moved out.”

“You moved out?!” Jules scoots forward in her seat, leaning forward, listening carefully.

“I did,” Steven confirms. “Worst fucking three months of my life.”

“Okay, this is surprising, but what does it have to do with what’s happening now?” Matt asks.

“The P.I. was looking for me,” Steven announces and meets Matt’s gaze. “While I was separated from your mother, I had a very brief affair with a woman while I was on a business trip. I didn’t know it then, but she became pregnant.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Isaac growls.

“No,” Steven shakes his head. “I’m not kidding. The boy has been trying to find me since his mother passed away several months ago. He is the person who hired the P.I.”

The room is dead silent for several seconds while everyone processes what has just been said. I look up at Caleb’s face, and his jaw is clenched, muscles flexed and eyes narrowed on his father.

“You have an illegitimate son,” Matt clarifies.

“I do,” Steven nods with tears in his eyes. “His name is Dominic.”

“Holy shit,” Nate whispers and clenches his eyes closed. “We met him.”

“You met him?” Isaac exclaims, jumping to his feet.

“Yes, the day we took the girls shopping.” Nate nods. “He was having lunch with your parents.”

“You’ve been having lunch with him?”

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Caleb mutters, speaking for the first time.

“Look,” Steven holds his hands up, as if surrendering. “I was waiting for DNA tests to come back before I told the family. What if he was some asshole trying to get to my high profile children?”

“Your father was protecting you,” Gail tells them all with a stern voice.

“But the DNA confirms it,” Caleb states coldly.

“Yes.”