More Layers: Book Two Layers Series Read online

  “I asked him if Mia was making threats, and he said ‘no.’ He tells me he’s been too busy.”

  “Well, maybe he is.”

  “Really? I’m a single mom of twins. I’ve moved my office from London, moved my family from London, moved into a new home, new townhouse, and work twelve to thirteen hour days running a billion dollar corporation and I have time for lunch.”

  “I’m sorry, Lex. Maybe I should try to talk to him.”

  “Good luck getting him to return your calls.”

  “Did you ask Nick if he knew anything?”

  “Nick asked him what his problem was and he told him that things change and these changes aren’t always in your control.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I haven’t a f-ing clue.”

  Sam laughs. “F-ing, huh. Are my nephews present?”

  “Yes, they’re playing with cars on the rug. I gave Carrie the rest of the week off. Her friend Ronnie is visiting from Paris.”

  “Ronnie? I’ve never heard her mentions him?”

  “Because Ronnie is a girl.”

  “Oh, that’s just boring.”

  “Hey, I’m happy it’s a girlfriend. The last thing I want to do is look for a new nanny.”

  “There’s another reason I called. I spoke with Mary and she needs to know the final count for Thanksgiving.”

  “How the hell would I know? Did she talk to Gram?”

  “Gram told her to ask you because it was ‘your’ home and she didn’t want to overstep. Gram intimidates the hell out of Mary. She even turns Lester to Jell-O.”

  “Overstep my ass. She got all bent because she wanted to invite all her friends from London, and I told her I wanted our first holidays in New York to be family only.”

  “Maybe you can talk to Gram and tell her to let up on Mary. She’s still suffering PTSD from losing her home.”

  “I’ll talk to her if I can find her. I haven’t seen her in a couple of days and she hasn’t returned my calls or e-mails.”

  “I talked to her yesterday and she seemed distracted. She’s up to something.”

  “That can’t be good. Do you have any clues?”

  “Not a one.”

  “Ms. Grant?” my PA Amie says over the intercom.

  “Just a sec, Sam.”

  “Yes, Amie?”

  “Sorry to interrupt, but security just called and said that a very angry Mr. Ryan is on his way up to see you.”

  “Why are they letting him up?”

  “Your grandmother called and told them that he might be stopping by and to give him access to your floor.”

  “Lex, what’s going on?”

  “Don’t know, Sam, I’ll have to call you back.”

  “Don’t you dare hang up on m...”

  I turn off my phone.

  “Amie, where’s Lee?”

  “He’s gone for the day. Should I call him?”

  “No. I forgot he was taking some personal time.”

  “Where’s Kevin?”

  “Up on the roof. Should I call him?”

  “Where’s Ms. Grants office?” I hear Jaxson yell at Amie.

  “Sir! Sir! Mr. Ryan you can’t go in there!”

  My office door flies open and Jaxson follows.

  “What the fuck have you done? You have no right to interfere with my business! You promised me! You fucking swore to me that you wouldn’t interfere! Who the hell do you think you are? Goddamn you, Alexia!”

  “Mommy,” Chase whimpers and runs to me.

  Jaxson looks at me, then Chase. “Mommy?”

  Chase starts to cry. “Why is this man yelling at you, Mommy?”

  I pick him up. “Shhh...It’s okay baby.”

  JB runs over and stands in front of Chase and me. “You have a potty mouth!” he yells. “You can’t have a potty mouth around children. I’m a children and so is my brother!”

  He points to his brother. “You made Chase cry and he’s a sensitive!” He plants his hands on his hips and gives Jaxson “The Brow.”

  Jaxson looks at JB, then me. Then back to JB, then Chase.

  “It’s okay, JB,” I say and pat his head.

  He takes a couple of steps toward Jaxson. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve got you covered. I’ve got my eyes on him.” He does that same silly thing that Lee does—the pointing to the eyes thing.

  My office door flies open again. Kevin from security runs in with his Taser in hand. “Put your hands over your head and hit the floor, asshole!”

  Jaxson turns. “Who the hell are you calling an asshole?”

  “Potty mouth!” JB yells.

  Kevin walks up behind Jaxson. “I’m not going to tell you again. Put your hands behind your head, and drop!”

  Jaxson does as ordered.

  “Kevin!” I yell. “Put your Taser away. I know this asshole.”

  He looks at me. “Are you sure, Ms. Grant?”

  “Yes. He’s an asshole but he won’t hurt us.”

  “Potty mouth!” JB yells again.

  He puts his Taser back in its shoulder holster, just as more guards come running in.

  He puts his hands up. “Stand down. Stand down. Ms. Grant knows the guy.”

  “Sorry, Ms. Grant. He had full clearance from Mrs. Grant.”

  “It’s okay.”

  Another guard comes running in. “Sorry, I just heard. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, Pete, we’re fine.”

  Pete looks down at Jaxson. “Is that you, Mr. Ryan?”

  Jaxson stands. “Mountain Man?”

  Pete looks at me.

  “Just a misunderstanding, Pete. You can all leave, we’ll be all right.”

  They step out. “I’ll be just outside the door, Ms. Grant,” Kevin says.

  I nod, and he shuts the door.

  I put Chase down. Now it’s my turn to yell. “Don’t you ever come into my office without my invitation! Someone could have gotten hurt.” I look at the boys.

  He puts up his hands. “Lex, I’m sorry.”

  I nod.

  “That was awesome, Mom,” JB says.

  “It’s not awesome when security feels the threat warrants the use of a weapon.”

  “Whatever,” he says.

  I gift him with my mother’s evil eye.

  “Sorry.”

  “Who are you?” Chase asks Jaxson.

  Jaxson looks at him, then JB, and then to me.

  I watch as everything hits him. He tries to speak but no words come out. He looks at each of the boys again. He looks like he’s going to ralph, or pass out, or both. In other words, he’s in shock.

  I take Chase and JB by the hand and walk them over to Jaxson.

  “Boys, This is...my friend, Mr. Ryan.”

  They both look at me, and then their father.

  JB puts out his hand.

  Jaxson kneels.

  “It’s nice to meet you, sir,” he says. “That was way sick by the way. Good sick—not bad.”

  If Jaxson didn’t already know that they are mine—that just sealed the deal.

  Jaxson shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you...?”

  “JB, and this is my brother, Chase,” he says, and pulls his brother toward Jaxson.

  Chase looks up at me.

  I nod.

  He puts out his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir. Why are you yelling at my Mom? I don’t like yelling. My Gram yells a lot and I don’t like it. I’m sensitive.”

  “She yells because she has a stick up her arse,” JB tells him matter-of-factly.

  “But not for real. It’s just a figuring of speech,” Chase says.

  I smile. Close enough.

  Jaxson takes his hand. “I’m sorry...Chase. I...your mother and I...”

  “We had a misunderstanding, but now all’s good,” I say.

  Chase looks up at me. He’s not convinced.

  “Did you know that a rat can last longer without water than a camel?” JB asks Jaxson.

  Jaxs
on smiles. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “Did you know that your brain is eighty percent water?”

  Jaxson laughs. “Yes, I do know that. Your mother told me.”

  Chase pulls a Matchbox car out of his jeans’ pocket and shows it to his father. “This is a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.” He hands it to Jaxson.

  Jaxson takes it and looks it over.

  Chase digs another car out of his pocket. “This is a 1967 Ford Fairlane GT Convertible.”

  Jaxson takes it and holds it up. “My grandfather had one of these,” he says.

  Chase looks at him in complete shock and total envy. “No way, dude. Does he still have it? Can I see it? I’ve never seen one in the person.”

  Jaxson laughs. “No. Unfortunately he’s gone, and so is his Fairlane.”

  Chase frowns.

  “My brother has two hundred and forty seven Matchbox cars. He used to have three hundred and twenty-two but the movers lost seventy-five cars. He cried and Gram said she was going to have words with the mover man. Chase was upset because he loves cars.”

  “Yeah, I had a 1970 Chevelle SS and a 1963 Aston Martin DBS and my favorite Pagani Huayra in the lost box. My aunt Sam has three Porsches: a 918 Spyder, a 911 Carrera and a Turbo Cayenne.”

  “Not Matchbox ones—real ones,” JB adds.

  “My mom says she doesn’t need a car,” Chase tells him, “but Aunt Sam says my mommy is a stick in the mud.”

  “She’s not really a stick in the mud,” JB adds, “but she jumps in mud. We have a lot of mud at our new house, by the stables, and we play in it.”

  Chase giggles. “Yeah, our friend Mary scolded her. Mary says Mom is too old to jump in the mud. Mary don’t like it if you get mud on the carpet.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Mary,” Jaxson replies.

  “You know Mary?” Chase asks him.

  “Yes, I know Mary.”

  “She lost her home, and her and Mr. Lester are very sad.”

  Jaxson looks up at me and then back to his son. “Yes, I know she was very sad.”

  “Mom says Lester looks like the cleaning guy.”

  “Mr. Clean,” I say.

  Jaxson smiles.

  “Did you know that cats sleep sixteen to eighteen hours a day? And did you know that the elephant is the only mammal that can’t jump?”

  Jaxson laughs. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “Did you know that my mom has seventy two pairs of Converse Chucks?”

  “I knew she had a lot of them, but I didn’t know she had that many.”

  “My brother Googles things and he get upset because he can only be online for thirty minutes a day. But sometimes,” Chase whispers loudly, “he steals Grams’ iPhone and looks stuff up.”

  “Dude, I borrow Grams’ phone.”

  “Whatever.”

  JB rolls his eyes at his brother.

  Jaxson is utterly captivated by his sons—grinning from ear to ear. It makes me happy, but it also makes me feel lower than pond scum—subscum.

  “Mom moved her job to New York. We had two homes in London. One was the city house and the other one was the country house.”

  “Yeah,” JB adds, “but not like a country. Like the United States or France, but like out in the country.”

  Chase frowns. “I think he knows what a country house is.”

  JB shrugs. “Whatever. Our Gram has ten houses. My mom says that Gram has nine too many. Mom don’t like the Grant Estate in Scotland.”

  “Yeah,” Chases agrees. “Bad memories live there. But new memories live at Grant Estate, New York.”

  “Maybe you could come over and see the new memories,” JB says.

  “Yeah, I could show you my cars.”

  Jaxson looks up at me. “I’ll have to ask your Mom about it, but I’d love to visit.”

  There is a knock at the door and we all turn.

  Gram walks in—in all her Prada glory.

  “Gram!” JB yells and runs to her.

  Her expression changes from the wicked witch of the west to the nice witch of the north in seconds.

  She bends down, picks him up, and then tickles his tummy.

  He giggles.

  She laughs. “How’s my big boy?”

  “He’s good.”

  Gram looks at Chase and frowns. “I’m sad until I hold both my big boys.”

  Chase rolls his eyes, and then runs to her.

  She puts JB down and picks up Chase.

  He kisses her cheek.

  “My little man.” She smiles and kisses his nose and sits him down.

  She takes both of them by the hand and walks toward Jaxson and me. “Well, it looks like we’ve all met.” She raises a perfectly shaped brow. “Nice to see you again. Mr. Ryan.”

  He nods. “Lizbet.”

  She looks at me.

  I give her my “I’m going to fucking kick your ass you interfering bitch!” look.

  She raises her other perfectly shaped brow. “You don’t look good in a scowl, my dear.”

  You don’t look good with my handprint on your face—I’d like to add.

  “It looks like you two need a moment to talk. I’m going home for the day, so I’ll take my boys with me.”

  “Yeah!” they both squeal.

  “Gram, can I ask Stewart to take us to FAO Schwarz on the way home. I’ll have my manners and say ‘please.’ I just want to look at a car. I looked at it online, but I want to see it in the person.”

  “I think if you give him a big kiss and a hug he’ll think about it.”

  “Cool,” Chase says.

  My intercom beeps. “Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Grant.”

  “No problem, Amie.”

  “Mrs. Grant wanted me to let her know when her car arrived.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Ms. Grant?”

  “Amie.”

  “Your next appointment just arrived. Mr. Lake and Mr. Mclean.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Dale says he’ll take them into the small conference room and open the bar. That will give you an extra thirty minutes.”

  “Thanks, Amie, and please thank Dale.”

  “Dale Evans?” Jaxson asks me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is there any former employee of mine that you haven’t hired?”

  “I gave everyone that wanted to work for Grant a job. Well, not everyone. I didn’t give Frankie, from legal a job.”

  He frowns.

  Gram clears her throat. “Our chariot awaits, so go kiss your mommy good-bye.”

  JB runs to me, I pick him up and he gives me a big kiss.

  “You be good for Gram and Stewart.”

  “Always, Mommy.” He grins. “I’m an angel.”

  I roll my eyes at him, set him down and he walks to Jaxson. He puts out his hand. “Mr. Ryan, it was my pleasure.”

  He smiles. “The pleasure was all mine, JB.”

  “That thing with security—sick, man.” They knuckle bump, then chuckle.

  Chase gathers his cars from the rug and puts them in his pockets. Then he walks to Jaxson and Jaxson hands him the cars that he’s been holding.

  “Thanks for showing me your cars, Chase.”

  “Anytime, dude.” They knuckle bump, then Chase walks to me, I pick him up and give him a kiss.

  “Love you, little man.”

  “Love you, Mommy. You be good and don’t be late for dinner.”

  “I’ll do my very best.”

  He nods and I put him down.

  “Okay, my little man,” Gram says, “let’s get going.”

  Chase walks back to Jaxson and holds out his hand. “It was nice to meet you, Dad.”

  Jaxson stares at him for a few seconds. I watch a tear roll down his cheek. He puts his arms around his son and holds him tight. “More than nice to meet you, son.”

  Chase pulls away then runs out the door with his brother in tow.

  Gram clears her throat—obviously just as affected by what just play
ed out. “Mr. Ryan,” she says.

  He turns. “Lizbet.”

  “Call my office tomorrow, and we will talk about what’s next for Ryan.”

  “You?” he asks

  “Yes, it was me. I took over Ryan.”

  She nods to me and shuts the door.

  Goddamn that woman and her Prada-wearing, interfering ass.

  * * *

  Jaxson remains kneeling for a minute. We don’t speak. There is nothing I can say to him that will make what’s about to happen painless.

  He stands, walks to a chair and sits. He looks at me, but he’s not seeing me. He stands again and paces for a minute, then sits back down. He repeats this process a few times. He seems stunned, happy, hurt, and disappointed.

  He wipes a tear off his cheek and stands. He looks at me. “I...I...don’t...I don’t know what to say to you.” He closes his eyes then opens them. “I can’t look at you. I’ve never been more...disappointed in my life. I can’t believe that you could ever do something so cruel and selfish. I have sons.”

  “Jaxson, I...”

  “How could you...?”

  “I came back to tell you.”

  He shakes his head. “You came back to tell me.” He huffs and throws up his hands. “I don’t care what you believed I’d done...you had no right to keep me from my sons!” he shouts.

  “I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks, but you’ve been too busy. I didn’t want to tell you on the phone, or by text.”

  “The last few weeks? My God, Alexia, you’ve had almost three years to tell me.”

  “I was going to tell you after they were born, but you forgot about me, gave up on us in just weeks, I couldn’t let you do that to them.”

  “But I didn’t forget and give up on you.”

  “I know that now. God, Jax, I wasn’t wanted—ever. Do you know what that does to a kid? I just couldn’t do it to them.”

  “You have no right to lump me in the same category as your fucked-up parents and your fucked- up friends and ex-husband. I’m nothing like them.”

  “You have to look at things from my perspective. I’ve never had a non-gay man love me—for me. Men want me for four reasons: money, status, sex, and more money. Mix in fucked-up parents, fucked-up childhood and an ex-wife in a sheet. Can you blame me for not wanting to add my sons to the mess?”

  “I’m sorry about your fucked-up life and what it’s done to your ‘perspective.’ You can try to justify what you’ve done, but it’s not going to make it right. Keeping me from knowing, from being with my sons, is and was selfish, immoral, and fucked up.”