Ruin Read online

  It’s not your average name.

  I watch as they talk among themselves. The dad is sliding looks in Zeus’s direction as he follows Gigi around, moving from the slide to the merry-go-round.

  Bringing us here was probably poor judgment on my part. I forgot how well known he is now. But then where can we go and not risk him being recognized?

  This is going to be the hard part. Keeping who Zeus is to Gigi under wraps until it’s time for us to tell her. But I have a feeling that telling Gigi that Zeus is her dad will have to come an awful lot sooner than I prefer.

  I get up from the bench and walk over to them at the merry-go-round.

  When I reach Zeus, who is laughing at something Gigi just said as she whizzes around while he spins her, I step close to him and say, “You’ve been made.” I jerk my head in the direction of the parents.

  “Yeah. I figured.” He exhales.

  “You want to leave?”

  He shakes his head, meeting my eyes. “No. I want to stay here until Gigi’s ready to leave.”

  “Oh, well, in that case, we’ll be here all day. Right, Gigi girl?” I say.

  She grins. “I loves the park!” she squeals as she spins past us. “Keep spinning, Zweus! Faster!”

  “Not too fast, or you’ll throw up. Remember last time?”

  “I puked,” she says to Zeus, a grim expression on her face. “I had ice cweam and had Granny Elle spin me fast.”

  “Blue bubblegum ice cream,” I tell him. “It wasn’t a pretty sight.”

  He laughs deep, a rumble in his chest. “Glad I missed it,” he says. Then, a flash of pain crosses his brow at his own words.

  I want to say something to make him feel better, but I don’t know what.

  And then we’re interrupted by a voice behind us.

  “Hey, man.”

  Zeus and I turn to the voice, finding the dad who was eyeballing Zeus.

  “Sorry to bother you…but are you Zeus Kincaid?”

  Zeus smiles. It’s forced. But you’d have to know him as well as I do to know that.

  “Yeah,” he says.

  The guy’s expression brightens. “I thought so. God, man, I can’t believe it. I’m a big fan. I used to box when I was younger—nothing like you, of course. You’re amazing.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it,” Zeus says.

  “Would it be okay if I got a picture with you?”

  I just look at Zeus. I can tell he doesn’t want to. But I know what he’s going to say.

  He glances back at Gigi, who’s waiting on the merry-go-round, which has slowed to a stop. She has a curious expression on her face.

  “I’ll just be a sec, okay?”

  She nods but doesn’t say anything.

  The guy digs his cell out of his pocket and holds it out to me. “Would you mind?”

  I take the phone and snap the photo. Then, I hand the phone back to him.

  “Thanks,” he says to me. “Sorry to interrupt,” he says to us all. “And good luck with the Dimitrov fight,” he tells Zeus. “Not that you’ll need it. I reckon five rounds, most.”

  “Thanks, man,” Zeus says to him. Then, he turns back to Gigi. “Sorry about that, Gigi. Right, you want me to keep spinning you, or are we going on something else?”

  She doesn’t answer. She’s staring at him, her head cocked to the side, like she does when she’s trying to work something out.

  For a split second, my heart stops as I worry that she’s figured out he’s her dad, which is crazy. There’s no way she’d be able to figure that out. Right?

  “Why dids that man want to take picture with you, Zweus?”

  “Well…” He seems to be struggling with how to answer.

  “Zeus has a job that means he’s sometimes on TV,” I tell her.

  “Wike Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

  “Kind of but different,” I answer.

  “Different how?” she asks, craning her head to look up at Zeus.

  He crouches down in front of her, so he’s eye-level. “Well, I’m a boxer, Gigi.”

  Her brows come together. “But I’s thought you were a mailman?”

  His lip comes out at the corner, forming his trademark half-smile. “That was my other job. But my main job is boxing.”

  “So…you’s a box?”

  Zeus rumbles out a laugh. “A boxer, a fighter,” he explains to her.

  “Fighting’s bad.” She frowns. “Mommy always tells me that.”

  “Your mom’s right; fighting is bad, Gigi. But there are some instances when it’s okay.”

  “Wike?”

  “Well, when it’s a sport, like boxing is. I put on gloves and get in a boxing ring to fight against another boxer. There’s a referee to make sure we’re okay. And medics are on standby in case one of us gets hurt.”

  “You get hurt?” Her eyes widen, and the concern on her face tugs at my chest.

  “No,” he tells her, his expression softening. “I’m the best. And, when you’re the best like me, no one gets close enough to hurt you.”

  Those words echo in my mind, and I believe them down to my very core.

  I can’t imagine anyone ever hurting Zeus. And I don’t mean just physically.

  We stayed in the park for another hour, and no one bothered Zeus for a picture again, which was good. We’re back in his car now and on our way to Landmark Diner, which is Gigi’s favorite place to eat, as she loves their pancakes.

  She also seems to really like Zeus. She’s been soaking up attention all morning. He’s totally gone for her. I can see it in his eyes. But then Gigi is easy to love. She gets that trait from her father.

  Watching Zeus with Gigi—something I never thought I’d see—makes me happy for her. That she finally has her father in her life even if she doesn’t exactly know yet who he is.

  But there’s this permanent ache in my chest. I think it’s the what-if ache. What if Zeus had never cheated on me and dumped me? We’d have been a family. Together for all this time.

  But it’s stupid to think about what-ifs. It gets you nowhere but to Sad Town.

  Life happens the way it’s meant to. And I was never supposed to be with Zeus for life.

  I might have thought that he was the love of my life. And I can’t deny that I still have feelings for him. He’s Gigi’s father and my first love, so I’m always going to have an emotional attachment to him. It makes sense.

  But, beyond that, there’s nothing more.

  Zeus and I were over a long time ago.

  “This the place?” Zeus checks as he pulls into the diner’s parking lot.

  “Yep. This is it.”

  “Looks nice,” he comments as he parks the car in a space.

  “It’s my favowite,” Gigi tells him for the tenth time.

  He smiles at her in the rearview mirror.

  Gigi insists on unbuckling herself. I notice Zeus doesn’t put on his ball cap this time. Maybe because it didn’t help him go unrecognized the last time.

  Zeus gets out of the car, and I do the same. He opens the door for Gigi. She clambers out of the car with Princess Twilight Sparkle under her arm.

  We all start to walk toward the diner. Gigi and Zeus are in front, and I’m just a little ways behind them.

  “You gonna have pancakes, Zweus?” Gigi asks him.

  “They make the best pancakes here, right?”

  “Yep.” She nods.

  “Then, I’m having pancakes.”

  Then, she does something unexpected. She reaches up and takes hold of Zeus’s hand.

  His step falters. I watch him as he stares down at her tiny hand in his.

  His eyes swing back to me.

  The look on his face slays me, and for a second, I feel like I might burst into tears.

  Those striking blue eyes of his are glittering with emotion.

  I give him a tremulous smile. It’s all I can manage.

  And Gigi has no idea what such a small action means to that huge man beside her.

&
nbsp; Gigi tugs on his hand. “Come on, Zweus. Pancakes!”

  He bites down a smile and keeps moving with her into the diner.

  I pick my heart up off the floor and walk through the door that Zeus is holding open for me.

  “Thanks.” I smile at him.

  Gigi’s already running over to a booth and climbing in it. She settles Princess Twilight Sparkle on her left side.

  I take a seat across from her.

  Zeus hesitates, seeming unsure of where to sit. But Gigi makes the decision for him.

  “Sit here, Zweus.” She pats the seat beside her.

  He slides into the booth. His long legs bump into mine under the table.

  My eyes flash up to his. Just even the touch of his jean-clad leg has heat racing up my skin.

  “Sorry,” he says, but his eyes don’t look like he means it.

  He shifts his legs to the side, so they’re stretched just outside the booth.

  “Hey, Miss Gigi, Cam,” Megan, one of the waitresses, says, coming over to us.

  We know everyone in here pretty well, as we’re here often.

  I see her steps falter as she spots Zeus sitting there. I watch as her eyes rake over Zeus, and I don’t like the feeling it leaves in my stomach.

  “Hi, Megan.” Gigi beams at her. “You got me a picture to color?”

  “Of course.” Megan hands her one of the pictures and crayons that the diner provides to keep the kids entertained. “And who’s this?” Megan asks, her eyes on Zeus, a flirtatious edge to her expression that has me frowning.

  “This is Zweus,” Gigi volunteers up the information. “He’s an old fwiend of Mommy’s, and he’s my new fwiend. And he’s a box.” She gives a toothy grin.

  Zeus chuckles.

  “Not a box, Gigi. A boxer,” I remind her.

  “Oh, yeah. I’s forgot.”

  “Zeus Kincaid.” Megan tips her head in an unmistakably flirtatious manner, a smile touching her lips. “The boxer.”

  “That’s me,” he says, grinning at her.

  I have the sudden urge to kick him under the table.

  Megan is pretty. Really pretty. A few years younger than me. Platinum-blonde hair. Has a bust size I’d kill for. She’s nice. And I like her; I do. But, right now, I’m not liking so much the way she’s looking at Zeus. Or the smile he’s currently giving her in return.

  I recognize that look on his face. He used to look at me that way when he was getting ready to disengage my clothes from me.

  Something bitter twists in my gut.

  He’s supposed to be spending time getting to know his daughter, not flirting with the waitress.

  Yeah, sure, Cam, that’s the only reason you’re all of a sudden feeling stabby.

  “I know who you are. My brother’s a big fan of yours,” she says, smiling coyly at him, twirling her blonde hair around her finger. “He’s gonna be real jealous that I’ve met you.”

  “I can sign an autograph for him, if you’d like,” Zeus says to her.

  “Wow. Really? He’d love that.”

  Of course, Zeus isn’t keen on taking a picture with the nice dad in the park, but he has no problem with signing an autograph for the pretty waitress.

  Megan tears off a piece of paper from her order pad and hands it to him along with her pen. She leans forward and rests her hand on the back of the seat behind him, and my eyes zero in on the action.

  “And, if you want to write down your digits, too, I know someone else who would like that.”

  I see as she lightly brushes her fingers over his shoulder before moving back.

  What?

  Openly flirting in front of my kid. She doesn’t know that Zeus and I aren’t together, and she’s just hitting on him like that.

  Okay, I officially hate Megan.

  I don’t even bother to check out Zeus’s reaction. He’s probably loving the attention. And, if I see that, I might throw this napkin holder at him and grab Gigi’s hand to take her out of here.

  “Can we please order now?” I snap, and I’m not even sorry.

  “Oh. Yeah, of course. Sorry,” Megan says, not even seeming bothered.

  I hear Zeus chuckle low, and I refuse to look at him or the piece of paper he’s currently scribbling on to see if he’s giving Megan his number as well.

  I’m not looking. Definitely not.

  I stare down at my menu, burning a hole in it.

  “What can I get you guys to drink?” Megan asks.

  “Coffee,” I say without even looking up at her or waiting for Gigi to order first, and I feel like an ass.

  I’m acting like a bad mom. And I hate that it’s because of Zeus. Or rather my jealousy over Zeus.

  Crap.

  I glance up at Gigi, and thankfully, she has no clue that her mom is currently acting like a jealous shrew.

  “What would you like to drink, Gigi girl?” I softly ask her.

  “Milk, pwease,” she says without looking up from her picture.

  I glance at Megan to make sure she got that, and her writing on her pad tells me that she did.

  “I’ll have a coffee,” Zeus rumbles out.

  “Two coffees and a milk. Be right back with those.”

  Megan walks away, and I can’t help but look at Zeus to see if he’s watching her leave.

  He’s not. He’s watching me. With something akin to amusement in his eyes.

  And it pisses me off.

  I frown at him. And you know what the bastard does?

  He smiles at me.

  “You wike my picture, Zweus?” Gigi asks him.

  He pulls his eyes from me to look at her picture. “It’s really good, Gigi. Do you like coloring?”

  “S’okay,” she says. Typical four-year-old response. “Yellow’s my favowite color. Then, pink. Purple. And blue. What’s your favowite color?” she asks him.

  “Yellow,” he says.

  I know he’s fibbing because green is his favorite color. Or it used to be.

  “Same as me!” Gigi beams at him.

  He smiles. “Same as you,” he echoes.

  Then, Megan Flirty McFlirterson appears back at our table with our drinks.

  “Milk for Miss Gigi.” She puts it on the table in front of Gigi, who immediately picks it up and has a drink.

  “Coffee for Cam.” She smiles at me as she puts it down in front of me.

  I don’t even bother to smile back. I think her behavior has been really inappropriate, asking for Zeus’s number. I should complain to her boss.

  “And coffee for Zeus.” She puts down a small jug of creamer between Zeus and me.

  I pick it up, knowing Zeus takes his coffee black and pour some into mine.

  Then, because I’m feeling bitchy, I offer it to him.

  He frowns. “I don’t take creamer,” he says roughly.

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot.”

  His brow comes up. “You didn’t forget yesterday when you made me a coffee.”

  Shit. Crap. And double shit.

  I have nothing, so I ignore him and turn to Megan. “We’re ready to order now.”

  I know Zeus hasn’t even had a chance to look at the menu. But I’m not in the mood for playing nice right now. And Gigi knows everything on the menu here and has already decided what she’s having, which will be—

  “I’s have the cookies and cweam pancakes, pwease,” Gigi says, taking the words right out of my head.

  “What would you like, Zeus?” Megan asks him, a flirtatious lilt to her voice.

  If he says her, I’m going to throat-punch him.

  I’m not normally a violent person, but I’m feeling all kinds of ragey right now.

  Zeus turns to Gigi. “What do you recommend I have?”

  She looks up from her coloring to him. “Same as me. They da best.”

  He glances at Megan. “I’ll have the same as Gigi, just double up the order for me.”

  “Growing guy, huh?” She simpers.

  “I’m already grown,” he says.
/>   Her eyes flash to his huge biceps and then to his face. “Yes, you are,” she says, biting the edge of her lip.

  Right. I’m done.

  “Blueberry pancakes for me,” I say in a hard tone. “And send them with a different waitress.”

  Megan’s eyes flash to mine. I stare hard at her. Her face reddens. Then, she gives me a look of apology, nods, and scurries off.

  “You still have it, huh?” Zeus murmurs, seemingly nonplussed.

  “What?” My voice is a quiet bite.

  “A jealous streak.”

  My memory flies back to all those jealous moments I had over women flirting with him. He never once did anything wrong.

  Until he did.

  “I’m not jealous,” I hiss, furious. “But we’re also in a diner, not a bar. And my daughter is here.”

  Zeus actually has the good grace to look guilty. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to—”

  “Forget it,” I cut him off.

  The atmosphere at the table is awful, so I break it by asking Gigi about her picture. It’s the only thing I can think of to say. My brain’s too full of angry barbs that I want to fire at Zeus at the moment.

  “Cam,” a recognizable voice says from beside me.

  I turn my head to see Rich standing there in his uniform. “Hey,” I say. “What are you doing here?” I ask nicely.

  “Just picking up an order for me and some of the guys at the station. Hey, Gigi.” He gives her a wave.

  “Hi, Rich.” She waves back, smiling.

  At the mention of Rich’s name, I see Zeus stiffen in my peripheral. If we hadn’t just had the Megan situation, then I would feel awkward about Rich being here. Now, not so much.

  Rich’s eyes curiously go to Zeus, recognition sparking in them.

  Zeus is openly glaring at him.

  Ah, crap.

  Okay, so maybe I am feeling a little uncomfortable.

  Knowing I have to introduce them, I say, “Rich, this is Zeus Kincaid. Zeus, this is Rich Hastings.”

  “I know who you are,” Rich says to Zeus, putting a hand out to shake Zeus’s. “I’m a big fan.”

  Zeus looks at his outstretched hand like it’s smeared with the Ebola virus, and then he somewhat reluctantly shakes his hand. Hard, if going by the way Rich flexes his fingers after their handshake.

  “Always good to meet a fan,” Zeus says. And I’m pretty sure I detect sarcasm in his voice.

  “So, how do you guys know each other?” Rich asks.