Unbreakable Currents

Chapter 29

What felt like hours was only few minutes since Nick left. That was it. There would be no taking him back.

I started to run a bath, hoping to soothe the ache in my chest ,when I heard the front door shut. I tiptoed around the corner and saw Nick standing in the kitchen, pulling a bottle from a brown bag.

What the hell is he doing?

I approached him and he turned around holding a liquor bottle in one hand and a shot glass in the other. I was confused and mad. He made my emotions crazy, per usual.

"You want one?" He was smiling and his voice was upbeat.

"Why didn't you tell me you would be right back? I thought you left for good." I folded my arms around my chest and snarled at him.

"I needed this, trust me. I'm going to tell you what you want to know but not before I take a large shot. I wanted to get it quick before I changed my mind."

"This sounds promising." I said sarcastically.

"It will be. Here, take one. You're going to need it."

I suddenly became scared of the confession he was about to make.

We sat back down on the patio and took our shots of tequila. I waited for him to start talking and could see sweat start to form on his forehead. He was nervous.

"Jeff Lowell is not a business partner of mine or anyone I want to be associated with. He is a bastard and thinks money solves everything. I came to know him when I was a teenager and I was dating his daughter, Alexis. We went to the same school."

"So why do you give him a large amount of money every week?"

"He gave my family money years ago. Now that I am successful, every dime he gave I am repaying. Like I said, I don't want to be affiliated with him at all."

"Okay." I said with an urgency in my voice for him to continue.

"The money he gave was hush money." Nick took a deep breath and continued, "I got her pregnant and instead of having the baby, her father decided it would be best if she was shipped off to her grandmas in North Carolina. Alexis broke up with me and moved there before she started showing. She would have the baby and put it up for adoption. Jeff gave my parents and me the money so we would never tell anyone and humiliate his family. Hell, I don't even know if it was a boy or girl."

The pain in Nick's eyes made me want to console him but I didn't want to distract him. I did not see any of that coming.

Dumbfounded, I managed to speak. "And the tattoo?"

"The tattoo does stand for adoption. I got it when I was 19 so every time I looked in the mirror I was reminded of where I have been and some good did come out of it all. I used the money Jeff gave me to start up my real estate investment company that same year. I was always interested in owning real estate and Jeff was the best commercial real estate investor in town, so I asked a lot of questions and learned a lot from him within the year I dated Alexis. I knew Paul because he worked for him and he wanted to branch off away from Jeff, so we teamed up."

I glared at him, taking in all the information.

"Are you okay? Your face looks like you might puke."

"How about another shot." I stuttered.

Nick got us another shot and the tequila burned my throat as I drank every last drop. Nick sipped his and watched me intently. After a glass of wine and two shots, I was feeling a little tipsy and brave.

"Have you talked to Alexis?" The liquor was giving me liquid courage to pry further.

"Hell no! I heard from a few people at school that she decided to stay at her grandma's. She never contacted me for anything so there was no reason for me to reach out to her."