Page 1 of Lost
CHAPTER ONE
It had to be a mistake.
Zack couldn’t even remember her, this woman he’d supposedly slept with. Samantha Maverick wasn’t a name that he recognised, and he made a point of trying to remember the names of all the women he’d taken to bed over the years. The first he’d heard of this one had been a week and a half ago, when his lawyer had called him requesting a DNA sample so she could prove beyond all reasonable doubt that he had not fathered the woman’s child. It was an idea he and the guys had laughed about that same night, right before he’d pushed the matter to the back of his mind and promptly forgotten. Nothing ever came of these accusations, and this one would be no different.
But the test had come back positive.
Zack slipped the phone back into his pocket automatically, his body numb with the news.Positive?How could this have happened? Disbelief laced his every thought, but he knew Maria would never have delivered the life-altering news unless she was absolutely certain. She would have looked at this from every angle until she’d exhausted all options. There wouldn’t be a single doubt left in her mind.
He had a son.
The boy was fifteen years old and had just lost his mother. According to Maria, the kid’s maternal grandparents were dead, he had no uncles or aunts, and there was no step-father or other legal guardian in the picture. He had named Zachary Bennett as his father, and hadn’t baulked at all when threatened with a DNA test. He’d known what the results would be.
And now that it was proven it was expected the boy would be coming to live with him. Zack blew a deep breath out through his nose. He’d been given two days to prepare himself for the boy’s arrival. Two days to prepare himself to be a father.
If the unopened bottle of whiskey in the kitchen hadn’t been inviting before, it certainly was now.
Zack’s heart pounded against his ribcage. He knew there were people who became parents as teenagers and adapted to their new roles, but at thirty-three he still wasn’t ready — and he definitely didn’t appreciate being thrown into the deep end. Andfifteen?!He’d felt a stab of anger when he’d heard that, when he’d learned Samantha Maverick had kept the existence of the boy from him for that long, but maybe being blissfully ignorant had been better. Anything had to be better than this.
Two rooms away, his friends were oblivious to the complicated mess his life had just become. Their conversation went on, undisturbed by anything but the occasional clink of glass as somebody set their beer down on the marble island counter. Zack hated the thought of shattering that peaceful atmosphere. But what choice did he have? With only two days to prepare for the arrival of his son, he was going to need all the help he could get.
He made his way back into the kitchen.
Aaron was the first to notice his re-entrance. The young drummer smiled a welcome, but his easy expression slipped when he saw the look on Zack’s face. His dark brow furrowed, blue eyes filling with concern. The rest of the band swiveled their heads to follow his gaze, Chris still with a beer raised to his lips.
Zack eyed the whiskey across the kitchen. He made for it immediately, strolling past all four of his friends and their questioning chorus of “Zack?”, and cracked it open before anybody had a chance to stop him.
Pat got to his feet immediately, six-foot-three of undiluted worry. He crossed the kitchen in three long strides to reach Zack’s side and grab for the bottle. Zack had already swallowed several mouthfuls of whiskey by the time the singer managed to take it from him.
“Sit,” he ordered. He left no room for protest.
Zack sat, absently running a hand through his mess of dark hair. Pat watched him for several moments before he returned to his own seat, the bottle now a safe distance away, the lid back on securely.
On his other side, Brendan had one eyebrow raised. He was the only one of their group not drinking alcohol, opting instead for a glass of iced water that was sweating rings onto the counter. He was absently tracing circles through them with his middle finger.
“You okay, man?” He eyed Zack warily. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Worse, Zack wanted to say. He would have preferred seeing the ghost of his dragon-lady grandmother brandishing her rolling pin over this.
“You guys remember that call I got from Maria last week?” he asked. His throat was dry. “About the woman who said her kid was mine?”
There were nods from all around. The incident hadn’t been all that memorable — just another accusation to add to the always-growing list — but it was recent enough that Zack didn’t need to go into more detail. Brendan swallowed a mouthful of his water, looking like he knew exactly where this conversation was going. It was a look that Pat shared as he met the guitarist’s eyes, though neither man made to interrupt. Chris and Aaron both waited expectantly.
“Turns out it wasn’t just some chick looking for money. It’s the real deal.”
Chris sucked in a sharp breath and choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken. Aaron’s eyes grew wider than Zack had ever seen them, in an almost child-like way, and he had to remind himself that this sort of thing was new to the twenty-seven-year-old. In his four years with the band, he had been lucky enough to escape having to deal with these sorts of things. For his sake, Zack hoped he never got an accusation. What a nightmare.
Pat’s head was bowed as he rubbed at his temples, elbows planted firmly on the counter. Brendan ran a hand through his shaggy hair in much the same fashion as Zack, leaving it somehow more messed up than it already had been.
He gave Zack a long, calculating look. “Are you sure about this, man? She could be a convincing liar with connections.”
The thought had crossed Zack’s mind. It was one of the first concerns he’d voiced to Maria. She’d been a friend to his family for a long time, and his first choice as a lawyer when he had come to need one. He trusted her as much as he trusted the men sitting in front of him. If she said it was ironclad, he believed her.
“Maria’s positive,” Zack said. “Said she’s checked it out, they’ve run the tests. It’s legit.”
Chis let out a low whistle.Yeah, that about sums it up.
“So what does she want?” Chris asked. “Fame and fortune? You gonna pay her off?”
