Saved by the Cross (Cross 3)

14 - Good guy

One minute Gray was returning Ana's toys before he started lunch and the next he was saying goodbye. Doyle. She wasn't Katherine, and she was as wealthy as Monty. If he learned anything in his years with his boss, boatloads of money didn't buy happiness. Monty found his happiness with Sofia. Before he met the Colombian American beauty, the rich boy drank too much and made bad choices. He may have been Gray's sponsor, but the favor went both ways.

Every time he looked at Doyle's bruises, it reminded him of when he fought with Monty to keep him from drinking. Monty returned the favor when he ran with him all night until he finally shared the story of Beth.

After years of missing Beth, he sat in his stark apartment and thought of the beauty with hazel eyes. Doyle was brave and incredibly sexy. Puzzled, he didn't understand why she let a chauffeur seduce her. She definitely wasn't like most rich girls.

Gray turned his head to the knock on the door before Monty walked in. They had lived together in a condo for years. The move to separate digs came before Ana's birth. Monty and Sofia needed to be a family without him around every second.

"So that was unexpected."

Gray sighed. "And I thought the guy was her John. She's as rich as you."

Monty laughed. "Her father, but she and I have plenty in common."

"I think her childhood was happy."

Monty dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Obviously, not everything in common. As a father, I can't imagine Ana disappearing."

"She told me they knew she was away."

"Yeah, touring with Unhinged Rage. By the name alone, they're bad news."

Gray frowned. "People used to think you were bad news."

Monty laughed, but his mouth straightened quickly. "So you were just playing the hero? We thought you blew us off for a date."

"It was an excuse you'd buy."

"But?"

"No buts."

Monty stared at him and shook his head. "Take my advice. Don't go there. You may be family, but out there people see you as hired help."

"I'm not stupid." The higher pitch of his voice made Monty's eyes narrow.

"I came down to see if you want to join us for dinner. I need someone to talk to, my wife keeps talking about Tarzan."

"What's his deal?"

"He climbs coconut trees. They're twins."

Gray nodded. "The K."

Monty was halfway to the door. "Come up."

"I will because I miss Ana." Ever since Ana was born, his view for his future changed, with a sliver of envy because Monty created a life. The woman he wanted to create a life with left the desert in a box. He wasn't stupid enough to think the heiress would fall for him. After countless relationships, why did she feel different? Maybe because she needed him. Superman. He wished he were a man worthy of her. He would have to have been Monty's brother.

At dinner, he tried everything to steer the conversation away from his weekend guest. "How was your visit to Weston?"

Monty shrugged. "It's the weirdest thing. The old man enjoys seeing Ana. I doubt he even liked me as a baby."

Montgomery Senior's stroke trapped him inside his damaged brain unable to speak or use his right side. Gray thought the man deserved it for being a verbally abusive father and loathsome man.