Five years ago, Autumn Martin broke the ultimate rule: she fell in love with Eric Kingston-her best friend’s uncle and the most powerful man in London.
Their relationship was a beautiful, forbidden secret, but it was doomed from the start.
Fleeing with a secret he was never meant to find out, Autumn left the man she loved behind.
Now, she is back for her best friend’s wedding, praying she can survive three days without Eric discovering the truth.
But Eric hasn’t forgotten the woman who vanished.
When he catches a glimpse of a child with his own storm-gray eyes, the game changes.
Trapped in the Kingston estate, Autumn must navigate guilt, rekindled passion, and the terrifying reality that Eric Kingston never lets go of what belongs to him.
My Best Friend’s Uncle….And My Baby Daddy. Chapter 1 One
I stared at the intricate designs of the soaring ceilings, my eyes tracing the gold leaf molding until they hit the massive crystal chandelier that anchored the foyer of the Kingston estate. Every single inch of this place screamed luxury-the kind of old-money power that didn’t just talk; it roared. It was a world I was never meant to be a part of, a world that had chewed me up and spat me out five years ago.
Standing here now, my cheap heels clicking against the polished marble, I felt like an inkblot on a white silk sheet. Out of place.
When the digital invite had first hit my inbox, I was shell-shocked. I hadn’t expected to hear from the Kingstons ever again, let alone be invited to the inner sanctum of their family legacy.
You are hereby invited to the solemnization of Chloe Kingston and Alexander Hawthorne.
I had been dumbstruck, staring at the glowing screen of my cracked phone for hours. Chloe and I hadn’t spoken since the night I fled London with a single suitcase and a secret growing inside me that terrified me to my core. My conscience was a heavy, rotting thing in my chest. I had abandoned my best friend without a word, and the guilt of that silence had finally driven me back. If it were up to me, I would have arrived in a clearance dress from Costco, something nondescript to help me blend into the shadows. But Chloe had caught wind of my arrival and wouldn’t have it.
“Omg, you actually made it!”
A whirlwind of white silk and expensive perfume collided with me before I could even find the coat check. Chloe beamed, her joy so radiant it felt like a physical burn against my skin. She looked dazzling, her flowy gown making her look youthful and ethereal, like a princess in a kingdom I had betrayed.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Loe,” I said, the old nickname slipping out before I could stop it. My heart twisted. Who gave me the right to call her that? I was a fraud. I was the girl who had vanished, leaving her to wonder what she’d done wrong for half a decade.
“I hope you are enjoying yourself,” she said, her fingers caressing my hand with genuine affection. I looked down at her manicured nails against my own bare ones. “I have really missed you, Tummy.”
My stomach felt hot. That old nickname-Tummy-it felt like a brand. I felt like a monster standing in the middle of her happiness, carrying a secret that would shatter her world if it ever came to light.
“Your party is lovely, Chloe. Everything is so beautiful,” I said, desperately trying to pivot the conversation away from my missing years. I had seen this estate in architecture magazines, segments dedicated to the “Crown Jewel of London,” but standing in it was different. The air felt heavy, charged with a predatory energy, as if the walls themselves were waiting for me to slip up.
“Thanks, I designed the layout and the floral arrangements myself,” she said, her chest swelling with pride. She looked so happy, so oblivious. Then, her tone shifted slightly, a playful glint in her eyes. “Uncle Eric helped pay for everything, of course. You know how he is. If his name is on the invite, it has to be the most expensive event of the century.”
The name ran a jagged chill down my spine. Eric.
Of course, he paid. He was the sun this entire family orbited, the gravity that kept their gilded world from spinning into space. Even without seeing him, I could feel his presence pressing down on the back of my neck, heavy and demanding, like he was already watching me from some hidden corner of the room.
“He actually asked about you,” Chloe continued, giggling as she sipped her champagne. “Specifically asked me to invite you. He wouldn’t stop nagging me about it for weeks. He said he always admired your smarts-said you were the only friend I had that he actually approved of.”
My breath hitched. My lungs felt like they were filling with lead. “He… he really said that?”
“Honestly, I used to think my uncle had a secret crush on you, the way he used to watch you when we were studying,” she said, making a mock vomiting motion with her fingers. “But don’t worry, the man is obsessed with someone else now. It’s the talk of the town.”
My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic rhythm that threatened to choke me. “How do you know this?”
“Everyone knows!” Chloe leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that made my skin crawl. “The great Eric Kingston has been searching for a ‘mysterious woman’ for years. He even cancelled his wedding to the Valentine heiress last spring. It caused a massive uproar in the papers. He compensated her family with millions just to get out of the contract, but he refused to say why. Many thought the scandal would destroy his reputation, but he just became more powerful. More ruthless. Like he’s driven by something none of us can see.”
I felt faint. The room began to spin. He hadn’t married the heiress? I had spent five years in a tiny apartment, picturing him in a perfect, high-society marriage while I struggled to buy milk and diapers. I thought I was the only one haunted by that time.
“Oh, Uncle! You’re finally here!” Chloe waved to someone standing behind me.
I prayed to a God I hadn’t spoken to in years that it was another relative-a cousin, an aunt, anyone. But the air in the room suddenly changed. The ambient noise of the party seemed to dull, replaced by an electric current that made the hair on my arms stand up. I knew that gaze. I knew that silence.
It was Him. Eric Kingston.
“Chloe,” his deep, baritone voice rumbled. It was lower than I remembered, richer, and far more dangerous. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his body, pressing against my back like a physical weight. He smelled of sandalwood, expensive rain, and the kind of absolute power that didn’t need to raise its voice to be heard.
“Ms. Martins,” he said, addressing me.
The title felt like a jab, a reminder of the life he assumed I had built without him. I felt absolutely devastated, my body wanting to crawl into itself even as it leaned toward his warmth. The memories of the nights we spent together-the forbidden heat, the way his hands felt on my skin-flooded my mind until I felt lightheaded.
“It’s been a long time.”
I turned slowly, forced to look at him. He hadn’t changed; he had only matured into his lethal features. His jawline was like granite, his dark hair combed back in a way that screamed “aristocrat.” Dressed in a black tux that accentuated his broad shoulders and powerful frame, he looked like a predator who had finally tracked his prey to its lair.
“Uncle, I’m so glad you remembered Tummy,” Chloe said, trying to defrost the sudden, suffocating tension between us.
“How could I forget her, Chloe?” Eric’s dark gray eyes locked onto mine, stripping away my defenses until I felt naked in the middle of the ballroom. “She left a… lasting impression on me. One I’ve found impossible to erase.”
The subtext was a blade at my throat. My phone vibrated in my clutch, a sudden, jarring rhythm.
Subconsciously, I reached for it, needing a distraction before I collapsed under the weight of his stare. It was a text from the nanny.
We just had dinner. Fin is asleep now.
Attached was a photo of my son, Fin, curled up in his travel crib. His dark hair was messy, his jawline already showing the same stubborn set as the man standing two inches away from me. I couldn’t help it; a soft, maternal smile broke across my face, my guard dropping for one fatal second.
Suddenly, Eric leaned over my shoulder, his face so close his stubble nearly brushed my cheek. He stared at the screen, his entire body going rigid.
“Autumn,” he whispered, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, low-frequency anger that made the champagne glass in my hand tremble. “Whose child is that?”
My Best Friend’s Uncle….And My Baby Daddy. Chapter 2 Two
I froze like a deer in headlights, my brain screaming for a lie, but my mouth wouldn’t move. I couldn’t summon the courage to answer his question, not while those storm-gray eyes were boring into me, searching for the truth I had buried five years ago. The air in the ballroom felt like it was turning to lead. I couldn’t breathe, and my head felt light, a dangerous buzzing sound starting in the back of my skull.
“Autumn. Whose. Child. Is. That?” Eric asked again, enunciating each word with a lethal precision.
He stepped closer, invading my air space until the scent of his expensive cologne-sandalwood and cold rain-completely surrounded me. It was an intoxicating scent, one that used to make me feel safe, but now it felt like a trap. The room felt like it was closing in, the golden walls of the Kingston estate becoming the bars of a cage.
“Uncle, what are you talking about?” Chloe piped up, her voice sounding thin and confused against the heavy silence Eric had created. “Autumn has a child? That’s crazy.”
Chloe laughed, a nervous, high-pitched sound, trying to diffuse the situation. She looked between us, searching for the joke, but Eric didn’t move. He didn’t even blink. He remained focused on me, his predatory gaze never wavering.
“Answer the damn question, Autumn,” he said, his voice dropping into a register that made my skin prickle.
He continued to walk into my space, forcing me to take a step back until I felt the heat of the onlookers’ stares on my skin. I felt suffocated. By now, I was sure he had drawn the attention of a few guests, the elite vultures of London waiting for a scandal to break. I could almost hear the whispers starting.
“My nephew,” I blurted out, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. “The baby is my brother’s child. I’m just… I’m just helping him out.”
I felt a wave of nausea. I was trying to de-escalate the situation, but lying about my own son’s paternity felt like a new low. I had sunk so far just to keep the truth from the man standing in front of me.
“Nephew?” Eric and Chloe asked simultaneously.
One voice was filled with shock, the other with a sharp, dangerous surprise. I had momentarily forgotten that Chloe had actually met my elder brother. Back when we were in university, they had talked briefly during a video call I’d had with him. The memory flashed in her eyes, and I knew I was on thin ice.
“Is he your elder brother’s-“
Before Chloe could finish her statement, Eric cut her off with a sharp gesture of his hand.
“Chloe, go attend to your guests,” Eric said.
He shut down any further questions she might have had with a coldness that made her flinch. I was thankful for the reprieve, but I knew it was premature to celebrate. Being alone with Eric was far more dangerous than being questioned by Chloe. I had escaped one interrogation only to be led toward a much more brutal one.
“But Uncle-” Chloe started to protest, using that childish, pouting side of her that I had grown soft to over the years. It reminded me so much of how we used to be-two girls against the world.
“I said go attend to your guests,” Eric dismissed her.
I watched his face, knowing that when it came to Eric, those sweet protests never worked. His heart was like a glacier-beautiful, but frozen solid. I watched Chloe stomp off, her white silk dress disappearing into the crowd. I wished more than anything that I could go with her, but I was stuck here, pinned under the weight of this man’s gaze.
“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Eric whispered into my ear.
His breath was hot against my skin, sending a traitorous jolt of electricity through my body. He didn’t even give me time to think about it before his hand clamped around my wrist. He began dragging me off, his grip firm and unyielding, leading me through the house toward heaven knows where.
We walked through the maze of the estate, passing by service people who kept their heads down, until we stopped at a heavy Mahogany door. My feet were killing me in my heels, and I cursed him silently. He was still a selfish prick who never thought about anyone else, treating me like a rag doll instead of a person.
He unlocked the door and shoved me inside. I heard the lock click behind us with a finality that made my stomach drop. I really wished it was Chloe interrogating me right now, not him.
“So,” he said, stalking toward me with a slow, terrifying grace. “Do you mind telling me whose child that is?”
I backed away from him, my heart hammering against my ribs, until I hit the edge of the large oak desk behind me. I had nowhere left to run. He caged me in, placing an arm on each side of me, his body so close I could feel the heat radiating off his chest.
“I already told you, Mr. Kingston, he is my nephew,” I said, averting my gaze. I wanted to look at anything but him. I focused on the gold cufflinks on his sleeves, the way his knuckles were white as he gripped the desk.
“You are not a very convincing liar, Autumn.”
His voice was a low growl. He reached out, his fingers catching my chin and forcing my gaze back toward him. Those dark gray eyes stared back at me-the same eyes that I saw every morning on a little boy back home. It was like looking into a mirror of the secret I was trying so hard to keep.
“I am going to give you one more chance to tell me the truth, Autumn,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “Whose child is that?”
“I already told you, Mr. Kingston, he is my nephew,” I said, my eyes finally focusing on his. I tried to make my voice steady, but the lie felt heavy on my tongue.
We stared at each other for several long, solid seconds. The silence in the room was a restless whisper, thick with the history we shared. Before I could pull away, he grabbed the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair.
“You more than anyone know how much I despise being lied to,” he said, drawing my face closer to his until our noses were almost touching.
I struggled in his grasp, trying to free myself from the magnetic pull he still had over me, but he was too strong. I saw his eyes trail from my lips back to my eyes, a look of pure, unadulterated hunger flashing there.
I struggled to free myself, but his strength far surpassed mine.
“Don’t fight this,” he whispered.
He leaned in, his lips just a breath away from mine, and for a second, I forgot why I was running. Then, a sharp knock shattered the stillness. It repeated itself a few more times, insistent and loud.
Eric let out a ferocious growl, the sound of a predator being interrupted. He turned toward the door, his eyes flashing with irritation. “You better have a good reason for disturbing me!” he barked.
“Uncle Eric, grandpa is here. He wants to see you,” a voice said from behind the door-someone I assumed was another relative.
“I will be right there,” Eric said, dismissing him.
But the young man was insistent, calling out again that he needed to come now. Ultimately, Eric gave an annoyed sigh. He untangled himself from me, the loss of his body heat leaving me feeling cold and exposed. He walked up to the door, straightening his suit and smoothing his hair before fixing me with a final glare over his shoulder.
“This isn’t over,” Eric said. He opened the door and walked out, leaving me alone in the dark office.
My heart was a restless whisper in my chest. I had managed to avoid him for now, but I knew the truth was a ticking time bomb. How much longer could I keep my baby boy a secret from the man who shared half of his dna?
My Best Friend’s Uncle….And My Baby Daddy. Chapter 3 Three
After Eric stormed out to meet his grandfather, I collapsed into the leather chair behind his desk, my legs finally giving out. I spent ten minutes in the en-suite bathroom, splashing freezing water on my face and staring at my reflection. I looked like a ghost of the girl I used to be. Five years ago, I was the university student who thought love could bridge the gap between a scholarship girl and a Kingstone. Boy I was wrong.
I stepped back out into the gala, trying to blend into the shadows. I needed a drink to steady my nerves. I grabbed a glass of dark red wine from a passing tray and downed half of it, the tart liquid burning my throat. I scanned the room, looking for a corner to hide in, but Eric’s presence was everywhere. Even when he was across the ballroom, I could feel the weight of his gaze. It was the same way he used to look at me during our secret dates-like I was the only person in the world, and like he was never going to let me go.
“Autumn! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Chloe appeared, draped on the arm of a tall, lanky man whose suit looked like it cost more than my apartment.
“This is my fiancé, Alexander Hawthorne,” Chloe said, her voice bright with a happiness I envied. “And Alex, this is Autumn, my best friend from uni. I told you she’d make it!”
Alexander didn’t just shake my hand.
He took it, his eyes raking over my figure with a clinical, disgusting interest that made my skin crawl. He leaned down and kissed the back of my hand, his thumb rubbing the skin in a way that felt like a violation.
“A pleasure, Miss Martins. Chloe has told me… so much about you.” His voice was oily, lacking any of the genuine warmth Chloe deserved.
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Hawthorne,” I said, yanking my hand back. I didn’t care if I was being rude. I had spent five years protecting myself and Fin; I didn’t have time for the wandering hands of a bored aristocrat.
I knew of the Hawthornes. Five years ago, they were the Kingstones’ main rivals. Seeing Chloe tied to him felt wrong. It felt like another “merger” disguised as a marriage, the very thing that had made my relationship with Eric so “doomed” to begin with. Our social statuses hadn’t just been “different”-they were worlds apart. I was the girl from nowhere, and he was the man who was supposed to marry a Valentine.
I shuddered at the thought of Fin’s life being treated like a gamble by people like this. If Eric found out… if he realized that the boy wasn’t just a “nephew” but the son we had created during those stolen months of our affair… he would never let us go. He would bring Fin into this den of vipers.
As the evening wound down, the crowd began to thin. This was my chance to escape. I just had to find Chloe, say my goodbyes, and vanish back to the hotel where Fin was waiting. I found her near the grand staircase, but my heart sank when I saw who was standing beside her. Eric.
He had changed out of his blazer, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular forearms. He looked relaxed, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.
“Hey, Loe. It’s getting late,” I said, forcing a smile that felt brittle. “I should head back. My hotel isn’t exactly close.”
“What? No!” Chloe pouted, grabbing my arm. “Stay here! The estate is huge, and I’ve already had the guest wing prepared. I won’t hear of you staying in some dusty hotel when your best friend is getting married.”
“I can’t, Chloe. It would be… inappropriate. I don’t want to be a bother to your family.” I looked at Eric, begging him with my eyes to tell her to let me go.
But Eric stepped forward, the shadows of the foyer playing across the hard planes of his face. “It’s not a bother at all, Autumn. In fact, I insist. The Kingstone family is responsible for the guests we invite. It would be quite ‘inappropriate’ of us to let you wander the streets of London so late at night.”
He used the word inappropriate like a weapon, throwing my own excuse back at me. He was mocking me. He knew I was terrified of being under the same roof as him.
“Please, Tummy?” Chloe begged, her eyes wide. “I want to go over the morning schedule with you. I need my maid of honor.”
I was trapped. If I refused now, it would only make Eric more suspicious. He would wonder why I was so desperate to get back to a hotel room. He would follow me. And if he followed me, he would find Fin.
“Fine,” I whispered, defeated. “If it’s truly not a problem.”
Chloe squealed and hugged me, but over her shoulder, I felt Eric move. He stepped closer, the scent of him-that familiar, intoxicating mix of power and the past-filling my senses. He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear so Chloe couldn’t hear.
“Smart choice, little lamb,” he whispered, his voice a low, dangerous vibration that sent a traitorous thrill through my body. “You can’t escape the truth in this house. Not when every room reminds you of what you took from me when you ran.”
He pulled back, a dark, victorious glint in his eyes. He wasn’t just a man I’d had a fling with. He was the man I had loved with every fiber of my being, the man I had shared my bed and my dreams with before the weight of his world crushed us.
“Chloe, show her to the Blue Suite,” Eric said, his tone returning to that of the cool, detached billionaire. “I have some final business to attend to in my study.”
As Chloe led me away, I looked back once. Eric was standing in the center of the foyer, watching me go. He looked like a king watching a prisoner being led to her cell. I realized then that my return wasn’t just a confrontation with the truth-it was a second chance for Eric to claim what he believed was his. And this time, he wouldn’t let me run.
I walked up the stairs, my heart a restless whisper. I was back in the Kingston world, back in Eric’s orbit.
And tonight, I would be sleeping only a few doors down from the man who still held the pieces of my shattered heart.