Chapter 507) The High Road

San Myshuno
Senator Suites Penthouse
(Home again to Liam & Vivien Cameron with their dog ZsaZsa, once current residents, their son Nicholas, his wife Adrianna and their son Ryan finished moving)

Tired of following Nick around like a lost puppy, Aria-Grace grabbed her older brother’s arm and yanked him around to face her.
Matching her level of annoyance, he grimaced at her.

“AG, I got shit to do! Either help me or at least let me do my thing. I am sorry, but I don’t have time to amuse and entertain you at the moment, as you can see I have work to do. We can still talk, just move with me!” Nick urged.

“About that … seriously Nick, what the hell?! Why are you moving to that tiny sardine box in the boonies?! You and Addy are city people and Ryan would be miserable! You know his best friend is Rohan’s son Arvind … you want to separate them?” AG agued an already lost cause.

“Well, first of all, sweet sister of mine, my new family home is neither tiny, nor a sardine can, it is a nice sized home for the normal mere mortals like me, and it is a lovely home in the countryside, which is considered highly desirable real estate among the regular blue and white collar Joes and Janes who do not want to live off their wealthy mommy and daddy’s dime, and it is in Newcrest, which is less than an hour by car from my work in San Myshuno, so it’s hardly the boonies! To people in the real world, like my family and me, that is a goal, not a curse!

Plus, it’s either that or bunk with mom and dad. I say this with no offense to our gracious creators, but I think I aged out of that a LONG time ago. I love them, I love visiting with them, but in palatable doses. They called dibs on the penthouse, dad still owns it, they obviously already shipped over and put up most of their own crap again, while Addy and my shit is already in the new house, and all the boxes and bags around us SHOULD join the rest ASAP so … we’s gotz to move. Sorry AG, but this is what you get when you don’t even call ahead before you show up. The good news, mom and dad got our old kid stuff out of storage to have a place for visiting grandkids, so you can hop down memory lane all day long. If not, the guestroom at my new place, the tin can, already has a bed and side tables in it, just not much else since my wifey can’t decide on the color scheme, but either way you get the choice where you will stay. Mom and dad won’t arrive for a few more days, so you would be on your own if you stay here. If you come home with me, the circus awaits, as my lovely son is full-on in his pre-teen pre-puberty stage and makes Addy and me fantasize about wrapping him in duct tape head to toe, but especially that big mouth of his.”

“I told you, it was because Bianca and I had our annual meeting with the Ladies of Brindleton, a club we joined when we lived there. We moved, but are still in touch with the friends we made, so we are honorary invitees. I thought I was gonna be staying at my old home, that was the original plan, I’d love to see it again, so many memories were made there, but they ended up with a mainline break, so they are staying at a hotel, and here I am at the last minute without any time to give you any heads up. I do not believe mom and dad would just kick you, Addy and Ryan out on the street, Nick. No way! I am calling them! That’s bullshit. BULL-SHIT, Nicholas!”

“Call all you want, but I never said they just kicked us out. Addy and I have been talking about moving into a house with a garden ever since Ryan was still little, mom and dad are tired of DSV, they want to come back here, so they gave us ample heads up and offered us Villa ViVa, and as cool as that is, Addy, Ryan and I all agree that we are not moving to Del Sol Valley. Sure, I’ll go visit there, all day long, even for a week or two, but live there, permanently? Nah. I lived there a few times in my life as Cameron gypsy, so I know it’s not my vibe. Plus, Cameron Law is established. I worked too hard to leave that behind. I love my work; how many people can say that? So, mom and dad wanted to buy us a house, but Addy and I decided a very long time ago we wanted to earn and pay our own way and so far, have done that successfully, so we politely declined. See, no need to yell at our parents, it’s all good.” Nick told his younger sister.

“Wait, what?! They offered you Villa ViVa? WHAT? They didn’t even ask me! So … what’s gonna happen to that? Summer home for all of us?”

“Okay, AG, they didn’t ask you for a few main reasons: A) MY family needed a new place to live, not yours, B) you live in a LITERAL palace, so I guess they didn’t think you needed another quasi-palace for the collection. C) I am the OLDER sibling, so they should ask me first and D) do you know what living in the Del Sol Valley hills costs? That’s not a place even someone the caliber of superstar pop icon ViVa can swing to keep as a summer home. Especially not now that both are retired. Imma gonna assume the house goes to family, one of mom’s siblings. Maybe Aunt Fallon, considering she and her husband Bear kinda became a thing at Villa ViVa, when Fallon humped Bear’s many bulges right there on top of dad’s desk … guess they might be candidates. I know Chase just finished remodeling his home in Brindleton Bay, they aren’t going anywhere, oh, I know who. Blythe and Jensen. They have been ITCHING to move up in the hills, but there is never anything free. Just you wait and see!”

“Ha, maybe mom’s retired, but dad never will. You know he still helps Jensen with the whole legal stuff for grandpa and all of them.”

“Yup, and now he will be helping ME. Which is a good thing. Maybe. We’ll see.”

“But .. I love Villa ViVa. That’s my childhood home! They can’t sell it! I can’t have a stranger lay in the bed I lost my virginity in, and then hose off in the shower I was conceived in! I mean, those things are special.”

“Special? Try yuck and YUCK … honestly AG, all the more reason for them all to move on. I mean, your virginity is long gone, girlfriend, and I don’t need reminders WHOM you lost it to.”

“Speaking of, how’s Rohan taking it?”

“Taking what? Popping your cherry in our childhood home well over a decade and change ago? As your big brother and his best friend, I promise you I never asked, nor do I even want details.” Nick snickered, while AG swatted at him.

“Don’t be stupid and vulgar. You leaving him, of course! DUH! Ever since you were teens you have been conjoined at the hip.” she retorted.

“Me being vulgar? YOU started talking about virginity and conception! And leaving him? You make it sound like he and I are a couple. I love that man, but not in THAT way, I still prefer everything Adrianna’s got over anything like what I got. I am moving to the next big town, like I said somewhere between 30 and 60 min away, not to another planet. Besides, Rohan’s a grown man, husband and father, he doesn’t need me to hold his hand. But to be honest, he has been looking for a house in Newcrest, the realtor Addy and I used got a few leads for him and one looked very promising, waiting to see if they accept his and Darren’s offer. You know Newcrest real estate is sparse. Hence the – what did you call it – tin can I am moving to? Thanks much, not like Addy, Ryan, Rohan and his husband and their kids plus Addy’s friends and I spent all last month renovating the house. Glad to see you can appreciate our hard manual labor, sis.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. It’s just so much smaller than the penthouse.”

“And quieter, some would argue safer, it has a front- AND backyard, both sizable, Ryan can finally get the dog he’s been wanting, he and I can build a treehouse before he is too old and wants nothing to do with me anymore and Adrianna’s best friend lives not far from our new place with her husband and their two kids, who are around Ryan’s age, so he already has friends at his new school. Plus, there are some second cousins around for him to get into trouble with. That’s real-life goals, man!”

“Goals. Right. Ha – best make sure Ryan doesn’t end up liking any of those cousins a little too much. You know, mom and dad style.”

“Oh jeeze, who cares? They’re kids. Besides, mom and dad are second cousins, genetically not any more related than Addy and I, hence it’s not considered incest, so who gives a damn? Our mom and dad belong together, always have, and at least they are happy now, just some bickering here and there but no more of those earth-shaking quasi-wars or separations and divorces. They’re happy together, so from where I stand I wouldn’t even care if they were siblings as long as they love each other and get along. Took them long enough.”

“Eeew, I WOULD care. And your youngest niece already started all that with Connor’s kid. My little hussie was smooching on that boy the entire time I visited last! Yuuuuuuck! Connor seems to think it’s funny, I decidedly do NOT!” AG ranted.

“Oh jeeze, AG. They’re babies. Chris probably smelled good to Vivienne. Last time I saw them Keira was pimping some new organic baby line she found, and she loved that apple scented baby shampoo. So, Chris probably smelled like a yummy apple candy snack to Viv. Harmless. Had you let her continue, she would have eventually realized Chris just doesn’t taste like apple and lost interest. You separating them just made it more interesting to them.”

AG huffed, shrugged, and sighed.

“Thank you, Supernanny. You know what’s not harmless? I ran into Jack there. You know he and Connor kinda have this bromance going on and Jack’s there all the time now it seems, I swear one day I’ll go there to find Jack’s horses grazing in Connor’s front yard, chewing on Keira’s petunias and roses while giving the homeowner’s association an entire series of heart attacks … anyway in conversation Jack dropped the bomb that he still loves me, that I am the one who got away, blah blah and stuff about how he wished Vivienne was HIS daughter after all. OMG, Nick, the way he held her, I seriously thought for a moment I was gonna have to club him to the ground to get my daughter back from him.”

“OMG, AG, I need to sit down, get my smelling salts, such a surprise! NOT! AG, literally everyone knows Jack still pines after you. You’re the love of his life, but the feeling is unrequited, sucks a fat one, but such is life. Unless you leave Max – again – it is what it is. For Jack and everyone. And we are sure Viv is Max’, not Jack’s, right? Just asking cos, she does look a LOT like Jack, I don’t see much Max in her at all.”

“What?! Yeah, we’re sure! Of course we are! That’s crazy talk, Nick!! Vivienne looks like ME. Not Jack. How could she?! You were there when we found out she’s not his, I thought she was too, but you saw the letter yourself. And you were with me when we tested Mauro at Tartosa’s university clinic, a real doctor took everyone’s blood and confirmed in writing. Now Max kinda never really did the test. I asked and he agreed, but we kinda … forgot. We didn’t care, it didn’t matter, we knew there were three options and two weren’t it and that was good enough.”

“Is it though? Okay, you want my 2 cents as a lawyer, who has seen the weirdest shit going down in family court by now? Go to a real clinic, like the medical center Rohan works at, and get the test done officially by professionals and properly. Like I said, I have seen shit, man. And I always thought Vivienne looks like a little female Jack, Addy agrees and you know she’s Switzerland on all that normally.”

“Oh, great, my brother and sister-in-law’s pillow talk is how much of a hussy I am, as I go passing off other men’s kids as my husband’s. Lovely. That’s totally me. And unsolicited legal advice from a career lawyer? Lemme guess, bill for insulting me is in the mail?”

“Nope, this was not an insult but advice you may not like, but it still is advice, and it is free from your favorite big brother, the career lawyer. You. Are. Welcome.”

“You’re my ONLY brother. Even though you are certifiable! Throwing paternity BS at me out of the blue. You’re NUTS!”

“Exactly. Hey, Queen Aria-Grace of Cromwell, first of the name, since you are not doing anything except turn oxygen into carbon-dioxide, carry a few boxes down to the car for me, will ya?”

“Okay, I am not some queen in some movie you seem to have watched and you know the rule: when we’re with family, we are just AG and Max. But honestly, I just had my nails done and wasn’t expecting to get sentenced to manual labor here. I think I might just go to a hotel, cos you suck as a host!”

“Yeah, and I will sleep just fine despite of that … listen here, ‘Just-AG’, less gum-flapping so you can get your ass in gear and schlepp some boxes. Or get Adrianna’s girly crap over there, so I don’t end up spending some awkward elevator ride with some neighbor looking at me as if I were fancy holding cosmetic cases and whatever you chicks call all that crap you use. Chop, chop!”

Cursing very unroyal and unladylike things under her breath, AG did as told.

By the time they were done, Nick poured them some refreshments, when AG looked at Nick.

“I think Charlene is still after Max.”

“Who now?” Nick looked confused.

“Lady Charlene Ashford, Nick. The platinum blonde bitch he dated while he and I were … on .. a … break. I pointed her out to you a million times whenever there are events when you visit.”

“Oh, that one. I didn’t think she was so bad, not any more stuck up than most girls you had as friends growing up. But seriously, AG, when you and Max were on a ‘break’? Girlfriend, you were divorced. And you banged a couple dudes too while you were divorced, not to mention one of them is still after you, and from what Addy tells me about Conti, he wouldn’t kick you out of bed either. Sooo … let Max have his not-so-secret stalker chick too. You and I both know, Max would never cheat on you. That man loves you like no other. He’s proven himself to me over and over. Not many big brothers would say that about their sister’s husband. Max is A-Ok in my book and way too smart to fall for whatever that Lady Charlene may or may not be plotting. So, untangle your panties, sis and move on.”

“But my ‘stalkers’ are not actively trying to get me back and even if, I shut that crap down pronto. Max is way too polite to do that, so Charlene probably thinks there is hope. Nick, I swear I am not imagining it, she is still trying to get Max back, every time I travel without him, the moment I leave, she’s at the palace like a spider in its web. So obvious and disgusting! Maybe I should invite Jack to visit us at the palace for a week or two, just to show Max what’s that feels like.”

“Great idea, AG. Best thing for a solid and healthy marriage. Way to go. Besides, I don’t know Jack as well as you do, nor do I care to get to know him, as I never was a fan of his, but he would NEVER set foot in that palace, and even if you’d kidnap him, he would probably just be at those stables with all your million horsies all the time anyway.”

San Myshuno 
Summit Medical Center and Research Facility
About two weeks later

Rohan entered the room, his face expressionless, but showing a polite smile as he greeted both people in his room, shaking hands and trading brief, friendly hugs.

“Don’t ask me why it’s always my ass getting dragged to this bullshit. When she was still preggers with Viv, I got dragged to those baby daddy kinda appointments too.” Nick told Rohan dramatically.

“I remember you telling me about that, and how you messed with the poor doctor and nurses telling them you were AG’s brother and so excited about your kid.” Rohan chuckled.

“I didn’t say it quite like that, it was more implied … but yeah, payback. It was hella funny until one of them tried to actually put me on record as the father. Yikes – no thank you, not into banjo tunes.” Nick laughed.

“GUYS! Hellooooo … can we maybe focus?!” AG interrupted the friendly banter.

Rohan cleared his throat and exhaled.

“Right, sorry, so we have here the results of the test. How about we all sit down and take a breather. I take it Max couldn’t make it or shall we wait for him?”

“ROHAN! Nobody wants to sit, we’re all fine standing, just read the damn thing! Just say Max is the daddy and done. And no, he had prior obligations back in Henfordshire, which is why my big brother, the Orangutan is here.”

“Well … I would, if I could … but I … can’t. Sorry again. Wish I could confirm what you and Max hoped, but sadly, I cannot.” Rohan’s tone was serious.

“Ah shit! Here we go. I knew it. I just knew it. Knew it! Wouldn’t be Cameron if this wasn’t happening now.” Nick grumbled.

“Nick, get yourself together. ROHAN – what the actual fuck are you talking about?!” AG hissed, not willing to understand what she was being told.

“Well, I am sorry AG, but Max is definitely not the biological father of Vivienne.” Rohan told her softly.

BAM! The bomb dropped and silenced the room.

“What? WHAT!? Is this a prank you two are pulling on me? Are you in on this, Rohan? I swear if this is one of your stupid best buddy pranks I will kill you both!!! This is NOT funny!!!” AG ranted, looking back and forth between the two men.

“AG, chill out, it’s not a prank and neither Rohan nor I find that funny in the least! Fuck me sideways. So, who is the father if not Max?!” Nick wondered.

“THAT, I unfortunately can’t answer without more testing of samples of other potentials. All I know as of now is what I already told you.” Rohan said.

“Rohan, your test is wrong, you messed up somehow. Has to be. We tested the other two options and it wasn’t them. But there was NOBODY else. Not even close. So … unless this was immaculate conception, Max is the father. PERIOD.” Aria-Grace decided.

“AG, love, there is no mistake. We run counterchecks each time and I actually checked a third time, as I knew you wouldn’t like it. I am sorry. Your husband is not your youngest daughter’s father, AG and that’s definite. I don’t know who ran what test on the other two candidates, but I would have them checked again at a proper medical facility. One of them messed up, THAT I can guarantee you.” Rohan told her gently, but firmly.

“Okay. I … Max can’t know about this. I am swearing you both to secrecy! Nobody can know. Not even mom and dad. Not Addy! Nor your husband, Rohan! Swear it! Not a soul.”

“AG … this is bullcrap! You are telling Max, and ASAP, or I will. We’re not doing this. This isn’t a soap opera. As a father myself, I will stand up for Max here. He needs to know, he is a way too nice a guy to get fucked over like that, I really like him, so he is going to hear about this. And whoever is the real father deserves to know, not to mention your daughter should one day know the truth. You dragged me in here, so this is what it is. But if we are taking bets, my money is on Jack as baby daddy. Round two. I am not a fan of his, but dayum, that poor fucker can’t catch a break. He’s always the bridesmaid, never the bride, accused of being a baby daddy by at least two women, only to get left standing at altar twice and now here we may come at him with yet another paternity test. Jeezes H. Christ.”

AG glared at Nick, then dug in her pockets, producing a coin, which she roughly stuffed into her brother’s pocket, who was too surprised and shocked to try and fight her off.

“You’re on retainer now! Attorney-client privilege! NOT A WORD!” she hissed, then looked at Rohan, who waved her off defensively.

“I am under doctor-patient privilege already, AG. My lips are sealed.”

“But mine aren’t! This is not how this works, only in movies! I would have to accept the case, which I do NOT, mostly cos there is no case. You cannot buy me, AG, most definitely not for a damn quarter with pocket lint attached, and I am not watching you screw over Max. I want to know who the daddy of my niece is anyway! Imma gonna assume it’s Jack, so someone is making a trip out to Connor’s place with Viv and we’ll have our homegrown Cameron-family Adonis Con-Bear run another test with Jack and Vivienne. If anyone can get 100% accurate results, it’s Rohan and Connor. Pack them bags, AG, and grab your daughter, you’re going to see Con-Bear and Cowboy Jack.”

“NICK … “

“No, don’t you Nick me, AG. It’s not Max, that’s not an option, so you better pray it’s Jack’s, cos judging by what I hear about Mauro Conti he isn’t the type of gene pool I’d embrace to have in our family! Plus, mom and dad already have one part-Tartosian grandkid with way too much temper and energy in the fruit of my loins with my very Tartosian wife, we don’t need Vivienne to be part-Tartosian too. I’d rather watch her yee-haww it across the rolling Henfordian hills on horseback with her redneck bio-daddy.”

San Sequoia
The Coneira 
(Connor,Keira & Christian Cameron's home with their dog Morpheus)
The following weekend ...

AG walked up to Jack by Connor’s pool, which seemed to be one of his favorite places.

Hearing her heels on the concrete he turned around, for a moment he seemed happy, then as if he was trying to decide whether to run or instantly argue. He remained and just watched AG approach.

“We need to talk …” she said, her voice rough and hoarse …

“Oh – I don’t think I like the sound of that. Last time a woman said that to me, it ended in a divorce and some big-time drama for me. Drama which is still ongoing and probably will for a very long time, I might add.”

“Well, you will really hate it in a moment, cos there is definitely drama in both our futures, I am just already knee-deep in it by now, guess you could say I got a healthy headstart on what you are about to find out. So, do you want me to lead up to it slowly …”

“No AG, just say it. Get it over with.”

“Okay. The ripping off the Band-Aid method. Got it. Well, Jack, turns out Max is not Vivienne’s dad after all, at least not biologically. Mauro Conti was tested officially at a medical facility back after … well, I am sure you remember the drama. Leaves one option, since we kinda did your test remotely by sending in samples separately to some random lab. Something must have gone wrong. Evidently, that is a thing. So we need to get you and Viv tested again, but officially at a hospital. Connor agreed to do it himself. I am sorry to come at you with all this right now, I know you already have a pile of other problems you are trying to deal with, but I can’t help the shitty timing. It was something Nick said and I was dumb enough to go for it to prove him wrong, except, I was the one who ended up being wrong and now my life is upside down again. Just so you know, Max already knows, he wasn’t thrilled, obviously, but said for all intends and purposes, Vivienne is his daughter. He loves her. She loves him, he is her daddy. This is not about financial stuff; this is about bureaucracy. Has to do with the succession line and all that. Vivienne lost her place in line to the throne by not being Max’ biological child, which really makes no difference to anyone other than on paper, all that matters is she still has her father’s love. And so do I.”

“Okay. I’ll go talk to Connor right now and we’ll get that knocked out as soon as my man Connor can fit it in.” Jack said calmly.

“Jack, wait. Did you understand what this means? Cos, I don’t think you do.” Aria-Grace was taken aback by the lack of real reaction from Jack.

“Yup, the big dumb cowboy understood, all right. AG, I always knew deep inside she was my daughter. I felt it. I felt it when you were pregnant with her, and I definitely felt it when I held her. I can’t wait to confirm this. And I trust Connor, he will do right by me and his result will stand. Oh, and as much as I tip my head to Max for being a gentleman about all this, if what we all think will happen does happen, you and Max need to understand and accept that she’s MY daughter too and I will fight to have rights. I am gonna want to see her, be part of her life, help raise her, instill some of MY values in her. If need be, I’d sell the ranch and go the legal route.”

“You don’t need to threaten me, Jack, I agree, it’s what I want too, and Max agrees. Connor agrees, Nick agrees … my parents agree, hell, everyone agrees.”

“Well, then let’s go see what magic our Connor can do. Assume OUR daughter is upstairs kissing around on her cousin again?”

“Second cousin! And until it’s been confirmed, Vivienne is still MY daughter, at least officially, so careful with spewing stuff like this. But yeah, she probably chasing down poor Chris again. She’s got that from you, just kissing without even asking. Neither of her older siblings EVER did ANYTHING like that. Now it all makes sense at least …”

“I don’t even got no cousins to kiss, my parents were too poor to afford relatives, hehehehe. That she has 100% from your side of the family, and her cousin-marrying grandparents.” Jack laughed.

“SECOND cousins!” AG quickly corrected, barely able to hide the smile.

“My point exactly!”