Believe Me (Hearts for Ransom Book 3)

by Evans, Georgia A

  She went to get Zoey’s coat, praying Mason would be happy to see her son.

  Well, that was humiliating. Mason had needed assistance to take care of his bodily functions again. He didn’t care how many times he had to make use of his “bed” equipment, the result would be a humiliating experience.

  A knock on the door ended his little one-man pity party. Colton Rennard stuck his head in.

  “Are you decent?” He opened one of his tightly shut eyes. “Or are you getting a sponge bath? Cause if you are, that’d be too plain ugly for my eyes to take.”

  Before Mason could reply, somebody shoved Colton into the room, and Bo followed him. Cooper Grayson was right behind Bo, and Logan was the last one in. All four of his co-workers, who happened to play for the Slammers, were there.

  Mason couldn’t hold back his laughter when he saw Big Bo Daniels holding a teddy bear and big bunch of balloons.

  “We couldn’t find any flowers that looked like they’d suit you,” Colton told him as Bo set the balloons and bears on the tray.

  “I don’t like any of these stupid balloons.” Bo’s words didn’t surprise Mason. “I just wanted to find one that said ‘This bites.'”

  Mason’s ribs hurt as he laughed again.

  “Know what, Mason?” Logan leaned forward and stage whispered. “Bo made it all day without laying any shingles sideways.”

  “That must mean Jan’s keeping him pretty happy at home,” Coop observed. “I’m just glad he’s not sittin’ up there on the roof half asleep anymore. I didn’t want to be the one to try and catch the big ox if he fell.”

  Bo snorted and directed his attention to Logan and Coop. “Jan is keeping me ecstatic, overjoyed, and happier than a cat in a cheese factory. And by the way, you both bite.”

  Mason realized it had been a long time since he relaxed and joked around with his friends—since that night when Zoey was conceived.

  “How do you like your chin going commando since they shaved your beard off?” Logan seemed to be unaware that he was rubbing his own bare chin.

  “I don’t think I’ll let it grow back,” he answered. “I look younger without it.”

  “What?” Colton’s eyebrows rose. “Twenty-seven instead of twenty-eight?”

  Coop added his two cents. “Colton’s just jealous. He’s past his prime. What is he again? Thirty-two, isn’t it?”

  “I’m like fine wine,” Colton informed him. “I just get better with age.”

  “What’s that about you whining?” Bo’s eyebrows rose. “Isn’t Joni keeping you happy enough right now?”

  Colton picked up the teddy bear and whacked Bo upside his head with it.

  After nearly thirty minutes of their usual hilarity, Mason was trying to keep his ribs from aching when the door flew open.

  “Mason!” Spencer practically ran into the room, but then he froze. He sounded like a little boy when he asked, “Are you gonna be okay?”

  “We need to get home,” Logan announced. “We’ve all got better-looking people than each other waiting for us.”

  “Thanks for coming,” Mason told them.

  Bo caught his eye as he walked past the bed and silently mouthed, “Really bites,” before he followed the others out the door.

  Mason was still chuckling as he turned to face Spencer. His smile slowly died.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked him.

  “I had to make sure you were okay.”

  Mason’s voice was surly as he responded. “You didn’t need to come. Didn’t your mom give you my message?”

  Spence looked at Claire, a question on his face.

  “Spencer, will you wait in the hall for a few minutes? Mason and I have something we need to discuss.”

  With a hurt look on his face, Spencer silently turned and left the room.

  As soon as the door closed behind him, Claire let Mason have it.

  “Whether I like it or not, you’ve been a big part of my son’s life for over two years now, and if you think you’re just going to hand him off to somebody else like a football, you’ve got another thought coming.” She walked over and made sure he heard every word she said. “My son loves you, and no matter how you’re acting, I know you love him, too. So when he comes back in this room, you can drop your ‘I don’t need anybody’ crap and treat Spencer right. How’s that for sympathy?”

  Before Mason could say a word, Claire walked over and opened the door.

  “Mason wants to see you, Spence.”

  Spencer walked in and warily approached Mason, evidently unsure of his welcome.

  Mason looked at Claire for a moment, then smiled at Spencer.

  “I’m sorry, Spence.” He reached out and touched the boy’s hand. “I’m in a lot of pain, and it’s making me grouchy. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

  Spencer smiled hesitantly. “What message was Mom supposed to give me?”

  Mason thought fast. He really did love Spencer and hadn’t wanted to give him up. “I just told her to tell you not to be in a hurry to come see me. The doctor says I’ll be in here for quite a while.”

  Now his grin was real. “That’s okay. I’ll come and see you every day while you’re in here.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” Mason didn’t need to give Claire any more reasons to hate him. “Your mom is too busy to have to bring you every day.”

  Claire spoke up. “I’ll make the time. Spence can come straight here from school and bring his homework so you can help him. I’ll pick him up before dinner. That’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

  Mason’s eyes swept the room, looking for the hidden cameras. Because this had to be one of those prank shows, if he heard Claire right.

  “Mason, how are you gonna do things for yourself?” Spencer asked with the bluntness of a teenager.

  Claire held her breath, wondering if Mason might lose his temper after all.

  Mason just decided to be honest. “I guess I won’t be able to for a while. I hope all my bones heal fast, though, so I can be up and around soon. How am I ever gonna teach you how to outrun those girls if I can’t?”

  Spencer looked questioningly at Mason. “Two girls got into a fight at lunch today. They both said they were my girlfriend, but I’ve only ever just said ‘hi’ or ‘please pass the salt’ or something stupid like that, to either one of them. What’s the matter with girls?”

  Mason looked at Claire when he answered. “You just always need to be careful of what you say or do to a girl. Believe me, it’s very easy to do the wrong thing and hurt them very badly. Then you can’t take it back and fix it ever again.”

  Spence looked at Mason, a confused expression on his face. “If I mess up and hurt a girl’s feelings, why can’t I just tell her I’m sorry? Mom always told me to apologize when I make a mistake, and most people will forgive me.”

  Claire felt a pang of guilt as she heard her very own words being unintentionally thrown back at her. Had she been too unforgiving? She would have to give it some serious thought later on.

  Mason still looked at Claire. “Sometimes, the mistake is too bad for an apology to fix. Just be careful.”

  “Okay.” Spencer nodded. “I will.”

  Claire couldn’t help but think about what Emily told her. Was the Mason talking to her son the “real Mason” now? Could he have changed like Emily insisted? She wondered if she could believe him. Claire just didn’t know.

  There were a lot of things Claire wasn’t sure about anymore.

  Knowing Spencer was with Mason at the hospital for the third afternoon in a row, Claire had left Zoey with Louise and met Judy for a little bit of shopping. Seasons and Such was a second-hand store that carried quality, used clothing at prices Claire could afford. She bought all her own, and most of Zoey’s, clothes there. She’d bought Spencer’s at the local discount store ever since she was hired at Butlers. Spence wouldn’t complain about wearing used clothing, but Claire was afraid of the backlash if one of his peers saw him in one of thei
r castoffs. Kids could be so cruel to each other sometimes. It was already hard enough on her son being raised by a single parent.

  “Find anything yet?” Judy walked up beside her. Judy herself was loaded down with hangers full of tops and jeans to try on.

  Claire showed her the small red dress, store tags still attached. “This will be perfect for Zoey’s Christmas dress.”

  “It will,” Judy agreed, “but haven’t you found anything for yourself yet?” Judy, an inch or two over five feet, was a good three inches shorter than Claire, and more uniformly figured, so she never had a problem finding clothes. She also had the advantage of nearly every color going with her shoulder-length, auburn hair and creamy complexion.

  “I’m looking.” Claire began to slide the hangers and examine the blouses in front of her. She was slender, but had a disproportionately large bust, making it difficult to find tops that fit her right. She pulled out a couple that might work and put them in her cart.

  “This one would bring out your blue eyes.” Claire looked at the cobalt blue sweater Judy held up. She didn’t have to look in the mirror to know Judy spoke the truth. Spencer would have a fit if he knew how she usually chose the right color of clothes for herself. With the exact same coloring as his mom, she just pictured the clothes next to his face. The poor boy had no idea of how many blouses he had tried on.

  She took the garment from Judy’s hand and added it to her small collection.

  “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?’ Judy asked her as she continued looking through the tops.

  Claire sighed. “I signed up to work at the hospital party.”

  “You didn’t!” Judy’s mouth dropped open. “What possessed you to make you volunteer to work on Thanksgiving?”

  “It’s the first time Butlers has ever catered it. Stan said they wanted to make a good impression on the hospital administration, so they’re paying us double time to make it worth our while. I really need the money if I’m going to get a laptop computer for Spence. It’ll be the perfect Christmas present for him.”

  Judy placed another top in Claire’s basket. “What are Spencer and Zoey going to be doing?”

  “Spence is watching Zoey and making do for lunch.” Spencer had once again insisted he’d keep his sister home with him. “There will be plenty of turkey and trimmings left from the party for me to take home for our dinner.”

  Judy harrumphed. “Spencer and Zoey can both spend the day at our house, and you can come over right after work. There’s no reason for you guys to eat leftovers when Mom fixes enough food to feed a small army.” Judy smiled craftily, putting Claire on high alert. “Besides, my brother, Bryan, will be home from Iraq. We’ve never been able to work it out for you two to meet when he’s been home on leave. I’d really like for you to meet him.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” Claire shook her head. “You’re not trying to set me up with your brother. You know I’m part of a large package deal that’s guaranteed to scare off men of any shape and size.”

  An “I gotcha!” smile was on Judy’s face. “My brother’s a soldier. It takes a lot to scare him off.”

  “Really,” Claire insisted. “I’m not in the market for romance.” She wanted her friend to take her seriously. “I won’t come over if you’re going to try and get us together.”

  “Fine.” That smile was still on her friend’s face. “But just remember it’s not my fault if spontaneous combustion takes place.”

  Claire determinedly went back to looking at blouses. “Judy, do you think a father should have the right to see his daughter, no matter how much he hurt her mother?”

  Judy’s smile disappeared, and her brow furrowed. “Are you talking about physically, or emotionally hurting her?”

  Claire had to think about that for a minute. She hadn’t been clear-headed, but she knew deep down Mason hadn’t forced himself on her. “Emotionally.”

  “Then I think that whatever the child needs should come first,” her friend stated. “If the mother can’t get past her own hurt feelings enough to let her baby have the love of both parents, then she's selfish.”

  “What if he hurt her very badly?” she softly asked.

  Judy shrugged her shoulders. “I guess she’d have to judge for herself which is more important—giving her child two parents, or nursing a broken heart.”

  Broken heart. Had Mason broke Claire’s heart? She didn’t think so. It was humiliating, but if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t sure if it was because of the actual sex itself, or the way he had gotten up and left so quickly afterward. Or maybe it was a combination of them. She was so confused. Why had Emily Taylor felt compelled to come into Butlers that day, and why on earth did Claire listen to her?

  “I bet that’s Austin and Jesse,” called Spencer from the living room. They were taking him to Finkley Fun, an indoor theme park in nearby Finkley, Indiana.

  “Hello, Ms. Hadley.” The tall, red-headed left fielder for the Slammers greeted her, as she let him and his little brother, Austin, in. “How are you?”

  Claire couldn’t help but return the friendly man’s easy smile. “I’m good. How are you?”

  He rubbed his arms. “I’m dandy except it’s startin’ to feel like winter out there.” He patted Austin’s shoulder. “This guy didn’t think he needed to wear his winter coat. We about had to cancel our plans, didn’t we?”

  Austin looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. “We’re just going to be outside long enough to get from your truck into the park. I won’t have time to get cold.”

  “You’d get sick is what would happen,” Jesse sternly informed him. “I bet Spencer will be wearing his coat without his mom having to threaten him.”

  Spencer proved him right by walking into the foyer with his coat already on. He carried a squirming Zoey.

  “I was afraid to leave her on the floor in there, Mom. She thinks it’s fun to roll everywhere today.” He put his sister against his shoulder. “She almost pulled the end table over on herself.”

  “I’ll take her.” Claire held out her hands and accepted her energetic daughter.

  “You sure have a cute little girl there,” Jesse said, holding out a finger for Zoey to take. He smiled at the baby. “You’re downright adorable, missy.”

  Claire smiled with pride. “We think so.”

  Jesse’s smile turned to a perplexed expression as he studied Zoey’s features. “She sure reminds me of somebody.” Claire suddenly felt as though her heart might pound right out of her chest. “I just can’t put my finger on who it is.”

  “They say all babies look alike,” she offered. Claire quickly turned to her son. “Did you get that money I left on the counter?”

  He nodded. “I won’t spend any more than I have to. I won’t go wasting it on any of those rip-off carnival games.”

  Claire felt a mixture of pride and sadness. Spencer was so responsible—almost too responsible. He should get to be a typical teenager and enjoy himself, without worrying about every penny he spent, at least once in a while.

  “I didn’t give you anything we can’t afford for you to spend,” she quietly told him. “Have a good time.”

  Spencer smiled. She knew he would do the same as always and drink from water fountains, rather than buy the “overpriced sodas” they sold. At least she knew Jesse would make sure he bought himself some lunch.

  “We’d better get going, boys.” Jesse turned and opened the door for the young men to walk through. “Don’t worry about Spencer, Ms. Hadley. I’ll watch out for him.”

  “I know you will.” She watched as he followed the boys through the door and out to his truck. She and Zoey stood at the window until they had driven away.

  Jesse thought Zoey looked familiar. What if somebody figured out Zoey was Mason’s daughter? What would people think of her—to be impregnated by the man who slept with any willing woman? Or if she could believe him, used to sleep with them.

  She looked at her daughter. After searching her soul a
nd considering the situation, Claire finally reached a decision. The two of them were going on a trip of their own.

  A few minutes later, she found herself driving her car and talking to Zoey, bundled up and fastened into her seat in the back of the car.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get you a dad who can love you,” she told her little girl. “I mean, he loves your brother as well as he can, but I don’t think he really knows how to love people. Maybe he can be your friend. Care to share your opinion about that?”

  Zoey’s response was a nice, healthy burp.

  “Okay, then.” Claire would accept that as agreement. “Someday, when you’re grown up, I’ll explain everything to you. Except, I’ll never tell you I can’t remember your conception.” She could only imagine what that would make Zoey think of her mother. Her daughter would think her father was a bed-hopper, and her mother was a lush. “Nope. I’ll keep that part to myself for the rest of my life.”

  Try as she might, her memories from that night refused to expand. Mason kissed her, and she wasn’t going to lie to herself, she kissed him back—quite enthusiastically. Then the next thing she knew, she was half awake, lying there in a stupor watching him dress so fast she couldn’t believe her eyes. Mason had been in an unbelievable hurry to get out of there. Judging by her experience, the emphasis should be on the “leave ‘em” when people referred to him as “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Wright.”

  “What are we doing?” she asked Zoey. “We can’t do this.” Zoey didn’t contribute anything to the conversation, but Claire could still hear Emily telling her that Mason had hurt her, too. “Emily’s happily married,” she proclaimed to her daughter defensively. “She doesn’t have Mason’s baby, so he couldn’t have hurt her as badly as he did me, could he?”

  This time, the gas Zoey expelled didn’t come in the form of a burp. “Keep that up, Zoey,” Claire encouraged her. “Your father may have second thoughts if you give him a good healthy dose of reality.” Zoey giggled. “Okay. We’re going, but he’s only going to get to see you, and maybe hold you. You won’t know he’s your father—maybe not ever, but we’re going to let him meet you.”