Believe Me (Hearts for Ransom Book 3)

by Evans, Georgia A

  Suddenly, Zoey giggled and dove for Mason’s chest. She caught Claire unprepared, so she lost her grip on the baby. Zoey landed in the crook of Mason’s right arm, lying on her side facing him.

  Mason was holding his daughter. The perfectly beautiful little person lying against him was his daughter. His eyes hungrily roamed her features and her tiny body. She managed to get her hands in front of her again and lay there happily clapping, a funny sound coming from her mouth. She had a determined look on her face—as if she were conducting a difficult task.

  Claire was speechless. If anybody were to walk into the room at that moment, they would take one look at Mason and Zoey, and know, without a doubt, they were looking at a father and his daughter. She’d always known it, but seeing them together brought it home.

  “Hi, Zoey.” Mason’s voice was softer than Claire had ever heard it.

  Zoey giggled and blew raspberries.

  Claire’s breath stalled. What would Mason’s response be to being spit at by a baby?

  He laughed. “Yeah. That’s what I think about being stuck in this place, too.”

  Mason was amazed by her tiny fingers. He worked his arm around so he could use the hand on his injured arm to touch them. Zoey promptly grabbed his hand and lunged upward, with her usual determination, to bite his finger.

  “I’m sorry.” Claire finally managed to speak. “She’s getting a new tooth, so she bites anything she can get into her mouth. I should have warned you.”

  A smile spread across Mason’s face and he was pretty sure it wasn’t going away any time soon.

  “It’s okay,” he told Claire, still using that soft voice. “Those tiny teeth don’t hurt a bit.”

  As if in response to Mason’s words, Zoey twisted around and nuzzled her head against his neck, snuggling against him. He automatically adjusted his good arm to hold her closer.

  It was only as he felt one drop onto his shoulder that he realized tears were streaming down his face. He didn’t care. He was holding Zoey, and she didn’t seem to care what kind of person he used to be. She just accepted him. And he already loved her without reservation or conditions.

  Claire saw his tears and had to turn away so he didn’t see the ones threatening her. Why had she fought this for so long? Why couldn’t her daughter know this man? Not as her father, but as a family friend or something. She finally regained control of herself and turned back to face him.

  “Mason?”

  He reluctantly looked away from Zoey toward Claire, his eyes still damp from tears.

  “I’ve decided Zoey can get to know you.” She rushed to qualify her statement. “Not as her father, of course—at least not until she’s old enough to understand.”

  Mason didn’t want to disturb his daughter. She felt perfect lying against him. “I don’t understand. How can I be in her life without her knowing who I am to her? What she means to me?”

  Claire had her answer ready. “You’re Spencer’s big brother. You can see her when you pick Spence up or drop him off. I won’t hide her from you anymore. We’ll run into you in different places, too. Zoey will think you’re a friend.”

  Mason felt Zoey burrow tighter against him. He was pretty sure she was falling asleep.

  Still speaking in a calm voice so he wouldn’t startle the baby, he told Claire, “No. I can’t do that. That’s not good enough. I want to be her father. I messed up and hurt you, and I know there is nothing I can do to fix that, but Zoey has two parents. She deserves two parents.”

  Zoey, now asleep, hiccupped. Mason tenderly rubbed her back.

  Claire’s heart was going to pound right out of her chest. She just wanted to scoop up her daughter and run. She made a mistake, after all, in letting Mason see Zoey. Now he wanted more.

  “I’m sorry, Claire.” He looked earnestly into her eyes, hoping she could see he meant what he was telling her. “I’ve hired an attorney. I don’t want to take you to court, but if that’s what it takes for Zoey to know who I am, I’m going to do it.”

  Shaking like a leaf, and praying Mason couldn’t see it, Claire walked over and picked Zoey up.

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Believe me, I don’t want to. Please don’t make me,” Mason implored.

  She turned and practically ran from the room, holding her baby tightly against her and feeling the diaper bag hit her hip with every step.

  Mason watched her leave. He had so many feelings rushing through him, he couldn’t sort them out. He had never experienced the joy and contentment he felt with Zoey in his arms, but he was afraid he was going to have to hurt Claire to keep his daughter in his life. Because, now he knew that little girl had to be in his life.

  “Mason…Mason?” The familiar, pleasant voice roused him. He opened his eyes to see Emily standing there, with Logan beside her. Mason realized he was going to have a crick in his neck to add to his sore body. How had he dozed off sitting in the wheelchair?

  “Hi,” Emily greeted him. “We came to see what Dr. Lysart has to tell you when she makes her evening rounds. I hope that’s all right.”

  “Sure.” Mason cleared his throat. Then he remembered, and he had to tell somebody. “Claire brought Zoey to see me yesterday afternoon. I held her. She laughed, and stuck out her tongue, and spit at me. She bit my finger, but it didn’t really hurt because her teeth are so little. I could only see three of them in her mouth anyway. She even snuggled up against me and fell asleep. You guys should see her. She’s perfect.” He saw his friends exchange smiles. “What?”

  Logan answered him. “If you didn’t just sound like a proud father, I can’t imagine who would.”

  “So, she’s come around?” Emily asked, hope alight on her face.

  Mason frowned. “She wants me to be somebody they bump into. Somebody to say ‘hi’ to. Claire says she’ll let me be in Zoey’s life, but she can’t know I’m her father.”

  Emily’s look of anticipation turned to one of displeasure. “Well, isn’t that generous of her? She's not fair at all.”

  “You may as well know Brody is representing me,” he told them. “I gave her an ultimatum. I don’t really want to take her to court so I can be Zoey’s father, but I will if I have to.”

  “I understand,” Logan said, his eyes clouded with concern, “but how’s that going to affect your relationship with—”

  Dr. Lysart walked in, interrupting their conversation. She was smiling.

  “Good evening, Mason.” She warmly greeted him. “Emily, Logan.” She nodded at them.

  “I’m sorry to just show up,” Emily told her. “It’s just I’ve been so worried about Mason, and I know what time you usually make your rounds. I just couldn’t wait to hear what his latest X-rays showed.”

  The doctor smiled again. “Of course you’re welcome here.” She looked at Mason. “As long as my patient doesn’t mind.”

  Mason impatiently shook his head. “I don’t care. What did you find out?”

  “Your arm and legs are healing nicely. I have to admit I was a little concerned about your left leg. It seems to have taken slightly more pressure than your right one. While it still doesn’t appear to be mending as quickly as your other leg, it won’t need to be re-broken and set.”

  “Re-broken?” Mason was horrified. The doctor was talking about breaking his leg again? After it already started to heal?

  Dr. Lysart shook her head. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. As I told you, it’s healing nicely.”

  “What about my arm?” He lifted the cast as high as he could.

  “If it keeps progressing at this rate, I fully expect to be cutting that cast off in about two weeks. How does that sound?”

  He couldn’t help it. “About two weeks longer than I’d like.”

  Emily reached over and gently patted his head. “When they handed out patience, you must have thought they meant sick people and said, ‘no, thanks.'”

  “I’m sorry.” The rational part of Mason knew he should be thankful. It was j
ust a lot easier said than sometimes done.

  “It’s understandable for a busy man such as yourself to have trouble sitting and doing nothing,” Dr. Lysart said. “I’ll check back in on you in a few days. Just keep following instructions, so those bones heal as quickly as they can.”

  “I will,” Mason assured her.

  He waited until the door closed behind the doctor before he looked at Logan.

  “I don’t like missing this much work.” He’d wanted to tell his boss this for days. “I don’t want to lose my foreman position. I worked too hard to get it.”

  Logan burst into laughter. Mason didn’t see anything funny about his situation.

  “I’m sorry,” Logan finally managed to say. “It’s just that Bo is acting as foreman while you’re gone, and I can tell you for a fact he’ll gladly give it up as soon as you’re back on the job.”

  “How do you know?” Mason always assumed the job as foreman at Taylor’s Construction was a coveted position.

  “Because Bo stomps around the site and does a fantastic job.”

  And this was supposed to reassure Mason?

  “But…” Logan’s grin widened. “If I had a dollar for every time the word ‘bites’ comes out of his mouth, I could just close up shop and live off the interest.”

  Surely Logan knew how Bo talked. “He always does that—even at work.”

  Logan’s brow went up. “He told the entire bedroom of the Jansen house it bit because he didn’t like the way the paneling was going up. And, then he told the world in general that whoever designed stupid, flower-covered paneling also bit—the big one, even. Hilda Jansen had just left, or she would’ve heard him.”

  Mason couldn’t hold back his laughter as he pictured Bo holding up a sheet of paneling and growling at the room around him. It put his mind at ease as far as his job was concerned.

  “How are you as far as money goes?” Logan was obviously uncomfortable with the subject. “I know insurance is taking care of most of your bill, but what with you missing work, you’re bound to get behind on things.”

  He had dreaded this question coming from somebody ever since his admission to the long-term care ward. “I’m in the black.” How could he phrase this, so he wouldn’t lie to a man he greatly respected? “I’ve only had myself to take care of, so I’ve been able to build up a healthy savings account. Everything is taken care of.” He needed to remember to call Brody about some business he’d been putting off.

  Logan looked doubtful. “Are you sure, Mason? Because Emily and I can help you out.”

  Mason bit back the guilt he felt. “Thank you—both of you. But really, I’m covered. It doesn’t cost much to live in a one-bedroom apartment and only have yourself to be responsible for.”

  Logan searched his face and must have finally found what he was looking for. “Okay. You’re still going to be in here a while, though. Promise you’ll let me know if your circumstances change.”

  Mason nodded. “I will.”

  Emily walked over to him. “It’s getting late. The nurses will be in here to put you to bed, so we’d better get going.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek.

  “I’ll tell you goodbye,” Logan said straight-faced, “but there’s no way I’m kissing you. Even without your beard, you’re not pretty enough to suit me.”

  Emily smacked his shoulder.

  “What?” Logan asked her. “I’m just used to Grade A, blue ribbon, earth shaking kisses with you. Why would I want to kiss anybody else, when I can kiss the most beautiful woman in the world?”

  She snuggled against his chest. “You are so having your way with me when we get home.”

  He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the door. “I’m counting on it.” He waved at Mason with one hand as he pulled his wife into the hall with him.

  Mason smiled. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have somebody in his life to love like that. An image of Claire popped into his head. That would never work out. Even if she hadn’t already despised him, she would never forgive him for that night. No matter how much sense Brody’s observations made, Mason still wasn’t sure if he’d ever really forgive himself.

  Claire mindlessly cleared a table. She had been living in nightmare for the past two days. Mason hired a lawyer. He would at least want visitation rights, and may even want partial custody of Zoey. He wanted to claim his daughter.

  What would she do? What could she do? Would he just be able to go in front of a judge and get whatever he was asking for?

  She needed to talk to somebody. But who? She couldn’t let Spencer know what was going on. It would destroy him. Wait a minute…Would Mason be willing to hurt Spencer? Finding out Mason was Zoey’s father would end their relationship for good. Maybe she wasn’t so much at Mason’s mercy after all. She had one card left to play; hopefully it was an ace.

  “You have a single diner at table seven, Claire.” Alma’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  Feeling better, she fixed her tray and walked over to the table. She was surprised to find Bryan Dyer sitting there.

  “Hello, Bryan.” Judy had been telling her of his latest job search not an hour earlier. “If you’ll wait a minute, I’ll go get Judy so she can take care of you.” She’d just swap tables with her friend. Stan didn’t care as long as they kept their duties evenly divided.

  Bryan smiled warmly at her. “That’s okay. I’m actually here to see you. Mom told me you’d be at work today.”

  Claire didn’t know what to think. “What can I get you to drink?” She’d just go ahead and do her job.

  “Can I get a beer in here, or do I have to go to the bar for that?”

  “You can order any drinks off the bar’s menu,” she told him. “I’ll just go pick up whatever you order.” The bar was in a separate building connected to Butlers. Only the staff could use the door connecting it to the restaurant. Customers had to enter through exterior doors.

  “Then I’d like a beer, please.” Bryan grinned at her, and he looked so much like Mason she nearly dropped her pen.

  “I’ll be right back.” Shoving Mason Wright out of her mind, she walked over and set her tray down. Serving alcohol was part of her job, but it wasn’t her favorite. The fine dining atmosphere of the restaurant kept most people from becoming too inebriated while eating, but over the years she had her fair share of dealings with tables full of drunken fools.

  She firmly pushed the memory of her own drunken foolishness away as she walked into the bar and told Tommy she needed a beer. Claire found it a little disconcerting that Bryan Dyer was a drinker since neither Louise nor Judy touched the stuff. He probably just enjoyed a beer with his meal, though, and it certainly wasn’t her place to judge.

  A few minutes later, on her way back to Bryan’s table, she passed Judy, who had a tray full of entrees.

  “Somebody’s having beer with lunch?” she asked, disapproval on her face.

  Claire was unsure of what to say, so she decided to say nothing. Again, it wasn’t any of her business. She just nodded and kept walking.

  After she had placed the mug in front of Bryan, she took the order pad out of her pocket and got ready to write on it. “What would you like?”

  “I’m ordering the fried chicken meal, but I would like to take you out on a date Friday night.”

  She was so shocked, this time she actually succeeded in dropping her ink pen.

  Bryan leaned down and picked it up. She was flustered as she accepted it from him.

  “I don’t date,” she told him. “You know about my children.”

  “My mom will watch Zoey if Spencer can’t.” He was very persuasive. “I really want to take you out for dinner and dancing.”

  Claire shook her head. “I just can’t.”

  His brown eyes, so like Mason Wright’s, looked imploringly into hers. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been able to take a beautiful woman on a real date? Will you please go with me?”

  She was finding it diffi
cult to tell this man no. It wasn’t like she didn’t have something to celebrate since she figured out how to beat Mason at his own game. And Bryan knew about Spence and Zoey and wanted to date her anyway.

  “Okay.”

  There was that grin again. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  After she told him that was fine, she left to go turn in his order. The day had been looking dismal, but now—now things were starting to brighten up.

  “Mom has a date tonight.”

  Mason was surprised. “I didn’t think your mom ever dated.”

  Spencer shrugged. “She usually doesn’t, but this guy is her friend Judy’s brother. We just met him on Thanksgiving. He just got home from Iraq. It’s weird, though.”

  “What is?”

  “He looks a lot like you,” Spencer replied.

  Mason suddenly realized he was not one bit happy Claire was going on a date. It must be because if she were to get serious with this guy, there would be another man in Zoey’s life. That had to be it. It couldn’t be anything else.

  “I want to show you something,” Spence nearly whispered. “But you have to promise not to tell anybody. Mom would ground me forever if she found out.”

  “What did you do?” Mason couldn’t condone Spencer breaking his mother’s rules.

  Spencer looked pleadingly into Mason’s eyes. “I just had to know, Mason. I just wanted to know my dad’s name. That’s all.” He scooted closer to Mason’s wheelchair. “I got into the locked box Mom keeps her important papers in, and I found Zoey’s and my birth certificates.”

  Mason couldn’t breathe for a moment. Was his name on Zoey’s? Did Spence already know Mason was his sister’s father?

  “Look.” Spencer spread out a birth certificate on Mason’s lap and pointed to the line with Father printed beneath it. Mason scanned the paper. It was Spencer’s, and the dad was listed as unknown.

  Then Spencer spread out a second paper on top of the first one. He pointed to the same line. Mason felt his heart break to see unknown above “father” on Zoey’s birth certificate, even though he wasn’t really surprised.