A knock sounded at the door. “Tell him yourself.” Ron stood and moved to the door.
Patty hurried into the room and went to Kat’s side. “Whatever you decide, I’m here.”
“Thanks.”
Ron eyed the two women. “I wouldn’t want to be J.J. right now.”
Patty smiled at him. “J.J. should know we are a two-for-one.”
“God help the man.” Ron opened the front door.
J.J. shifted from foot to foot. “Is it safe?”
“Not really. Come in. Patty and I will be in the kitchen if you need us.” He grabbed his wife’s hand. “They need to talk this out.”
She stumbled behind Ron. “But—”
Ron cut her off with a look.
Kat stiffened her resolve and put her coolest expression on. She studied J.J.’s face. His bloodshot eyes had black and blue shadows under them. His forehead furrowed as if it were too bright in the room. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to go to him and wrap him into a hug.
J.J. took a tentative step inside. “Kat, I didn’t sleep with anyone last night.” He watched as Kat hugged herself.
“I know what I saw.”
“You saw an old friend help me out.” When you all but ripped my heart out of my chest, he wanted to say, but instead he said, “Amy Mayfield and I went to high school together.” He took a deep breath. “Before you ask, we did date. She was my prom date and my first…” He let the word trail off.
The look she shot him tore his heart in two. “I can’t do this, you need to be with someone your own age.” Kat pushed past him and ran out the door. Patty raced after her.
He took a step toward them. Ron stopped him. “Let her go.”
“How did this get so complicated? It was supposed to be just sex.”
“It was never just sex with the two of you.” Ron passed him and motioned him to follow. “Women are complicated.”
“They never were before.” He followed Ron past the large feminine living room. It struck him odd that Ron, the man of all men, would live in a space like this. The combination of flowers and lace didn’t look bad, but J.J. always thought Ron would have a Harley in his living room. Ron ushered him into a huge room. J.J. stood inside every man’s fantasy man cave. He couldn’t take his eyes off the old rare Harley leaning against the far wall. “Wow, nice.”
Ron’s mouth spread into a smile. “I told Patty she could do whatever she wanted with the rest of the house if I could have one room.”
J.J. wanted to roam the space and check out all the autographed pictures of sports figures on the wall. He wondered if Kat would let him have a man cave someday. The thought brought him crashing back to his situation. “Why is it so complicated with Kat?”
Ron sat in a movie theater chair. “Welcome to being in a grown-up relationship.” He grabbed the remote and switched on the seventy-inch flat screen. “You need to ask yourself if Kat’s worth the complications.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
Ron flipped on the NFL channel. “Figure it out.”
Kat sat in Patty’s car, numb. “I think I’m doing the right thing.”
Patty drove down Kat’s tree-lined street. “Do you want my opinion?”
“No, but you’re going to give it to me anyway.”
“J.J. is the best thing to ever happen to you. Even if he left after ten years, they would have been better than the last ten you had. No one can see into the future. There are no guarantees in life.”
“I know, Patty, but I can’t put myself out like that. I don’t know if I could survive it.”
“Then what’s the point of living?” Patty parked next to Kat’s house. “Kat, you’ve been on a hamster wheel for over ten years.”
“What?”
“You know, running, running, running and not really getting anywhere. Is that the way you want to live the rest of your life?”
“It’s called survival.” Kat wrenched open the door and stepped out.
“Maybe it’s time to live and not just survive,” Patty called after her.
The front door to Kat’s house opened before she could get her keys out of her purse.
Bev stood with her hands on her hips. “Katherine Elizabeth.”
“Not now, Mother.”
“Stop right there, Katherine.”
She stumbled to a stop. “What!”
“Are you all right?”
“What do you think?”
“From what I overheard last night, you’re throwing away a good man.”
“Why, because you don’t think I could do any better?”
Bev walked over to Kat. “No, because finding love is not all that easy when you get older.”
“Oh Mom.” Kat ran down the hall.
“What? What did I say?”
Her father followed her into her bedroom and shut the door. “Kat, honey.” He sat on the bed next to her.
Kat wanted him to hug her and take the pain away like he used to when she was a child. “I don’t want to talk.”
“You don’t have to talk. Just listen.”
She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. “All I’ve done is listen. J.J. and I are not right for each other.” She tossed the pillow. “We are at different stages of life. He is just starting out and I’m halfway through my life.”
“Kat, you are not halfway through your life. You have just started. So, from where I stand, you are both just starting out.”
“Dad, I can’t give him children.”
“Did he say he wants children?”
“No, but he’s only twenty-five. He has no clue what he’ll be giving up.”
“From what little I know about him, he knows his own mind.”
Kat sat up.
Axel cleared his throat. “You know, there are other ways to make a baby.”
“Dad, I don’t want another child.”
“You both may change your minds.” He stood and headed for the door.
“What about the mill?”
“Do you think you would be the only businesswoman to have to travel for work?”
“Dad, what about Sam?”
“You and Sam can live here. With computers and such today, you would only have to come to the mill once or twice a month.” His hand rested on the doorjamb. “I’ll stay on until we have it all figured out.”
“Mom’s just going to love that.”
“Think on it over Christmas and let me know.”
The door shut behind him. Kat flopped back on the bed, more confused than ever.
J.J. pulled his truck in front of his mother’s house. For the first time in his life, he needed her advice about a woman. Alice yanked open the front door.
He exited his truck. “Mom, how did you know I was here?”
“A mother just knows.”
He hurried to Alice, kissed her on the cheek and gave her a huge hug.
“What’s the matter, honey?”
He walked into the living room and flopped down on the sofa. “Kat and I had a big fight. I think it’s over between us.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No.” He ran his hands over his face. “I love Kat and want to be with her.”
Alice sat on the ottoman in front of him. “For now, or for the rest of your life?”
“I don’t know.” He sat back. “I love her and want to be with her.”
“Well, Kat doesn’t just have herself to worry about. She has a son and a business to protect.”
“So what you are telling me is she does have more to lose than me.”
“I didn’t say that, but as a mother, she does have more to protect.” Alice took his hand. “But, honey, I think you have more to lose.”
“Why do you say that?”
“From what I have heard around town, Kat can’t have any more children.”
He pulled his hand way. “How do you know that?”
This is a fairly small town that happened to be founded by Kat’s grandfathe
r. Her family name is on every town building and Kat Henderson is like a celebrity. The rumor mill loves her.”
“Kat’s pain shouldn’t be for everyone to gossip about.”
“That may be true, but that’s how it is. You need to get used to it if you are going to be with her.”
“I need a beer.” He stood and started for the kitchen.
“You never answered me. So, I am to assume that the rumors are correct.”
“Yes, the rumors are true,” he called from the kitchen. “I don’t want to have kids anyway.”
“That’s now. What about in ten years?”
He came back to the living room and sat. “God, Mom. You sound just like Kat.”
She smiled. “I always knew Kat was smart.”
“Very funny,” he chugged his beer. “I love her.”
Alice stood and sat next to J.J. “Love is not supposed to be easy.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Oh honey, I wish I could help, but this is something you need to figure out yourself.”
“Mom, if there was one time in my life I need you to tell me what to do, it’s now.”
“Go home and get ready for Christmas. I know you haven’t finished shopping yet.”
“The only person I shop for is you and I’m all done.” He pushed himself up and headed for the door. “I’ll be back tomorrow evening to spend Christmas Eve with you.”
“You’re still spending the night, right?”
“Of course, it’s our tradition.” He bent down to kiss his mother’s cheek. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, honey.” She stood. “I heard Sally Perkins is pregnant. Do I need to be concerned?”
“Jesus, Mom! We always used condoms.”
“Condoms aren’t one hundred percent, you know.”
We haven’t been together in about five months. We had one mishap eight months ago. Unless she’s really pregnant, then I don’t think so.”
“I haven’t seen her. You might want to call her and ask.”
“I will.” He sighed and opened the door. “That’s all I need.”
“When you play, you may have to pay,” she called.
Chapter Eighteen
Sally’s words rang in J.J.’s head, dumfounding him. Pregnant, yours. Due in mid-February. Giving the baby up. Was not going to tell you. The disconnected words filled his mind. Disbelief, anger and sadness pulsed through him. “What the fuck!” He pushed Kat’s number and immediately ended the call. “I can’t call her, she’ll hate me.”
He pressed the speed dial for his mother and shoved clothes in a bag. When no one answered, he flung the phone on the bed. “I was just at your house, Mom. Where are you?”
His world was spinning out of control. He marched to the discarded cell, picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket. He shut off the light and left the room. J.J. scanned his apartment one last time, opened the door and all but ran over Kat.
She stood in the doorway with her hand ready to knock. Kat held a box filled with his things.
“Kat!” Relief and pain hit him like a ton of bricks.
Kat straightened. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to give these back to you.”
He grabbed the box and tossed it into his apartment. He pulled her into his arms. “God, what a clusterfuck.” Tears stung his eyes.
She pushed away and looked up at him. “I should go.”
“No.” He grabbed her arm. “Please, Kat.” Desperation filled his voice. J.J. needed her like a starving man needed food. “Kat, please, if you ever loved me, just stay for five minutes.” He led her into his apartment.
“Okay. Just five minutes.” She studied him. “Why are you crying?”
“Oh fuck.” He swiped his palm over his eyes. “Where do I start? First, I want to tell you nothing happened with Amy. I was drunk off my ass and she gave me a ride home, that’s it.”
He tugged her down with him on the couch. “And.” A lump clogged his throat. “My ex-girlfriend Sally’s pregnant and she says it’s mine.”
“How far along is she?”
The pain on Kat’s face made him want to vomit. “Like eight months.”
“Eight months?” she yelled. “And you’re just finding out now?”
“I just got off the phone with her.” He rested his head in his hands. “She told me she’s going to give the baby up for adoption.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No.” That one word surprised him. “No. If her baby’s mine, then I will take care of it.”
“J.J., if she is giving up the baby, then you will be the sole parent. Do you think you can handle that?”
“That’s like asking if you can take care of Sam.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but I’ll be the first to tell you that without support from Ron, Patty and my parents, I could not have done it.”
“I have my mom.” He wanted to say he had Kat, but after today, he was sure she would walk out on him. “I make good money. I can hire a nanny.”
She smiled. “Do you know how much a nanny costs?”
He stood. “I don’t care. If that baby’s mine, then I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“When can you find out if the baby is yours?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you say that she wanted to give the baby up for adoption?”
“Yes, why?”
“Well, if you don’t want to give that baby up, you need to stop her.”
“How do I do that?” J.J. sat back down on the sofa.
“I don’t know. Call a lawyer.”
Bewilderment filled him. “I don’t know a lawyer.”
Kat grasped his palm. “I do.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and scrolled down the contacts. Kat pushed the button and brought the cell to her ear. “Hi, Charlie, how are you?” She paused. “Happy holidays to you and your family too. Listen, I need your help with a friend’s custody issue. Do you do that kind of thing?” J.J. watched Kat in amazement.
“You do? That’s great,” she said.
The idea of Kat still thinking of him as a friend brought light into the dark situation.
“Monday? He’ll be there. Thanks, Charlie.” Kat smiled up to J.J. “You have an appointment with Charlie Franklyn, Monday at nine o’clock.”
It was all coming at him too fast. “What?”
“Charlie is the best civil lawyer in south Florida.”
Gratitude filled him. “Kat, how can I thank you?”
She glanced at her watch. “I need to get going.”
“Kat, please stay, we need to talk.” J.J. tugged her into his arms and ravished her mouth. Her taste and sweet smell engulfed him. God, I need you.
She pushed away. “J.J., you said we needed to talk.”
“Later.” He possessed her mouth hard and fast. Need for her overtook him. He felt her soften against him. Blood raced to his cock
She shoved him. “Nothing has changed.” She wiggled away.
He held on to her. “All I know is I need you.”
“No, J.J., you want me. That’s a big difference.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
He followed after her. “We still need to talk. If you think I’m letting you run out of my life, then you’re nuts.”
“All we have is sex.” She shut the door in his face.
Her words hurt him. It wasn’t just sex. He loved her, God damn it. He would give up everything for her. Why couldn’t she see that? J.J grabbed his bag and headed to his truck.
On the ride to his mother’s house, he tried and failed to think of a way to get his life back to some manageable place. J.J. parked behind one of his company trucks. “Juan must be here to do Mom’s lawn.”
J.J. rushed into his mother’s house. “Mom, are you home?”
Alice raced out of her bedroom, tying her robe. “J.J., what are you doing here? You aren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.”
“I need to talk to you. I have a
big problem.”
“Honey, this is not a good time.”
“Mom.”
An older dark-haired man stuck his head out of J.J.’s mother’s bedroom door, buttoning his work shirt. “Alice, we should tell him what’s been going on.”
“Juan, what the fuck are you doing in my mother’s bedroom?”
“Jared James, watch your mouth in my house.”
Rage consumed him. He breathed in and forced the air out. “Would someone like to tell me why my employee is in my mother’s bedroom?”
“Jared, Juan and I have been seeing each other for a year now. We didn’t know how to tell you.”
“You fucking asshole, I sent you over here to do landscaping and you bone my mother.”
Juan Carlos stepped out of the doorway. “That’s not how it is.”
He stalked over to the other man, gripped him by the shirt and punched him. Juan stumbled back and fell to the floor.
Alice rushed to Juan. “J.J., what is wrong with you?”
She knelt next to Juan. “Juan, honey, are you all right?”
Juan sat up. “I’m fine. I deserved a lot more. J.J., I should have told you sooner.”
He shook his hand. “My mother? My goddamn mother?”
“Jared James, I’m not going to tell you again, watch your mouth in my house.” She pointed to the kitchen “Go get some ice for your hand and Juan’s jaw. We’ll be there in a minute to talk.”
J.J. turned and made his way to the small space. My mother is having sex with my most trusted employee. Scratch that. My mother is having sex. He shook the image out of his head and opened a drawer where the dishtowels were stored. He opened the freezer and retrieved the large ice drawer. He made up two bundles of ice.
Alice walked in holding Juan’s hand. “J.J., I’m sorry you had to find out like this.” She led Juan to a chair.
“I don’t want to talk about this.” He rested the towel on his throbbing hand.
She grabbed the bundle of extra ice and placed it on Juan’s face. “Too bad, we need to have this out.”
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