by Wilder, L.
My head was swimming with unanswered questions as I stood there looking at them. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to talk this thing out, get all the facts straight, but Reece was right. It wasn’t the time or the place, so I looked over to her and said, “I’m gonna head out, but this conversation isn’t over.”
“I know that, Jackson. I’ll be ready to talk whenever you are.”
Before I started for the door I told her, “The sooner the better.”
“Agreed.”
With that, I walked out of the room and headed out to the parking lot. I was in a complete fog as I got on my bike and started the engine, which only got worse as I headed out onto the main road. Even though I’d been right there in the same room with him, had seen the uncanny resemblance between us, I couldn’t believe that I actually had a son. The whole idea was mind boggling, and even after driving around for over two hours, I couldn’t seem to get a grip. I needed someone to talk to, so I headed over to Blaze’s place to see if he was around. Not only was he my best friend, he was the father of the one coolest kids on the planet, Kevin. Together, they’d faced some pretty rough times, especially when Kevin was battling cancer. Even when things were at their worst, Blaze never gave up. He held on to his faith that everything would work out for both him and his son, and in the end, he was right. I hoped that after all he’d been through that he’d be able to give me advice on how to handle the shit storm that had become my life.
When I pulled up in his driveway, I was relieved to see that his bike was parked at the front of the garage. Knowing he was inside, I pulled up to the house, and as soon as I was parked, I got off my bike and headed up to the front porch. I hadn’t had a chance to knock when Blaze opened the door and asked, “What’s going on?”
“I got something I need to talk to you about.”
“Alright.” He stepped outside, and as he closed the door behind him, he asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Fuck no,” I snapped. “Actually, everything is a big fucking mess, and I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do about it.”
“Slow down there, brother, and tell me what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I just found out that Reece got pregnant the night we hooked up.”
“And?”
“And nine months later, she had my kid.”
“Oh, damn.”
“Yep,” I scoffed. “Apparently, I have a son named Tate.”
Blaze smiled wide as he replied, “Well, congratulations, brother. That’s awesome.”
“How is that awesome, Blaze? It’s been over two and a half years since we hooked up. That makes the kid almost a year and a half, and I’ve never laid eyes on him before. I wasn’t there when he was born. I wasn’t there when he learned to crawl … when he learned to walk, or even when he said his first fucking words. I’ve missed out on all of that, and for what reason? It was too hard for her to tell me? How fucked up is that?”
With little to no emotion, he answered, “I’ll admit that it sucks, but at least she told you.”
“That’s just it. She didn’t tell me shit,” I barked.
“What are you talking about?”
“There was an accident, and Tate had to be taken to the hospital. Reece and I were together, so I ended up taking her to the ER. That’s when I saw him for the first time. If I hadn’t gone to check on things, who knows when she would’ve told me.”
“She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who’d keep something like that from you. If it was my guess, I’d say that’s why she came to the club looking for you a couple of months ago.”
“Yeah. She may have mentioned that.”
“Hell, maybe that’s why she came last night.”
When I’d taken Reece back to my room, I remembered her telling me that she needed to talk to me about something; instead, I told her it could wait. Jesus, I had no fucking idea that she was going to tell me we had a son. I should’ve listened, and that was on me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about any of it, so I replied, “Maybe.”
“And didn’t you say she’d tried calling you or something?”
“She did, but still. It just doesn’t make it right. I’ve lost so much time with him.”
“I know you’ve missed out on a lot, but you have his whole future ahead of you. There’s still plenty of time for you to be the kind of father you want to be.”
I sat down on the steps and sighed. “You know, I still don’t get it. I have no idea how she got pregnant.”
“Oh, really? You need me to explain the birds and the bees to ya, brother,” he snickered.
“No, smartass,” I grumbled. “We were careful. I used protection.”
“I don’t know, brother. Those things are only ninety-six percent effective or something like that. Or maybe the damn thing was defective.”
“Well, they should tell people that shit.”
Blaze chuckled as he said, “They do. It’s on the fucking box, but, it doesn’t really matter now. You and Reece have a son, and you’re gonna have to figure out what you want to do about it.”
“I want to be his dad.”
“And Reece? What about her?” Blaze pushed.
“I don’t know. I can’t decide if I’m angry as hell or disappointed, if I’m heartbroken or totally fucking insane, but I do know one thing …” I ran my hand over my face as I sighed. “We haven’t known each other long, and this may sound crazy, but I’ve never wanted anyone like I want her. She is the most beautiful, smartest, terrifyingly incredible woman I’ve ever met.”
“That’s good. Really good. So, when you think about your future, do you see her in it?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then, that’s all you need to know. The rest will fall into place.”
“Something tells me it isn’t going to be that easy.”
“Never said it would be easy, Riggs.” Blaze smiled as he patted me on the shoulder. “Raising a kid will be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, but I promise you this … having that little boy in your life will be the best thing that ever happened to you.”
As I stood up, I looked over to him and asked, “You got a computer I can borrow?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I have an address that I need to look up.”
A half an hour later, I was back on my bike and headed towards Reece’s apartment. I had no idea what I was going to do or say when I got there. I just knew I had to see her, to talk to her and set things straight between us. While I wasn’t exactly happy with the way things played out, I needed her to know that I wanted to be a part of my son’s life—and hers. When I got over to her place, I was glad to see that it looked relatively safe. There was a gate at the main entrance, and the complex was using one of the better security systems to monitor all the different entrances. Since I’d had experience with the system, I didn’t have a problem by-passing the gate code, and in no time, I was parked in front of Reece’s apartment. I walked over to her door, and after I’d knocked, I waited several, long, agonizing minutes for Reece to answer. When she finally opened the door, I could see the surprise in her eyes as she asked, “Jackson? What are you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Wait … how did you know where I live?”
“You remember how I told you I worked with computers?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, it just so happens that I’m really good at it,” I jested.
An inquisitive look crossed her face as she said, “Obviously.”
“You got a minute?”
“Sure.” She took a step back, and as she motioned me inside, she said, “Make yourself comfortable.”
I took a quick glance around the room as I walked over and sat down on her oversized, navy sofa. While it wasn’t overly fancy, it was clear she’d worked hard to make it a nice place. She had several large pieces of white-washed furniture that had been made to look older than they really were, and pictures of quotes and farm animals ha
nging on the walls, which gave it a rustic, country feel. Even though it wasn’t exactly my style, I liked it. “You’ve got a great place here, Reece.”
“Thanks. My mom has been helping me fix it up a little. It’s been a process. Our tastes aren’t exactly the same, but I appreciate her efforts.” She sighed as she sat down next to me. “Anyway … I’m guessing you aren’t here to talk about my apartment.”
“Not exactly, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about it. I want to know everything that happened to you during and after your pregnancy and the birth of my son, even the stuff that might seem insignificant to you.”
She nodded as she quietly replied, “Okay.”
“I’m sure he’s sleeping, but … could I see him?”
“Of course.” A soft smile crossed her face as she continued, “His room is right down the hall.”
I followed her to his room and my chest tightened when I found Tate sleeping soundly in his crib. He was wearing a pair of pale blue pajamas. His little fingers were curled up in balls at his sides, his hair was dark, and his cheeks were full and rosy red. It was hard to believe that I had a small part in creating something so beautiful, so unbelievably perfect, and yet, as I stood there staring at him, there was no doubt in my mind that he was mine. “He’s really something.”
“Yes, he is.” She smiled as she asked, “Would you like to hold him?”
“I don’t want to wake him.”
“Don’t worry. The kid can sleep through anything.”
She reached into the crib, gently lifting him into her arms, before carefully passing him on to me. When I noticed the bandage on his head, I asked, “So, he’s really okay?”
“Yes, Jackson. He’s fine,” she assured me. “He fell asleep on the way home and hasn’t made a peep since.”
“Good.” I chuckled as I look over to her and said, “He’s a good-looking kid.”
“Yep. Just like his father.” Her smile quickly faded as she whispered, “I’m really sorry that I didn’t find a way to tell you sooner.”
“That’s not completely on you, Reece. I had my part to play in all this, too.” I paused for a moment as I tried to find the right words to say to her. “I knew you were the one for me, but let my pride stop me from going after what I wanted. It not only cost me time with you. It cost me time with my son, and I can assure you … I won’t let that happen again.”
“When I went to the clubhouse and saw you with that other woman, I was so torn. I wanted to tell you about Tate. I really did, but I thought you were with that other woman. I was embarrassed and hurt, and I let those feelings keep me from doing the right thing.”
“I have a knack for finding people, Reece. I should’ve looked for you. I should’ve found you and set things straight.”
“So, maybe you’re right. Maybe we both had our part in this. The question is … what do we do now?”
“We find a way to put this all behind us and focus on the road ahead.”
“About that, I want you to know … I don’t expect anything from you. We’ve been doing really well on our own, so don’t feel obligated. If you aren’t up for this, I’ll understand. You can walk out that door tonight and never look back.”
“There’s no way in hell that’s gonna happen. I’m not going anywhere, Reece. I’m in … one hundred percent.”
CHAPTER 12
Reece
From the first time I laid eyes on Jackson, I thought he was attractive. Hell, he was more than attractive. Who was I kidding—Jackson was smoking hot, and it was a struggle to keep my hormones in check, especially when he wore faded Levi’s with his leather cut. But seeing Jackson hold our son in his arms took him to a whole new level. As I watched the two of them together, it made me fall for him even more. That’s when I knew it wasn’t my hormones that I had to worry about—it was my heart. I had to do what I could to protect myself from getting hurt so I gave him an out, hoping that it’d push him to give me a much-needed honest reaction. My entire body grew tense as soon as I said those words to him, and a dreadful feeling washed over me while I waited for his response. So, when he told me what I so desperately wanted to hear, I couldn’t have been more relieved.
“Are you sure? Because I really need you to be sure.”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” He looked down at Tate in his arms, and a softness crossed his face as he answered, “I’ve already missed so much time with him. I can’t imagine missing another minute.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Looking at him with our son nestled against his chest made it hard not to let myself slip into a fantasy world where I could imagine Jackson and I raising Tate together, falling madly in love, and spending the rest of our lives in perfect bliss. But to think that we could make this thing work without tearing our lives apart was just that—a fantasy. The fact was—Jackson didn’t know everything about me, and I certainly didn’t know everything about him, especially when it came to Satan’s Fury. While he’d mentioned his brothers, told me a couple of amusing stories, and even shared some of their names, he’d never really told me what went on behind closed doors of that clubhouse. Those were the secrets he kept all to himself, and something told me that wasn’t going to change. I thought back to the surveillance video that McKnight had given me from the night Rodrigo was murdered, and as I looked up at Jackson standing there holding our son, it terrified me to think that he might’ve had something to do with his death. I hoped the “lighter thing” was just a coincidence, but I had to know for sure. I couldn’t let myself fall for a murderer, and I definitely couldn’t let him be around my son. I simply didn’t have a choice. I had to ask him now before I put everything I cared about in jeopardy. “I need to ask you about something.”
“Okay.” He walked over to the crib and carefully laid Tate down onto the mattress. Once he was sure that he hadn’t woken up, Jackson looked back over to me and whispered, “Should we go back in the living room?”
“Yes. That would probably be for the best.”
He followed me out of Tate’s room, and once we were seated on the living room sofa, Jackson looked to me and asked, “What do you have on your mind?”
“It’s a little complicated,” I started. “You remember me telling you that I work at the paper?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“Well, I’ve been working on this piece about one of the Mexican cartels for the past few months. I decided to write it because my uncle was one of the higher ups in this particular cartel.” When I noticed the disturbed look on his face, I knew I had to explain further. “I know it may be hard to believe, but my Aunt Camilla didn’t know that he was associated with the cartel when she married him. My mother told me that she was working as a travel agent when they met. He owned one of the resorts her company used for their tour packages. One thing led to another, and the next thing they knew, my aunt packed up all her stuff and moved out to California.”
“I’m guessing things didn’t turn out so well for her.”
“No, they didn’t.” I sighed. “They started out okay, or at least I think they did. I remember her visiting us a few times, and she talked to Mom on the phone quite a bit. She seemed happy, but Mom never really bought into it. She never trusted my uncle, especially after she found out that there were questions surrounding my aunt’s death.”
“She died?”
“Yes. Just over eight years ago. Even though nobody could prove it, we all knew that Uncle Rodrigo had something to do with it. I hoped that one day I could do something to get him back for what he’d done, but I just found out that he was murdered a few days ago.”
Jackson’s voice was low and strained as he asked, “What was your uncle’s name again?”
“Rodrigo Navarro. Why? Have you heard of him?”
“Wait … You’re telling me that Rodrigo Navarro was your uncle?” he asked with a sarcastic chuckle. “Fucking unbelievable.”
“Yes. Do you know him or something?”
/>
“You could say that.” Shaking his head, he grumbled, “Fuck me. You’re Alex’s cousin. I can’t believe I didn’t know that.”
“What? Who’s Alex? I don’t know anyone—”
“Alejandra Navarro.”
My blood ran cold the minute he said her name. “How do you know Alejandra?”
“It’s a long story. A really long story, but Alejandra is my brother’s ol’ lady.”
“That can’t be possible. Alejandra is in California with her father.”
“Like I said, it’s a long story.” His eyes narrowed as he demanded, “You need to stop this shit with the cartel, Reece. You can’t go snooping around these guys without putting your life in jeopardy. They’re dangerous people. You have no idea how dangerous, and it’s not just your safety that you have to consider. You’ve got Tate to think about. I know it’s important to you, but no article is worth your life. You’ve gotta walk away from—”
“Stop. I’m not walking away from my article, Jackson. There’s too much on the line.” I could feel my frustration building as I snapped, “But I don’t want to talk about my article right now. I want to know more about Alejandra!”
He let out a deep breath before answering, “I don’t know much. Just that she left home eight years ago and ended up in Memphis. For one reason or another, she was hiding from her father when she met Shadow.”
“She’s been here for years? But that doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t she contact us? Why wouldn’t she tell us that she was here?”
“I can’t answer that. I just know she kept it a secret from everyone, including Shadow. He didn’t know anything about it until her father came here looking for her.”
“Oh, my God. Is she okay? Did he hurt her?” I gasped.
“No. She’s fine,” he assured me. “She and Shadow are good. Really good.”
“When can I see her?”
“Whenever you want. She’s just a phone call away.”