by Roxie Ray
But she didn’t read nearly as much as I thought she would. She and Jace chatted the whole way, talking about everything from television shows to food to where she wanted to vacation someday. He was making every effort to get to know my little girl and she ate it up. I didn’t know how I’d gotten so lucky.
When he pulled into the wildlife center’s parking lot, I wanted to squeal like Hayden. I couldn’t wait to see her face.
“Where are we?” She craned her neck, but she’d totally missed the sign at the entrance. I doubted there’d be another one until we walked up to the entrance.
I was right. But what I’d expected was just a zoo walkthrough, where Jace bought us tickets and we went in.
That was not what we got. A wildlife center associate walked out as we approached the gates. “Are you the Hayden party?”
Hay’s face lit up. “That’s me!” she shouted.
“I hear we’re having a late birthday present today.” She beamed at us while Hayden began to jump up and down. “My name is Sasha, and I’ll be your guide today.” She crouched down to Hayden’s level. “You ready?”
“Yes!” she shouted.
Chuckling, we followed behind as Sasha held Hayden’s hand and asked all about her. “Now, am I to understand that you’re a special friend of our very own Popo?”
Hayden’s response came out so high pitched that I didn’t catch it from behind. I slipped my hand into Jace’s. “This is amazing. Thank you so much.”
He pulled me close and we walked with his arm around me. I’d tried to do this with Damon a couple of times, but it proved too awkward to go very far. But I fit under Jace’s arm perfectly and our steps synchronized. Walking toward the pandas was as easy as walking all on my own. And when Hayden looked back, she didn’t even pause about us being so close together. Of course, I had no way of knowing if that was because she accepted it or because she was so distracted by where we were going.
Hayden bawled through meeting Popo. We were taken to a special area just outside her enclosure and we watched her keepers feed her and play with her.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she sobbed.
Chuckling, I rubbed Hayden’s back as the sweet girl threw her arms around Jace’s neck. We sat on a bench outside the panda enclosure and watched Popo until I started squirming from pressure on my bladder. “I’m ready for the bathroom.”
“No, Mommy! I want to stay.” Hayden begged to remain in Popo’s area.
“There are a lot more things we can see,” Jace whispered in her ear. “And we can come back before we leave, okay?”
She finally agreed, so we rushed to the restroom so I could stop doing the dance. After that, we explored the rest of the wildlife center, ate a special lunch prepared just for Hayden on panda plates, and with a panda cake. When the afternoon dragged later, we went back to Popo’s area in time to watch as Popo played with the keepers as they attempted to clean her large enclosure out. It was a riot, and Hayden was entranced.
“You’ll never get rid of her now,” I whispered.
“I don’t want to get rid of her.” Jace looked down at me, and the emotion in his eyes made my throat catch.
And damn if I didn’t want to keep him, too.
By the time we got home, after half the car ride listening to Hay talk about her panda, Hayden was sound asleep. Jace carried her up to her bed and took off her shoes. I covered her up and gave her a kiss.
“I’ve got to go,” he whispered. “Or we’ll do things with her here that she’s not ready for.”
I walked him to the front door. “Thank you for doing this for Hayden,” I said softly.
“I’d do anything for her. And you.”
I stared into his eyes. He meant his words. “Have a good night,” he said, then pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.
After I closed the door and locked it, knowing he was standing outside waiting to hear the locks engage, I pressed my back to the door and clutched my chest as happy tears pricked at my eyes.
Yep. There was no doubt about it. I was head over heels in love with that man.
18
Jace
My mom showed up in my kitchen just as I shuffled in for coffee. “Hey,” I said groggily. “Do I smell coffee?”
The visiting clan members had been gone when I got back from seeing Popo with my girls. As was our custom, they left my place looking a little cleaner than before they’d come, even though I’d had my monthly cleaning lady come by and do an extra once-over.
If I’d stayed in someone else’s house, I would’ve done my best to leave it in pristine condition as well. At least Mom didn’t have anything to fuss at me about. There wasn’t a dish in the sink or a speck of dust to be found, even now, a week later. I’d worked a late shift in the bar last night. Hayden had been feeling bad over the weekend, so Bri and I had gone another weekend without seeing each other. I was beginning to get desperate to see her again.
“Tell me about your progress with your human mate,” Mom said as she set pastries and a huge coffee on the table. “Sit.”
I downed two crullers and gulped the piping hot coffee before answering. “Really, really, beyond expectations well. I think that if she can get over the shock of being told about dragons, she’ll accept me as her mate. I’ve been mulling over when and how to tell her.”
“I’m so happy for you. I watched you over the clan meet weekend. I’ve never seen you look so content and settled, and that was without her even being there.”
I wondered if she’d seen Porter. I tried to keep them apart somewhat since I still hadn’t told her about him. I just didn’t know how to broach the subject. By the end of the weekend, I was fairly sure she hadn’t spotted him.
“She said my skin is often hot to the touch, but she dismissed it. I told her it was something I knew, and she just let it go.”
Mom nodded. “We only have experience with telling the alpha’s new mate. There’s no telling how this human will react. It may be necessary to get Sammy’s help.”
I sighed. “I hope not. I’ll discuss it with her, though. Maybe she’ll have an idea of the best way to go about it.”
She sipped her coffee and eyed me. “Just be prepared for possible blowback.”
“She’s friends with Skye. Maybe she’ll take it as well as Skye did.”
Mom smiled. “If she does freak out, be patient with her. It’ll be a shock, however well you manage to break it to her.”
Mom gathered up the trash after we discussed Aunt Missy’s upcoming birthday. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she said. “Good luck with your girl, and for heaven’s sake, don’t make me come chase you down next time.”
She tossed the bag in the trash but paused when someone knocked on my back door.
I knew who was on the other side. I sensed him. The very last person I’d have wanted to show up with my mom here. My brother.
Mom looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Aren’t you going to get that?” she asked.
I gaped at her.
“Jace.” She looked at me like I’d grown an extra head. “Don’t be rude. Answer the door.”
Damn it. I stood and walked to the door, opening it, and blocking the view as best I could.
Porter crowded inside. “I’ve got some information on Damon that you need,” he said as he pushed past me. “You need to warn Bri.”
My mother gasped, and Porter’s gaze moved quickly from me to Mom. He had to have sensed someone else here, but he seemed shocked to see her. “Oh,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
I hadn’t told Mom about Porter, but as soon as she saw him, she had to have figured it out.
“What is going on?” She clutched the kitchen chair in front of her. “Who is this?” But then she closed her eyes. “You don’t have to answer that. I know who you are. You’re the spitting image of him.”
Porter looked at me with wide eyes. “Your mom?”
I nodded. I was deep in it now. She was going to murder me. I always knew
my mother hated my father for leaving us the way he had, but I’d never seen her look at anyone the way she was looking at Porter. In disdain.
She looked at Porter like he was the enemy. I stepped between them. “Mom, calm down. The things that happened, that Dad chose to do, none of them are Porter’s fault.”
“It’s not Porter. It was his mother. She knew about Jace and was the reason your father left us. She gave him an ultimatum, and in the process, your father acted like you never existed.”
I hated how hurt she was, but I was pretty sure she had it wrong. “Mom, Porter is older. I don’t think Dad was honest with any of us. Besides, there’s nothing that can be done about it now. We have to forgive and move on.”
She jerked her gaze back to me. “He’s older?” she whispered. A look of horror crossed her face. “I was the other woman.”
Porter stepped forward. “I’m sorry for dropping in and making this a surprise. But please know, I’m fairly certain my mother was also the other woman, and there was one after you and so on. There’s really no telling how many brothers and sisters we might have the world over. And if he told you he was leaving to come back to my mother after Jace was born, well, that never happened. He never came back.”
Mom’s breathing got faster and heavier.
“Mom. He’s held too much power over you for too long. You have got to let him go. Let the hurt go.”
She still looked angry, but the icy glare softened. If anything, she looked defeated. “You’ve got a way of keeping secrets from those you love. Don’t do that with your Briana or you’ll live to regret it.”
Fuck. I felt like total shit. “I’m so—”
She held up her hand, cutting me off, then walked out the door, edging past Porter, who jumped out of the way without saying another word.
Damn. She told me not to keep secrets, but did that mean it was time to tell Briana the truth? Maybe I hadn’t been doing her any favors by keeping what I knew from her, including about Damon possibly fighting her legally.
“Dude, I’m sorry for dropping in, but I called, and you didn’t pick up.”
My phone was still in my bedroom. “It’s okay.”
“I figured you’d want to know what I found out.” He grimaced.
“I do. I did. Thank you. Come in and sit. Donut?”
“Thanks, but I ate.” He followed me into the living room, and we sat on the couch.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“I used some resources and favors to get more information on Damon. It turns out he’s trying really hard to come for Hayden by making Briana look like an unfit parent.”
“Damn it,” I muttered. “What can we do?”
“I think you should call her. She needs to see this.”
“She’s at work,” I said. “Can it wait until after?”
Porter checked his watch. “I think so. But she should come right after.”
“You’re welcome to hang out,” I told Porter as I headed for my room to shower. “I’ll just tell her to come as soon as she can.”
He nodded. “Okay, sure. If you don’t have other plans, I’ll hang out with you.”
I texted her right away. Can you come over after work?
It took a while for her to reply. I figured she was in class. When I got out of the shower, I had a message. Sure. What’s up? Should I bring Hay?
No. It’s sort of a small emergency. I have to talk to you. Don’t get worried but come as soon as you can.
She texted me off and on for the rest of the day, and called at lunch, trying to get more information out of me, but this was the sort of thing I needed to tell her in person.
When she rushed in around four, she was breathless, and her face was pinched. “I’m sorry, I had to take Hayden to my parents’ before I came.”
“It’s okay. Come sit down, I’ve got to tell you something kind of upsetting.”
She looked at me like I was about to tell her I was dying. I walked into the living room with her on my heels. “Bri, this is Porter. He’s a lawyer from California, he’s visiting for a while.” I hadn’t told her yet that he was my brother. It hadn’t occurred to me to tell her that yet, not until I told her about being a dragon. It wasn’t that I was intentionally keeping it from her, but it seemed like the sort of thing that came after finding out about being a dragon.
“Briana, I was able to use my connections to get some information about your ex-husband. Jace asked me to look into him the last time he bothered you and your daughter.”
She shot me a glare. Maybe I should’ve told her that. I shrugged. “I’m glad I did.”
“He’s building a case against you to try to take Hayden. He’s trying to prove you an unfit mother.”
Her jaw dropped. “How?” she gasped. “What does that mean?” Then she glared at me. “How long have you known this?”
“Porter found out a hint of it a week or so ago, but he didn’t know anything for sure until today.”
She bristled. “You knew this was a possibility and you didn’t warn me?”
I didn’t know what to say. With no other explanation, I told her the truth. “I’ve been so focused on you and Hayden that I’d pushed it to the back of my mind. Plus, I hadn’t really expected him to be able to make any sort of actual case. I thought it was just a fleeting thing until I heard from Porter again.”
She stood stiff and glared at me.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row before worrying you. And to make sure I could have your back.”
Her voice came out low and furious. “Anything about my daughter should always be told to me as soon as possible. I could get past you looking into Damon without telling me, but not telling me when you found something out is unforgivable.”
She sucked in deep breaths. Porter leaned forward. “I don’t know the details. I don’t know if he has anything true or if he’s found someone to lie, but the judge I got to talk to me told me his case is compelling.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I should’ve hired someone to kill him years ago.”
Porter raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t hear that.” He handed Bri some papers. “This is all I know. I’m sorry to deliver such bad news, but I am glad to meet you. My brother has told me so much about you.”
She smiled tightly at him and opened her mouth to reply, but then what he said clicked. “Brother?” she asked.
Porter’s eyes widened and he looked at me. “You didn’t tell her that, either?”
Briana snatched the papers from Porter, then glared at me again. “You’re just full of secrets, aren’t you?” Her tone wasn’t at all playful.
I just knew that meant this went from bad to worse.
I prayed I hadn’t ruined everything by being an idiot.
19
Bri
I had a good mind to slap Jace. Just last night I’d been thinking about how much I was falling for him, and today I found out he’s got a brother he’d never mentioned, plus he knew that Damon was trying to steal Hayden from me. Did I know Jace at all?
It was odd that I didn’t know about his brother. Now that I thought about it, there was a lot I didn’t know, like his parents or anything about them. Or his friends. I knew he was friends with Anthony and a part of that cult that Skye didn’t like me calling a cult, but that was it. I hadn’t met his friends or family otherwise.
Porter told me all he knew, and we went through the papers. The accusations were vague, and all untrue. I found a paper in the documents he gave me that said he was claiming that I was the abusive one and that I had a massive drinking problem.
He had pictures of me going in and out of Jace’s bar. I didn’t think it was possible to hate Damon more, but when I saw those pictures I sure did. “I drink sometimes but I rarely get drunk and Hayden is always well taken care of.” My voice sounded whiny and defensive. I hated Damon all the more for how I sounded.
Damon had written me out to be some sort of drunk ty
rant. My blood was boiling and my hatred for the dickhead fueled me past my anger at Jace. I’d deal with him later.
“We can negate the claims because the photos are time-stamped, and they are spaced out enough to make it seem like you’re just like any other woman and single mom blowing off some steam on your weekends. Trying to make you seem unfit from this is a stretch, but…” Porter sighed and looked at me with a heavy expression. “Damon’s lawyer is a bastard who has no shame in trying to make it seem like you have a problem. And word around the local courthouse is that this guy isn’t above underhanded tactics, but he never gets caught.”
I wanted to scream. “Should I run again?” I whispered.
“No,” Jace said in a near shout.
Porter eyed him but spoke to me. “Damon doesn’t know that you were given a heads-up. He has no idea that you know what he’s up to. That gives you an edge.”
“I’d rather find him and put a brick in his face.”
Jace chuckled. “Me, too,” he said darkly.
“I know you’re upset, but I promise that I’m going to nip it all in the bud before Damon can even take it to court. Your ex-husband won’t get anywhere near you or Hayden.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you for doing this for us, but I’m curious as to how you knew this was coming.”
He looked at Jace.
Jace nodded. “I’ll handle it.”
I gave him a warning look. Just what precisely did he think he was going to handle? If he thought he was going to handle me, he had another thing coming.
Porter gave me a grim smile. “It was nice meeting you, and I’ll do anything I can to help.”
“Thank you,” I whispered as he walked out.
Jace held up one finger before following his brother. I waited on the edge of my seat, every nerve in my body firing at the same time.
When Jace walked back in, he didn’t sit. He paced the living room in front of me. “There are things…” He glanced my way and ran his fingers through his hair. “Damn it. There are things I’ve kept from you, but I have a specific and valid reason for doing so.”