The Soldier's Secret Son

by Helen Lacey

  Jake shrugged. “I’ll come by in the morning and grab them. You might need the truck tonight.”

  His brother’s expression was instantly curious. “What’s gotten into you? You’re so friendly and accommodating these days.”

  He quickly read between the lines of Joss’s comment. “You have something to say?”

  “How was your date last night?”

  He nodded. “Fine. Although I’m not sure it was a date.”

  “And today?” Joss probed.

  “She needed a Christmas tree,” he explained and waved a hand vaguely. “That’s all.”

  Joss raised a disbelieving brow. “You’re so full of crap. You’ve been spending a lot of time with Abby lately. And her kid.”

  Jake shrugged loosely. “I’m sure you have a point to make?”

  Joss shook his head. “No point. Just...be careful. You bringing her to the wedding?”

  “I hadn’t planned on it.”

  Joss chuckled. “So, you wouldn’t mind if I ask her out?” his brother queried. “I mean, she’s pretty as hell, a single mom, I’m a single dad...it has all the makings of a perfect match.”

  Jake’s gut clenched and he scowled, propping his hands on his hips. “Seriously? You want to date Abby?”

  “No,” Joss replied and grinned broadly. “I only wanted to see if you’d look like you wanted to punch me in the teeth at the idea.”

  Jake shook his head and made an impatient sound. “You’re such a horse’s ass. And my least favorite brother.”

  Joss laughed. “Ah, where’s your sense of humor? You should ask Abby to the wedding.”

  He wasn’t about to admit he’d fleetingly thought about it. “We’ll see.”

  “It’s not like you’re leaving straight away, right?” Joss suggested. “Mitch said you were staying on until after the new year?”

  He nodded. “Most likely.”

  “You know, you’re welcome to stay here,” his brother said and grinned again. “There’s plenty of room, and the girls seem to like having their usually absent uncle around. Might give you a chance to get to know them better. Unless there’s a particular reason you prefer the hotel?”

  “No reason,” Jake replied. “Simply convenient.”

  Which of course wasn’t entirely true. Joss’s home was equally as convenient. Only, being at the hotel meant he had the opportunity to see Abby when she was working. Plus, he had the business proposal for O’Sullivan under consideration. It made sense to stay in town.

  He hung out with his brother for a while, avoiding the subject of Abby and her son whenever Joss mentioned them. He was back at the hotel by four, ordered room service, spoke to his business partner at length around five o’clock, watched a little television and had an early night. Sleep would have been great, but he spent most of the time staring at the ceiling or the digital clock on the bedside table.

  It was after ten when he showed up at Abby’s the following morning, after detouring to Joss’s to collect the Ranger and snowboarding gear. T.J., as expected, was waiting for him on the porch, outfitted in his snow gear and clearly excited by the prospect of their snowboarding expedition.

  “He’s hardly slept,” Abby said as she greeted him by the door, looking beautiful in jeans, knee-high boots, a sweater and a bright pink jacket with faux fur around the hood and cuffs.

  “You look pretty,” he said and stared at her.

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “I was wondering,” he said and held out a vague hand. “If you’d like to come with me to Mitch and Tess’s wedding on Saturday? It’s only a small gathering at the ranch, just family and a few friends. Not too formal.”

  She took a step backward. “Ah...like your date?”

  “As my date,” he said and nodded.

  “Can I come, too?”

  T.J.’s query made him smile. “Of course,” he replied and grinned in the child’s direction. “My nieces and Jasper will be there, too. But first, see if you can get your mommy to say yes.”

  “Say yes, Mommy!” T.J. insisted and whooped around the porch. “Please.”

  Jake waited for her response, experiencing an unusual case of nerves, almost as though he was sixteen again and asking her out for the first time.

  “Unless you don’t like weddings?” he teased.

  “I like weddings. Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll go.”

  “We’ll go,” T.J. corrected cheerfully. “And now can we go snowboarding?”

  “We sure can, buddy,” he replied, ignoring the twitch behind his ribs that felt a whole lot like a foolish kind of happiness. He didn’t overthink it, didn’t try to reason himself out of it. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  “That’s a nice dress.”

  Abby smoothed the blue fabric over her hips and smiled. “Thanks, Gran.”

  “So, have you decided when you’re going to tell Jake about T.J.?”

  “Gran, shush,” she said and frowned, darting a glance toward the doorway. “T.J. might hear you.”

  “He’s too busy checking his bag for his sleepover at the ranch on Saturday,” Patience said, her silvery brows regarding her questioningly. “Which I’m stunned to discover you agreed to.”

  Abby expelled a heavy breath. “All the kids are staying over after the wedding.”

  “All?”

  “Joss’s girls and David’s two kids,” she explained. “Annie and Ellie are going to be watching them. He’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” her grandmother replied. “I’m just surprised you agreed.”

  She briefly explained how the invitation had come about when she bumped into Ellie and Jake at the hotel the day before. Jake had mentioned it, and then Ellie quickly offered for T.J. to stay over once the bride and groom left for the evening. When she ran the idea by her son, he was over the moon at the prospect. She’d stay, of course, to ensure he was settled. And then decide if he was capable of spending a whole night with someone other than herself or her grandmother.

  “I think it will be good for him. And you’re always telling me I need to stop being so overprotective,” she reminded Patience.

  “I also say you should tell Jake the truth, but that doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

  Abby sighed. “I’m going to tell him soon.”

  “At the wedding?” her grandmother asked incredulously.

  “No,” she replied. “After. I think that’s best. Once I see how Jake behaves with his family and how T.J. interacts with them.”

  “Be careful, Abby,” her grandmother warned. “Once you set yourself up as judge and jury, there’s no going back.”

  Abby heard her grandmother’s words but knew she had to do what felt right for her son. The truth was, she had put Jake to the fatherhood test for the past two weeks. And he had passed with flying colors. The snowboarding lesson was a huge success, which was followed by lunch at JoJo’s Pizza Parlor. Later that afternoon, once they were back home, she watched while Jake listened attentively as T.J. read a story from his favorite book, and then they played a video game for a while. Jake was amazingly patient and considerate toward her son, and with each interaction, she felt less concerned and more convinced that he would step up and be the father that T.J. so desperately longed for. Her son, of course, had quickly developed a serious case of hero worship for Jake, and she could only imagine how happy he would be when he learned that he was his father.

  Her own relationship with Jake was what concerned her. Because sex was raging between them like a red flag to a bull. Oh, he hadn’t touched her. Hadn’t kissed her since the time in the stables at the McCall ranch. Hadn’t done anything to suggest he wanted to do any of those things. But she knew. The attraction and awareness between them was undeniable. It was in the looks they shared. The heat that seemed to flare up whenever they
occupied the same space. Since she’d been working the lunch shift that week, he’d dropped by to see her every day. The first time it had been under the guise of the contract he’d successfully obtained to install the new security system at the hotel. The second time he didn’t give any reason at all. And the third time she was waiting for him with coffee and cake once her shift had ended.

  “I have to get to work,” Abby said when she returned to the kitchen after slipping off the dress and hanging it in the closet. “I’ll see you late this afternoon.”

  Patience nodded. “I’ll pick T.J. up from school. You know,” her grandmother said as she stirred the tea she’d just made, “all T.J. talks about these days is Jake. If you’re not careful he’ll work it out for himself...you know that’s true.”

  “He still believes Tom is his father,” she said quietly.

  “For now. But the more time Jake spends with him, the more questions he’ll have. He told me you said he’d have a real father one day,” Patience said and sighed. “You can’t let him believe in a half-truth, Abby.

  “I know, Gran.”

  “It’s time.”

  “I know,” she admitted, stronger this time. “And I will tell Jake. And T.J. I know T.J. wants a father and I think Jake will step up.”

  “And what about you and Jake?”

  She shrugged. “Time will tell, I suppose.”

  “Do you think there’s a chance you’ll reconcile?”

  Abby sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’ll see what happens after Saturday.”

  Because Saturday night they had a date.

  And after the wedding she was going to tell him he had a son.

  She drove herself to the ranch Saturday afternoon, with an animated T.J. in the back seat, talking about how he couldn’t wait to see the horses and cows and to hang out with the other children. The conversation made her realize how much her son longed for more company his own age. He had several friends at school, but other than soccer, he didn’t do any other activity that would bring him into contact with other children. Because he was so academically advanced for his age, Abby always ensured he had books and his computer and art supplies, but he rarely had the chance to play games with other kids. She’d neglected that part of his education and planned on rectifying the oversight.

  Jake greeted them when they pulled up in the driveway and immediately complimented her on her gown. But she was so dumbstruck by how gorgeous he looked in his gray suit, white shirt, bolo tie and Stetson that she could barely articulate a reply.

  “Thank you for coming today,” he said softly.

  “Thank you for inviting me. I like weddings,” she said with a sigh. “I always enjoy the event planning at the hotel, particularly the birthdays and weddings.”

  He smiled, and her heart flipped over. “Maybe you’ll have another one someday.”

  “Maybe.”

  The wedding, as expected, was a lovely affair. Tess and Mitch looked so happy and so in love, she couldn’t help feeling a little envious. Okay, a lot envious. With about twenty-five people in attendance, the ceremony was intimate and heartfelt, and she swallowed back the heat in her throat when the groom spoke vows about loving and protecting his bride and the child they were soon going to bring into the world. And it made her long for that same kind of love and connection. Afterward, there were toasts and food and soft music playing in the background. The kids were rounded up and kept entertained in the family room while the adults remained in the huge front living room. And if any of the Culhanes were surprised that she was attending, none made comment. Except for Annie, and since she wasn’t a Culhane but a friend, Abby took her questions with a patient smile.

  “Are you guys dating again?”

  “Not exactly,” she said and shrugged lightly. “It’s complicated.”

  “Love usually is,” Annie remarked.

  Abby didn’t bother with denials. Instead, she looked across the room and spotted Jake talking with his sister and David. T.J. wasn’t too far away, hanging out with David’s son and clearly delighted to be a part of things. And again it struck Abby how much T.J. looked like Jake and she couldn’t believe that no one had ever questioned her about her son’s paternity. The room was filled with Jake’s family and, by extension, T.J.’s family. Surely one of them could see the truth she’d been hiding?

  “What’s going on with you, Abby?”

  She looked back at her friend and saw Annie’s concerned expression. She briefly touched the other woman’s arm and spoke. “Ask me again the next time we catch up.”

  “You’re being very mysterious.”

  She shook her head. “Just planning on making things right. Shall we get some cake?”

  “Maybe later,” Annie replied. “I need to check on the kids. Talk soon.”

  As her friend disappeared through the crowd Abby headed for the buffet table and perused the selection of cakes and desserts.

  “Having fun?”

  Jake had sidled up beside her and passed her a flute of champagne. “Yes. You?”

  “Of course.”

  She clinked his glass. “You gave a good speech.”

  He shrugged loosely and gave her a lopsided grin. “Best man, you know.”

  “I’ve never thought anything different,” she said softly. “You look nice in that outfit. Very urban cowboyish.”

  He placed a hand at the small of her back and leaned close. “You’re so beautiful.”

  The scent of his cologne assailed her senses. “They look happy,” she said, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered, and gestured to the bride and groom, who were standing together by the fireplace, clearly oblivious to the fuss going on around them.

  “Jealous?”

  She met his gaze. “A little. This is exactly how I imagined a wedding should be...family and friends and an abundance of love.”

  “Like yours and Tom’s?”

  He was so close she could see the brilliance of his eyes clearly, and she shook her head. “I threw up twenty minutes before the ceremony. Nerves, I guess. But I don’t think I have ever looked or been that happy,” she said about the bride and groom and then exhaled. “Except, of course, when T.J. was born. He was a precious gift.”

  “If you’re worried about him staying here tonight,” he said, his gaze narrowing, “I’m sure you could—”

  “I’m not,” she assured him. “I know Ellie and Annie will look after him. And Joss offered to drop him at home when he picks the girls up.”

  “I didn’t realize you and my brother were so well acquainted.”

  Abby smiled to herself, thinking he actually sounded jealous. “We see each other at school pickup sometimes. Actually, I bumped into him the other day, which was when he offered to bring T.J. home from the sleepover.”

  “Did he make a pass?” he asked, looking serious.

  So he was jealous. “Not at all.”

  “Good,” he replied and rested his hand possessively on her hip. “Because he’s on his way over, and otherwise I might have to wrestle him to save your honor.”

  She chuckled. “My honor is intact,” she assured him. “He’s nowhere near as charming as he likes to make out.”

  Jake laughed. “That’s so true. But it was nice of him to offer to drive T.J. home.”

  She nodded. “It’s all part of my learning to let go and to stop being an overprotective mother. This is phase one. Phase two will be summer camp. By the time I get to phase one hundred, I’ll be ready for him to go to college,” she said and smiled. “Have I convinced you I’m okay with this?”

  He bent his head and spoke close to her ear. “Almost.”

  “Hey, kids,” Joss said cheerfully when he reached them. “Is all this marital bliss giving anyone any ideas?”

  “Idiot,” Jake muttered. “Haven’t you got anywhere else to be?”


  Joss laughed. “Nope,” he said and came around to Abby’s other side. “I just stopped by to assure you that I will get T.J. home tomorrow safe and sound. I’ll take care of him as though he’s one of my own,” he said, and his voice suddenly dropped several octaves so that only she could hear. “Or at least,” he said and winked at her, “like he’s a very close relative.”

  Abby almost spluttered the champagne across the room.

  He knows!

  How could he know? And then she remembered all the times she’d seen him at school pickup and how often he’d nod in her direction. He’d clearly seen the resemblence between her son and his brother and he must have worked it out. He obviously hadn’t said anything to Jake, and she couldn’t imagine why. She tried desperately to avoid Joss’s gaze, wanting to clamp her hands over her ears as he made small talk for a couple of minutes. She was relieved when he moved off to speak with his sister.

  “Are you okay?” Jake asked. “You look pale.”

  “I’m fine,” she lied. “I think I simply need some fresh air.”

  Jake nodded and grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

  Moments later, they were walking down the hall. He stopped by the front door to grab her shawl and slipped it over her shoulders as they headed out on the porch, suddenly very much alone. The sounds of music, clinking dinnerware and laughter were muted once Jake shut the front door. He still hadn’t relinquished her hand, and Abby was about to pull away when he drew her closer. She didn’t resist, didn’t do anything other than feel his strong body pressed to hers. He was aroused, but she didn’t feel threatened. She looked up, both startled and overwhelmed by the desire she saw in his expression.

  There it is...

  Sex. Attraction. Chemistry. The things that had always bound her to Jake. And still did.

  “Jake...”

  “I wish I could control this feeling I have for you, Abby,” he admitted, his voice raw. “But I can’t.”

  “Me, either,” she said on whisper.

  Abby moved, arching against him, inviting the kiss she knew was inevitable. And wasn’t disappointed. His mouth was on hers within seconds. His strong hands were at her waist. And his kiss was hot and erotic and blew her mind. Abby thrust her hands in his hair, shuddering, feeling him hard against her and wanting exactly what he was giving her. Somewhere, in a place that was about good sense and control, a tiny voice warned her not to get carried away. But she didn’t listen. Didn’t do anything other than feel him. He wanted her. She wanted him, and since she wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring, Abby knew exactly what she wanted.