Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“You should have—” He stops talking, and what can only be described as pure shock comes over his face. I don’t know what’s going on with him. Maybe he didn’t expect me to call him on his shit. I don’t know. Maybe the old Katie wouldn’t have, but I’m not going to let him by with it now. “What do you mean I had years?” he barks.
“Just what I said. Jeff and I were fighting all the time—”
“I don’t want to hear about your relationship with my brother, Katie.”
“The fights were always about you, Jake. I broke up with him because I just couldn’t be what he wanted. I decided to go to you and tell you the truth, and Jeff asked me to let him. It felt wrong, but things with him were already strained. He was pissed because he didn’t want me telling you about Lennon. He said you already made your stance on kids loud and clear. He was right, I suppose. I couldn’t go on the way I was, though. I couldn’t move forward until you knew. So, Jeff grudgingly agreed to go to you. I shouldn’t have let him, but I didn’t really want to see you. I was still hurt.”
“Hold up here. Are you telling me you thought I’ve known about Lennon for the last four years?”
“Just stop. We both know you have.”
“Fucking hell,” he barks, and then without another word, he turns around and stomps to the door.
“Jake?”
He doesn’t respond. He doesn’t even stop. He goes to the door and leaves by slamming it so hard that I have to check and make sure it’s still on its hinges.
What the hell just happened?
CHAPTER 20
Jake
Two Days Later
“We need to talk.”
I’m mucking out a horse stall and at the sound of Katie’s voice I instantly stop while my body goes rigid. The anger inside of me that has been simmering for the last two days does its best to rage into a boil. My hand shakes with the need to lash out.
“Now’s not the time Katie,” I respond, the words harsh and cold, but there’s just no way I can soften them.
I’m mad. I don’t know if I have a right, but that anger is directed at her. The majority of it belongs to my brother, but there’s plenty enough to spread around. It doesn’t help that my fucking brother is ignoring my calls and voice mails. Of course, in his place, I probably would to, especially if I was a sniveling coward.
I get back to work, not bothering to turn my back to look at Katie. I can still feel her though. She hasn’t moved, not even after I clearly dismissed her.
“Jesus. I knew this was going to be a mistake. Is this how you get your rocks off, Jake? Do you enjoy ripping my world apart? Is there something in you that decided that was how you’d spend your life getting shits and giggles?”
I shovel harder, letting out a cold bitter laugh, which is short and barely more than a breath, but even I can feel the increased anger rolling off her. She has no idea the amount of anger I’m carrying. If she did, she would run from me.
“Fine. You want to be an asshole your whole life, Jake Ryan, that’s your prerogative. Have at it.”
“Glad I have your permission,” I snort.
“Lennon has been asking where you are. If you can get your head out of your ass long enough to give him the time of day today, that’d be swell.”
“Katie—”
“But if all you’re going to do is disappear on him, then stay the hell away. The last thing Lennon needs is for you to get his hopes up and then disappear.”
“I’m not going to fucking disappear on my son!” I growl, throwing my shovel down and turning around to face her.
“You don’t have a son. I was insane to believe you had changed. You haven’t changed. If you truly wanted to be there for Lennon, you would have stepped up to the plate four years ago!” She spins around. I should let her go—I really should. Instead, I reach out and grab her wrist and force her to turn and look at me.
“Lennon is my son. He doesn’t belong to my brother, he’s mine, Katie.”
“Jake—”
“He belongs to me, no matter how much you wish things were different and I’m not giving him up.”
“Then start showing up. You haven’t called him. You haven’t come over to check on him and he’s hurting. That’s not fair. He’s just a little kid, Jake. You’re supposed to be the adult here. It would have been better if you continued to leave him alone than to hurt him now.”
“Will you quit saying that? I didn’t walk away from Lennon four years ago and I’m not about to now.”