“Go ahead,” Jared urged Travis. “She can hear anything you have to say.”
Travis didn’t look so sure about that, but he finally spit it out. “After I left your place, I drove through town and found her at Moonshiners. We had another brief conversation. I was straightforward, asked her what it would take to get her to move on. To be honest, I was trying to be diplomatic. I don’t need her input. However, she kindly stated that twenty-five thousand would no longer be enough.” Travis shook his head, as though he couldn’t believe it. “She’s a whack job. She informed me that fifty thousand would make her reconsider, and she’d be on her way.” Travis glanced at Hope briefly, then back to Jared. “She mentioned Hope, said that the additional twenty-five grand she’s asking for is to help compensate for her mental stress.”
“For the love of God!” Jared thought for a second his head might explode. Sable had completely gone insane. First it was twenty-five thousand. Now fifty thousand. And to think, the woman was only bluffing. She didn’t even know if a court would grant her custody.
Then again, Jared didn’t know if they would, either.
“It’s bullshit, I know,” Travis said heatedly. “But she’s a fucking looney toon, man. What’d you expect?”
Jared swallowed hard, doing his best to focus on Hope’s hand, which was pressed against his stomach, her other arm around his back. It was as though she was trying to calm him down simply by letting him know she was there. It was working. Having her next to him… It helped. Jared took a deep breath, tried to think.
“I have good news, though,” Travis admitted.
Jared met his cousin’s eyes. “Well, you could’ve fuckin’ said so before now.” He felt his face flame from the anger roiling through him.
Travis took a step closer, his eyes locked with Jared’s. “We’re gonna get through this. Sable’s just graspin’ at straws now. If she had a serious case, she would’ve done something by now.”
Jared glared at Travis. “That’s not good news.”
“No, but you have to remember, Derrick is your son.”
Jared frowned, the words not making a damn bit of sense. “Of course he is,” Jared agreed. “I have full custody. He has my name. She can’t take him away.”
“You’re right,” Travis clarified. “He has the Walker name.” Travis poked him in the shoulder. “Because he is a Walker. Not merely by name or simply by love. He is a Walker, Jared. You are his biological father.”
“What?” Now his head was spinning. Jared stared at Travis, reading the man’s expression, allowing the words to repeat in his head. You are his biological father. Yes, that was what Travis had said, but it... He was confused. “What are you saying?”
“That Derrick is biologically yours, Jared,” Travis repeated. “I have the legitimate DNA test to prove it.” Once again, Travis pulled another sheet of paper from his pocket.
When Jared went to reach for it, he saw his hands were shaking. He unfolded it and glanced at the top. Through blurry eyes, he saw 99.9% and he felt light-headed.
Hope was staring up at him, and Jared could’ve sworn there were tears in her eyes. It was hard to tell because his vision was blurred by his own tears. No way was he going to cry. No fucking way.
Oh, hell.
And then it happened.
Jared couldn’t hold it in; he broke down, sobbing like a fucking baby.
Hope wrapped her arms around him, her hand in his hair as she held his head close to her neck.
He felt Travis’s hand on his back for a moment, and when it fell away, Jared pulled himself together.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he had to ask the question anyway. “What did you have to do to make that happen?” No, he still didn’t believe it.
Travis barked a laugh. “I’m good, man, but not that good. I can’t simply restructure someone’s DNA.”
Jared let that process for a minute, watching as Travis’s grin widened.
“I got nosy,” Travis admitted, his lips curled into that mischievous smile he was known for.
“Ain’t that the damn truth.”
“Remember the DNA samples we all gave my mother? For her genealogy crap?”
Jared nodded. He had thought it strange at the time, but he also knew that it was something Lorrie would do. After all, she did have the family spreadsheet that even had the names of people’s pets, past and present.
“I had a DNA test run on you and Derrick. You told me that Sable provided you with test results stating you weren’t his father. You never said you had them run yourself. She’s a liar, Jared. We all know that.”
True. Why had he believed her? Jared wasn’t sure. It had to have been something she said at the time. Or maybe he simply didn’t give a shit because as far as he was concerned, Derrick was his son regardless. The moment Sable offered to give him back, Jared hadn’t looked back.
“Now, I know you don’t want me involved,” Travis said. “And God knows, Gage doesn’t want me involved, but I’m not gonna let this go. She’s tryin’ to fuck with your head. We need to put this to rest. If you try to pay her off—”
“I won’t,” he snapped.
“I know. But if you do, she’s never gonna stop. She knows your weakness now. We need to use this against her.”
Jared hated that Sable could do this to her own son. He wanted Derrick to have a mother, one who loved him unconditionally and didn’t use him for her own personal gain. Clearly, no matter what he hoped, Sable couldn’t be that woman.
“I’m gonna take care of this,” Travis told him. “But from this point on, I’m leaving you and Derrick out of it. I need to talk to Reese. His brother works for Sniper 1 Security.”
Jared nodded. “I know Z.”
“Let’s just say that I have a little bit of information that’s gonna change Sable’s world. With Reese’s help, we’ll let her know what that is. She can choose to do what she wishes at that point. But I seriously can’t see her bothering you anymore.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Jared studied Travis’s face. “What? Did she piss off her last sugar daddy or somethin’?”
Travis’s eyes glittered. “Or somethin’. But seriously, Jared. I want you out of this. The less you know, the better.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Jared was quite capable of protecting his own.
“I want to. You’re family. Derrick’s family. This shit stops now.”
Jared knew he couldn’t argue with Travis. Truth was, he didn’t want to. He needed to protect Derrick from this, to shield him as best he could. Travis had a way of getting things taken care of without the whole town knowing what happened. The last thing Jared wanted was for Derrick to find out one day that his mother had tried to use him to blackmail his own father.
“Okay. Do what you gotta do. Let me know if I need to do anything.”
Travis smiled then, his eyes darting to Hope, then back to Jared. He offered a curt nod, then disappeared.
Jared wasn’t feeling steady enough to walk yet, so he simply pulled Hope closer, hugging her to him as he breathed deep. “I always knew he was mine, Hope. I always knew.”
“That boy is one lucky kid,” she said, her words muffled. “He’s got your unconditional love. I don’t think he needs much more than that.”
He needs you, he wanted to say. I need you, too.
HOPE HADN’T BEEN sure what she had walked in on when she’d come to find Jared a little earlier. Finding him having a heart-to-heart with his cousin had been somewhat of a surprise. More so when Jared wanted to include her in the conversation.
Well, not that she contributed much, but having been there… Watching Jared break down when Travis told him that Derrick was his biological child… It’d taken a tremendous amount of effort not to break down in tears herself. Jared was such a strong, resilient man. To see him teary-eyed
over that little boy… Yeah, she might’ve inched more toward the love side with that one.
Which, now that she thought about it, meant she was definitely standing beneath the in love umbrella more fully than the in lust one. Like, with both feet.
“You done for the day?” Jared asked, pressing his lips to hers before standing up straight.
With her hands flat on his chest, she stared up at him. “I am. I’m yours for the rest of the night.”
“Mmm. I definitely like the sound of that.” Jared’s wicked grin caused heat to coil low in her belly. “I was thinkin’ we could have dinner. Me, you, and Derrick.”
This time Hope smiled. “I’d like that. A lot.” And that was the truth. For the last few days, she’d thought about the time she’d spent with Derrick. Sure, she’d been anxious before, during, and even after, but she’d also been excited.
She wanted to believe that something was different this time around. That she’d fallen in love with Jared before she’d fallen in love with his son. More likely, it meant she hadn’t convinced herself that she loved Jared because she enjoyed spending time with his kid. Which, she had to admit, was probably what had happened with her previous relationships. What she felt for Jared… Hope had never felt this before. This intensity that made her want to spend every waking moment with the man.
“What’re we waitin’ for, then?” Jared held out his hand to her.
Hope took it, linking her fingers with his as they headed back to the main house. When they walked around the corner, the sight of all those little kids playing on the playscape, along with all the adults sitting around, laughing, joking, and smiling made Hope feel welcome. This was the sort of family she’d grown up with. Although hers was considerably smaller, she remembered all the times when she was younger, her mother and father outside with her and her sisters running around. It was the type of family she wanted for her own one day.
“Dad! Dad! Come watch me!” Derrick hollered.
Jared tugged her hand, leading her toward the swings. Derrick was being pushed by a pretty redhead. Hope searched her brain, trying to remember the woman’s name. Kennedy. Yes, that was it. Kennedy, who was married to Sawyer, another of Jared’s cousins.
“Hope! Push me!” Derrick called out, his eyes sliding from her face to his dad’s. The little boy looked sheepish but then tacked on, “Pwease.”
Without hesitation, Hope wandered over beside Kennedy, who moved over to push Mason while Hope stepped behind Derrick.
“He likes you,” Kennedy said, smiling.
“I like him, too.”
Kennedy stepped closer. For a second, Hope thought the woman was going to make some disparaging threat. Something along the lines of, “You hurt them, this family will come down on you,” blah, blah, blah. It wouldn’t bother her if she did. She’d been expecting it.
“They both like you,” Kennedy noted in a conspiratorial whisper, smiling widely.
Hope grinned, glancing over at Jared.
As she stood there, surrounded by all of those people, laughing, talking, and genuinely enjoying one another’s company, Hope knew that this was where she was supposed to be. She’d kept herself closed off, secretly craving this all along. Convincing herself that the ranch was all she needed had never worked. And it wasn’t the ranch that she loved so much. It was her family being there. The long days of hard work definitely appealed to her, but she knew it wouldn’t be the same without family.
She held Jared’s gaze for the longest time, unable to stop herself from smiling.
And when he mouthed three little words, she thought her heart was going to leap right out of her chest.
I love you.
She felt tears in her sinuses. It was hard to swallow as she tried to keep the smile on her face. She knew her eyes were watering, knew he saw everything she was feeling.
Had he really said it? Did he really love her?
Or … wait. Maybe he’d said something entirely different. Like, I vacuum. Or maybe, olive juice. Or elephant shoes. Alligator food.
Hope jumped, startled when Jared came to stand behind her. He planted his hands on her hips while she continued to push Derrick in the swing.
His mouth came to her ear, and very, very softly, he whispered, “I love you, Hope.”
And she knew, without a doubt, that this time was definitely different.
Better.
Amazing.
Incredible.
She turned to face him, grinning. “I love you, too.”
And right there, in front of all of his family, Jared leaned down and kissed her. It was embarrassing enough to know people were looking at them. So when they clapped, she thought for sure she was going to stroke out, her face flaming.
Thankfully, someone chose that moment to ring the dinner bell.
“Food!” Derrick squealed. “Wet’s eat! Dad! Hope! Get me outta this thing!”
And the moment was over, or maybe it was just getting started, Hope didn’t know. She pulled back from Jared, helped Derrick get out of his seat, and allowed the little boy to take her hand and tug her toward the porch while Jared walked behind them.
For the first time in her life, Hope felt free. The weight she’d been carrying around on her chest was gone. This was where she was meant to be.
Right here with this man and this little boy at Dead Heat Ranch, with her own family, as well as the Walker family, surrounding her.
Chapter Thirty-Five
JARED SPENT MOST of the evening in a fog. For one, he’d received the greatest news he could’ve possibly received. Derrick was his son. Biologically, of course. Because everyone knew that Derrick had been his son from the very second he’d breathed outside of his mother’s womb. Blood or not, Jared had never questioned that Derrick was his son.
Only now, it was all the sweeter because Sable could no longer threaten to take the boy away from a man who wasn’t his father. He wished he could be there to see Sable’s face when Travis told her the news. Then again, he didn’t want to see her ever again.
And on top of that mega-incredible news, Hope had told him she loved him.
Sure, it had been a risk mouthing it to her from across the small play area outside, but he hadn’t been able to resist. Watching her as she pushed Derrick in his swing … he’d had the urge to run over to her, drop to his knee, and beg her to marry him, to spend her life with him and Derrick.
“Hey, man.”
Jared looked up to see Grace’s husband Lane standing in front of him. “Hey.”
“I wanted to thank you. For, you know, helpin’ out while I was gone.”
Jared knew that Lane was referring to the morning Jared had helped Hope with one of the calves. The little thing had wandered away from its momma and ended up getting caught up in some barbed wire. It was scraped up pretty good, but they’d gotten it out, and Hope had ensured it’d been cleaned up.
Jared shook his head and smiled. “Not a problem. I’ve got some experience.”
Lane grinned. “Yeah, well. It sure beat comin’ back from my honeymoon and listenin’ to everyone bitch that I shouldn’t be takin’ time off.”
“I’m just happy I was here to help out.”
Lane held out his hand, leaning in closer. “If you decide to, you know, become a permanent fixture around here, just make sure I’m your second-in-command.”
Jared frowned. “That won’t happen, man. I’ve heard you’re really damn good at what you do. Plus, I’m not lookin’ to be in charge. I already have that headache. I’d rather let you boss me around.”
Lane laughed, then clapped Jared on the back. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you didn’t deny becomin’ a permanent fixture.”
As Lane wandered off, Jared grinned to himself.
“You good, son?”
Jared turned to look at his father, a man he admired m
ore than anyone on the planet. A father he’d always looked up to, always wanted to be like—still wanted to be like.
“Never better, Dad.”
Gerald smiled, his gaze following Jared’s as they watched Hope sitting with Derrick, Kate, Mason, and Joey—the ranch’s chef’s six-year-old son. She looked so happy as she sat there, talking to all the kids. Reid, Zane and V’s son, along with Kellan, Kaleb and Zoey’s second boy—both one year old and ready to be independent—were sitting in high chairs nearby, grinning and slobbering as only little ones did. Hope’s sister Trinity was also with them. She was telling them a story about some magical, colorful horse. Jared hadn’t paid much attention, choosing instead to simply admire Hope.
“It’s serious, huh?” his father asked, clapping him on the back with one hand.
Jared nodded. “Definitely serious.”
“Any chance we’ll get the chance to really meet her?”
Jared grinned. “Of course. Just…” He glanced over at his father. “I’ve gotta take it slow, you know? I don’t want to run this one off.”
His father smiled, studying Jared’s face. “Son, I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Even if you didn’t think anyone noticed… Trust me, we did. Okay, your mother noticed,” Gerald admitted with a chuckle. “But she pointed it out, and I definitely can see it, too. But don’t take it too slow.”
Turning his attention back to Hope, Jared was grinning when she looked up at him, their eyes meeting. She smiled warmly.
No, he didn’t want to take it too slow. He wasn’t sure where this would go, what direction they were headed, but he knew he couldn’t stay away from her. He’d learned that over the last month and a half. Staying away from Hope Lambert was damn near impossible. But he didn’t want to scare her.
“Mind if Derrick spends the night with us again?” Gerald offered.
Jared (Coyote Ridge) (Volume 2) Page 27
