by T. S. Ryder
Another long pause and Betty cleared her throat. "Yeah, but on the bright side, now you can get child support, right? I mean, there's no reason that a guy as rich as Jace can't pay you a decent sum."
"You did not just say that."
"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood."
If anything, it had made Amanda's already dark mood even darker. She ground her teeth and shook her head, reminding herself that Betty's brain didn't always work the way it ought to. "I have to go, Betty. I'll keep in touch."
"Bye, hun."
"Bye."
***
Amanda quickly phoned her parents, giving them a more detailed explanation about what was happening, and thanked them again for watching Logan. The paparazzi would have a hard time getting out onto the farm unnoticed. They had good neighbors. The school was very protective of its students. Logan would be safe from the cameras there.
Explaining to her boss why she wouldn't come to work was a little more difficult, as was getting Logan into the packlands school two weeks earlier than his normal shift. By the time she was finished with her calls, it was three in the afternoon, and Amanda realized there was a flaw in her plan. She didn't have any food with her, and her stomach was growling.
She sighed, curling up on the bed to try to make her stomach cramps a little better. This was a disaster. Well, maybe she'd just have to order in pizza or room service.
Jace kept circling her mind, no matter how much she tried to banish him from her thoughts. Given the situation, they really should work together. But what was she supposed to do? Keep insisting that she had nothing to do with the media finding out about Logan? Maybe it would be better just to keep a low profile and let him deal with all the legal stuff himself.
There was a knock on the hotel door. Amanda sat up, stiff. Had the paparazzi found her? Another knock and she crept over to the door, peering out the peephole to see who it was.
Jace stood on the other side of the door. Amanda froze. How had he found her? Why was he here? Should she let him in, or pretend she wasn't there?
"Amanda, I can smell you in there," he said. "Please let me in. We have a lot to talk about."
It was true. Amanda sighed and unlocked the door.
Chapter Six
"This brings back memories." Jace gave her a small smile as he settled himself down on the edge of the bed.
It did. The night of Logan's conception came rushing back to Amanda, leaving her breathless. Jace's scent was so thick in the small room that she had a hard time trying not to drool. Seeing him on the bed made her want to crawl onto her hands and knees and offer herself to him. It was strange–maybe even a little wrong–how quickly she responded to his presence. She took a deep breath to bring herself back under control, perched on the chair near the desk.
"Remember that trip to the ocean? We went with Megan and Pietro, and their brothers and sisters. And we decided that we were all going to stay in the same room?"
Oh. He wasn't referring to Logan's conception at all. Amanda tried to suppress her disappointment as she nodded. "I remember. I ended up sleeping in the bathtub."
Jace chuckled, but his face grew serious again. "Mandy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of telling the tabloids about Logan. I should have known that you would never do that."
Amanda shrugged. She had never been able to stay mad at him, and now was no exception. "It's been six years. You don't really know me anymore."
"Yeah. I guess that's true, but I still shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion." He hesitated a moment. "I want to be in Logan's life. As his father."
She should have been thrilled to hear that. After all these years, Logan was finally going to have his dad in his life to do all the dad things that sons wanted. But hearing Jace say those words caused a swell of anxiety rise in her. He was a lawyer. He was insanely wealthy. If he wanted to just take Logan away from her, it wasn't like she could do a lot to stop him. And he certainly owed her nothing.
"I'm sure that Logan would like having his dad around," she managed to choke out, rubbing her hands over her trembling knees.
Jace's anxious expression softened and he shook his head. "I don't want to take him away from you, Mandy."
"I didn't say you did."
"I can see it written all over your face that it's what you thought. You don't have to be afraid. Joint custody. I'm sure we can work something out for the both of us. I'm going to be really busy out on the packlands, but maybe weekends…?"
Amanda licked her lips. Between her work and Logan's school, weekends were the only days that she could spend the whole day with her son. She didn't want to give that up. But she didn’t want to cut Jace from spending time with his son, either. She sighed. "If you are going to work on the packlands, maybe he could live with you when he goes to school out there. He splits his time between schools. I wanted him to be comfortable in both cultures."
"I'm going to be living in town. Driving him to and from school would work… but I want more time with him than that. But, uh, that actually brings me to another point. I'm going to build the two of you a house."
"What?"
"I know you're renting a place right now, but a growing pup like Logan needs a backyard, where he can shift and play. So I’m going to build you a house on the outskirts of town, where you'll both have plenty of room. No arguments."
"But taxes—"
"We'll work out child support payments to cover the extra expenses of a house. I know that you've never really cared for things, but I want to do this for Logan. For you." Jace leaned forward so he clasped her hands in his. "And I'm getting you a new car. I saw that beater you have—"
"It's not a beater. It was the car my grandmother gave me. I'm not getting rid of it." Her eyes narrowed and she yanked her hands from his. He wasn't going to waltz in like this. She wanted to be independent, which was why she wasn't living on her parents' farm. She wasn't just going to let Jace do everything for her.
"Your grandmother's car?" Jace shook his head. "Okay. I know how close you two were. Can I at least get it seriously overhauled and repaired?"
"I suppose…" She could keep it longer that way.
Jace smiled. "Good. I promise that's the last of the major changes I'll make other than a custody agreement for Logan. I can see how well you take care of him; I would never demand full custody."
Amanda smiled back, relaxing. It had been silly to think that Jace would try to take Logan away from her. He wasn't that kind of man. "Did you find who took those photos of us at the park?"
"Not yet. But I will, and soon."
"And did you…" Amanda hesitated.
Jace waited, a familiar, patient smile on his face.
"Did you already know about Logan?"
The smile faded. "I knew that you had a son. When I first heard about you being pregnant, I wondered if it was mine, but you were dating somebody else. I thought that if it was my baby, you would have told me, for sure."
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have—"
Jace shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about that right now, Amanda. Not until this tabloid mess is over."
"Okay." There was something else they needed to talk about, though… "Clarissa is really nice."
"Clarissa?"
"Yeah. I really like her. I'm glad that we could spend the day together."
She made herself continue to smile. What she was saying was the truth, even if it wasn't the full truth–that even if Clarissa was the nicest woman in the world, it only slightly helped to ease the sting that he had found himself another woman. It hurt that she wasn't his mate. But that wasn't something she was going to tell him. No need to look like the pathetic ex-girlfriend who couldn't get over him.
Jace let out a deep breath. "She likes you, too. She said that she thought you were really nice… and that you must have had a good reason for not telling me about Logan."
"I—"
"I know that you will need to explain that to me," Jace interrupted. "But
right now I'd rather deal with the issues at hand. We can talk about that another time. But I'm glad you like Clarissa. It's important to me that you two get along."
Because Clarissa was going to be Amanda's son's stepmother. Amanda tried to ignore the sharp zing of pain in her heart thinking about that. "I'm glad that I like her, too. She'll make an excellent Alpha female for the pack. And I think she's going to be a great stepmom for Logan."
"She will be." Jace nodded, his smile softening. "She's told me that she wants kids, and it'll be great for Logan to have a little sister don't you think? He'd make a great big brother."
Amanda nodded. "He would. He loves babies, and has been hounding me to have another baby since he was three."
Jace threw back his head and laughed.
God, I've missed your laugh.
"Speaking of Clarissa, though, I had better get going." He stood. "She's making calls to find out who took those pictures of us at the amusement park, and I need to get the ball rolling on the lawsuit once we find out who it is."
"Of course." Amanda stuck her hands into her pockets. "I need to find a restaurant or something around here to get something to eat, anyway. Who knew hiding from the paparazzi would be such hungry work?"
Jace's smile faded. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess. Ever since the Banner case, the media have been all over me. Clarissa knew what she was getting herself into, but you—"
"It's not your fault. Can I walk you to your car?" That should be safe, as the paparazzi didn’t know she was staying here.
"Sure." The smile came back. "It's just down on the street."
They didn't speak as they headed down. Amanda couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his head, if he was thinking about using the law to protect Logan from the vicious sharks of tabloid media, or if he was concerned about what sort of custody agreement the two of them would end up making. It helped that they were both going to live in the same town, and both of their parents were nearby. They could all spend time together on holidays. The regular day-to-day agreement, though, would be trickier.
Maybe I should suggest that he builds a house where we can all live together, with a separate suite for me and Logan. That way he can see him regularly, and it wouldn't be as stressful for Logan.
Maybe she would suggest that later. They were on the street by this time. Jace smiled at her as he fished his keys from his pocket. "It was good seeing you."
"And you."
Jace kissed her cheek, making her heart jump, and hugged her. She closed her eyes, letting his embrace linger a little too long before she stepped back. "I'll see you later."
"Take care of yourself."
Amanda nodded in agreement. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared wistfully after him as he drove away.
Chapter Seven
Apparently, she hadn't lost the paparazzi as she had thought. They captured pictures of Jace kissing and hugging her, and these were plastered all over the internet the next day. Now the headlines on the tabloids declared that she was trying to steal him back, or Jace was cheating on Clarissa, or that it all was an attention-seeking sham because clearly, he knew about Logan the whole time.
Amanda wanted to scream when she saw the 'news'. With all that was happening in the world, why did they have to dedicate so much attention to harassing her?
She kept the blinds closed, and didn't even order room service for breakfast. Who knew, there could be some crazed photographer waiting to pretend to be a hotel employee and burst into her room snapping pictures of their supposed 'love nest' or something. So when there was a knock on her door, she tensed.
"Amanda, it's Clarissa."
Clarissa? What was she doing here? Had she seen the pictures and decided to come fight for her man? Amanda growled. If that was the case, she would lose.
"We're going to lunch," Clarissa said firmly when the Wolf opened the door. "I don't want the media to turn this into some sort of catfight. The best way to put these stupid 'Cheater Jace' headlines to rest is by showing the world that we're BFFs."
Amanda was floored. She floundered, trying to come up with something to say in reply. "Oh. But I don't really—"
"My treat." Clarissa stepped into the hotel room. "I'll wait while you get ready."
Amanda hesitated, but asking to be alone didn't really seem like it would work. She couldn't help but smile, relieved that the human was taking it in stride. "Thanks. It's probably good for me to leave the room."
"Jace told me about what you two talked about last night," Clarissa continued as Amanda grabbed a brush and some nice clothing and stepped into the bathroom. "Are you going to be okay with him building you a house? He doesn't always realize that he might be pushing himself into people's lives a little too much."
"No, the house is great. Actually, I didn't tell him, but I was thinking maybe it would work if it was a house for the two of you with a separate suite for Logan and I. Or maybe a guesthouse." Amanda bit her lip. Would Clarissa think she was muscling her way back into Jace's life? "It would make it easier for Jace to see Logan. But it was only an idea. I'm not sure I could live that close to Jace…"
There. Clarissa wouldn't think Amanda was trying to steal him back now, would she?
Amanda stepped out of the bathroom, ready to go. Clarissa was eyeing her now, and a blush rose to her cheeks. She shouldn't have mentioned it. Ducking her head, she grabbed her purse and shoved her key card into it.
"Shall we go?"
"In a minute. Why do you think you couldn't live that close to Jace?"
"No specific reason," Amanda muttered, avoiding her eyes. "Just that, like you said, he can be a little pushy. He's already trying to replace my grandmother's car. I think if we saw each other every day he might end up buying something like a rowboat if I casually mentioned it."
Clarissa hummed. "Jace does like to buy people things. But are you sure it's that, and not that you're still in love with him?"
Amanda's head jerked up. Her eyes widened. "It's over between him and me."
"That's not what I asked." Clarissa's expression wasn't angry or judgmental. In fact, she looked sympathetic. "I'd have to be blind to not see that you still have feelings for him. I'm not an insecure girlfriend, Amanda. I don't feel threatened by you coming back into his life."
"I don't…" She sighed "I don't want to love him. But he was my first boyfriend, and I'm afraid nobody has ever matched him."
"He has big shoes to fill," Clarissa agreed, nodding. "But just so you know, I don't believe the tabloids and the junk they're spewing. People like Jace always have to deal with the press, and if I believed half of the 'possibilities' that they printed, I'd go crazy from the contradictions."
"But I do still love him."
"But you're not trying to steal him back. That's good enough for me. You have a child together, and I’m Jace's girlfriend. The three of us are connected, and I want it to be a good connection. You understand?"
Amanda let out a relieved sigh and nodded. "You are going to make a wonderful Alpha female."
Clarissa shrugged. "Well. We'll see. In the meantime, you and Logan will be moving in with Jace and I."
"Um…" Amanda was sure she had heard it wrong.
"The place we're in right now is gated. That will keep the paparazzi off your tail, so you and Logan can go about your lives as before. It's not fair to have you two separated because of those leeches. Besides, Jace has started the process of filing a lawsuit against the tabloids that published Logan's picture and the photographer that took it. This will all be over soon enough." Clarissa smiled brightly.
"Oh. Okay, I suppose that will work… Jace deserves to spend time with his son, anyway. But maybe it would be better if I—"
"You're going to stay with us, too, and that's final," Clarissa said, putting her hands on her hips. "Now, where do you want to go for lunch?"
***
The conversation turned to Clarissa's work as they headed out together, and by the time they got to the
café where they would have lunch, Amanda learned that she wanted to continue her studies and research belugas in their natural habitat. How would that fit with being an Alpha's mate?
Amanda didn't ask. It was none of her business.
There were some photographers that were openly taking pictures of the two of them, but for the most part, lunch was quiet. They had a nice, isolated corner booth, and there was nobody around that could eavesdrop on them.
"So, I asked Jace this and he wouldn't answer. I hope you'll give me some insight." Clarissa daintily wiped a crumb from her lips. "Why didn't it work out between the two of you? I know you broke up right before he went to Harvard, but he never told me the full story."
"Oh."
Clarissa watched her closely. Amanda hoped that she would take back the question, but it seemed that the human wasn't going to. The Wolf almost wanted to tell her it was none of her business and to butt out, but what good would that go? She let out a pent-up sigh and shrugged.
"We were just graduating from high school. Jace needed to concentrate on his future. There wasn't room for me. I don't blame him or anything, it's just a fact. He could go to Harvard, and he needed his space and time to concentrate on his schoolwork without worrying about me. It was for the best."
"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."
Tears pricked Amanda's eyes. This wasn't something she should be talking about with her ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend, was it? "I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about this anymore. The past is the past. It was for the best that we weren't together. He would have had to give up all his dreams and he wouldn’t be where he is now if I had been in his life."
"I'm sorry. I was being pushy."
"It's fine. I just want this to settle, and reliving the past won't help that." Amanda pushed her plate away. "It won't help anything."
Chapter Eight
