Cherishing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 3)

by Kris Jayne

“Impossible.”

  With that, Sheila focused on her bowl, caught the eye of a friend, and examined the table cloth—anything but acknowledge that Shannon still sat across from her.

  Message received. Baby or no, she and Jonah’s mother were mutually exclusive.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  “What have you done?”

  Tom boomed from the doorway. Jonah popped his head up from his computer and removed his headphones. Nanette hovered behind his father, mouthing, “I’m sorry.”

  When he needed to focus, he closed his door, threw on some music, and sank into his work. Nanette would tell anyone who stopped by that Jonah was absolutely not to be disturbed.

  In the two hours since lunch, he accomplished nearly all he needed for the day, and he’d hoped to get out of the office early and do some Christmas shopping.

  His cell phone flashed at him, indicating several messages—most of them from Shannon—and filling him with dread.

  “What?”

  Tom slammed the door behind him—right in the secretary’s face.

  “Whatever your problem with me, you have no right to treat Nanette like that. Apologize when you leave, please.”

  “I don’t care about Nanette,” Tom fumed, his face deepening from red to almost purple. “You got her pregnant?”

  Jonah’s shoulders relaxed. He didn’t know how his father found out about Shannon’s pregnancy, but Jonah would have told him eventually. His father’s bluster would blow over—maybe.

  “You’re going to be a grandfather. I’d hoped to tell you myself, but…” Jonah shrugged. “How did you find out by the way?”

  “Your mother had lunch with her today, and Shannon took great delight in telling her.”

  Jonah doubted that. He needed to get the story from Shannon. His father paced with his hands on his hips.

  “Calm down, Dad. It’s not an ideal situation, but I’m not a teenager. I’m forty-two. I’m perfectly capable of handling the situation.”

  “Apparently not. At forty-two, I would expect you to have mastered the concept of birth control. Hell, you’ve reached this age without impregnating anyone—as far as I know.”

  “I haven’t, and now I have. I’m excited about it.”

  “Then you’re a fool.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re letting this woman get her hooks in you. Deep hooks. A child obligates you. You have no idea. If you don’t play your cards right, you’ll be paying and paying and paying. It’s worse than alimony.”

  His father fell into the chair across from Jonah, his faced creased with genuine worry.

  “You have to calm down. Shannon and I aren’t adversaries, and I have no problem being obligated to my child. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

  “How it’s supposed to be is that you get married and then have a family.”

  “Well, it’s too late for that.”

  “Are you going to marry her?”

  “We’ve talked about it. She doesn’t want to rush into things, getting married just because she’s pregnant. I’m hoping to convince her that our getting married isn’t about that.”

  “Of course it’s about that. You’d be thinking about marrying her if she wasn’t pregnant?”

  “In time maybe, but she is pregnant. I’d like to marry her before the baby comes.”

  Tom jumped up from his seat and pounded on the desk.

  “Absolutely not. Don’t do anything until you’ve had a paternity test. With her background, you have to be sure. Doesn’t she still have an ex-husband floating around? They just got divorced.”

  “He’s somewhere evading the police after attacking her. There’s no way she’d still be mixed up with that guy. She has a protective order against him.”

  “That doesn’t matter one wit. Women like that get restraining orders and then the guy worms his way back in and they go back and forth. They don’t know what they want.”

  Jonah stood up and stormed around the desk toward his father.

  “Enough of the ‘women like her’ shit. Do not ever say that again. She’s done everything she can to get away from people like her ex. I’m not going to have you around her implying that she’s sleeping around with her ex or anyone else.”

  “Legally, Jonah, you have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. Get a paternity test. Decide if you want custody. Hell, how far along is she—”

  “Don’t even go there. We’re having this baby—your grandchild—and we’re going to live together. Custody isn’t an issue.”

  Shannon hadn’t exactly agreed that they’d live together once the baby was born, but Jonah knew he could convince her that was the best option by the time she delivered.

  “You’ve got to get the wool off your eyes, Son. Trust me. I’ve been here before.”

  Jonah ran his hand through his hair, stunned. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been here with a woman before. She loves you. She can’t get enough of you. She gets pregnant. You live in limbo, and then the baby isn’t yours. I’ve been there.”

  “When?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Before Mom?”

  His father just stared at him.

  “While you were married. Arianna Stiges. Her son, Trevor.”

  The truth unfolded one piece at a time as Jonah spoke.

  “You were going to leave Mom for her.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I had planned to take care of her and Trevor. She had another child as well—a daughter with her husband. We weren’t sure who Trevor’s father was, so she got a blood test. She told me the baby wasn’t mine.”

  “But her husband left her.”

  “He didn’t enjoy knowing she might be pregnant with another man’s baby. I can’t say that I blame him.”

  “So why keep paying her? Just the fear of a lawsuit?”

  “I did ruin her career. The two of us wrecked her marriage. Plus, for a while, I did think Trevor might be mine. I wasn’t going to leave them with nothing.”

  “That’s what you did, though, last year.”

  “Trevor’s a grown man now, and Arianna was getting irrational—begging for more and more money. I have my limits.”

  Jonah tried to reconcile his father’s story with all he’d heard from Trevor. Arianna did have mental health issues. Maybe his father had truly tried to help her. He couldn’t concentrate on the twists of his father’s life.

  “Your situation isn’t my situation. Shannon isn’t married or involved with anyone else. We’ve been together for a few months now.”

  “As far as you know, Jonah. You need to make sure.”

  “I won’t insult her by asking her for a paternity test. You might not be sure of her, but I am.” Certitude straightened Jonah’s spine as he stared his father down.

  “I can’t say that I hope you’re right. Whether you have a baby or not, Shannon is not the woman for you. She’s not the wife you need.”

  “What I need to is have a real, honest relationship with someone. Maybe because you’ve never needed that you think it’s not important—but it is to me.”

  “Judge me all you want, but I’m not wrong.” Tom stormed on, exasperated. “Don’t be fucking stupid, Jonah. Get the test.”

  “Get out of my office, Dad.”

  Tom strode out, shaking his head. A life of sneaking and whoring had made the man suspicious and jaded. Jonah had to follow his gut and his heart. Shannon loved him. He had no doubts about her commitment to him and his to her—none.

  * * *

  Jonah sat up until Shannon got home from work at midnight. Before she pulled off her coat and scarf, she apologized.

  “I didn’t mean to tell her. It slipped out.”

  “You didn’t tell me you were having lunch with her.”

  “She called me at the last minute. I thought maybe she wanted to be nice.”

  Jonah balked at Shannon’s naïvete. “Not likely. You should have known that she has an agenda.”
/>
  “Is it so strange to think that your mother might want to at least get to know me?”

  “That’s not how she is. You and my mother aren’t friends, and you won’t ever be friends. She’ll get used to our being together, and be civil to you because she doesn’t like scenes, but you aren’t her kind of people. Period.”

  Too late, Jonah realized the harshness of his diatribe. He wanted to impress on Shannon that she couldn’t afford to trust his mother, but that’s not how she took it.

  “So what’s the point then?” Her eyes glistened. “She’s always going to hate me. She’s never going to let us be happy. Why do you want to keep doing this?”

  “I love you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so blunt, but she’s…I love my mother. She mostly means well, but she guards her place in society like a centurion. My mom’s family suffered through a lot of scandals, and although she grew up privileged, by the time she got to college, her family was broke. Her father ran off with another woman, and she ended up the butt of a lot of jokes. Marrying well and maintaining that façade mean everything to her, but we can deal with her together. What did she say at lunch?”

  Shannon considered what Sheila said about causing her unending misery. The woman might never accept her, but maybe Shannon could at least ensure a bit of peace.

  “She questioned my intentions and accused me of using you for your money. Again. It’s nothing new. I got mad and said that I didn’t know whether it was her accusations or the morning sickness that made want to throw up.”

  The underlying truth of Shannon’s reply eased her conscience about not telling Jonah the full story.

  Jonah laughed softly. “Well, you know how to stand your ground at least. My mother intimidates most people.”

  Shannon placed her hands on the sides of Jonah’s face. “I’m not going to let her run me off.”

  “Good. Me neither. Not her, and not my father, who ranted and raved about…everything.”

  “Your mother must have called him.”

  “Look. No more lunches with my mother. I’ll handle my family. Okay?”

  Shannon dropped her hands and sighed. “Do you really want to do this, Jonah? Your parents aren’t going to let up. I feel like I’m splitting up your family.”

  “That’s not on you. That’s on my parents. They think I’m a child who doesn’t know my ass from my elbow. It’s not you they don’t trust, it’s me.”

  “No, I’m pretty sure I’m the one your mother doesn’t trust.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to let them throw accusations at you or pressure me. You and I together—we’re a team.”

  Shannon’s eyes brimmed with tears again. “I’m so emotional.”

  “I know. This would be difficult even if you weren’t pregnant, but hey, at least now they know.”

  “So much for waiting to tell people. I keep spilling the beans.”

  Jonah pulled Shannon closer, kissing her forehead. Then, the phone in his pocket vibrated between them.

  “Check it.”

  He looked at the screen.

  “It’s a message from Vivienne.”

  “What does it say?”

  “‘Congratulations. You’ve pushed my lesbianism off Mom and Dad’s front page. Tell Shannon I said well done.’”

  Shannon wiped her tears away with her sleeve and burst with a laugh. At least, one person in his family was on her side.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Finally.

  Shannon listened to the voicemail a second time. The police asked her to come down to the police station because they had news about Kid. When she told Jonah, he insisted on driving her.

  “I want to hear what they have to say. This shouldn’t have taken so long.”

  Once they got to the police station and found the right department, a clerk shuttled them to a tiny, stale-aired conference room where they waited for nearly twenty minutes. Then, a tall, burly man rushed in.

  “Sorry this took so long. I had to check on a few things before I talked to you. I’m Detective Odell. Actually,” the detective stopped and looked at Jonah, “we met. You came down here.”

  “I did. Weeks ago. I’d have thought you would have caught this guy sooner.” Shannon squeezed Jonah’s knee.

  “Well, it’s not so easy. Even after Shannon called and told us about seeing him in Mineola, he took off again. Some people are good at living under the radar.”

  Jonah whipped his head around. “You saw him where?”

  Heat flooded her face and her throat went dry. “He showed up at Lindsay’s after the funeral, but they kicked him out before I could call the police. When I got back to Dallas, I told the detective.”

  Jonah’s eyes narrowed at her, making her leg nervously shake under the conference table. She hadn’t wanted to get into the whole story. How could she explain that she didn’t call the police right away without getting into everything else?

  “So what’s new, then?” Jonah glared at the detective.

  “I’m not sure how you’ll take the news. I’m glad you brought someone with you. Wayne Nelson was involved in a bar fight in southeast Dallas last night. The fight spilled into the parking lot where he was shot…and killed.”

  Shannon went numb. Kid was dead.

  “Who? How?”

  “Aaron Godfrey. They actually arrived at the bar together with a group of friends, but they got into an altercation. Apparently, Kid attacked him, followed him to the parking lot when he tried to leave, and the guy had a Smith and Wesson nine millimeter handgun in his car. They tussled, and Nelson died on the scene.”

  “You’ve arrested Aaron?” Shannon squeaked.

  “We held him overnight, but witness statements all point to self-defense. He got released this morning and should be out soon.”

  “Did you know this guy, Aaron?” Jonah asked her. Her mind raced for the right words to forestall more questions.

  “We met once. After the funeral. He’s one of Lindsay’s friends.”

  Shannon didn’t want to share information about Aaron’s previous run-in with Kid. She didn’t want to be involved in anything regarding either man. Aaron might have been justified in killing Kid, but Shannon knew he wasn’t just a victim.

  Jonah had no response to hearing that she knew Aaron. The indecipherable look on his face scared her. Maybe he finally realized what type of people Shannon ran with—had run with. That wasn’t her anymore. Did he doubt that?

  “Listen. I hate to ask you to do this, but we haven’t been able to contact any of Nelson’s family. Do you know how to reach them? Someone’s going to have to pick up the body from the morgue. If not, the county will cremate him.”

  “He has a cousin, but I don’t know his number. His mother is gone, and he never knew where his dad was. Maybe his aunt? I might have her address somewhere. That’s his cousin’s mom. I can look and call you. Or, maybe ask Aaron. He knew Kid and his cousin.”

  “I don’t know that Aaron’s inclined to be too helpful.”

  Shannon sighed. “I’ll see what I can dig up. If you can’t find anyone, maybe I can take care of it.”

  Jonah shook his head. “I don’t think you need to be involved in any of this.”

  “What can he do to me now, Jonah? He’s dead. As fucked up as it was, I was married to the guy.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Kid Nelson was an asshole. He was violent. He was a thief, a drunk, and an addict. Shannon shouldn’t miss anything about him, but one time, he’d been good to her. He picked her up from rehab and gave her a place to live when she had no one. If he had no one now, she could at least make sure he got buried or cremated—one way or another.

  “I’ll step out and get some of the information you might need if you’re going to handle things yourself. You have some other options. We just need a family member to coordinate that. You don’t have to. You’re not really next of kin anymore.”

  Detective Odell bounced his eyes between Jonah and Shannon and slid his cha
ir back from the table. Once he left, Jonah moaned.

  “I can’t believe you’re upset over this…cretin.”

  “He was my husband. I didn’t love him, but he was a person. A person that I…cared about, sort of. He helped me once, and no one—no matter how terrible—deserves to just be lost. They’ll dump him in some pauper’s grave or something.”

  “If someone has no one, there’s usually a reason. He was a no good criminal.”

  “I had no one once, Jonah, and you’re right. It was my fault. But I’m a person. If something had happened to me, I’d hope that someone would make sure I didn’t get dumped in the ground somewhere with nothing to tell anyone that I existed.”

  “You are not Kid Nelson.”

  “No. I was his wife. If you can’t deal with that, I’m sorry. I can’t blame you for hating it, but I have to do what I have to do.”

  Shannon stood and raced out of the room with Jonah on her heels. They said nothing else about Kid as they stalked down the hall to the elevator.

  “Can you hang on a minute? I don’t mean to upset you.”

  “It’s not you. It’s just this situation.”

  “I know. That’s my point. Why involve yourself in this drama? The whole point of getting divorced is so it’s not your problem.”

  “Do you think I’m in love with him or something? Because I’m not. This is something that I want to do to close that chapter. I can’t explain to you why it matters because I hardly know why myself.”

  “Okay.” Jonah turned as the elevator doors opened. “I worry when you get upset. It’s not good for the baby.”

  Shannon reached to pull her phone out of her purse to scroll through her meager contacts to see if anyone might have information about Kid’s aunt. A gravelly voice stopped her cold.

  “Baby? You’re pregnant?”

  Aaron Godfrey stood in the open elevator doors, looking like death. He must have just been released from jail. A smudge of stubble covered the lower half of his face. His blond hair looked dirty—maybe from filth or maybe that was the color. Shannon couldn’t remember what it had looked like in the dim light of Lindsay’s hallway.