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“Oh, I’m sleeping with Wanda, so it was easy.” He shrugged as he grinned.
“You’re what? Isn’t she married?”
“Nope, just goes by Mrs. to make people think she is.” He wiped down the counter before looking at me. “Take him over now, we’re slow.” He smiled and I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hey, I’m taken now. This can’t happen.” I let him go and he grinned.
“Thanks Fred, you’re a gem. Cooper, let's go see what’s happening at daycare.”
“I don’t wanna! Can’t we just go back to Kipp’s, tell that woman to get out of our house, and stay there?” He stomped from the back room and I saw Fred’s brow raise. “I hate Bella. I don’t hate Nathan, he was fun, but his mom is a piece of work. She’s a bitch, and I’m not putting money into the swear jar.”
“Cooper, where did you hear that?” I asked, reaching to open the door.
“Griff said it, and Griff’s always right.” He walked out the door, sulking all the way. I couldn’t even get mad at him for speaking that way because he wasn’t wrong.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
KIPP
It was almost dark when we finally got back and the ranch truck I’d watched leave hadn’t returned. I stalked into the house and went right to her room. It was empty and looked just how it had the day she arrived here. Cooper’s room was also empty. All the toys I’d brought down for him were neatly organized at the end of the bed. I picked up the stuffed teddy bear that somehow got left behind and hugged it to my chest. “Leave her alone? Don’t push her? Seriously Nash, why did I listen to you?” I fought back the tears that wanted to fall.
“Sorry, I didn’t think she’d leave,” Nash apologized, and I knew he felt bad.
“I knew she would after what I said last night. I have to go after her.” I grabbed the keys for my truck but Linc slammed his hand against my chest.
“You can’t go off not knowing where she is. You could be driving from here to Texas. My guess is she’s going to go home. Give her a day and then find out if she’s there and go after her.”
“Why are all of you just okay giving her a head start? She could be anywhere.”
“Not anywhere, she has a ranch truck. I can track it if you want. When the Trunch boys were stealing farm trucks, I put tracking in all our vehicles, so we could find them if they went missing.” Ryder smiled and waited for my answer.
“She’s in town and will be there for a few days until she can get the bus money together,” Linc said, looking at his phone.
“Why wouldn’t she have bus money? We’ve been paying her all these months. She should have a good amount saved by now, wait, how do you know that?”
“Kristin just text. Nora and Cooper are going to her place for supper and a movie, so she canceled our date.” He put his phone away and we all went to the kitchen. There were no snacks, no coffee on, no teasing from Nora or laughter from Cooper. The house just felt wrong.
Nash slid his phone across the table to me, and I looked at the email. It was the results from the DNA test. 3.13% match. “What does that mean?” I asked, looking at Nash.
“It means Nathan isn’t yours but he is one of your cousin’s kids. Which I can tell you is a 99.9% match with Dane. He’s Nathan’s father, not you.”
“Well, well, don’t you five look like I ran off your little toy.” Bella walked into the kitchen, smirking and flouncing around like she owned the place.
“Bella, when was the last time you saw Dane?” I stood and moved closer to her, she took a step back. Nathan ran up to me and I picked him up. She looked at her son and then back to me, mouth open, but no words coming out. “I’d say about three years ago?” I shifted Nathan and she moved backwards again. “You thought you could come in here, try to blackmail me and what? I would pay you off? Did you really think I wouldn’t do my homework when some crazy ass bitch comes knocking on my door?” She blanched and looked almost transparent.
“I thought he… I swear Kipp, I thought he was yours.” Cue the tears. This was her game plan, fuck up, get caught and cry. I knew it well and I wasn’t playing. When she saw she wasn’t getting anywhere, she turned off the water works and stared at me. “My husbands bankrupt, and we thought you were the easiest way to get out of debt.”
“You used your son to blackmail me? Do you know how low of a human being that makes you? You are disgusting, and don’t deserve to have this sweet little boy. I will do everything in my power to get him away from you, even if I have to become his legal guardian.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Watch me, Bella. I told you if you were screwing around I would ruin you, and I’m about to keep that promise.” Bella reached for Nathan and ran out of the room. Watching her leave the house with Nathan made my heart ache. “I wouldn’t have been upset if he’d been mine,” I mumbled as she drove away.
“Let Nora have her night with Kristin and then go after her in the morning,” Ryder insisted as he walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t think she would actually leave you. She might have just needed a bit of space, which is why she hasn’t bought a bus ticket yet. I’ve never seen two people who should be together more.” Nodding, I knew he was right but letting her have tonight was going to be painful.
Leaving my friends in the kitchen, I went to my office. I had calls to make and I didn’t need an audience to change the life of a cousin I’d only seen a handful of times.
It was well past midnight by the time I was done talking to Dane. He wasn’t totally surprised, and I’d set things in motion for him to start the process of getting custody. Bella was a horrible woman who needed to be taught a lesson. I was more than happy to be the one to do it.
Wandering the house, everywhere I looked reminded me of Nora and Cooper. The family I thought I was building was gone. It had been the first time I’d felt complete in almost six years. I felt I had a purpose. Now, for the first time in a long time, I just felt…alone.
