Page 120 of Already Callin’ You Mine

“No.”

The answer is out of me so fast I almost give us both whiplash. Still, that one word doesn’t feel heavy enough. There is nothing on earth I want less.

“You could at least think about it.”

“No,” I repeat. “I don’t need to think about it. Not after what you did to us. Not after all that you said in court.”

Again, I have the records. I have the proof of his refusal to do anything to help us. Until he was forced. Even then, he wanted to make it go away. It took a long time to stop hearing him say, “Fine, I’ll pay, but I don’t want to have to see him.”

He didn’t even want to see his son.

“That was then. This is now.”

“Why now?” I challenge. “What about now is different?”

“He’ll have a family.”

Excuse me?!

“Louise has a little girl, a little older than Os-Otis. I think it would be nice. He’d have a real family.”

Louise? Who the fuck is Louise?

Then it hits me.

He has someone new. Some new girlfriend who has a kid. He’s trying to impress her. Trying to show her he’s a good father. Give the kid a playmate.

Absolutely not.

Fury rises in me. I ball my fists, trying not to completely lose my shit. It’s not easy though. I’m ready to unleash on this man.

Jace beats me to it.

“He has a family.”

His voice is deep, powerful, and rough. Stepping in front of me, he puts himself between me and Cody, leaving no room to guess who he was talking to. Part of me wants to pull him away. Tell him I have this. But another part is holding on to those words for dear life.

He has a family.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Name’s Jace. And I’m their family. Presley and Otis are my family. And you don’t get to waltz in here and try to claim otherwise.”

Cody scoffs, trying to step around Jace to get to me. Jace matches his step, the two of them doing an awkward dance in the middle of the crowd. The crowd who thankfully isn’t paying attention.

“Whatever, man. Play house with her. I don’t care. I⁠—”

“No.” There’s even more power in Jace’s voice now. I startle, rocking backward. Jace snarls, shoving Cody. “Now, I’ve said it once, and I’m only going to say it once more. Otis has a family. He has a slew of aunts and uncles who think he’s the cat’s meow. And while yes, he’s the oldest grandchild on both sides, he’s not going to be the only one…on either side. Because all those aunts and uncles are ready and waiting to give him a gaggle of cousins.”

I open my mouth, ready to correct him that not all the aunts and uncles are ready and waiting. Anton and Sawyer don’t want kids of their own, preferring to spoil mine. Ours. But I stop myself. That detail isn’t important right now.

Not when Jace is proudly declaring he wants to have more kids with me.

Wait…that is what he said, right? Stop, Pres…we can determine that later…not the priority…

Jace shoves Cody again, but this time Cody shoves him back. My heart stops, ready for a fight. I don’t think Jace would go there, but this is also a side I’ve never seen of him.

“Go back to wherever,” Jace says, low and slow. “Get your own family.”