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“Nothing, Jack. Right now I want you to stay where you are and let me handle this,” he said, his tone calm and professional.
I gripped the edge of the mattress, my fingers digging into it. “All my stuff’s still in Alabama. ”
“Don’t step foot in that state until I tell you it’s OK. You hear me?”
I cringed as he told me what to do. “We’ll see. ”
“Jack, it’s my job to look out for you. For once, let me do that. Please. ” His voice sounded strained, and I sighed.
“OK. ”
“I’ll call you soon. ”
I pressed the End button on my cell phone and threw it against the wall. Why the fuck was this girl so hell-bent on ruining my life? I can’t move past this one mistake if I can’t put it in the past. Why couldn’t she be a decent human being and sign the damn papers?
Knuckles rapped on my bedroom door. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah. ”
Dean walked in and glanced at the phone on the floor before closing the door behind him. “What’s going on? I heard you yelling. ”
I looked him straight in the eyes. “You were right. She won’t sign the papers. ”
He moved toward my bed, sitting down at the opposite end. “Shit, Jack. I’m sorry. So, what does that mean?”
I closed my eyes, pinching the skin at the bridge of my nose to relieve the stress. “I don’t know. Marc’s working on it. ”
“Do you want to go out or something? Get out of the house for a bit?”
“I need to be alone right now. ”
Dean stood up from my bed without another word and left my room. I grabbed the notebook sitting on my dresser and flipped it open to a blank page. How quickly this whole letter-writing thing turned into habit. It helped to put my thoughts somewhere when all I wanted to do was pick up the phone and dial Cassie’s number.
“Oh my God. That bitch! She had a doctor give her falsified pregnancy paperwork?” My eyes widened as the shock and anger sunk into my bones.
“Yep,” was all he managed in response.
“No wonder you believed her,” I said, shaking my head
“What do you mean?” His body tensed and his jaw tightened.
“Well, I never really understood why you believed that she was pregnant in the first place. Without checking or making sure, I mean,” I tried to explain.
Jack cracked his neck as tension visibly poured from his body and rolled onto mine. “You thought I just stupidly accepted her at her word? Married her without any proof? Why didn’t you just ask me?”
His bitter tone shocked me, causing my defenses to rise. “I don’t know. Maybe because I was too caught up in my own heartbreak to ask you when I had the chance. And it’s not like we were really talking at the time. ”
He reached a hand out to touch me, laying it on my leg. That one single movement shattered my defenses and I wanted to take back everything I’d just accused him of. “I’m sorry, Jack. It’s just…”
“Don’t. I’m sorry. ” His hand raised in a defeated gesture in the space between us. “You weren’t there. You didn’t know what was going on. I’m sure it looked shady as hell from the outside. ”
A shudder ripped through me. I never again wanted to be on the “outside” of anything when it came to Jack Carter. “But I shouldn’t have just assumed. ”
“You didn’t know. ”
“So, she had doctor visits and stuff?” My mind still raced to wrap around the elaborate plotting and lies. How could one girl be so malicious?
“Appointments, paperwork, vitamins, baby books, charts, schedules—she had it all. ” He exhaled, and I grabbed his hand in mine, our fingers intertwining as I leaned back into him.
