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Sam clenched both his fists in his unruly hair. “It’ll hurt. I know that. This isn’t their fault. According to Roy, Sydney never told them who the father was.”
“Hmm. Why didn’t she?”
“Do you honestly think I have a clue? I don’t know anything about that woman.”
“Only that you love her.”
“Love her?” He unclenched his hair. “She’s a completely different woman than the one I thought I loved earlier today.”
“I see.”
“So what are my chances? What do I need to do?”
“We can get a court order for a DNA test, but that’s not your main problem.”
“The DNA will show he’s mine. Sydney admitted to me that she hadn’t been with anyone since she was with me over five years ago, and the child was born after that. Plus, have you seen him? He’s definitely my son.”
“Have you told Dusty?”
“No. I haven’t told anyone. Just you.”
Dallas sighed. “I feel for you, I really do. But like I said, there’s a bigger problem than proving that he’s yours.”
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“Whenever a child is involved, the courts focus on one thing and one thing only—the best interests of the child in question.”
“How can I not be in his best interest? I’m his father.”
“He’s a child of five. The only parents he’s ever known are the Buchanans. To take him from them would scar him. He’s just a little boy, Sam.”
“Damnit.” He pounded his fist on the table. “This isn’t fair.”
Dallas nodded. “I agree with you. It’s not fair. It’s not fair to you, and it’s ultimately not fair to Duke. He should be able to know his biological father if that father wants to be known. But right now he’s a little boy, and if you take his mommy and daddy away from him, he’ll be devastated.”
Sam sighed heavily. Dallas was right. “What then? What are my options?”
“Your best option right now is to talk to Sydney. If she won’t talk to you, talk to her parents. Most likely they’re the legal parents and will make the decisions. Tell them you want to know the child, be a part of his life.”
“They’ll tell me to fuck off.”
“What makes you say that?”
“They damn near already did.”
“They were reacting, just as you were. They were scared you were going to take away the child they love.”
“But—”
Dallas stopped him. “Trust me. If I felt there was the tiniest chance someone might take away one of my children, I’d react with all the anger in me to make sure it did not happen. That’s how much a parent loves a child.”
“I love him.”
“You may. I don’t know. But Sam, you didn’t even know he existed yesterday. These two have raised him since he was an infant. They’ve fed him, housed him, clothed him, watched him grow. You represent a huge threat.”
“I just want my son.”
“You need to take yourself out of the equation right now. Yes, you were wronged. What Sydney did to you was wrong. But right now you have to think about the boy.”
