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“I mean it, Foster. It’s none of your business if she is or isn’t.”
They weren’t gossiping about it, but it didn’t make things any better. Katie and I deserved some fucking privacy. Could we not have something that was just our own for even a fucking little bit? Did everything have to be public knowledge? I mean, fuck, the first time Katie and I had sex, we had a captive audience. I was fucking over this shit.
“Jackson, you have to tell us shit like this,” Foster demanded.
“Like what,” I said.
“Dammit, boy, you have to keep me in the loop,” Foster cursed at me.
That was the final straw. He’d crossed a line. One, I wasn’t willing to let him back his ass back across. Now that he’d crossed that line, he would ignore it in the future—especially if I let him walk it back. I couldn’t have that.
“You know I love you, Foster. You were there for me just as much as Dad while I was growing up. I’ve always known I could come to you if I needed anything, even just to talk. And I appreciate you dropping everything to help us out. I do. More than you could know, but I think it’s time for you to go home to Aunt Julie,” I told him as I drained the rest of the whiskey from my glass, setting it on the desk as I walked away.
At the door, I stopped and turned back to him. “If you utter even a breath of your suspicions to anyone, you will regret all the training you put me through trying to convince me to join the teams. You might kick my ass, but I’ll at least give you a run for your money.”
I opened the door, shutting it behind me with a soft click. I headed directly for Katie. With the mood I was in, people better keep their distance because I was liable to fucking deck the nextperson that butted their nose into something that was none of their fucking business.
I found Katie and Marcie in the kitchen. They were cooking something. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, talking and giggling. They had Alexa playing a country playlist in the background, and every so often, they’d stop to sing and dance around the kitchen.
It was the first time I’d seen her so lighthearted in over a month. I don’t know what the change was, but I was fucking happy to see it. I would enjoy it while I could.
When we sat down for dinner, Foster sat down with us. He laughed with us, cutting up and poking fun.
As everyone ate, he said, “I wanted to let you all know I’m heading back to Texas. Something’s come up at home, and I need to be there. I’m on a flight out in a few hours.”
The table erupted in a chaos of protests. I felt like shit, but as much as I trusted my uncle and loved him, I needed to make the best decisions for Katie and I. Hayden backed off when told to do so, for the most part anyway, but I knew my family. I knew Foster. We were all like a dog with a bone. We never backed down. Not entirely, anyway. We might take a break, but not for long.
When we lay down to sleep that night, Katie whispered, “Is everything okay in Texas?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine,” I replied. I was half asleep, so the need to be sneaky didn’t compute quickly enough.
Katie sat up, flipping the blankets off us as she turned to me. “What did you do?”
I sighed and sat back against the headboard. I was wide awake now. “I am making it clear that we deserve privacy and that our lives are not open books to be read by whoever gets a hankerin’.”
Her eyes bugged out, and her mouth fell open. “Youfiredhim? He’s your uncle!”
I felt my eyebrow arch at her tone. “I told you I would handle the security team. Our detail is there for our protection. Not to be privy to everything that happens between us. Your being pregnant isn’t a security issue yet and may never be. Foster and Hayden were being gossipmongers. They were acting like my granny’s quilting bee or, worse, a bunch of old men. Our lives are not for their entertainment. Yes, they are our family and friends, but first and foremost, they are here to work. Unless we say it is, any information not essential to security is not up for discussion. When Hayden asked, I told him it wasn’t his business, and he walked it back. Foster, being my uncle, wouldn’t have.”
“I didn’t mean to question your decision,” Katie said. “I was shocked, that’s all. I do appreciate you protecting what little bit of privacy we get.”
“Katie, we won’t get much privacy in our lives. Your star is too bright for that. We won’t be able to demand the general public to respect our boundaries, but we damn sure can demand it of our family, friends, employees. You have a big decision to make, and if the knowledge gets out before you make your decision, it could influence how you feel about it and your decision because everyone will weigh in, and I won’t let that happen.”
“I would love to know your thoughts, though,” she said so softly I barely heard her.
“Sugar, the decision is yours. I will support your choice however you need me to,” I reassured her.
I watched her eyes fill and her lips and chin tremble. “How can you say that, Jackson? I’m pregnant. With twins, and they might not be yours!” she cried.
The tears in her eyes spilled over, racing down her face. I hated seeing her so upset. Her tears made me want to tear shit up.
“I can say it because it’s the truth. If I’m not the biological father, will we be disappointed? Of course. If you decide not to continue the pregnancy, I will be by your side, holding your hand when the time comes. And if you decide to continue the pregnancy, no matter what the test results say, I will love our babies wholeheartedly. How could I not when I love their mama more than the air I breathe?”
Twenty
Katie
I never understood a “watched pot never boils” more. Waiting on our test results was excruciating. I wasn’t able to focus on anything else. In a moment of distraction, I agreed to attend the awards ceremony I’d previously said I wouldn’t attend.
