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Jenna doesn’t sit up. She puts her feet on my lap and crosses her arms over her chest.
“Think you can grab that sleigh blanket for me?” she asks.
I get up and pull it off the sleigh. I throw it over her and go back to my seat.
She smiles. “Thanks.”
“You’re not planning on sleeping here on the couch, are you?” I ask her.
“If I do fall asleep, will you carry me upstairs?”
I throw her a puzzled look. “I thought you were still going to clean up.”
She throws the look back at me. “I thought you said you were gonna clean up.”
“I did?”
Well, I said I would clean her up. I didn’t say I was going to clean the room up.
Jenna chuckles. “Don’t worry. I will. Just let me rest a bit. I think you just drained me of my last reserve of energy.”
I grab the cupcake from the table. “Cupcake?”
She pauses to think about it, then opens her mouth. “Ah.”
I tear off a big piece and put it inside her mouth. She chews on it.
“Hmm. The cupcake is moist and flavorful, too.”
I place my hand on her leg. “You know, if you move in with me, I can probably get the person who made these cupcakes to give you some lessons.”
“Are you bribing me?”
“I’m giving you another reason to come live with me,” I tell her. “And here’s one more. If you do move in with me, I promise you that no matter how hard and complicated things get, I will be there for you. We’ll work things out together.”
She smiles and squeezes my hand. “Thanks, Dax. But I haven’t really talked to my dad about it yet. Just give me a bit more time and…”
My phone rings. Shit.
I take a moment to remember where I’ve left it – in the kitchen, charging – then I go and grab it. The name on the screen reads Victor.
What does he want now?
I answer the call. “Victor, I’ll be in the office tomorrow.”
“I know,” he says. “I’m not calling about work.”
My eyebrows crease. “What is it, then?”
“There was an article that showed up on the internet. With photos. And now, there’s a rumor going around.”
“About what?”
I hear Victor draw a deep breath. “They’re saying Shanna’s your kid.”
~
“Son of a bitch!”
My clenched fist falls on top of my desk after I’ve read the article.
I decided to postpone doing that until I got to the office. I didn’t tell Jenna about it because I didn’t want to ruin the day we just had. I kept telling myself it wasn’t important, not worth my attention.
Now that I’ve read the article, though, and seen the photos taken just the day before, it has my attention. And whoever’s behind it, well, I’m coming after them.
I tap my desk as I look at Victor. “Find out the name of the bastard who did this, and who put him up to it.”
Because I’m pretty sure someone did.
“Consider it done.”
In the meantime, I have to deal with the consequences.
I sit back and scratch my chin. “How is this going to hurt us?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Victor answers. “This could actually be a good thing. Parents will find you relatable. They might trust the drugs we make for their kids more. Your business partners will still love you. A lot of them have kids, after all.”
So he’s saying this lie could do me some good.
“I asked how it can be a bad thing,” I tell him.
Victor shrugs. “Maybe some people will wonder what other secrets you have.”
I frown. “My personal life is none of their business.”
“Also, there may be some disgruntled women around, though that could be more of a problem for Jenna. The article didn’t give her address, but you know how crafty some people are. You should arrange security for her.”
“Get it done,” I tell him.
“And for Shanna, of course. Now that people think she’s your kid…”
“She’s a kidnapping target,” I finish the sentence.
Fuck.
“Also, back to Jenna, reporters might start to sniff around her. They’ll want to know more about the mother of Dax Bender’s child.”
“Well, make sure they don’t,” I tell Victor. “I don’t want any more stories about Jenna or Shanna coming out.”
He gives another shrug. “It’s a free press.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“But I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good.”
Victor falls silent but remains standing there.
“What?” I ask him.
“Shouldn’t you respond and say that Shanna isn’t your child?” Victor suggests.
“What good would that do? Shanna is my girlfriend’s orphaned niece, which makes her practically Jenna’s daughter, which makes her potentially mine. Or are you suggesting I say I don’t have anything to do with Shanna or Jenna?”
Victor doesn’t answer.
“Besides, a response will just fan the flames, draw more unwanted interest. You know this. Well, you should.”
Victor nods. “You’re right. We won’t say anything.”
“But we will do something,” I tell him. “Everything I just said.”
