and forth.
“Admit it, Weston, you’re hiding.” He’d stayed away from the main rooms, knowing Evelyn would be there. How could he face her when he’d ditched her last night?
He groaned. He couldn’t even figure out why he’d bolted. Scared .
Candace in curlers and a pink robe rushed to him. “Where’s Dex?”
Pointing a thumb behind him, Shane gave her the answer.
“Don’t try to stop us,” she hissed. Grabbing something out of her robe pocket, she shoved it at him. “Your Evelyn’s been hiding things from you.” Her voice grated. “Look at it.”
Carefully, Shane opened the familiar-looking wrinkled envelope and slid the paper out.
“Here, let me.” She plucked it from his hands and snapped it open. “Right here,” she pointed. “It says mumbo jumbo, but farther down under summary, ‘patient has very little hope of conceiving. One-year window of opportunity is the best she can hope for.’”
Frowning, he scanned the lab results. “Is this yours, Candace? Is that why you’re rushing into marriage with Dex?”
She tapped the top of the paper. “Read. Patient’s name.”
“Evelyn…” Something kicked him, hard and sharp, in his gut. “Where did you get this from?” He turned it over and back again. It looked real .
Her cheeks turned a bright red. “Her tote bag. She always has so much stuffed in there. It…fell out.” She shrugged.
More like she’d pulled it out, he realized when she couldn’t meet his stare.
Lowering her voice, she said, “See. She’s using you. Just to, you know, have a kid. It all makes sense why she’s seeing you.”
His mind reeled. It did make sense. Evelyn wanted to be a single mom. No man to interfere.
Who better to get to make her a baby than a guy who stayed away from marriage like the plague because he feared the inevitable divorce?
Maybe he’d been completely wrong about her .
***
“Son, there you are,” His father’s voice brought him up short. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Dad.” He stuck out his hand, still stunned at the lab results he’d stuffed in his pocket. He frowned. “I thought you were arriving two days ago.” His father had failed to text him back.
The older man brushed back his flyaway hair. “Slipped my mind.”
“Oh, honey, did you forget something?” Shane’s mother asked, coming up beside his father. She slipped her arm through his. “You naughty boy.”
His father actually blushed. “Ah…Shane,” he stuttered.
“Mom, when did you get into town?”
Silence greeted him. His parents looked sheepishly at each other.
“Here’s the thing, son.” His father reached out and straightened Shane’s lapel. “Your mom and I—”
“Are doing the wild thing.”
Shane winced.
“We’re together again.” His father gentled patted his mother’s hand now holding his arm in a death grip.
“You’re not mad, are you, Shaney? I swear it wasn’t planned. We met in New York, waiting on the same plane to arrive.” Only his mother could get away with calling him that.
“It was delayed.” His father gazed at his mother and smiled. “It was fate. After all these years, we couldn’t put you in the middle, the go-between. We had to talk it out.”
“Or duke it out.” She giggled. “So we got a lot off our chests, didn’t we, snookums?”
“Yes, sweetie, we did.” He sighed. “It took a lot of booze, I tell you, and a lot of honesty. But we’re at a good place.”
“First time since you were little,” his mother agreed. “Oh, here’s the groom. Look, Dexter, how handsome are you?”
Shane turned just in time to see Dex hold up a hand and rush back into the bathroom.
“Eww! That’s not good.” His mother grimaced. “Come on, honey, let’s get another one of those drinks you like while Shane sees to Dexter.”
He watched them leave, cuddled close, and witnessed his father grab his mother’s butt. Not a pretty sight for a child to see. Shivering in disgust, Shane
“Admit it, Weston, you’re hiding.” He’d stayed away from the main rooms, knowing Evelyn would be there. How could he face her when he’d ditched her last night?
He groaned. He couldn’t even figure out why he’d bolted. Scared .
Candace in curlers and a pink robe rushed to him. “Where’s Dex?”
Pointing a thumb behind him, Shane gave her the answer.
“Don’t try to stop us,” she hissed. Grabbing something out of her robe pocket, she shoved it at him. “Your Evelyn’s been hiding things from you.” Her voice grated. “Look at it.”
Carefully, Shane opened the familiar-looking wrinkled envelope and slid the paper out.
“Here, let me.” She plucked it from his hands and snapped it open. “Right here,” she pointed. “It says mumbo jumbo, but farther down under summary, ‘patient has very little hope of conceiving. One-year window of opportunity is the best she can hope for.’”
Frowning, he scanned the lab results. “Is this yours, Candace? Is that why you’re rushing into marriage with Dex?”
She tapped the top of the paper. “Read. Patient’s name.”
“Evelyn…” Something kicked him, hard and sharp, in his gut. “Where did you get this from?” He turned it over and back again. It looked real .
Her cheeks turned a bright red. “Her tote bag. She always has so much stuffed in there. It…fell out.” She shrugged.
More like she’d pulled it out, he realized when she couldn’t meet his stare.
Lowering her voice, she said, “See. She’s using you. Just to, you know, have a kid. It all makes sense why she’s seeing you.”
His mind reeled. It did make sense. Evelyn wanted to be a single mom. No man to interfere.
Who better to get to make her a baby than a guy who stayed away from marriage like the plague because he feared the inevitable divorce?
Maybe he’d been completely wrong about her .
***
“Son, there you are,” His father’s voice brought him up short. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Dad.” He stuck out his hand, still stunned at the lab results he’d stuffed in his pocket. He frowned. “I thought you were arriving two days ago.” His father had failed to text him back.
The older man brushed back his flyaway hair. “Slipped my mind.”
“Oh, honey, did you forget something?” Shane’s mother asked, coming up beside his father. She slipped her arm through his. “You naughty boy.”
His father actually blushed. “Ah…Shane,” he stuttered.
“Mom, when did you get into town?”
Silence greeted him. His parents looked sheepishly at each other.
“Here’s the thing, son.” His father reached out and straightened Shane’s lapel. “Your mom and I—”
“Are doing the wild thing.”
Shane winced.
“We’re together again.” His father gentled patted his mother’s hand now holding his arm in a death grip.
“You’re not mad, are you, Shaney? I swear it wasn’t planned. We met in New York, waiting on the same plane to arrive.” Only his mother could get away with calling him that.
“It was delayed.” His father gazed at his mother and smiled. “It was fate. After all these years, we couldn’t put you in the middle, the go-between. We had to talk it out.”
“Or duke it out.” She giggled. “So we got a lot off our chests, didn’t we, snookums?”
“Yes, sweetie, we did.” He sighed. “It took a lot of booze, I tell you, and a lot of honesty. But we’re at a good place.”
“First time since you were little,” his mother agreed. “Oh, here’s the groom. Look, Dexter, how handsome are you?”
Shane turned just in time to see Dex hold up a hand and rush back into the bathroom.
“Eww! That’s not good.” His mother grimaced. “Come on, honey, let’s get another one of those drinks you like while Shane sees to Dexter.”
He watched them leave, cuddled close, and witnessed his father grab his mother’s butt. Not a pretty sight for a child to see. Shivering in disgust, Shane
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