Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Brendan turned off the vacuum after clearing up the sawdust. He had spent a lot of time in the workshop this weekend and got a lot done, though he still hadn’t figured out what he wanted to make for kids.
Lucas had pretty much left him alone, and that was probably good, because Brendan was not good company at the moment.
Hell, he was a little tired of himself at the moment.
He checked that everything was where it belonged before turning out the lights and locking up.
The barn was quiet. All the horses had hay and water, so he continued on and into the house, checking the time. Jenn was supposed to have Jameson back in an hour, and he was looking forward to it.
Lucas’s truck stood off to the side of the yard, but everything seemed still.
None of the riders were there, and the farm seemed rather sleepy, like the fun was gone.
Brendan knew that was a stupid notion coming out of his worry.
The trackers had shown both of them in the Pittsburgh area all weekend, so Jenn had done just what she had said she would… at least, so far.
Inside the house, he pulled off his shirt in the mud room and tossed it in a basket.
It was covered in sawdust, and he didn’t want to track it in the house.
His shoes followed, along with his socks.
He didn’t shuck his jeans, but he did brush them off outside before heading back in and going through to the stairs.
Lucas sat in a chair in the living room, his legs stretched out, reading on his phone.
He looked up as Brendan came through, his gaze stopping and holding on him.
Brendan looked down to see if something was wrong and realized Lucas was watching him, his gaze intensifying by the second. Brendan swallowed and turned away, his cheeks heating as he went up the stairs. He always hated that he blushed at any sort of interest.
Hurrying up the stairs, he grabbed fresh clothes, went into the bathroom, and showered quickly before dressing and returning to the living room. Lucas was still in the chair, but his phone was on the table next to him, his arms folded across his strong chest.
“I like the way you blush all the time.”
“I don’t,” Brendan said flatly.
Lucas stood. “You know, I also like how you were dressed before.”
“I wasn’t dressed. I….” Brendan’s brain kicked in.
“Oh….” His throat went dry. “I’m flattered, I really am, and you’re hot and…
good to us… and, well, everything. But….
” Jesus, he sounded like a stuttering teenager.
He could feel the blushes starting once more, and Brendan wished he could just make it stop.
It felt like his own cheeks were betraying him.
He was trying to be strong, but his damned cheeks flamed take me.
“I get it. But….” Lucas got to his feet, that gaze still white-hot.
Brendan had been cruised by both men and women before and knew there was nothing more attractive than someone who found you hot, and this moment was no exception.
The way Lucas watched him with such naked want and banked passion was almost enough to get him to cave right there.
But he had more important people to worry about other than himself.
Brendan had already seen what the transient nature of Jenn, in and out of Jameson’s life, had done to him, and he couldn’t be the source of something like that.
Brendan decided to change the subject. He needed a way to catch his breath. “Have you checked on Jameson recently?”
Lucas grabbed his phone and brought up the app. “They’re not far from the farm. It looks like she’s bringing him back and that they’ll be here soon.”
Brendan headed for the door, but Lucas lightly touched his shoulder, heat spreading in an instant. “Don’t. Let them come in the drive and then go out to see them. You don’t want her suspecting about the trackers.”
“True,” Brendan agreed. “But I don’t know what I should be doing.”
“Just sit down and relax. They’ll be here soon enough,” Lucas said softly.
“Being out there isn’t going to make them get here any faster.
” He smiled, and Brendan sat on the sofa, grabbing a copy of Country Life from the table.
He thumbed though it until he heard tires on the gravel.
Then he got up and went to the door. Jenn pulled to a stop and got out of the car, then helped Jameson, who jumped down and ran to the door.
Brendan opened it, and Jameson ran into his arms.
“Daddy, Daddy.” Those words, almost yelled, so happily warmed his heart. He lifted Jameson and hugged him tightly.
“Did you have a good time?” he asked as Jenn’s mother, Regina, got out of the car as well. That said a lot.
“Mommy and Grandma were fighting,” Jameson said, holding him tightly.
“That happens sometimes. Why don’t you go inside. Lucas is in there, and you can play.” He set Jameson down, and he ran into the house, babbling a mile a minute to Lucas, and then ran up the stairs.
“Hello, Regina,” he said to his former mother-in-law before getting Jameson’s bag from the trunk.
She was a troublemaker, especially since the divorce, so he had as little contact with her as possible.
He purposely avoided as much conversation with Jenn as he could, not looking in her direction.
He checked the back seat and grabbed the last of Jameson’s things, including Roary.
“You’ve had a long drive.” Jameson came out from inside and right up next to him.
“Say goodbye to Mommy and Grandma,” he told him.
Jameson said goodbye and waved. Regina’s expression turned sour before she got back in the car, but Jenn stood outside her door.
Brendan knew her well enough to know she wanted something, but he wasn’t in the mood for any of her demands.
“We need to talk,” she said. He refused to rise to the bait and shrugged. He had nothing to say to her. Jenn came around the car and up on the steps. “Apparently, you have someone living here. Another man.”
Brendan shrugged. “I have someone helping me out on the farm, and he’s using one of the extra rooms.” He figured that was all she needed to know.
“You know I filed an appeal of our custody agreement,” she said, her eyes growing hard. “They’ll look at everything, and I included the type of company you keep.” She actually sneered.
Brendan shrugged. “You should know that appeals courts don’t take new evidence.
You don’t get to retry the case. They just look at what happened to see if the lower court made a legal mistake.
That’s all.” Now it was his turn to smile.
“You also know that my lawyer and I get to respond to anything you say. So you don’t stand a chance. Not at all.”
She grew angry. “You sonofabitch. You don’t get to do this shit to me.”
Brendan sighed. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
“Bullshit. You took away my life, my career as a rider. You snatched all that way when you left me.”
Brendan closed the distance between them.
“All you wanted to do was ride and get all the accolades and leave the work to everyone else. I got tired of cleaning up your messes and picking up after your laziness. I didn’t love you anymore.
And while you’re at it, think about this: I got custody of our son.
In Pennsylvania, that’s still pretty rare.
So keep that in mind.” There was no need for him to go into any more detail; he had gotten his point across.
“You really are an asshole, you know that,” she spat. That was Jenn’s go-to if she were losing an argument. When she started calling him names, she was out of all other ammunition.
“Maybe,” he said before turning away. Brendan didn’t look back as he went inside, closing the door. After a minute or two, Jenn pulled out of the drive and sped away.
“Daddy, look what Grandma gave me,” Jameson said as he showed Brendan a stuffed bear with big eyes and a blue bow. It was cute. “She said it would watch over me when I’m scared.”
Brendan smiled. “That’s really nice, Jameson. I’m glad you like it.” He lifted him into his arms. “And I’m glad you had a good time.”
“Mama made me eat peas,” Jameson said as he made his yuck face. “I don’t like peas.”
“Did you stay at a hotel?”
Jameson shook his head. “At Aunt Cindy’s house. There were lots of other kids to play with.”
“Did your mommy stay with you?” Brendan asked.
Jameson shook his head. “I played with the kids and Grandma.” He dumped his bag of Legos on the floor while Brendan met Lucas’s gaze. Lucas tilted his head toward the kitchen, and Brendan followed him.
“Do you know anyone in her family who would talk to you?” Lucas asked.
“Of course I do. Her aunt Lilly gave testimony in my favor at the custody hearings. She wrote a letter to the judge explaining how Jenn would take Jameson to visit the family and then pretty much disappear for the weekend, leaving the relatives to watch over him. And I’m willing to bet that was what happened this weekend.
I can give Lilly a call and see if she’ll tell me what happened. ”
“If I were you, I’d call Greg and see what he thinks. You may need Lilly in the future, so it makes sense to keep your powder dry. I don’t know. I’m just saying to get someone’s perspective who’s much better at thinking long-term than I am.”
“Good idea,” Brendan agreed. And he didn’t want to question Jameson on this.
“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Jameson half sang as he hurried into the kitchen.
“Did you stop to get something to eat on the way home?”
“No. Mommy said you could feed me,” he told him, and Brendan ground his teeth before getting Jameson some string cheese and crackers. Then he sat with him at the table while he ate, just to be with him. “I missed you, Daddy.”
“I missed you too.” He lightly hugged Jameson and got one in return.