Chapter Fifteen
One week later.
Jinx was taking advantage of the fact that he’d been given the approval to start doing some of the lighter chores on the ranch. He wanted to jump back in with both feet, but he’d agreed to take things slow.
He finished tending to the livestock and took the bucket back into the barn. As he removed his gloves, the black silicone ring on his fourth finger caught him by surprise, just as it had been every time since Justice placed it there. The realization hit him hard, like an invisible punch to the gut. He was still trying to understand what had gone wrong between him and his wife.
After the ceremony, she’d invited him to her bed. Every night. And then one day, she shut him out, barely saying enough words to him to build a sentence over the last week. He’d tried to ask her what was wrong, but she’d given him the cold shoulder. It was like a switch had flipped. He was going stir-crazy because he couldn’t work his ass off on the land, and he had few ways of releasing his stress.
He missed his wife.
His wife.
It had a special ring to it.
He wanted to make things right between them, but he had no clue what he’d done to create the wedge.
Jinx was finishing up for the day when he heard a car pull up outside the barn. He stepped outside and saw Lanah. He met her halfway, curious why she was there. He’d made his thoughts on the matter of them continuing any kind of relationship abundantly clear the last time. “What brings you out here?” He stuffed his gloves into his back pocket.
Her frown deepened. “Considering it has been a week, and I haven’t heard a peep from you it makes a girl a little curious.” She crossed her arms over her waist. She looked tired and unhappy.
Jinx rubbed his forehead. “Didn’t realize you were waiting to hear from me.” What the hell was happening with everyone around him? Was there something in the water supply?
She lifted her chin slightly. “This isn’t something you can ignore away.”
“Pardon me, Lanah, but I’m lost. I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
Her arms dropped to her sides. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.” He didn’t have time for games.
“Well, then you can thank your wife for this little mix-up. Obviously, she didn’t want you to know. Figures.”
He didn’t know Lanah very well, but she didn’t seem like her usually perky self. In fact, she looked pasty and frazzled. “I don’t know what you’re referring to, but if you need to speak to Justice she’s up at the house—”
“No, I don’t want to speak to her again. What good will that do? Not that it matters, but I had an appointment today with an obstetrician. I don’t owe you anything, but I thought I’d share the first picture of our baby.”
Jinx laughed. “Is this some kind of joke? Did someone from the crew set this up?” He looked around for one of the crew.
“I assure you, I wouldn’t joke about something as serious as a baby.” She held a piece of paper up. “Here’s that photo.” She shoved it into his chest.
He gazed intently at the black-and-white image before him. “What is this?”
“It’s an ultrasound picture. You know, of the baby that I’m carrying.”
Jinx considered himself a reasonably smart man, but he couldn’t process what Lanah was telling him. “You’re pregnant. I guess I should congratulate you.”
She smirked. “Don’t you mean congratulations to us both, daddy-to-be?”
“Lanah, I don’t know what game you’re playing but I don’t find it funny.” He shoved the photo back at her, but she didn’t take it.
“Have you forgotten that you and I slept together?” she said to his back as he started to walk away.
He swiveled. “Yes, we did, but we used protection.”
Her expression twisted. “They’re only ninety-nine percent effective.”
He retraced his steps. “How?”
“Do you really need me to explain the birds and the bees to you?” she said saucily.
“You told me you were on the pill,” he said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear.
The rigidness in her expression faded. “I wasn’t. I don’t remember telling you that I was.”
Jinx felt the breath leave his lungs. Suddenly, Justice’s silent treatment made a hell of a lot of sense. “You spoke to Justice about this?”
“This? Get used to saying ‘baby’, Jinx. We have eighteen years that we’ll be attached to one another.” Her spark returned.
“How do you know that the baby is mine?”
Her gaze narrowed. “I don’t sleep around despite what the Rose sisters say.”
“You told me you were seeing someone else.” At this point, he was grasping at straws. Something about this didn’t feel right, but then again, it could be possible.
“He was after you. Do the math. The due date is on the photo.” She lifted a brow.
Suddenly his world was crumbling around his ears. How could he have been so careless? One night was going to change his life forever. “I need a moment. I need to speak to Justice.”
Lanah sighed. “Of course you do. Just don’t make me wait too long. I’d hate to find myself going to Sam and letting him know his new son-in-law knocked me up.”
“There’s no reason to involve anyone else in this until the time comes. I have a wife that I need to consider.” And he doubted she’d ever forgive him.
“I’ll give you two days. Got it? Two days,” she repeated.
She appeared frantic.
He watched her stomp back toward her car and the cloud of dust she created as she sped down the lane.
Would Justice speak to him?
They needed to talk.
He felt numb as he headed toward the house. Ilene had mentioned to him that she and Justice were planning to paint her bedroom. He took the stairs two at a time, his heart beating so fast he thought it might pop out of his chest. All he could think was that he’d hurt his chances of making his wife happy and having a family for Ilene.
Upstairs, Ilene and Justice’s laughter filtered out into the hallway. Music was playing and they were singing along. Justice had taken Ilene under her wing. They’d become friends, sisters. He loved this. Everything had felt so right up until they weren’t.
All because he’d made a colossal mistake.
When he stepped into the bedroom, neither his sister nor Justice saw him. They were busily singing and dancing while they moved the rollers up and down the wall. He didn’t realize he was smiling until his cheeks ached. Ilene looked so happy and content.
Justice was the first to notice him.
All the joy left her features, and accusation filled her expression. She dropped the roller into the pan and shut the music off.
“Hey! I love that song,” Ilene complained. Then she saw Jinx. “Have you come to help paint?” Her smile was warm.
“Maybe later, but I need to speak to Justice right now. Can you give us a moment?”
“I guess. I will.” She set the roller down. “I need to check my messages. I met a new friend at school today and we plan to go shopping this weekend.” There was an entire transformation in Ilene.
“That sounds like fun. We’ll talk about it later, okay?” He hated to rush her away, but the conversation he was about to have with Justice might destroy everything he’d built.
“Have fun you two,” Ilene sung on her way out.
Jinx closed the door.
“Lanah came to visit you, didn’t she?” Justice’s voice was so soft he almost couldn’t hear her.
He swiped his palms down his face. “She did. Justice, I—”
“I almost told you a dozen times but couldn’t find the right words.” Dark circles lined her eyes. He felt responsible for her sadness.
“You shut me out,” he groaned.
“This…the baby changes everything.”
He took a step but stopped. “It doesn’t have to. What I did, sleeping with Lanah, was before you. It was one night.”
Justice shook her head. “One night or ten. It doesn’t matter. We all have a past, but we’re talking about a child. A son or daughter that will need your care forever.”
“I haven’t had time to wrap my head around this…all this, but are you saying we don’t have a chance because of the child?”
She looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. “What I’m saying is if you would have known, if we would have known, we would have never gotten married.”
He took another step, needing to be closer to her. “Do you think I want to be with Lanah?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head and sending tendrils of hair swirling around her cheeks. “But I know you, and you will want to be with your child. I want you to be free to be with your child.”
He removed his hat and tossed it onto the bed. “I made a mistake. The baby isn’t a mistake, but if I had known that you and I would end up in this situation today, I would've made a different choice and not been with her. I had no idea.”
“This is all so new. It’s a situation that doesn’t have an easy answer.”
“There’s something you should know.” He inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled. “Lanah threatened to go to Sam and tell him about the baby.” As he watched several flickers of different emotions cross her face, a wave of disappointment washed over him. It felt like they were discussing something far from the truth. He was grappling with the reality of the situation.
“What are you planning to do?”
“The right thing. I’ll speak to Sam. He needs to hear the truth from me. I won’t allow anyone to hold anything over our heads.”
“That’s best. Daddy will be fair.”
“Where does this leave us?”
She looked at him with great concern turning her blue eyes almost sapphire. “I don’t know. I’m sorry I didn’t speak with you sooner. I didn’t know how to broach the subject. I apologize. This is something you need to figure out. If you want your freedom because you want to be with—”
He stomped across the space and took her hands, holding them. “I don’t want my freedom. I want what I have now. The baby doesn’t have to change anything. Whatever is decided, we will decide together.” He pulled her into his arms, holding her, kissing the top of her head.
“It’s all overwhelming. I need time to come to grips with the news.” She lifted her head. “I understand this wasn’t planned. But it’s still a lot to soak in.”
“I won’t pressure you, but it’s important that you know I’m here any time you want to talk.”