Chapter 20
CORMAC
“Ican’t believe we both have sons.” Deacon shakes his head in disbelief before taking a sip of his beer.
“Better late than never,” I joke. Deacon had his son, Dylan, at sixteen with his then-girlfriend. Now, Dylan is old enough to be my own son’s father when our kids should have grown up together.
“Congratulations, brother,” Connor cheers, “you finally have everything you wanted—a beautiful wife and a cute as fuck kid.”
Briggs snorts, refusing to clink his beer bottle with the rest of ours at the center of the table. “Yeah, I mean, it really could have been any woman and kid, though. You just wanted a family. Handy that this one popped onto your doorstep.”
“Jesus!”
“Not cool, asshole.”
“What’s the matter with you?” I place a protective hand over Jesse’s chest, where he rests on my thigh. “I know you disagree with the speed of things between us, but I’ve had enough of your bitching. Disrespect my wife again, and that will be the last time. Understand?”
Briggs grunts and dips his chin in acknowledgment, though he doesn’t apologize for his harsh words.
Words that stick with me through the rest of the evening, on the drive home, and lying in bed waiting for Davie to finish her nightly routine.
Was Briggs right?
Would I have immediately married any woman who popped up on my ranch?
Am I using Davie to fulfill my dreams while ignoring what she needs? Sure, she needs me to retain custody of Jesse, but is that enough to justify everything else I’ve asked of her?
My gut rejects the possibility, but my head… It replays Briggs’s words over and over again.
“What’s wrong?” Davie asks, sliding beneath the covers next to me.
“I’ve always wanted a family. It’s never been a secret,” I admit, staring at the ceiling, afraid to see her reaction to this next part. “You and Jesse are a dream come true for me, but do you feel used? Like I was so desperate that any woman would do rather than wanting you, Davie?”
Remarkably, she laughs, and that has me rolling to my side to see what she thinks is so funny.
“Of all the things I worry about with us, I can honestly say that's not something that ever came to mind.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, maybe it's because Jesse is your biological son, so it's not like you would want to replace him. And you've never wanted Jessica. If you really would have accepted anyone in your life just to have somebody, it could have easily been the biological mother of your son, even if she is in jail.”
“That never would have happened. It’s been you from the moment I saw you. There was a visceral reaction I've never had before to anyone else. It's just a bonus that you are my son's aunt.”
“Then, we’re good,” she says, bending lower for a quick kiss, before rearing back with a mischievous smile. “Plus, I like knowing I’m not the only one who gets anxious over random stuff.”
“Oh, yeah? Are you making fun of me, wife?” Thankful our conversation didn’t turn into the bomb I was afraid it would, I tickle Davie and laugh when she tries swatting me away.
This is how we should spend our time together: laughing then making love. Not concerning ourselves with what others think.
Briggs may be one of my best friends, but he’s not number one in my life. Davie and Jesse share that spot.
It would hurt to end our decades-long friendship, but if he can’t support me, and be respectful of my family, then that’s what will have to happen.
Because I will always protect my wife and son.