Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable #7) - Heather Long Page 0,135

But I’ve chosen a different path.”

I really hoped his dad let it go. All he said was, “We can revisit it in a few years. After college then. You’d do well. You have all the right qualities and qualifications. Good way to take care of your family.”

“As you’ve told me many times.”

On the screen, a woman came into view, and if you’d asked me to describe Klara, I wouldn’t have picked her out in a million years, but she was the babysitter. The one who looked after the girls and Jake on some weekends when his parents went away. I didn’t see her often at other times, and I guessed she wasn’t the babysitter, she was just who I’d thought was the babysitter.

“Hello, Jake,” she said, greeting him as she took a seat next to the colonel. Unlike him, she was dressed in more relaxed civilian clothes. Her hair was dark like Jake’s and his mom’s, but it was cut short like a pixie.

“Klara,” he said, and with a squeeze to my hand, he added, “It’s good to see you. I’m sorry I’ve been a stranger. I had—” He cut a glance to his father, but I kept my gaze on Jake. “I had to work through some things.”

“We understand. And I mean that. The girls tell us all about your exploits, and I’m so glad we’re finally getting to see you again. Frankie, I’m afraid I still remembered a girl with dirt on her face and skinned knees who got in as many fights as Jake did.”

I laughed. “Well, he probably wins that now, but mostly ’cause he doesn’t let me fight.”

“Damn right,” Jake said in the same breath as his father, and they both grinned. It was the first moment of real accord that I’d seen, and something in me relaxed. After a few more minutes, I kissed Jake’s forehead and excused myself, even as Klara did the same. It was good to let the two of them talk on their own.

I went out to the living room, and I was halfway through the third book about Madison Kate and discovering what Steele had done with a piercing when Jake emerged. Somehow, I didn’t think he’d go for it, but now I was curious. “How did it go?”

“Good,” he said, scooping me up and glancing at my Kindle. He frowned, then pulled it to read a few lines. I snuggled against him as he paged back once and grimaced. “I love you, but fuck no, Baby Girl. Talk to Coop, I bet he’d do it.”

I burst out laughing, and he kissed me.

Then of course, we had to go back to the first book in the series, ’cause Jake wanted to read it too. It was only when we were getting ready for bed that he asked me about calling my father. Well, sperm donor.

The guy who fucked Maddy and the result was me.

Yeah, none of those sounded particularly attractive.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I go back and forth on it, and…he’s married, Jake.” I crawled up the bed on my knees as he dragged the covers back, and then we slid under them. We were alone tonight because of the call to his dad, though I had no doubt Coop would show up. Jake dragged me into the middle of the bed, so he probably figured the same thing.

He turned out the lights, and I tucked my cheek against his chest as he rubbed my shoulder. “Talk to me?”

“He’s married and he’s got three kids—an older boy and fraternal twins. Wittaker spoke to him. So he knows about me now and he wants to talk to me, but I don’t know. It’s…he seems like a nice guy I guess, and maybe he never knew or maybe he did. He says he didn’t, or at least that’s what he told Wittaker.”

“You don’t believe him?”

“I don’t know him. He has a whole other family.” Why would he want me?

Why did I want him? Did I even want him?

“Well, if he didn’t know about you, then you’re as much a surprise to him as he is to you. The fact he wants to talk to you says good things about him. That he’s not immediately dismissing you.” Kind of hard when we had the DNA tests, but I got his point. “You’re never going to know unless you talk to him or meet him.”

“What if he turns out to be a jerk like Edward or Maddy?” I grimaced. “I mean, Patience