very clear he has no intention of settling down. I don’t want to have him for a couple of months and then have him cast us to the side. I can’t do that. Not again.”
She nodded in that therapist kind of way. “I see. Old hurts are haunting you.”
“I like to think of it as experience guiding me. Fool me once and all that. I fell for him once. I won’t do it again. This thing he’s doing with Jace, I don’t know what it’s about, but I can’t let it happen.”
“I doubt he’s trying to be Jace’s father. You don’t have to marry the guy and make him the stepdaddy. Besides, maybe you can find happiness with him. What happened between you guys was in the past. I’m sure you’ve changed since then. Can’t you believe he changed?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have the luxury of giving him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Because you’re worried he’s going to worm his way into Jace’s life and become the father figure Jace never had?”
“Quite frankly, yes. Nash isn’t father material. I know that.”
“But he could be. He might need a little training, but he could be Jace’s father. His adopted father, that is.”
I looked away. I didn’t want to get into this conversation. “I can’t,” I whispered.
Joss was quiet for a moment. “When were you and Nash together?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean,” she said breathlessly. “Nine years ago? Ten years?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
Her eyes widened. I could see her putting together the pieces. I knew what she was going to ask me, and I had no idea how I was going to answer her. “Saige, is Nash Jace’s biological father?” she whispered.
I looked into my glass, watching the little bubbles in the wine pop. I couldn’t answer.
“Holy shit,” she hissed. “Holy freaking shit.”
I looked up at her. I sighed and shook my head. “I’m in a bit of a pickle,” I said.
She nodded. “Yeah, you are. Holy shit. I can’t even. I don’t even know what to say.”
“I should go,” I told her. “I need to get Jace home.”
“Are you okay?” she asked me. “Like really okay? I had no idea you were dealing with so much.”
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I just need to think everything through.”
She reached out her hand and covered mine. “I’m here if you need to talk. You know my door is always open.”
“I do know and thank you.”
Chapter 50
Nash
Nine years ago
Things were looking up. I had sold the laundromats and was sitting on a pile of money. I had to choose my next business venture carefully. With the amount of capital I had, I could go big. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. If I screwed this up, I would be broke. All the hard work over the last few years would go up in smoke. I needed to be careful. I had to plan every move.
I heard my phone ring. I considered ignoring it, but I was expecting a call. I looked at the screen and recognized the number. “Hey, you,” I answered in an attempt to sound casual.
“Hi,” the breathy voice came through the phone. “I miss you.”
I cringed but reminded myself this was a necessary evil. “I’ve been busy, Mel,” I said.
“You can’t leave a girl hanging. I thought we had a great time the other night. Didn’t we?”
I licked my lips. “I did.”
“Then why haven’t you called me?” she pouted.
“I’m sorry. I was—I am—really busy. I’ve got a meeting in about five minutes. Can I call you tonight when I get home?”
“Why don’t you come over to my place and we can talk?” she cooed.
“I can’t tonight. Maybe tomorrow? You can come over to my place. I’ll make us dinner.”
“Uh, no. You live in a shoebox.”
I cringed at the thought of spending time with her at all. “Fine, I’ll go to your place. I can’t do it tonight. I’ve got things to do. I’ll call you later.”
“Nash, you better call me,” she said. “I’ve got a string of men waiting for their chance with me. You snooze, you lose. I’m only calling you because I like you. Don’t stand me up.”
The phone went dead. I rolled my eyes. I was seriously making a deal with the devil with this one. Mel, short for Melanie Hightower, was the daughter of a real estate tycoon. She didn’t have any money herself, but she would inherit, and she did have connections. Her name opened doors I would