sometimes a little lacking in charm. Stacy was already scared of me thanks to my outburst, I didn’t need my parents nosing their way into the private affair.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, okay? Right now, she is pissed off, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she never speaks to me again.”
“Well, that’s your first problem. If you want any chance at getting your kid, then you need to make nice with that lady real quick.” Thompson said.
“I hate to say it, but he’s right.” Jackson sighed. “From what I know, Stacy is a smart woman. She isn’t going to run off with the boy until there are no other options. The best course of action you can take is to start kissing her ass.”
“Then swoop in with the attorneys after she’s been buttered up and get what rightfully is yours,” Thompson said.
“I think you’d do better to be nice,” said Jackson. “But you should get ahold of the attorneys as well. They can't legally say anything to mom or dad, so you’d be safe to reach out to them on a personal matter. See if there is anything you can do to change the tide in our favor.”
“Change the tide? Jesus, it’s no wonder Stacy didn’t want me to know about Harrison. You guys are talking about taking a child away from his mother.” I said.
“Easy now, no one is talking about doing that. We do have an obligation to make sure that a Wheeler child is taken care of, whether part of the family or not. What if it turns out she’s a terrible mother, or she really does leave the state? Or the country, for that matter? How are you going to feel about her then.”
“She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t take him away now that I know about him.”
“Right,” Thompson snorted. “Because she was just running to you to share the news of his birth, huh? I don’t think that woman gives two shits about the Wheeler name. She’ll skip town without giving you another thought, mark my words.”
“Did you just bring him so he could get his ass kicked?” I asked Jackson.
He chuckled. “No, but I can't say I’d blame you either. I think that this is a fair trade. We’ll keep mom in the dark if you get ahold of the legal team first and find out more about Stacy second. Befriend her, talk to her, see if some kind of custody agreement can be reached outside of the courtroom.”
“Come on, Walker,” Thompson goaded. “You’ve been friend-zoned so many times, this has to be second nature to you by now.”
“You little shit –
I lunged for Thompson, who scurried off the porch, not looking back until he was a good way down the hill near the barns. The meandering farmhands greeted him like an old friend. I was grateful for his parting. Jackson had the patients of a saint when it came to Thompsons snarky comments and playboy attitude.
In truth, Jackson and Thompson were a lot alike though Hailey had softened Jackson considerably. I hated to admit it, but the little talk had done wonders. It felt like I at least had an idea of what I needed to do. Although right off the bat, I knew I was going to run into problems trying to befriend Stacy. Our last encounter had left us both shaken.
“For what it’s worth, I think Stacy is one of the good ones,” Jackson said.
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, a couple of things. First of all, she is friends with Hailey, and I’d trust that woman’s judge of character over anyone else’s any day of the week. Second, Stacy caught your eye that night for whatever reason. You don’t fall for just anyone, Walker. You’ve always had a soft heart for a good woman.”
“Then why the hell am I still single?” I asked.
Jackson chuckled. “For the same reason I was, the right one just hadn’t come along yet. Maybe this is all part of a bigger plan. You never know, she might be your person.”
“She won’t even stand in the same room as me, I don’t think she’s going to be walking down the aisle anytime soon if it’s up to her.”
Jackson fell silent next to me as Thompson made his way back up the hill with a cold beer. The early hour didn’t faze him any. My mind was still dancing around what Jackson had said. Even if fate was somehow trying to bring Stacy and