Wide Open Spaces (Shooting Stars #2) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,52

me. Not that I’ll leave.

“Zach being here has nothing to do with you understanding that our son was scared the second he heard your voice and saw you outside our house a minute ago.”

“I would never hurt him,” he snarls, leaning forward.

Every muscle in my body tenses, as I growl, “Stand back.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“You get in my woman’s face, and I’ll more than tell you what to do.”

“Is this guy for real?” he asks, pointing at me while looking at Shel.

“He is, only because you need to take a breath and calm down. I know you’re upset, and I know you wouldn’t hurt Hunter, not on purpose, but you did,” she says quietly, and he leans back, frowning.

“He should have his dad.”

“Yeah, he should, but it’s not fair to make him feel like he has to choose between the two people he should trust to make sure he’s happy and safe.”

“He’s not choosing.”

“He’s been happy, Max. Until all of this stuff with the lawyers and custody, he’s been happy. He’s been settling in, making new friends, going on adventures, but also looking forward to seeing you and sharing all of that with you.” She points at him, then asks quietly, “When was the last time he called to tell you about his day? Called to tell you about camp or his new friends?”

“I told you I haven’t spoken to him in awhile, Shelby.”

“I know, but do you wonder if maybe what you told him forced him to close down on you? He was excited to share something with you, and you freaked out on him and me.”

“It was a bear, not a damn kitten.”

“He was safe. I would never put him in danger. I would cut off my own hand before ever putting him in danger, Max. You know that,” she conveys, and his shoulders sag ever so slightly.

“I miss him. I miss both of you,” he confesses, and it takes everything in me to keep in my place and my mouth shut.

“Max, please don’t. I care about you. I will always care about you, but before we ended, we ended. The only thing I want is for Hunter to have both of us.”

“You took him from me.”

“I didn’t take him from you. I moved. I told you almost a year before I moved that I was going to get out of Seattle. You and I agreed Hunter should live with me.”

Running a hand through his hair, he leans his head back. “I don’t like it.”

“I know you don’t, but Max, can you honestly tell me that if he lived with you, you’d be home? You wouldn’t be working all the time and traveling for business as much as you do now?” she asks, and his face goes hard.

“I have to work.”

Swallowing, her face softens and her lip goes between her teeth for a moment. “I know you have to work, and I know you love what you do, but if he lived with you, who would be with Hunter when you were working or out of town?” she asks gently.

“I’ll get a nanny.”

“When we found out I was pregnant, we both wanted one thing. We wanted our son to know he is loved,” she says, and pain rocks through me, because that was all we wanted for Samuel too. We wanted him to know he was loved beyond reason. Beyond us making him, we wanted him to have a family who could give him everything he wanted and needed. Everything we couldn’t give him at the time. “You told me once that you didn’t want Hunter to be raised by a nanny. To grow up the way you did, always feeling like no one really cared about you except for the people being paid to.”

“We’re not talking about this in front of your boyfriend.” He turns toward me expectantly.

“I’m not leaving,” I state evenly, and Shel’s face softens further before she moves to stand in front of me, but his eyes are still locked on mine over her head.

“Hunter and I are building a life here, and part of that life includes Zach and his kids. I won’t talk about your past in front of him if you don’t want me to, but he’s not going anywhere.”

“I know who he is Shelby,” he says, lowering his eyes to her.

“I know you do,” she agrees softly, taking a step back toward me. “And he knows you’re Hunter’s dad, and the guy who came at me, threatening to