Sobs broke from Linx’s gasping breath. “Our mother left because of me. And I carry the curse of running away. I’m the most like her, the most unstable. I didn’t want Jessie to be hurt the way Iwas.”
The baggage Linx was carrying was far heavier than he’d suspected. That and the haunted look in that baby’s eyes—as if she’d known she wasn’t wanted and loved—had Grady’s heart splitting wide open just like the twisted sculpture left on herporch.
“Why are we trying to take her away from the Pattersons?” Beccaasked.
Why indeed? Grady scratched his head, knowing he would hate doing the right thing. He wanted his daughter, but was it already toolate?
“I want Grady to have his rights, so he won’t hate me forever.” Linx couldn’t stand to look either her sister or Grady in theeye.
“Linx, I don’t—” Grady grabbed her arm, lifting her from the floor. “I mean, it’s not fair,but…”
If she were doing this for him—to make up for hurting him, it was unnecessary. She’d just validated that she truly loved him, and that he could trust her, but she still didn’t believe he wouldn’t hurt or abandon her—or as she put it, hateher.
“Don’t lie to me.” A blaze of fire shot through Linx’s dark-brown eyes and she shoved herself from him. “Don’t stand there and tell me it doesn’t matter. I screwed up your life, and I deserve to take thehit.”
He couldn’t let her go down because of this. She’d been a vulnerable young woman—just like she’d been a vulnerable baby, a small child abandoned by her mother. But still, he wanted his daughter and he wanted her—maybemore.
“Wait, what are our options?” Grady turned to Becca. “Is there any other way? I want to be in Jessie’s life. I want to be herfather.”
“You will be. You deserve to be,” Linx screamed, pulling her own hair and shaking her head wildly. “Just not with me. I cheated you out of it and I’ll go down. Perjury, jail, a record. You’ll all be better off withoutme.”
He reached out to grab her, but Becca blocked him as Linx tore from the den, slamming the door behind her. “Let her go. She needs to be alone. As for you, I’m going to order a paternity test before we do anythingelse.”
“You mean, the child might not even be mine?” Grady’s entire chest caved in and he staggered, holding himself against the wood-paneledwall.
