“Anything for you, Dee,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against my temple again.
The doctor shifts slightly, clearing his throat. “Well, the results are in, Colt.”
Colt smiles faintly, confident. Ready.
But something in the doctor’s tone makes the air go still.
Chapter Thirty-Five
DEE
The doctor hands Colt an envelope, and something about it feels ominous. Colt opens it with a slight smile, but it fades the second his eyes hit the page.
My stomach flips as I watch his face drain of expression.
“I’m sorry, son,” the doctor says gently. “The results came back ninety-nine point seven percent negative. You arenotthe father of that child.”
I gasp, slapping a hand over my mouth.
Colt stumbles backward like he’s been shot, collapsing onto the stair behind him. “I’mnot…Caleb’s father?”
The doctor places a hand on Colt’s shoulder. “No. I’m sorry.”
I sit down beside Colt and wrap my arm around him, trying to steady the shaking that’s taken over his body. My heart aches for him. He wanted this so badly. In his heart, he knew Caleb was his. The dates, the resemblance, it all made sense.
“Colt?” I whisper.
He looks at me, and I recognize the shift in his eyes instantly. The sadness disappears, replaced by something far more dangerous.
Rage.
“Colt, stop,” I whisper urgently as he shoots up from the stair with his chest heaving.
“Macy!” he bellows so loud it rattles the walls.
I jump up after him. “Colt, please. Just breathe.”
“Calm down? You want me to calm down?” he growls, shaking out of my grip. “Macy!”
She appears in the living room doorway, frowning. “What? Why are you yelling?”
He storms toward her.
“Colt!” I call out, chasing after him, but he brushes past me like I’m not even there.
“Caleb. Is.Not. Mine,” he snaps, punctuating every word.
Macy recoils. “What are you talking about? Of course, he’s yours!”
Hux steps in, placing a hand on Colt’s chest. “What’s going on?”
Colt’s eyes don’t leave Macy’s. “Tell us, Mace. Tell us how you lied. How you tricked me into paying for everything. Into believing I was fixingmy kid.”
“What are you talking about?” Macy asks, shaking her head. “Colt, what the hell is wrong with you?”
I reach for Colt’s hand again, trying to ground him, but he yanks away. “Don’t touch me, Dee,” he snaps without looking at me.
I recoil, hugging my arms around myself.
