I thought about Jenna’s calculated friendliness at the diner, the way she’d researched my life online, her comment about Chloe being “beautiful.” She’d known exactly who Chloe was. And when she’d seen her opportunity in that parking lot, she’d taken it.
God, what had she told Chloe?
I walked back inside to find Jack and Harper tidying up, Emma presumably napping upstairs.
“Everything okay?” Harper asked, reading my expression.
“She’s staying overnight at the Jenkins farm. It’s going to be a late one, and the road’s too dangerous in the dark.” I ran my hand through my hair and sat down heavily on the couch.
Jack studied my face, then looked at Harper, who nodded. He sat down opposite me. “You want to talk about it?”
I hesitated. “I should talk to Chloe first.”
“Okay,” Jack said simply, not pushing.
We sat in silence for a moment. Then the words just came out. “I have a son.”
Jack’s beer stopped halfway to his mouth. “What?”
“A four-year-old boy named Leo. His mother showed up with him on Chloe’s birthday. The timing matches up with my Chicago holiday five years ago.” I ran my hands through my hair again. “We did the paternity test this morning. Expedited processing. Results come back tomorrow. But, honestly, you only have to look at him to know he’s mine.”
“Jesus, Sam.” Jack set down his beer carefully. “How’s Chloe handling this?”
“She doesn’t know.” The words felt like lead dropping from my mouth.
“Fuck, Sam.” Jack’s voice was sharp with frustration, his jaw tight. “You haven’t told her?”
“No—wait.” I shook my head, running my hands through my hair again. “She knows something. She saw me with them at the medical clinic parking lot when I took Leo for the paternity test. She knows about the money I’ve spent on Leo.” I paused, the sick feeling returning. “And Jenna approached her. After I left the clinic, Jenna introduced herself. I don’t know what she said, but she talked to her.”
“Wait, what?” Harper sat down beside Jack, her eyes wide. “You’ve been keeping this a secret from her, and she just confronted you over the phone?”
I nodded, my hands clasped between my knees. “She told me she’s angry I didn’t just talk to her. That I’ve been shutting her out.” I let out a shaky breath. “She wants us both to take the afternoon off, switch off our phones, and just talk.”
Jack leaned back against the couch cushions as he processed what I’d said. “So she knows there’s a kid and she’s put two and two together, but you haven’t actually confirmed he’s yours?”
“I would have told her on the phone, but she kept cutting me off. Said it wasn’t a conversation to have over the phone. That she needed to focus on the alpacas, then we’d talk face to face.” I rubbed my face with both hands, feeling the stubble on my jaw. “She made it very clear she’s angry. But she’s choosing to face it with me instead of being a coward like I’ve been.”
Harper let out a breath, her expression softening. “She’s strong.”
“She is.” A small smile tugged at my lips despite everything. “She’s been putting me off because she was exhausted from that nasty cattle business, but now she’s ready to talk. She’s compartmentalizing — alpacas first, then dealing with me.”
Harper made a sound that was suspiciously like a giggle. Jack shot her a stern look, which only made her giggle more.
“I’m sorry,” Harper said, not sounding sorry at all, her eyes dancing with amusement. “It’s just — alpacas first, then you. That’s so Chloe.”
Despite everything, I found myself laughing too. “Yeah, I’ve definitely been put in my place.”
Jack’s lips twitched despite himself, but the smile faded quickly. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his expression growing serious again. “So tomorrow you’ll tell her everything?”
I looked between them, feeling the weight of their scrutiny. “I tried multiple times before this. The day I met them, I came home planning to tell her everything, but she’d been called out to the Jenkins’ and wasn’t there. The next night, I tried again when she got home, but she literally fell asleep mid-conversation.”
Jack’s expression was skeptical, one eyebrow raised. “You didn’t try very hard.”
I wanted to argue, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. The truth sat heavily in my chest. “It’s only been five days since Chloe’s birthday, but it feels like a lifetime.” I looked between them, needing them to understand. “Jenna’s broke, moving from motel to motel with Leo. He looks exactly like me. Like, undeniably mine. And I’ve been trying to help him — paying for their motel, meals, getting Leo some toys — while figuring out how to tell Chloe without destroying everything we’ve built.”
Jack was quiet for a long moment, his eyes distant. I could see him processing, comparing my situation to his own crisis four years ago. When he finally looked at me, there was understanding in his expression, but also something harder.
“I get it,” he finally said. “I get the impulse to try to fix everything before involving the person you love. To wait until you have all the answers. But I’m telling you from experience – that approach doesn’t work. It makes everything worse.”
