“It doesn’t have to be forever. Just until everything is legal with Jesse. Sometimes the courts get things wrong, and I think gathering as much ammunition as possible to ensure you get Jesse, and not Cody, would be smart.”
“Even if it means gaining a husband? A man whose first impression was punching an employee in the jaw?”
“You said that was justified,” she points out.
“I said I could understand his reasoning, not that it was justified.”
Linnea huffs. “Well, first impressions aren't always reliable. You've got to give him a chance, especially now that you know he's Jesse's dad. He seems determined to be good to both of you, judging by his actions in the past forty-eight hours.”
She means how Cormac made sure I had plenty of food and time to eat it during meals by preparing my plates and taking Jesse off my hands.
And how he carefully carted Jesse around his rustic farmhouse, softly describing the baby’s family history.
It’d been sweet seeing the two of them together, and much too tempting to believe Cormac when he said he’d take care of us, no matter what.
No one has ever been able to fulfill that promise—not even my own parents who were biologically predisposed to love me—so trusting Cormac and marrying him?
I’m not ready to take that risk…yet.
10
CORMAC
Ihave a son.
The entire trip from High Ridge to Medford, Oregon was spent processing the news. Not that almost nine hours of driving and thinking got me anywhere.
I’m pissed that Jessica waited to name me as Jesse’s father until she got thrown in jail.
Frustrated that I’ve missed so much of my baby’s early days, even if he’ll never remember I wasn’t there for him.
But beyond the anger and hurt, there’s excitement, yearning, and definitely a sense of rightness—when it comes to both Overlands, JesseandDavie.
During the frequent stops we made on the drive, I got to witness how sweet and protective Davie is of my son. She let me hold him briefly at a rest stop before swooping him back into her arms for a diaper change. Then, she allowed me to feed him a few hours later when we stopped for dinner.
It’s obvious how much she loves Jesse and how wary she is of me.
I can’t blame her, especially after what she witnessed at the ranch, but I’m determined to prove my worth. To replace that awful first impression with evidence that Davie can trust me.
Pale moonlight shimmers through the windshield, practically washed out by streetlights as we cruise through a suburban neighborhood, and I note the late hour on the dashboard. Thankfully, we’re nearing the end of our journey and not still speeding down the highway.
Deer are a hazard almost everywhere these days, and the thought of Davie and Jesse crashing into a two-hundred-pound animal in her small sedan sends a spike of fear straight through my solar plexus.
An older apartment complex comes into view, and Davie parks in the cracked concrete lot. Swinging my truck around, I park next to her and get out.
She offered to let me stay on her couch for the night, since we have an appointment at the court-approved lab tomorrow morning. According to the internet, it’ll be another one to two weeks before I’m officially confirmed as Jesse’s biological dad.
But I can wait.
That will give me time to rearrange my life to fit a wife and kid.
And hopefully figure out how to convince Davie to marry me.
“Here we are.” Davie sweeps her arm forward to encompass the tiny apartment, dumping her keys in a ceramic bowl.
Linnea took off a few minutes ago after being repeatedly assured that we'd be fine alone. It's the first time we haven't had a buffer since our first meeting.
“It's nice,” I say. “Cozy.”
