“I need you to get cell phone records for me. I need to know who a call came from between two and three this afternoon. Can you do that?”
“When have I not been able to do what you need? Do you need anything other than the number?”
“Information on who it belongs to. I’ll text you the information you need and send the funds to the usual account upon completion.”
I don’t say anything else or wait for his response before ending the call. He’ll do what I ask and I’ll have the information before tomorrow.
The only question is, do I want to share it with Earl?
Chapter seven
Melissa
This can’t be. After all these years, I never thought I’d hear that name again.
Dolson.
Just thinking it has me cringing, wanting to hide. But I can’t.
I need to go to work today and plaster my badass, take no nonsense, face on.
But all I can think about is him. His voice. So many nights I laid awake wondering what it would sound like. Who he would grow up to be.
“Come on, Melissa, one more push and your sweet child will be here. You can do it.” The nurse cheers me on, as tears stream down my face. The pain is almost unbearable, but not as much as what I know will come after.
“Ahh,” I scream as the pain rips through me.
“Okay, Melissa, push,” the doctor orders and I bear down with all I have. “Okay, one more push and we’ll have your baby fully out. Just a little bit more, Melissa. Push.” I take hold of my thighs and take a deep breath before pushing with all my might.
“It’s a boy!” is announced loudly just as a faint cry rings out.
My baby.
I fall back on the bed, tears falling, wishing that it was the happy day it should be.
Turning my head, I see the nurses working on him. He’s beautiful. Big. If he has hair, it’s so light you can’t see it and a set of lungs like no other.
“Want to hold him, Mama?” the nurse asks and I shake my head, unable to speak. I know once I have him in my arms, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to let him go. I’ve worked too hard to ensure his safety to screw up now.
I shake myself out of the past. There’s nothing good that comes from dwelling there. I did that far too long with Earl and look where it got me. I made one little mistake, hoping he would see what I saw in Ashlynn. That once she confided in the boys about why she was running that they’d go to Earl and it would all come out.
But it didn’t. And I became the villain of the story. He pushed me away again, my heart crumbling even more with his rejection. I can’t go through it a third time. What happens when he finds out I have a son out there? One I gave away. He knows my story; it’s why they helped me so many years ago. But, I didn’t tell them everything. I still have secrets lingering in my past, pressing into my future, that I want to keep hidden.
When I pull up to the diner, I want nothing more than to turn around and go back home. I shut my phone off when I got home yesterday, afraid he might call back. And I didn’t want Jaxton asking me any questions about how he found me. It’s bad enough I know I’ll be getting them today.
Taking a deep breath, I get out of my car and head inside. The morning rush should be over, and it’s still a couple of hours before lunch. I can beeline straight to my office and hide there, doing paperwork until I’m needed.
I know Jax isn’t in until later and if all goes well, I’ll be in and out before he gets here.
AJ’s busy behind the counter with the older man that Mack loves to sit and talk with at the counter, Dewey. He’s a veteran and Mack has a soft spot for him, always paying for his meals. He never bothers anyone, coming in twice a day to eat, per Mack’s request. When he came back from the war, he suffered from PTSD and couldn’t acclimate back to normal life, so he lives on the street. He takes a shower at the garage every couple of days. When he finally passes, I don’t know how Mack is going to handle it, especially since Dewey’s health has been failing lately.
I give AJ a wave that she returns, but I can’t help but notice the glint in her eyes as she gives me a knowing smile. Odd. But I don’t question it. Maybe the gossips were hanging out at the fence talking about the state I left in yesterday. Or the fact that not one, but two men, were in my office for extended periods yesterday.
Shaking it off, I head on to the back and straight to my office. A quick glance in the kitchen confirms that Jax isn’t here, but it’s early. A small part of me had hoped that he might have been here, waiting to see me, especially after no contact from him last night.
Fuck, I’m a walking contradiction. I want him here; I don’t want him here. My heart aches for Earl even if it breaks again, but I don’t want to go through it. When did my love life get so complicated? I thought after Mary, I’d never be caught in a love triangle again, but here I am.
I blow out a breath, grip my door handle and twist it, quickly stepping inside my office to the solitude it provides. Quickly closing the door behind me, I rest my head against it as I allow my racing heart to calm.
