“Because the son of a bitch did it in front of her,” he told them.
“Damn,” Garrett swore. “Does she know he’s your dad?”
“Do I seem stupid enough to say, ‘Hey, that’s my father,’” he asked sarcastically.
“You have to tell her,” Julio said quietly. “She can’t hear this from anyone else but you.”
“Man, I can’t tell her now. She’s barely recovered from pneumonia, and tonight’s her first real meal in ages,” Jameson explained. “I searched for her for months, and now I have to let her go. There’s no way she’ll get past this.”
“Caroline stabbed a man to keep him from whipping a young teen. You don’t think she can handle your father’s an asshole?” Julio questioned him. “You’re not giving yourself any credit. How many months have you searched for her? I think she’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Really? How did it work out for Riley and Garrett? You kicked her out of your house because Kenny put doubts in your head,” Jameson said, letting the anger at the unfairness of it all flow through him.
“I admit I lost my mind for a hot five minutes,” Garrett confessed. “Do you recall how much it cost me? Riley leftbecause I didn’t communicate with her. I reminded her of her abusive dad because I acted like him. You’ve done nothing to deserve any affiliation with James Stanton.”
“Do you think she’ll care? The bastard sold her. He shot her parents. Every time she sees me, I’ll remind her of my father,” he said, tormented.
Matthew cleared his throat. “First, you barely resemble James Stanton. Second, we can call Kassie and have her fly down. She can vouch for you,” he suggested.
“No. Kassie may trust me, but we all know the reason why Leo put me on this team. He forced you to take me on because Kassie refused to let them discard me like a piece of trash. It didn’t matter how I stopped James from taking them or killing Samantha. They put me in the hospital and forgot me unless they showed up with questions. When I healed, Leo paid me a visit and offered me this gig.”
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You didn’t spend six years getting told when to eat, shower, or who to fuck,” Julio growled. “When the timing feels right, you sit down and explain it all to her.”
“What do you consider a perfect time? When she’s staying in a survivor’s cabin, wondering what she’ll do with the rest of her life since my dad stole her life,” Jameson asked. “I lived with the mother fucker, and I hated every minute. He doted on his son, Phillip, and gave me scraps. When he got killed, the old man turned his eyes on me to uphold the family name. I fell for his story on how Kassie caused all the problems. I planned to hurt an innocent woman and her kid. Matthew gave me the opportunity to get close, and I realized how full of shit my father was. Maybe I’m my father’s son after all.”
“What a crock of shit,” Garrett exploded. “You’ve saved countless men, women, and children. There’s nothing about you which screams monster. She may have gone through sometrauma, but Caroline seems like she has a good head on her shoulders. Riley, Rachel, and Rebecca love her. You’re acting like a chicken shit.”
Jameson rubbed his forehead. The tension headache grew worse. His stomach rolled as he envisioned Caroline as he told her about his father. He wanted to give her a second chance at life and to become part of it. His future disappeared when she uttered those words. For the second time in his life, Jameson felt lost.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Caroline picked at her delicious chicken dinner, waiting for Jameson to show. It sounded silly, but he built up the fried chicken dinner as sort of a celebration, and then he never returned.
Rebecca knocked on her door and entered, carrying a cherry cheesecake. “I heard you got Delaney’s fried chicken instead of broth and soft foods.”
“Do you want some? Jameson promised to return, and he hasn’t shown up,” she said, disappointed.
“The men held an impromptu meeting. It’s running late,” Rebecca explained. “How do you feel?”
“Did I do something?” Caroline asked quietly.
“What?” Rebecca asked, confused. “What makes you think you did anything?”
“Jameson showed me his cabin. He seemed excited. I told him my story of how I got abducted, and he grew quiet. Then, he left, and I haven’t seen him.”
“It’s work. Riley and Rachel will arrive in a bit. We can play cards, or Rachel can do a makeover on you,” she suggested.
“Oh, no. Riley already warned me against Rachel’s makeovers. No, thank you,” she said, laughing. “Where’s Delaney? I’d love to meet her and thank her for such a wonderful meal.”
“She’s staying mainly at her cabin these days. Delaney’s pregnant, and I think she’s going through a nesting phase,” Rebecca explained.
“I didn’t know about her pregnancy,” Caroline exclaimed. “She didn’t need to make me fried chicken.”
“Trust me, cooking calms her. We can play poker tonight. Rachel cheats,” Rebecca said, attempting to distract her.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Caroline said. “You don’t have to entertain me. I’m sure you have things to do at home.”
“I’m not trying to,” Rebecca denied. “I’m attempting to befriend you. At first, I felt grateful to you for getting the information to Jameson. I became a pain in the ass and probably didn’t have much time left before they decided to kill me. I knew Julio wouldn’t stop searching for me, and it kept me going. The more we visit, the more I enjoy your company. I know Rachel and Riley feel the same way.”
