“So you’re a mom,” James asked, with a bit of an edge to his voice. If Lily heard it, she ignored it as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear.
“Yeah… who would’ve guessed right,” She said, obviously nervous and not looking at him directly. He stuffed his clenched fists into his jacket pocket and continued to take slow deep breaths. He couldn’t believe it. She had replaced him and started a family without him. He knew it was stupid, they were never really together, but he felt yet again betrayed.
“Did his father come with you?” James asked, his voice sounding strained even to himself and she cringed, her gaze never meeting his.
“His father,” Lily started then stopped with a perplexed look on her face. I need a name of who I’m going to rip apart, James thought, allowing himself to entertain the fantasy though he knew he wouldn’t actually hurt the guy… probably. “His father,” Lily started again then finally looked at him, hints of anxiety in her face. “Is you, James.”
James simply stared at her for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he heard that right. Did she just say that the boy was his? “What?” He finally managed to blurt out stupidly and once more she told him that he was the kid’s father. “How… but…” he stated, feeling unable to get his brain and mouth to work together enough to get out more.
“Well, because you obviously missed the safe sex talk in high school,” she said with a teasing tone but he simply gave her a hard look. Her smile fell and she gave him a nod, understanding he was not in the mood to be played with. “Veronica, the vampire I work with, is a genetic expert and she thinks it because our wolves are genetically alike…” she explained and James ran his hand through his hair.
That kid… was his kid… he was a dad. Then it hit him. That kid wasn’t born yesterday. “Why am I finding out about this now?” He growled and she flinched, but he didn’t care. How could she do this to him? Out of all the cruel, heartless things she had done to him this was by far the worse.
“You know the chances hybrids have of survival James?” she asked him but didn’t wait for an answer. “Ninety-nine percent die and the other percent end up becoming rabid insane monsters. You saw Xavier’s attempts to make more like me. I really didn’t believe that the pregnancy would come to term. I didn’t want to tell anyone, especially you, to give them, give you another death to mourn,” she explained with a pained tone and looked at him. He could see the deepness of that pain etched in her face
“And when you did and he was born?” James snapped and she sighed, her shoulders slumping as she seemed to deflate.
“Physically A. J. was born normal… well, he’ll most likely have a beast like us but that didn’t mean he wasn’t born with the typical hybrid insanity,” She said looking back out the yard. “I wanted to tell you sooner James but… I don’t know it just seemed to get harder and harder as time passed. After a while I figured you would’ve moved on, made a life for yourself and I didn’t want to screw that up,” she explained, still avoiding his gaze.
James made a crude sound of disbelief and glared at her angrily. He wasn’t like her. He couldn’t just forget about someone that was meant to be his and move on. “That’s bullshit and you know it, Lily. Why don’t you just tell the truth? You didn’t want to me to have a rightful place in the life of my own son, the only one I’ll probably ever have!”
“No, it’s not like that James,” Lily argued, finally turning to him again.
“Don’t,” James warned, now fully understanding why Tony said he didn’t have to take the assignment. “I don’t want to hear anymore! I knew you were selfish when you stomped on everything I did to make us being mate easier for you,” He growled, feeling his hands tremble. “But this? I guess you really are a cold-hearted bitch,” he snarled at her and stomped back into the house.
He walked through the house, ignoring everyone watching him like a hawk. They all knew. They all had known before he did! There was no way he was going to be staying in that house a minute longer! He couldn’t or he was sure he’d do something he’d regret. “James wait,” he heard Andrew, Tony’s father, and the ex-alpha, call after him. He paused by his truck, gripping the door handle tightly.
“So I guess she told you,” Andrew said slowly and James gave him a “what do you think” look. “We didn’t know until today either. I want you to know that. We didn’t know until she showed up with A. J. on her hip. Sandy laid into her hard for keeping it from everyone, especially you,” Andrew told him and with a deep breath James forced himself to calm down. “I know it’s really not my place but I think you should stay James,” the ex-alpha added.
“I was robbed of the first years of my son’s life. He doesn’t even know who I am,” James growled and Andrew gave him an understanding expression.
“Yeah I know but hey, look at the bright side… you kind of lucked out,” Andrew offered and James looked at him in stupefaction. “Everyone makes a big deal out of the first year, but honestly it’s filled with late night feedings, stinky dirty diapers, teething, lots and lots of crying. Then there is the hormonally stressed out mom to deal with that can go from happy to tears to rabid anger in a matter of three seconds,” Andrew explained then clapped him on the shoulder.
“It’s now when kids start to get fun. He’s starting to talk and he can walk more or less which means you can take him out and actually play with him,” Andrew went on, but James wasn’t soothed. Okay, the whole crying and dirty diaper thing didn’t really seem like something great but it was his right to be there. “If you leave now your only losing more time with him,” Andrew finished.
He had a point there, James had to admit. He took a deep breath before speaking. “Alright I’ll stay,” James said, letting go of the door handle, wincing when the handle fell to the ground in pieces.
If Lily thought for a moment that she could dangle his son in front of him and go back to Montana like nothing ever happened then, she was dead wrong. His son was going to be staying by his side and if she didn’t like it, James didn’t really give a damn. At that moment, a black SUV drove up into the driveway. His sister, Keon, and their daughter Eliza got out.
“Uncle James,” Eliza cried out and jumped into his arms.
“Eliza, be careful! You’re not a little girl anymore,” his sister, Harley, scolded her, but James simply laughed, hugging his niece.
“Don’t worry about it sis, I can take this lightweight,” he said as he set Eliza on the ground and earning a hard look from her, apparently she didn’t like being called light weight.
“How about you go and help everyone in the house by giving Matt someone to play with,” Koen told his daughter. The girl huffed with an eye roll that made her look just like her mother when she was younger. It made James smile, his anger burning away like it never existed.
“Actually Matt’s got a new little friend today,” James told them, feeling a little excited and nervous now that the anger was gone.