Page 115 of Fierce-Jax

“Of course not,” she said loudly. “We even fought over it when I told him who you were, Dad. I don’t know I would have ever told him if I didn’t get pregnant.”

“Because you hadn’t planned on a life with him,” her mother said, crossing her arms.

“No,” she said. “If he hadn’t died, we wouldn’t have stayed together. You know it and I know it. Again, it’s all old news.”

Her feelings had been drifting for months the closer she’d gotten to Alec. She was complacent about staying together, as they got along and had chemistry, but he lacked the core traits she wanted in a long-term partner.

“That’s right,” her father said. “Old news that you should have shared some of. Now you did and you’ve got to fix it.”

“I guess that means you like Jax,” she said, lifting her chin.

Her father hadn’t come out and said he liked Jax, just had said nothing bad about him.

That was the same in her eyes, but she wanted him to admit it.

“Yes,” her father said. “I do. He’s a good man with a head on his shoulders. He works hard, he puts you first and my granddaughter loves him. That’s all a parent could want. You don’t need a man to take care of you financially, you can do it yourself, and he’s not put off by that either. Few men out there can handle it. As you know.”

“Mommy,” Gianna said, running into the room. She was watching a movie in the front of the house. “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” her mother said. “I swear you’ve got another limb that you fill with food.”

“That’s silly, Grandma,” Gianna said. “I only have two arms and two legs.”

“That’s right,” her mother said. “What do you want to eat?”

“Can I have some popcorn?”

“I’ll make it now. Why don’t you go back and watch your movie and I’ll bring it up when it’s done?”

Her mother grabbed a microwave bag and started cooking.

“What are you going to do about this thing with Alec’s mother?” her father asked.

“I’ve got thirty days to reply to her before she threatens to get an attorney involved. I’m not reaching out to her directly at all,” she said. “All I have to go on is what Alec told me about them. Those aren’t the type of people I want in my daughter’s life.”

“No,” her father said. “I’ll get the best attorney I know to fight this. Money is no object.”

“I appreciate your help, Dad. But I’ll take care of it. I’ve done some research on my rights. They are going to try to force my hand if they want, but I’ll be prepared.”

“Being prepared is finding out all the dirt on them you can right now,” her father said.

“That’s your way,” she said. “Not mine. Mom, don’t let Dad do it.”

Her mother put her hands in the air. “I’m not getting in the middle of this. But I’m with your father on it.”

So much for getting that support. “Let me take care of it,” she said. “I’ll come to you for help if I need it. You know that. I have in the past.”

“When you’ve felt as if you had no choice,” her father snapped.

Dillion threw her arms around in a frustrated dance. Her father could still bring it out of her. She knew her daughter got this from her too.

“I’m here now telling you everything, aren’t I? I’ve learned from it. I rely greatly on you both and have for years. If I was too stubborn to ask for help I would have hired a nanny instead and you know it. I would have held this all in until it got to a point I might have to go to court.”

“She has a point, Dylan,” her mother said.

“Now you’ll agree with her, Leigh,” her father said, tossing his hands in the air too.

The microwave beeped, her mother pulled the popcorn out, put it in a bowl, and brought it to her daughter.