Page 3

CHAPTER 3

Jayce didn't want to be here. And furthermore, he didn't want to like how good Shaun's sister looked. He hated the man and by default hated his sister, no matter how sexy her ass looked in those tight jeans.

"Yeah, you will,” Kennedy snarked. “You'll be eating your words soon enough."

The little spitfire's challenge made him rock hard. Thankfully Shaun chose that moment to spin her around so the two of them could argue in hushed whispers while he discreetly adjusted himself. It was best she didn't know the effect she had on him.

"Let me go grab the letter. I'll be right back. Kennedy, you're with me," Shaun snapped out. It was probably best he put some distance between the two of them. There was no telling what would happen if Jayce was left alone with her, for even a second.

It had been years since a woman so much as made his cock stir, let alone interested him. Sex was merely a tool when his hand no longer did the job, a way to release the pent-up frustration before it became a problem he couldn't handle.

Now that he thought about it, he was probably past that point and needed to find a release soon so he didn't do something stupid.

Jayce looked around the middle-class house. It was two stories. If he had to guess, it had three to four bedrooms upstairs with a kitchen, living room, dining room, and bathroom downstairs. Maybe even a small office or sitting room in one corner.

He hadn't made it past the front entryway and he didn't want to. If it were up to him, he would be leaving within ten minutes.

"Here you go." Shaun thrust a crumpled piece of paper in his direction.

He recognized the handwriting as Jasmine's. When they were first married, she had sent him numerous letters while he was deployed. The charm quickly wore off.

Dear Shaun,

The letter wasn't even written to him. He wanted to shove it back at Shaun but curiosity won out in the end.

If you're reading this, it means I didn't win the battle. I'm writing you this letter because I'm too ashamed to admit the truth to your face. I knew you would be disappointed in me and I couldn't bear to see that look on your face. Before I confess, after the lies I've told you over the years, I want you to know just how sorry I am. I never intentionally set out to hurt you but I needed a way out and saw you there, staring at me.

Michael isn't your son. I never cheated on Jayce with you. I made it all up and used your drunken state to my advantage. Jayce was so determined to start a family that I started tracking my cycle like crazy to ensure it never happened. The night we conceived Michael was a mistake. I went out with my friends and had too much to drink. We all know how horny I would get after I drank. I realized my mistake the next morning and knew I had to fix it. I contemplated getting an abortion but I could never do that to an innocent baby. Just because I didn't want a family with Jayce didn't mean I never wanted to be a mother.

All week I tried to figure out a way to fix things but it wasn't until the ball that I figured it out. You were passed out drunk and all it took was me slipping into your room to make it look like we slept together. I never thought you would do the honorable thing and marry me.

But you did, and over the years, I came to love you. You were a great father to Michael. I couldn't ask for someone better, but I needed you to know the truth. You can choose to tell Jayce or not. That's your decision. I never wanted the life of a career military wife. I knew as soon as Jayce told me he was considering staying in longer, I needed to get out of the marriage.

I'm truly sorry for the hurt I caused you. I just ask that you don't let this hurt Michael. He doesn't deserve to be punished for my choices. I did love you.

Jasmine

Jayce crushed the note in his hand and threw it on the ground. "She didn't care if you told me? What a self-centered bitch, even in death."

"I'm not disagreeing with you that she had a few flaws."

"A few flaws?" he snapped. "Is that what you call cheating on your husband, hiding the birth father's identity, and then not caring if I ever found out either way?"

Shaun sighed. "You read the note. You know she never cheated on you. She just made it look that way.”

He scoffed. That’s if he believed what her note said. He wasn't sure about that yet.

"Why did you call Luke? You could've ignored what she said and I never would've been any wiser."

Shaun looked down at the tiled entry floor but didn't say anything at first. It was several minutes of silence that slowly ate away at Jayce’s patience. "I always felt bad about what happened. I told you at the time I didn't remember sleeping with Jasmine. I never would've done that to you. I knew how badly you wanted a family with her. When I read the note, it was a no-brainer. You deserved to know."

Huh. Maybe there was a decent bone in Shaun's body after all.

"I want a DNA test. I know what the note said but I want proof. I wouldn't put it past Jasmine to pull something over on me, even from the grave."

Shaun nodded his head in agreement. "The lab already has Michael's. They just need yours. I can have it rushed so you aren't forced to spend too much time here."

It wasn't a hardship. The ironic part was they lived in Seattle. This whole time they hadn't been far away, but he wasn't about to share and details of his life with anyone until he knew what the results were.

"I should probably get . . ."

He didn't get to finish the sentence before the front door was opening up at his back.

"Michael? What are you doing home so early?" There was no mistaking the panic in Shaun's voice. It had him turning around quickly to see what was going on.

"Today was an early release."

The whole world melted away when he got a look at the boy. There wouldn't be a need for a DNA test. He was looking at a younger version of himself, just with shaggier hair.

Jayce whipped around and shot daggers at Shaun. "Are you fu . . ."

Shaun cut him off when he spoke to Michael. "Michael, this is Jayce. He once knew your mother and me. How about you run upstairs and start your homework. I forgot you were getting out early today."

"But I don't . . ."

"Please, Michael." Shaun sounded like he was at the end of his rope. Jayce wanted to wring the man's neck for snapping at his son.

"Fine." Michael pushed his way through the group without another word. If he noticed the resemblance between himself and Jayce, he didn't say a word.

Jayce waited until Michael was out of sight before he let his anger fly. "Are you fucking kidding me ? He's my fucking twin. You expect me to believe you never noticed that before?"

Shaun released a long exhale and leaned against the wall. "I did notice about two years ago, but I convinced myself it couldn't be true. I always wondered why his hair was so light when both Jasmine and I had dark hair, but I thought it would change over time. At thirteen there was no denying it anymore. Michael was a spitting image of you when we first met."

"No shit," he spat out. "Why didn't you reach out to me then?"

"Because I was scared," Shaun argued back. "Sure, I was the name listed on the birth certificate, but if I went behind Jasmine's back, she would take him away from me. Michael might not be mine biologically, but he's my son."

"No, he's my son," Jayce growled.

"Biologically, yes . . ."

He cut Shaun off before he could add a “but” to the end of that sentence. "It should've been me but you and Jasmine took that away from me." He spat her name out. He hated allowing it to cross his lips but the alternative wasn't kind at all.

" Jasmine took that away from you. I wasn't sure until the DNA test came back."

"Semantics." Shaun didn't deserve the full force of his ire. The problem was there was no one else to take it out on. Kennedy never came back after stepping away with Shaun, and Michael was sent upstairs. Not that he wanted his son to see how angry he was.

"Look, Jayce, I get it." Shaun rubbed his hand up and down his cheek. "I would be pissed if I was in your shoes. What Jasmine did was wrong, but you have to believe me that I never set out to fuck you over. Not with Jasmine getting pregnant and certainly not by keeping Michael from you. I reached out as soon as I could to try and make things right."

"I want that DNA test done and then I want Michael to know who his real father is." Jayce turned around and yanked the front door open. He hadn’t gotten further than the entryway, but that was okay. He hadn't wanted to see the life his ex had created without him. He could hate her all he wanted, but it would never stop the hurt from festering.

He stomped all the way out to his rust bucket of a truck but stopped before wrenching the door open. Someone was watching him. Jayce turned around expecting to find Shaun or his sister staring him down but all the windows on the first floor were empty. The same couldn't be said for the second floor.

A quick glance to the window on the right side of the front of the house showed Michael staring back at him. Jayce made eye contact for a brief moment before his son walked away.

With a huff, he climbed into the truck.

One day. He would give Shaun one day and then he was going to talk to Michael about who he was and how he planned to be in his life.