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Does it hurt that Jonah wants to talk to Lincoln about whatever happened and not me? Maybe a little.
But the gratitude I feel because of it far outweighs any selfish feelings that drift to the surface.
Lincoln and Jonah have already bonded.
So how do I get the rest of my family to see that he’s not such a bad guy?
I’m not sure I can, but now that Jonah is involved in this, it’s an entirely different story.
If I have to break my heart to appease my parents, that’s one thing. I won’t break Jonah’s, though.
CHAPTER 11: LINCOLN
We walk into the bedroom Jonah shares with Cade, and the entire room looks like Minecraft threw up in here from the rug to the bedding to the posters on the walls. Even the lamp is one of those green creature things, and Jonah sits on the bottom bunk bed and nervously wrings his hands before he glances up at me.
“Are you dating my mom?” His voice is small when he asks, and I gotta give it to the kid. He’s brave to ask.
I press my lips together and tilt my head as I put my hands on my hips. Jolene and I haven’t discussed how we’re going to approach this with her son, but I feel the sudden need to be honest and direct with him. “Yes.”
“Why’d you tell everyone you were dating Sam?” he asks.
I sigh as I sit on the edge of the bed beside him, ducking my head as I go. It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a bunk. “It’s complicated, and I’m really, really sorry this is how you’re finding out. Sam and I were never really dating. We just let people believe we were together when we were seen at events, but the truth is that your mother and I were trying to keep our relationship secret because of some family history we share.”
“Family history?” he repeats. “What’s that mean?”
“It means your mom’s parents and my parents don’t really like each other too much, and as their kids, we’re expected not to like each other, too.” I shrug.
“But that’s not really fair,” he says.
I huff out a chuckle. “I agree with you. But we can’t always control the way our family members feel, and so we try to do things that will make them happy.”
“Even if it makes you sad?” he asks.
I nod a little, and I feel like this kid is really damn smart for his age. “Sometimes, yeah.”
He twists his lips. “Sometimes it makes me sad to go to my dad’s house when I just want to stay with my mom.”
My chest tightens at that, but I try not to read too much into it or else I’ll see red and possibly go over to his father’s house to tear him a new asshole. “See? You get it. You go anyway to make him happy.”
“I go because my mom makes me,” he admits.
“You don’t like going over there?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “My dad isn’t always the nicest, and sometimes he makes me watch my little sisters. And he asks me a million questions about my mom. He even asked me about you, too.”
“He did?” I ask, alarm bells ringing a little. I wonder if Jolene knows that. “What did he ask?”
“If you ever spent the night here, things like that.”
Jesus. Involving a kid is crossing so goddamn many lines. “I’m sorry he asked you that. Can I ask you a question?”
He nods.
“How’d you find out about your mom and me?”
He looks down at the ground. “Some kids were making fun of me and calling my mom names like a cheater and a homewrecker. I started crying during recess.” He lets out a heavy sigh, and my heart sinks as I see the pain all over his face.
I want to wrap him up in a bubble and protect him from all of this even though he’s not mine to protect.
