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“You might. But it’s not what you think,” Aiden says, putting the picture back into his back pocket. “Her name is Jessie Carver.”
“I know Jessie,” he says.
“When was the last time you saw her?” I ask.
“What is this about? Is Jessie hurt? In trouble? Dead? What?” he demands, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the desk. Aiden hesitates and looks at me. I can tell he’s having a hard time telling him. He knows how it feels to be blindsided when someone tells you that you might have a child.
I sigh. Just rip the Band-Aid off. “Jessie just had a baby,” I blurt out. Brooks’ eyes open wide. “And we think it’s yours.” He stands so abruptly I jump. His chair rolls back, hitting the window. He stalks to a bar in the corner of his office, pulls out a glass, and pours himself a drink. Lifting it to his lips, he swallows the entire drink. He puts the glass down and grips the edge of the bar so tightly his knuckles turn white. I can see the muscles in his back tighten through his shirt. He’s calculating the possibility in his head.
“I haven’t seen her in five months,” he grates out. He stares down at the bar as he speaks. “She blew out of my life as fast as she blew into it.” He turns and leans against the bar, crossing his arms and feet. “Why are you coming to me about this? Why isn’t she?”
Aiden sits up taller, crossing his foot over his leg. “She told me I was the father.”
“There you go,” he says, throwing his hand in the air. “Why are you bringing this to my door? Congrats, man.”
Aiden nods. “We did a paternity test. It’s not mine.”
Brooks runs his hands through his hair haphazardly. “She told you it was mine, then?” His voice raises as he starts to panic.
“Not exactly,” Aiden responds.
He looks like he’s about to explode, so I stand up and walk toward him. “We did a familial DNA test.” He glares at me like I have two heads. “It’s a DNA test that looks for a match of people already in the system,” I explain. “There was a match.”
“I’ve never had a DNA test, so I shouldn’t be in any system. You guys have the wrong person.”
Aiden stands up now. “No, but your biological dad is.”
Brooks stares at Aiden—hard. His face turns to stone. “How the fuck do you know who my biological father is?” he sneers. He drops his arms to his side and clenches his hands into a fist. He reminds me of Travis when I wouldn’t tell him my real name. Dangerous.
“I was undercover, working for Travis. He had me check up on you every now and then,” Aiden says, shrugging.
“This just keeps getting better and better.” He starts to pace.
Oh, little brother, just wait. We’re not done.
He mumbles a few things under his breath. He stops pacing and lowers his head. “Why did she try to pass it off as yours?”
“Because of me,” I whisper. He looks up and pins his hard stare on me.
“I don’t understand.”
Aiden starts talking before I can explain. “Jessie and I were friends with benefits in college. Nothing else. I went away on an assignment…” Brooks raises a brow in question. “Yes, Travis. Addison and I met during that time and when I got back into town, we ended up reconnecting. Long story short, Jessie freaked out, thinking we would be together someday. Did some stupid shit but nothing too crazy. Until now.”
Brooks nods his head. “Until now,” he says slowly. “So, I’m an innocent bystander in this fucked-up situation? I might have a kid because someone is trying to get revenge on you?”
“You are innocent,” I say, sighing. “But she sought you out specifically.”
Brooks head tilts to the side. “Why?” His voice turns defensive. I swallow hard. I take a few deep breaths and ready myself. My mouth feels like I just ate a cracker. Why am I so nervous? It’s not like I’ve kept this secret from him.
Aiden starts to say something, but I jerk my head at him and shake my head.
“Okay, somebody needs to start talking,” Brooks says.
“When Aiden was working for Travis…that’s when we met,” I say.
“Yes, Agent Roberts already covered that,” Brooks states matter-of-factly.
“I know. What he didn’t say was how we met. My mom was killed when I was ten. I knew Travis had something to do with it, I just didn’t know how.” I stop, wondering how much Brooks knows about Travis. When he doesn’t say anything, I continue. “I went to find out who Travis was. Another long story short, Travis didn’t kill my mom.” As if the pieces of the puzzle start fitting into place, Brooks narrows his eyes at me. I nod my head and flash a lopsided smile. “Travis is my father, too.”
