“Good.” He stepped forward, lifted his coffee mug, and drained the contents. “Take a few days off to look after your wife. Once she’s feeling up to it, I’d like to pop down and apologize for my behavior the last time you were here. But in the meantime, make sure she knows that however much time she needs off—a week, a year, ’til that kid turns eighteen—she has it. She’s not an employee; she’s family.” Then he went and knocked me on my ass when he smiled and added, “She always has been.”
Tears burned behind my eyes, and I swallowed, my voice thick with emotion. “Thank you, Dad. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I understand more than you could ever know, son. Welcome home.”
Fuck. That threw me over the top, and before I knew it, I was across the kitchen, pulling my old man in for a hug.
He wasn’t one to show physical affection, but he clapped me on the back a few times, offering a few gruff words of comfort before pulling back from our embrace.
A calm settled over my soul, and I just knew everything was going to be okay.
With the support of our family, Penny and I could make it through anything.
Chapter 26
Tripp
Twoweeksafterourreturn to Rust Canyon, we got a call from the family lawyer we’d hired on Bex’s recommendation, informing us that the paternity test results were in. Because Jake had gotten the court order, they would be reviewed by a judge first. Then, they would be read aloud to both parties with our lawyers present.
Though the chances of the baby Penny carried being Jake’s were slim, we weren’t foolish enough to claim victory until the DNA test proved that I was the father in black and white.
Her grip on my hand was tight enough to cut off my circulation as we walked into the judge’s chambers, and I felt her stiffen at my side when Jake came into view. Immediately, I ushered her to the other side of the room, eased her into a chair, and positioned myself to stand at her side, effectively blocking him from her vision.
The door to the office clicked shut, and the judge cleared his throat before he began to speak.
“Thank you for coming in today. I’ll try to make this as quick as possible so that all parties involved can move on with their lives.”
Direct and to the point. I could appreciate that. Especially when drawing this out would only cause my pregnant wife more anxiety, when we’d spent weeks working on keeping her stress levels low.
It was the unknown that was killing us. Once we had results, we could make a game plan—one way or the other.
“It is my duty to report that the testing showed there is no DNA match between the plaintiff, Jacob Waller, and the unborn child of the defendant, Penny Sullivan.”
The rush of relief hit me so hard that my knees gave out, and I groped blindly for the back of Penny’s chair to keep from collapsing.
This nightmare was finally over.
“I hereby consider this case closed. You’re all dismissed.”
Penny’s silent sobs had me pulling her trembling form into my arms. Her tiny belly brushed my hip, and I pulled back enough to look between us, my hand falling to that bump beneath her skirt.
“Ours,” I breathed. “Yours and mine.”
Tears streaked down my wife’s beautiful face as she placed her hand carefully atop mine, the pair of them resting over the baby we’d created together.
“Let’s get out of here,” I urged. “I think this news deserves celebratory milkshakes at Canyon Comforts, don’t you think?”
The tiniest smile played on her lips. “Can I have your cherry?”
I laughed for the first time in weeks, quickly picking up on her double meaning. “Lucky, you already know the answer to that.”
With her free hand, she wiped away the wetness from her face. “Just checking.”
Nothing else existed as I ushered my girl out of the room. We made it halfway down the hallway before a voice I never wanted to hear again in this lifetime called out. “Penny,I—”
Lightning quick, I spun around, tucking Penny behind me before gritting out, “You don’t fucking talk to her. Not after what you’ve done.”
Jake stepped back at hearing my murderous tone, bringing both hands up in surrender. But instead of walking away, he kept speaking. “Put yourself in my shoes. Surely, you can understand that I needed to know.”
