“Sugar, you’re not bothering me. Tell me what’s put that wrinkle between your eyebrows.”
I touched the spot he was talking about.
“Is it Markey or Maddox?” he asked.
“No. Not really.” I sighed. “Sort of.” Talking to Storm never bothered me, but it was awkward as hell when it was about my personal affairs.
“I’m listening.”
“When I went to Arizona, it was to escape—”
“Right, to escape Jack.” Storm growled his name. “Is he bothering you?”
“No, no. Jack is wonderful. He’s respected my wishes.” He truly was a terrific man. I should feel more for him than I do. If it had only been him showing an interest in me, I probably would’ve fallen head over heels for him, but that wasn’t the case.
You could force it, Eve. You should stick to someone your own age.
If only my heart would listen to reason. I didn’t want to feel more for Art.
“Good. Then what is it?”
“Mickey wasn’t expecting me. Markey and I had dropped in on her.” I grimaced. “We surprised her.”
“So?”
“So I finally got to meet her son.”
“The one she’d come looking for last summer?”
“Yes. He’s a few months older than my boys. Wild and unruly and fatherless.” My stomach tightened into a ball of twine. I might have my own crap going on with Jack pining for me and my heart yearning for Art, but Mickey had it worse than me. “Her son needs his father. He’s acting out against Mickey. She can’t handle him now that he’s almost twenty.”
Storm crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you asking of me? I don’t have the time to bring a reckless young man into the fold. Why doesn’t Mickey find the boy’s father?”
“I know, I know. I’m not asking you to take Jax under your wing. Mickey doesn’t know who his father is.” I teared up with both angry and sad tears. “She needs a paternity test to confirm who the father is.”
“Okay, so why doesn’t she ask both dudes to take one?”
“Because one is dead.”
“So then the other one can take the test.”
I inhaled a deep breath. “The other is Justin.”
“What? Justin? My former secretary Justin?” The shock on Storm’s face twisted me up inside. It wasn’t anything near how Justin would respond.
“Yes. There’s a lot of history you don’t know about, and I don’t really have time to bring you up to speed. If Justin turns out to be Jax’s father, do you think he’d want a relationship with him? Mickey says Jax is a good boy. He’s just lost right now.”
Storm rocked in his chair as he shook his head. “I have no idea. If the boy is twenty and Justin is his father, that means he’d been cheating on Emilee’s mom.”
I swallowed the emotion in my throat. “Yes. I knew about Justin and Mickey. They hooked up the night I met Matt.”
“Christ.” He scratched his beard. “Do you have any idea what this might do to Emilee?”
“I honestly don’t know how she’ll take the news. A half brother might make her happy. She’s always wanted a sibling.”
“But not from an affair,” he replied.
My stomach churned. “No, I’m sure you’re right. So what do we do?”