Cherishing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 3) (27 page)

N
ot knowing
when Shannon had to work, Jonah arrived at the Scarlet Maple as soon it opened on Tuesday, camping out in the bar.

He hated ambushing her in public, but since she wouldn’t return any of his messages, he had no way of arranging a more ideal time and place. Hopefully, she wouldn’t punch him or have him thrown out before he could talk to her.

Shortly after two thirty, the bartender wiped down the counter and picked up plates left over from the lunch rush.

“Can I get you something else?”

“Not right now. Thanks.” Jonah swiveled around on his barstool to take another gander at the dining room.

“She’s still not here yet, but she should be here around three.”

Jonah didn’t respond.

“Shannon. You’re her boyfriend, right? It’s probably none of my business, but I figure that’s why you’ve been sitting here all day.”

“Thanks.”

At exactly three, the door to the kitchen area swung open, and Shannon came out. The black apron sat higher on her waist to accommodate her increasing roundness. No one else might notice, but he did.

“Shannon.” The bartender waved at her and pointed to Jonah, who could only wait to see how she’d respond to his presence.

Her chin lifted and her shoulders rolled back, she stalked toward him. A sharp glance at Randy sent him scurrying away.

“You can’t just show up at my job.” Her spark of anger deepened the blue of her eyes and quickened his pulse, but it didn’t deter him.

“I need to talk to you, and you won’t return my calls.”

“What did I say, Jonah? Talk to my lawyer.” She pressed her hands in front of her as if to push him out the door. “I have to get on the floor.”

He stood up and treaded carefully toward her. “Five minutes. That’s all. Just give me five minutes.”

“Two. You can have two minutes—when I finish my shift.”

The restaurant closed at ten. She might not get done until ten thirty.

“I’ll be at the end of the bar.”

Jonah parked himself back in his spot with his iPad, threw on his headphones, and waited. Time stretched, and he stared at his work, unable to focus as his mind kept drifting to Shannon and how he could make things right with her. He lost himself in contemplation until he felt a tug on his sleeve.

“Penny’s letting me go early.”

He rolled over his wrist to read his watch. Seven thirty.

“Can we go somewhere?”

“I’ll meet you in the back parking lot.”

“It’s hard to have a conversation in the parking lot.”

“You get two minutes. Not a conversation.”

Jonah followed her out the front door and around to the back of the building where she stopped by her car. She turned and leaned against the trunk with her arms folded.

“What?”

“I never gave you a chance to explain.”

“I don’t have anything to say at this point,” she shot back through trembling lips.

“Please. I didn’t listen. You were trying to tell me something and I said…I regret what I said. I know I can’t take it back, but I’m here because I want you to tell me what you were going to tell me.”

“I can’t.” Her tears appeared and fell in a rush. “I’m tired, Jonah, and it doesn’t matter anymore. You won’t believe me anyway.”

“I’m here because I already believe you. Whatever you have to say, it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry. I forgive you if you’re to be forgiven. Forgive me if I need forgiveness. I want to start over.”

“Did you hear from the clinic already? No one called me.”

“No. I don’t think we’re supposed to hear back until next week with the holiday and all. This doesn’t have anything to do with the damn test results. I want you to tell me what you couldn’t before.”

His words tore an anguished wail from Shannon, and her hands flew to cover her face. “I can’t.”

Jonah did what he’d wanted to do since she stormed at him back in the bar hours ago. He enveloped her in his arms and buried his face in the curls stretched nearly straight by the tight bun fixed at the nape of her neck.

He couldn’t possibly feel her heat through their coats, but warmth washed over him.

“Tell me.”

“I didn’t know what was happening.” Her words came haltingly until she stopped, took a deep breath, and told him. “One of Laura’s friends put something in my drink. They thought I was being a snob—not drinking and not partying. Laura wanted a party. They put something in my Coke, and I got dizzy.”

“Why would they do that do you?”

“It was a joke. That’s what Lindsay told me the next day. They thought it was a joke, but it wasn’t. Obviously. I wasn’t feeling right. Kid showed up, and there was a fight when Lindsay tried to get him to go. That guy Aaron was there. He helped get Kid away from me and then helped me inside. I couldn’t walk real well. I fell. I remember that part. I fell in the hallway. Then—”

Shannon had her eyes closed, but the tears kept streaming.

“He was holding me up, and then I was getting more and more confused. For a second, I lost track of where I was. I thought you were there, but then he kissed me, and I knew it wasn’t you. I pushed back, but I just couldn’t…I don’t remember anything else until the next morning. I woke up, and everyone was telling me that I made out with Aaron and that he took me into the bedroom. But I don’t remember.”

“That bastard raped you.”

And Jonah had been almost as big a bastard, or maybe he was worse. Calling her a bitch. Not letting her tell him what happened. She trusted him, and he failed her.

“We need to go to the police.”

“I can’t do that right now. I can’t take that on with everything else. Anything I did would be a fight. I don’t have the energy at this point.”

“You were drugged. He took advantage of you. I should have punched that guy in the mouth when I met him. I should have known.”

“I’m prepared to move past it. I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t ever have to see him again, but—”

“Then, we’ll tell him that the baby is mine.”

“But what if it isn’t?”

“He doesn’t have to know.”

“I can’t do that. I can’t lie to my baby. You know, I never knew who my father was. I never knew. My mother went to jail, and I lived with my aunt for a while, and then went into foster care. I never knew my real family. A kid deserves to know where they came from. Good or bad.”

Jonah wanted to argue with her. The best way to keep Aaron out of their lives was for him to never know the truth—if that was the truth. They’d know in a few days.

The wait seemed more unbearable to him now that he knew what was at stake for Shannon. What if the father of her baby was a rapist?

“I’ll keep him away from you.”

“How? Assuming the worst…” She shrugged and fell back against the car.

“I’ll do it. I promise. How is just the details.”

S
hannon wished
she could believe Jonah. Maybe she should. The Morans swaggered as if they could always get what they wanted, and often they did.

“I wish you could have told me. When I think about how I treated you after all you’d been through, it’s unforgivable.”

“You didn’t know.”

“Why couldn’t you tell me? Before seeing Aaron. Right when you got back from the funeral. Why?”

“I didn’t want to make excuses for sleeping with someone else, and then I figured it didn’t matter. I didn’t know if you’d stay. I was stupid. I hoped the problem would just—” Shannon flicked her fingers through the air. “Poof.”

“But you didn’t choose to sleep with someone else. I love you, I would have…I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t think any man would love a woman enough to get over something like that.”

“It’s not your fault.”

The words were a balm for all the hurt Shannon buried in the past few months. She told herself that it wasn’t her fault, but hearing it from Jonah shifted something in her.

“I shouldn’t have been so scared.”

“We can still go to the police. Aaron shouldn’t get away with what he did.”

“You and I both know that at this point, it’s an uphill battle, and the turmoil it will cause isn’t worth it to me. Honestly. I’m trying to be realistic. I don’t want to look back.”

Jonah’s jaw flexed, and Shannon could tell he struggled to let it go.

“What if he’s the father and you have to split custody? He’ll be in your life forever.”

“I don’t know. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. If the baby is Aaron’s, I’ll handle it somehow.”

“We’ll handle it.”

“I appreciate it, but I can manage. I’ve spent some time wrapping my mind around every scenario, and I’ll be okay.”

“You don’t get it. I’m not leaving you to do this on your own. Unless you don’t want me to help you.”

Jonah’s crestfallen face sank Shannon’s heart.

“I do want your help. I do want…you.”

“I’ve never wanted anyone or anything more than I want you. That’s why I came here. I wanted you to know that I don’t care about the test.”

Shannon’s tears swelled again. “Are you sure? What if I have Aaron’s baby?”

“I’m still yours if you want me to be, and the baby will be mine in every way that matters if you want him or her to be.”

“I do.”

“Save your ‘I do’s’ for later. I haven’t asked you that question yet.”

Her response caught in her throat as he swept her closer and bent down to kiss her.

I
n middle
of unloading boxes of pillows for Vivienne on Wednesday, she heard the familiar ring under a pile of fabric. Shannon saw the number and immediately knew.

The receptionist at the clinic let Shannon know that the results were available. She could log onto the clinic’s website with her unique identification code and view them.

She immediately rang Jonah.

“Hey, Shannon. Oh, I’m getting another call.”

“It’s probably the clinic. Our results are ready.”

“Are you working at Vivienne’s today?”

“Yes.”

“I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

Shannon sat on the floor amidst the detritus of the morning’s work, itching to run to the computer in the corner of the room. She slipped her hands underneath her thighs and closed her eyes.

“You’re not sleeping on the job are you?” Vivienne stood over her, coffee in hand.

Tears pooled in her eyes as Shannon opened them. Vivienne squatted next her.

“Are you okay?”

“The paternity test results are in. Jonah’s on his way here so we can look at them.”

“Oh. I should go so you guys can have some privacy.”

“You don’t have to go. It’s your office.”

“Nope. I’m taking off for an early lunch. Call me if you need anything. Anything, Shannon.”

Vivienne patted her leg and stood to go.

“Vivienne?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, you’re doing us all a favor by getting Jonah settled down.” Vivienne shrugged, then winked.

A few minutes after his sister cleared out, Jonah arrived, full of smiles.

“You’re chipper. I feel like I might be sick.”

“No matter what happens, we’ll deal with it together.”

They trudged upstairs back to the office, and Shannon dropped in front of the computer. Her hands shook so badly, she fumbled on the keyboard.

“You want me to type?”

“Yes.” She jumped up and moved aside so Jonah could sit.

“Here we go.”

Shannon read him the log-in code, and they waited as the page loaded and Jonah clicked on “Lab Results.”

She wished there could just be a “yes” or “no,” but they had to scroll and read. Jonah scrolled so quickly, Shannon scanned the page furiously to find the information she longed for.

Before she could locate it, he grabbed her hand. She tore her eyes away from the screen, and Jonah came into focus, grinning.

T
he sharp wail
of Benjamin Kyle Moran, seven pounds, four ounces, startled Jonah so badly he nearly fell out of the long cot next to Shannon’s bed.

“You should have gone home. I love you, but you look a mess.”

“No. If you’re not leaving, I’m not leaving. I’ll clean up fine.”

“You will.” Shannon laughed. “But right now, the side of your hair is sticking straight up.”

Jonah stood and glanced at a mirror, smoothing the sides of his hair. Benji protested again.

“He’s not hungry. I just fed him. Maybe he’s cold.” Shannon re-swaddled him and then held him, while patting his back until he quieted down.

Seeing Shannon with their baby filled him with a profound relief. The pregnancy had progressed without any problems, but the whole time Jonah felt tense and protective. Benji’s birth transitioned him to new worries, but at least both mother and child were healthy.

“You just missed your mother.”

“You should have woken me. What did she say?” He rubbed his eyes, then opened them, suspicious.

“I wanted to let you sleep. Anyway, she was…nice. She held Benji, insisted on calling him Benjamin, but seemed happy. I guess. I’m not sure I know what your mother looks like happy.”

“Maybe once the divorce is final, we’ll all get a better idea. I still feel horrible about it. Like it’s my fault.”

Sheila Moran would endure many things, but a secret child wasn’t one of them. After Jonah had his DNA compared with Trevor’s, it confirmed what he suspected. They were brothers.

Relieved to know the truth, Trevor gave up the idea of ever speaking to his father, but then Sheila saw paperwork from the clinic at Jonah’s house. He tried to explain it away as a visit related to the pregnancy, but his mother had gone home and looked it up. She called demanding to know why he was getting DNA testing done.

Faced with the choice to tell her about Shannon or to tell her about Trevor, Jonah dropped the bombshell he knew would come out eventually. Plus, he and Vivienne had established a relationship with their little brother and liked him. Now, at least, they might be able to invite him to Christmas—one day.

Sheila slapped Tom with divorce papers within the week. Jonah suspected she had some on ice. Who can hire a lawyer and prepare a detailed request for half of his father’s assets in just a few days? Maybe his mother, but he doubted it.

“I think she’s going to be okay. She does seem softer and less stressed. I think she’s been waiting for the other shoe to drop in their marriage for a while. I don’t know. Who am I to say? Anyway, she volunteered to get me an ice cream sandwich. I told her I’ve been craving them.”

“Really?”

“I know. This is the woman who once threatened to make my life a living hell if I married you.”

“Well, we got married, and now she’s running errands for ice cream. So much for threats.”

“I think it’s Benji. You should see how she looks at him.”

Shannon cuddled the baby, smelling his cotton-soft head.

Their wedding was a quiet affair in his backyard with his family, Olivia—with Taryn and Jeff—and a couple of Shannon’s friends from work. Jonah told Shannon she could have a fanciful dream wedding, but she opted out.

“Why? So we can share the day with strangers?”

That his parents—together at the time—attended their nuptials shocked Jonah at the time. His father had complained that a private wedding would look like they had something to hide during the campaign. Jonah remembered his mother’s advice and knew to ignore him.

Now, he laughed. He should never forget an important event—Shannon’s Halloween birthday, Benji’s Fourth of July birthday, or their Valentine’s Day anniversary.

“Maybe I should have been born on Christmas instead of on May 9.”

“What?”

“I was thinking about Benji’s birthday yesterday.”

“The nurses keep commenting on how rare it is for a baby to come exactly on the due date.”

“He’s a patriot. Only July 4 would do.”

“Oh, no. Here you go, sounding like a politician.”

Jonah stood up and took his son from Shannon, holding him tightly to his chest. Tiny fanned lashes fluttered almost imperceptibly on chubby cheeks. A surge of love and protectiveness charged through him.

“God, he’s cute.”

Shannon leaned over, stretching her arms down her legs. “I know.”

Their eyes met, and they laughed.