Page 133 of Fierce-Baker

She pulled her phone out and slid over a picture of their son. It took Herculean strength to not shiver over the thought of it beingtheirchild.

He let out a snort. “My son is Thomas Michael.”

“Your other son,” she corrected. She’d never asked their names. Not his son nor his daughter. She only knew his wife, or soon to be ex-wife, was Morgan.

“Yes. After my father-in-law.” He was looking closer at Micah, put his two fingers on the screen and enlarged it. She found that odd. “He looks more like you than me.”

Thank God for that!

“He’s a good kid. Has a lot of energy. But when he crashes at night, he’s down for the count.”

“What does he know about his father?”

“Nothing. He’s too young to understand any of those things. He has my father in his life.”

“And this guy you’re seeing. I want to know about him.”

“He has nothing to do with this. It’s about you and me,” she said.

She knew this would come up. Shane slid the phone back to her like he was trying to push it out of his life.

“I want to know about the guy who is around Micah.”

She sat back. “Shane. No, you want to know about the guy who is with me, not around Micah. Just be honest about this situation. I’m giving you grace that you just found out and have a lot to absorb. That you’re going through a hard time with someone else. I don’t even know that situation. Why are you getting a divorce? Did your wife catch you cheating on her with someone else?”

The flush that filled his face told her that was exactly it.

“It’s not your business.”

“There you go. Then my relationship isn’t yours.”

But it would be her business if Shane wanted to be part of Micah’s life. She’d have to know more about him and that situation.

Not that she thought he had any criminal history or was violent, but she justdidn’tknow.

“How much is this going to cost me?” he asked. “Other than more fucking legal fees.”

He was asking all the wrong questions and it just told her how this was going to go.

He thought his obligation was to pay her. And if he did, he had a right to see Micah.

The way he was acting, she didn’t want her son anywhere near this man.

It made her doubt even more why she had fallen for him.

Someone who was charming, sweet, considerate, handsome.

She remembered it all. But none of it was there now.

“That would be up to you,” she said. It was as close to saying she wanted him out of her life as she could come.

He ran a hand over his head, his fist coming down on the table and startling her. “I just don’t have time for this shit. Everything is falling apart and now this.”

She jumped back when he’d done that. “We’re going to have to end this conversation if you’re going to be that way.”

“Sorry,” Shane mumbled. “I’ve got a lot on my mind and my plate. I fucked up. I know. I did it with you, I did it with Morgan.”

“And I’m not the first.” He held her stare. “You don’t need to tell me what I already know.”