Page 36 of Jacked and Jaded

He tipped his head to the side and asked, “How do you know Jackson? I’ve not seen you around before and you guys seem to know each other really well.”

She finished her piece of bacon before she answered. “Me and my mom moved in across the street from them seven years ago. His parents kind of took us under their wing. Maverick helped me buy my first car.” She smiled at the memory. It had looked like a piece of crap, but Maverick assured her the engine was in tip-top shape. The owner told them what he wanted for it and Maverick told him he was full of shit, made an offer and the man balked. Maverick told her to go check out the inside of the car again while he spoke with the owner. By the time she was done checking out the interior for the second time, he and the owner had come to an agreement and the owner did not look happy about it. “We got lucky moving in across the street from the Wests. Maverick was the closest thing to a dad I had after my real dad died. And Jane was like a second mom.”

Chris smiled. “That does sound lucky.” He shook his head. “It’s just hard for me to see Maverick as anything other than a hard ass, you know?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Calliope agreed. She imagined being a prospect wasn’t the easiest job in the world and having met the Sons of Redemption, she knew that could be a hard bunch to get to know.

Chris leaned his arms on the table, his coffee mug held between his hands. “What about Jackson? What was he like?”

She shrugged her shoulder. “Eh. You know. He had his good moments and he had his bad moments.” She was finishing her breakfast when they heard a knock at the door. It was probably her mom. While Chris went to check it out, she took her plate to the sink, rinsed it and left it there for someone else to put in the dishwasher.

She watched Chris check the peephole and frown. He pulled the door open and watched as a mini Jackson barreled through the opening. Her heart stopped and clenched. Vaguely, she wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like. He came racing through the living room and stopped abruptly when he spotted Calliope.

“Who aw you?” he said in his little boy voice. The way his face scrunched up and his head dipped to the side, he looked just like Jackson.

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Jackson had a son! And he looked to be at least three years old. Why hadn’t her mom or Jane ever said anything about Jackson having a child? Why did they keep this from her? Then she had a horrible thought. Who was the mother?

“Ryker! What are you doing running in there like that? What have I told you? No running in the house.”

That voice. Nooo. She knew that voice. She’d listened to that voice spill all her young girl dreams. She’d listened to all her young girl heart breaks. Please God, tell her it wasn’t who she thought it was. If it was who she thought it was, Fate was playing the cruelest joke on her that it could. Her hands shook and she became lightheaded as she watched in stunned silence as her best friend since high school walked through the door, carrying a backpack.

“Zoey,” she whispered. “No.”

“Oh, fuck,” she heard Chris say right before he launched himself across the room and helped her into a chair. He was talking to her but it sounded like his voice was coming through water. She couldn’t breathe and she felt like she was going to pass out.

From a distance she watched as her mom came through the door behind Zoey. She looked between Zoey, Ryker and Calliope. The look exchanged between her mom and Zoey told her that her mom had known about this little boy all along. Why didn’t she ever tell her? Why would she allow Calliope to be blindsided like this? And why wouldn’t she tell her that Zoey, her best friend, was his mother?

Zoey took a hesitant step forward, dropping the backpack on the floor at her feet. She started wringing her hands. She was crying and saying something. “I’m so sorry, Calliope. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I could never figure out how to tell you.” Calliope remained silent. She couldn’t speak if she wanted to. She still couldn’t pull in a full breath. This right here, finding out that her best friend and the man her best friend knew Calliope was in love with had a child together hurt so much worse than what Clint had done to her.

“I’m sorry, Maureen. I was supposed to drop Ryker off with Jackson so I could go show a couple of houses today. I didn’t know Calliope was here.”

Her mom patted her arm. “I know, sweetie. Go ahead and go. Jackson’s been out of town. He’s supposed to be back tonight. I’ll watch Ryker.” She gave her a reassuring smile, letting her know she had this.

“What happened to her face?” Zoey whispered.

“Clint.”

Zoey sucked in a shocked breath, her eyes wide at this news. Calliope narrowed her eyes. Did Zoey know about Clint? Had her mother been talking about her to her best friend? The same best friend who mysteriously dropped out of her life three years ago? The one who was always too busy to talk, text or visit?

Watching the way the two of them spoke about her as if she wasn’t there hurt, too. The way her mom said she would watch Jackson’s son sounded like she’d done it before and was well acquainted with the adorable little boy. She felt so betrayed. By her mom, by Zoey, by Jackson, by his parents. How could they have all kept this from her?

Ryker, sensing his mother’s distress, wrapped his arms around her legs and looked up. “Mommy?”

Zoey laid her hand gently on top of the little boy’s head, then dropped down to his level. “It’s okay, buddy. Mommy’s just sad that she hurt her best friend’s heart.”

“Whayuh’s Daddy?” He checked Calliope out from his mom’s side, secure in the knowledge that his mom had his back.

“He’s out of town. He’ll be back sometime today,” Maureen answered. She turned her gaze to Zoey. “Go ahead, go. We’ve got this.”

Zoey stood, cast one more look Calliope’s way, then left, pulling the door closed behind her.

“You want a snack, buddy?” Maureen asked, heading to the cabinets. She pulled the cookie jar across the counter and opened the lid.

Chris’ phone rang beside her. “Hello? Yeah.” She turned her head to frown at him. “She’s right here. Not so good.”

Oh. He must be talking to Jackson. He handed the phone to her, expecting her to take it. Instead, she turned in her seat and got up, heading for the front door. She was numb inside. She didn’t know what to feel about all this. It was too much all at once. She pulled the door open, not hearing Chris yelling for her to stop as she stepped out onto Jackson’s front porch. Even out here, in the wide open front yard, she still couldn’t take a full breath. She felt sick. She was going to throw up. She made it to the railing just in time to toss up the breakfast she’d just eaten into Jackson’s bushes. God, her ribs were killing her. Every time she heaved, her side screamed in agony. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then wiped her hand on her sweats. She numbly went for the stairs and descended, intent on leaving.

“Calliope! Wait! Where are you going?” He ran around in front of her, holding his hands up in front of her, trying to get her to stop.

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