Page 52 of Gideon

He turned abruptly and walked into the house. We followed him inside and heard him speaking angrily.

“You lied to me! You told me my father was dead. Why would you lie about that? I’m your son. You didn’t even raise me, so why lie?”

“Who told you Gideon was alive?” a woman’s voice slurred.

“He’s standing in our living room.”

A few moments later, a disheveled woman entered the room. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Gideon. Fuck, what are you doing here?”

“I heard you’ve been telling people we’re still married and that I have a son. Why didn’t you ever tell me about him?”

“Gideon, when I tricked you into marrying me, you were just a kid. I never got a divorce. Look at you now—you’re so handsome, not a boy anymore.”

“Brenda, my grandfather had our marriage annulled. I’m here to see my son. You should have told me about him.”

“Your grandfather yelled at me for taking advantage of you, and then you went off to college. I figured you were too young to raise a child.”

I turned to Ryan, who was now sitting with Laney. She held the baby in her arms, while the other child sat close to Ryan on the sofa.

“Who’s she?” Brenda sneered.

“This is Laney. She’s my wife. Stop telling people we’re married.”

I watched Ryan smile at something Laney said. I walked over and sat next to her. She turned to me with a soft smile.

“I’ve been talking to Ryan about fishing,” she said. “He grew up fishing on the river where his grandparents lived. He finished high school online so he could take care of his younger siblings. He’s an incredible brother. Those kids are lucky to have him.”

I looked at Ryan. “I’d like to spend some time with you—get to know you.”

“I can’t just leave. The kids need me here.”

“I want to be part of your life. How about we stay nearby, and you and the kids can spend time with us? I’ll come back this weekend unless work calls me away,” I offered.

“What do you do?” he asked.

“I’m a former Army Special Forces officer. Now, my team and I run a high-security rescue business. We protect people and sometimes go overseas to rescue those who are missing.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Ryan said.

“It is,” Laney chimed in. “It terrifies me every time he leaves.”

Ryan nodded. “I’ve thought about joining the service. I’d want to be a pilot. But I can’t leave my siblings. They need me.”

“The Special Forces have pilots, medics—everything. They’re the best at what they do. Sorry,” I added with a grin, “I’m proud of what I did.”

“So, is it okay if we spend time together next weekend?” I asked.

Ryan smiled. “I’d like that. If I’d known you were alive, I would’ve found you. Let’s exchange numbers.”

He handed me his phone, and we swapped contact information.

26

Laney

“Would Ryan be my brother?”Haley asked.

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