Page 24 of Knuckle's Dispute

“Had the paternity test done today.Doc called me when I got here and said that Janessa called him for the test and already went to see him.All he needed was my sample to send in the test so we can have the results in a few days.Tease, I’m not sure which way I truly want this to go,” I answer him honestly while keeping my eyes lowered to the ground at our feet.

“Fuck.Never thought she’d be the first one to push for it,” he admits, his voice a whisper as he pulls out the medical kit and starts cleaning up my wounds.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”I question my best friend, looking up at him with anger filling my eyes.

“Look, we’ve all been there for Janessa when you’ve been avoidin’ her.We’ve all spent time with her and gotten to know more about her than who she is as a lawyer,” Tease informs me, a smirk on his face as he watches every reaction I give him.

“And what the fuck does that mean?She’s talked to you about me?”

“Not exactly.Yes, we’ve had conversations when I’ve spent time with her.I talked to her about the paternity test just like I did with you.Casually mentioned it with everythin’ she has goin’ on right now.It wasn’t an in-depth conversation between the two of us or anythin’ like that.Janessa is a smart woman and I know she’d take it seriously unlike you.You won’t because you’re scared of the results.You’re not sure if you want to be a dad or not.And that’s okay.Janessa knows she wants this baby and will do everythin’ in her power to protect the child.Even if that means gettin’ the paternity test done for legal reasons,” Tease says, working diligently on cleaning my wounds and bandaging the ones that need it.

“And what the fuck do you plan on doin’ when the test proves the baby is yours?”Rooster asks, walking up to us with Homicide.“Are you finally gonna stop fuckin’ with that poor girl and be the man we all know you can?Or are you gonna push her even farther away and deny the child his or her father?”

“Why is this a club problem?This is my private, personal life, Rooster.I respect the fuck outta you and owe this club my life.More than I’ll ever be able to pay back.However, there are some aspects of my life that are off limits to absolutely everyone until I come and talk to you.That person will always be Tease first and foremost,” I state, my voice hard as I look up at my President.

“It’s a club problem because Janessa is the club’s lawyer.I’m done with your bullshit, Knuckles.Either step up and be the man we know you can be or back all the fuckin’ way off and let someone else be there for her,” Rooster demands of me before he steps closer.

“I’m tellin’ ya right now, Micah.If you don’t step the fuck up and be there for Janessa and your child, then I will.I like her and love gettin’ to know her in the time we’ve spent together so far.I’ve got no problem steppin’ up and bein’ the dad you’re choosin’ not to be.I’ll make Janessa my ol’ lady and raise the child as my own,” Tease informs me, his voice full of determination as he looks at me with steady eyes.

“The fuck you just say to me?”I growl, leaning closer to my best friend and seriously thinking about beating the shit out of him for the first time since I met him.

“You heard me, Knuckles.Janessa would make the best ol’ lady and I’d be honored to have her as mine.If you can’t man up, then step the fuck aside and let someone like me.I’ll treat her good and be the man she needs in her life.One who won’t make her second-guess how her man feels about her.You could have the fuckin’ world in the palm of your hands and you choose to fuck around and not believe a loyal, trustworthy woman who would give you everythin’ you’ve ever fuckin’ wanted in life.Someone to erase the bullshit you were told repeatedly as a child by shitty foster parents.People who didn’t know what the fuck they were talkin’ about,” Tease states, his voice now colder than before as he looks me fully in the eyes so I believe him.

“Don’t fuckin’ go anywhere near her!”I yell out, my voice low and deadly as I get off the bench and head for the locker room.

Until we get the results of the paternity test, I won’t make any moves toward Janessa.For now, I’ll keep a closer eye on her and ensure she’s safer than ever before.Once we have the results, I’ll go to her and have the conversation we need to have in order to move forward with our lives.A large part of me hopes the baby is mine so I can be with Janessa.But at this point, I really don’t care who the baby’s father is.Janessa is mine and she’ll know it sooner rather than later if I have any say in the matter.

Chapter Twelve

Janessa

WAKING UP, I noticemy phone has several missed calls from my parents.Internally I groan because it only means one thing—they’ve returned from their trip and want to see me.That’s the only reason they ever contact me.My parents are more than likely going to be on my ass about moving home and joining their law firm or about some guy they want to marry me off to.In the past, they’ve tried to arrange my marriage to a few different guys who either work in their law firm or are from prominent families in their social circle.I have no interest in becoming a trophy wife to a man who will cheat on me and treat me like a piece of shit because he’s an entitled prick with no morals.I close my eyes and try to force out the knowledge that I’ll have to call them back and find out what they want because if I don’t, they won’t stop harassing me.

One of the reasons I hate calling them back is because I know for a fact my parents will try to force me into either getting back together with Roger or they’ll want me to drop the charges against him.They actually like Roger and his parents and never believed the hell I was suffering because of him.Even when I was in the hospital, my parents showed up and berated me for not being good enough for Roger.Apparently, I pissed him off for whatever reason and that’s why he beat the hell out of me so badly it required a trip to the hospital where I was admitted for a week for my injuries.When he showed up and tried to force his way in my room, my parents helped him.They were all pissed off when the hospital security wouldn’t let them enter and threatened to sue the hospital.It wasn’t until the head of the hospital told them they would call the police, who had already been there for my statement and were still gathering evidence against Roger, to come remove all three of them from the premises that they left.

Hearing Kaden start to whimper, I take a deep breath and open my eyes once more.Getting out of bed, I pick him up in my arms from the bassinet by my bed and get comfortable once again to nurse him.Before I start feeding him, I change his diaper really quick.With his diaper taken care of, I remove my tank top and hold Kaden in a comfortable position to nurse him.My boy has a healthy appetite and this is one of my favorite times with him as I keep my eyes locked on Kaden.He’s such a perfect little baby and I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the son I have.Even if his father is a douchebag.

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