Page 30 of Montana Justice

“Lach?” Beckett’s voice had lost its teasing edge. “What’s going on?”

My phone felt like a lead weight as I pulled it out. My thumb hovered over the photo for a heartbeat—Caleb smiling, one tiny fist curled against his cheek. I set the phone on the scarred wooden table and slid it toward them.

“I have a son.”

The silence stretched like a held breath. Hunter reached for the phone first, his expression shifting from surprise to something harder.

“When did this happen?” Lucas asked.

“He’s almost five months old.”

“Five months?” Beckett’s head snapped up, his mental math quick. “That would mean?—”

“About a year ago, yeah.” The beer turned bitter on my tongue. “Remember when I told you about Piper Matthews?”

Hunter’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s Piper Matthews?”

Beckett laughed. “She’s the woman studly here had a one-night stand with this time last year. She and her family lived here when she was a kid, before they got run out of town because her father was scamming people.”

I didn’t even want to get into that. “She was passing through a year ago, and we hooked up. She took off the next morning without a word.”

Beckett was still chuckling. “Come on, now. Don’t leave out the best part.”

I let out a sigh, glaring at my best friend. “When she left, she helped herself to the cash contents of my wallet and my favorite coat.”

Lucas picked up my phone, studying the photo with tactical intensity. “And you’re sure the baby is yours? Math isn’t quite right.”

“Caleb was born early.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Piper tell you that?”

My jaw clenched, but I pulled up the comparison photos. Baby pictures I’d spent hours staring at last night instead of sleeping. Me, my brother, my sister. The Calloway chin, the dark eyes, even the way his hair stuck up in the same spot mine always had. I showed the images to my friends.

“Jesus.” Beckett whistled low. “That’s definitely your kid.”

“When did you find out?” Lucas asked.

“Three days ago. She showed up at the grocery store trying to steal baby formula.”

I told them everything. The words came out choppy, broken. How she’d collapsed in the parking lot. The way she’d sobbed when she finally admitted Caleb was mine. Dr. Rankine’s examination, the old injuries that made bile rise in my throat.

“So, she’s staying with you now?” Hunter’s voice had gone flat. “The woman who robbed you.”

“She and Caleb, yeah.”

“And you’re just okay with that?” Hunter leaned forward, his scarred hands flat on the table. “She steals from you, disappears for a year, shows up with a baby she claims is yours?—”

“Heismine.” The words came out sharp enough to cut.

“Fine. But what’s her angle? Why now? Why come back here when she could have hit you up for child support through the courts?”

My muscles coiled tight. “She’s not doing well. Exhausted, malnourished?—”

“Convenient.” Hunter’s mouth twisted. “Shows up looking pathetic right when she needs something.”

“You didn’t see her, Hunter. She nearly passed out. She’s been barely eating so she could feed Caleb?—”

“According to her.”

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