Page 84 of No Way Home
Blue snorted. “That’s because you’re emotionally constipated and you’d rather just not talk about it.”
“BOY,” Dad said, tone fierce. He thrust his pointer finger at his son/nephew-in-law. “You remember who you’re talking to.”
Blue chuckled. “Oh, I will…while I’m making sweet, sweet love to your daughter-niece tonight.” He gave Dad a toothy grin. Blue loved to say that kind of thing to Dad just to tick him off.
“Hippity dippity,” Ford sang, shoulders shimmying.
Dad’s face contorted in fury and we all laughed.
“We’re telling Bowen,” Holden said, giving the final verdict.
Ford hopped up, grabbed the office chair from behind the desk, and wheeled it over to me.
“Better get comfy,” Ashton said. “Your world is about to be rocked.”
So I sat.
But then, the door opened once more and…
Gramps entered the room. Looking glum and like he did not want to be here. And guilty. Very, very guilty.
“You told Dad?” Ford whisper-shouted at my dad.
“Yes,” Dad said. “It’s his story and Bowen is his namesake.”
“Dad?” Holden said to Gramps. “Are you okay with Bowen knowing?”
Gramps looked at me for a long moment—eyes downturned like he was sad to the center of his soul. He looked back at Holden and nodded once. “He needs to hear it. Probably should’ve told him a long time ago.” Then he walked over, put his hands on my shoulders, and said, “Just promise you’ll try not to think less of me and Granny when it’s over.”
My head fell back a little. “I could never do that.” They were two of my favorite people.
But the concern on his face said he wasn’t so sure. Why did he suddenly look older than an hour ago? I swear there were new lines around his eyes—and had his hair always had that much gray?
Blue must’ve thought so too because he hopped up. “Bo, have a seat.”
“No,” Gramps said. “It’s okay. I think I’d rather stand.”
Blue sat back down.
“All right,” Holden took charge. “We agree then. Ford, why don’t you start, since the story begins with you?”
“Okay, yeah.” Ford slapped his hands on his knees and dove right in. “So a random woman accuses me of being the father of her three-year-old daughter?—”
“What?” leaked out of my lungs. “Why didn’t I hear about this?”
He waved my words away. “It happens all the time. But in this particular instance, her story was very convincing. The girl looked kinda Dupree-ish. She had the eyes.” He made a circle around his eyes, similar to my own. “And curly brown hair. So of course, Peyton lost her mind, accusing me of sleeping around.” He chuckled like it was a delightful memory. I couldn’t blame Aunt Peyton. Being married to the nation’s most beloved country music sex symbol had to chip away at her confidence—even if she was stunning. “So I agreed to take a DNA test to prove my innocence. Of course, I was telling the truth.” He snorted like the idea that he would cheat on Peyton was ridiculous. “And Peyton fell all over herself to apologize.” His brows flicked up “IfyouknowhatImean.”
Holden huffed out a laugh. “You just had to get that in there.”
“I think I just puked in my mouth,” Ashton said.
“It’s been way too long since someone accused me of fathering a baby,” Blue said in a mock-wistful tone. “Good times.”
“But the whole thing set Peyton off,” Ford continued. “Since I was kind of a womanizer back in the day, she thought maybe I’d gone back to my old ways.”
“Kind of?” Ashton choked out a disbelieving laugh. “I’msurprised you didn’t catch a disease, have to be exiled to an island, and live out your life alone.”
Ford palmed Ashton’s entire face. “An-y-way.” He dropped his hand. “I went ahead and sent a sample of my DNA to one of those online genetic testing sites, just to be sure there weren’t any Ford juniors running around out there.”
