Love Lifted Me (27 page)

“Blindsided.” Her angry whisper lifted her head. “I was blindsided by you, Max.”

He regarded her. She'd thrown a few curves at him, but he wasn't interested in keeping score at the moment. He'd lose anyway.

“Tell me. Straight up. I can't deal with whatever's making you so nervous if you don't tell me. What proof are you talking about?”

“Max, you have to know I was going to tell you. But I didn't know for sure.

How could I break your heart on a stranger's word?”

The slightest ping of dread echoed across his mind. “Spit it out, Jade.”

She sighed. “I guess this is why they're here.” She opened the bottom dresser drawer and retrieved an envelope from under her jeans. “I just got this today.”

But she didn't pass it over.

“Is it a paternity test?”

She gazed at him with surprised eyes. “How did you know?”

“The McClures. A strange man. You, panicked and fretting. A thin white envelope. I used to be a lawyer, remember.
That
in your hand is proof.” He processed, emotionless. Rice had her paramours. Her flings. But she'd never lied to him.
He thought
. “How long have you known?”

“The end of June. Right before you came home. I mean, I never knew
for sure
until today—”

“And you didn't tell me . . . because?”

“I didn't know if it was true or not. I never met Taylor before—the woman who told me. She just . . . blindsided me with this crazy news. If it was all some horrible lie I didn't want to upset you for nothing. For me, it didn't matter. I love Asa either way.”

“You thought it would send me into relapse?” Max realized the depth of the damage he'd done to her confidence and trust by the slow way she shook her head.

“I didn't know, Max, how you'd respond. I didn't know where we stood.

How I felt about you, our marriage. Asa's been through so much, I couldn't tell his daddy that his mama had lied to him. If I had no proof, I could pretend it was all a big lie. Then this came today.” Jade offered him the white envelope.

He scanned the front. Taylor Branch. Didn't recognize the name. He slipped out the contents and read the report.

He was not Asa's biological father. “Landon was only twenty-six? Rice . . .”

He muttered a hot word and handed the envelope back to Jade, drawing in his emotions, steeling up. “This means nothing. I'm on his birth certificate. He's two years old. Landon waited too long if he wanted to claim Asa as his.”

“That's what I said, Max. Why does this stupid report matter? You're his daddy, the one loving him and raising him.”

Max perched on the edge of the bed, suddenly very tired. “Do you know how this happened?”

“Yeah, I do.” Jade sat next to him and smoothed her hand down his back. “Landon denied it when she told him she was pregnant. Then you went to Vegas and—”

Max dropped his head into his hands. “I'd wondered why she came. When she and Kim decided to fly out with us, it just felt weird. Rice kept talking about old times and what a great relationship we had. I thought she wanted to hang out one last time before I got married. Then in Vegas, she went her way, I went mine. Until she knocked on my door.” He stood.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
. “When I told Mom about Asa, she suggested a paternity test. But Dad said leave it be, it was a done deal. I never considered Rice had lied to me. If she said I was Asa's father, then it was true.”

“She wanted you to be his father. I'm not sure she planned to seduce you in Vegas, but that trip sure gave her opportunity and motive.”

Max rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of it all. “So why did this Taylor come to you?” His head throbbed and his stomach protested.

“She said she wanted to clear her conscience. She hated that Rice lied to you.”

“But Landon took the test and he just now find out?”

“He bolted after he took the test. Never returned for the results. I guess part of Taylor's emotional housecleaning included telling Landon he was Asa's father.” Jade smoothed her hand over the made bed. “When you caught me burning something in the alley behind the Blue Umbrella, it was his business card. He showed up in Whisper Hollow. But I still had no proof and I didn't want to know if he did.”

Max headed out of the bedroom. “So Landon, you're Asa's biological father.” He glanced at Gus and Lorelai. “Did you two know about this?”

“Just this week. Landon came to us.”

Landon stood, his fine-weave slacks shaking loose from his legs, the hem falling over his leather shoes.

“Taylor came to see me last June,” he said. “I didn't believe her but I requested a copy of the test from the lab. When I saw the result, I called her.

She gave me your name, Mrs. Benson. I was in Georgia on business so I drove up to Whisper Hollow to see you, but you were busy. Since then, I've been traveling out of the country on business and didn't have time to pursue this.

Then I got a call from Taylor telling me she sent the results to you. I called the McClures and well, here we are.”

“We want this thing right, Max.” Gus stood. “Landon's his father. He should get the boy.”

“Get the boy? He's not a possession, Gus. We're not arguing over money or land here. We're talking about a living, breathing, beautiful little boy. Who does not deserve one ounce of this.”

“He's the rightful father.” Lorelai fired to her feet. “Asa should be with his blood kin.”

“Landon wanted nothing to do with him until Taylor showed up.”

“Because Rice told me I wasn't the father.”

“You didn't request your own test, Landon. You waited two years.”

“You wanted nothing to do with him either, Max,” Lorelai said, her accent refined and Whisper Hollowan.

“I was only twenty-six.” Landon made his defense. “Just starting my career, when Rice told me she was pregnant. But we'd broken up and I was dating another woman. Actually, Rice seemed happy to let me off the hook.”

“Good. I'm happy to let you off the hook too. Thank you for coming, but Asa stays right here. With Jade and me.” He fired a glance at Lorelai. “As far as my relationship with Asa, Rice told me she wanted to raise him on her own and I was wrong to let her. I was a newlywed and afraid for my marriage.”

“Excuses, Max.” Lorelai, the mother bear.

“Let's talk about how Rice lied to me. Lied. Look at all the pain and confusion she's caused.”

“Don't blame her, Max, you got in bed with her a week before your wedding.”

He was two breaths away from firing out the door. Words—mad, harsh words swirled in his belly.

“Landon here wants to see the boy.”

“We don't have to let you see him,” Max said. “You have no legal authority.”

Landon bent to his attaché. “I'm taking action, Max.” He handed over a document. “Thanks to Gus, I was able to get a judge to grant me temporary visitation. Jade, since you knew, I could charge you with kidnapping.”

“What?” Her voice sheered the tension in the room. “I heard a rumor. A story. I had no proof.”

This was Gus's doing—the mountain thug—getting back at Max for besting him when he and Lorelai sued for custody. What a treat Landon turned out to be. Walking into Gus's lair.

“You sure you want to go up against Benson Law again, Gus?” Max understood the power of grief 's voice speaking from the McClures' hearts.

He'd been a father for four months. If something happened to Asa, he had no idea how he'd manage. Rice had been the McClures' only daughter. She died tragically and suddenly at thirty-eight. The depths of their grief had to be profound and blinding.

“We just want what's right. For the boy. For Rice. Even Landon here.”

“Since this case has legal ramifications, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You'll be hearing from our lawyer.” Max heard his calm response, but he remained on the verge of flying apart.

Lorelai wrung her hands. “Gus, please, we'll never get to see him if we keep this up. Max, we only want—”

In an instant, she'd changed her tone, ready to plead out and confess it was all a bluff. “Lorelai, it's best if you go. We'll work this out.”

Gus tried to debate, but Lorelai shoved him out the door. “Do as he says, Gus, for pity's sake.”

Landon lingered, the last to leave. He tried to give Max the eyeball-to-eyeball thing as he walked out, but Max had perfected that look. Landon softened and remarked, “This is only the beginning.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever.”

Max slammed the door, then turned to stare at Jade. “If you'd have told me, none of this would've happened. I could've done an end run on Landon and kept him from going to Gus.”

“So this is my fault?”

“No fault. Just wish you would've told me.” His fire flickered lower, fading.

“I didn't want to hurt you.”

“Jade, I'm a big boy. I've handled lots of surprises and stresses over the years. Without pills. You can't avoid telling me things because you're afraid.”

“Okay, then you tell me when and how to tell the difference between big boy Max and pill popping Max. Dang it, you have to think about what I went through with you. Here's what it was like: If it's Tuesday and the sun is shining, and you've had your coffee and won a case, I can lay the heaviest burden on you. But if it's Wednesday between ten and ten forty-five and your coffee is cold and the partners meeting went long, I can't tell you the toilet needs fixing or you'll pop a Perc.”

“Oh nice . . . good, Jade, is that how you see me? A neurotic moron?”

“Well, Max, you tell me how I'm supposed to know for sure that you'll never pop pills again?” Hands on her hips, she leaned into him. “'Cause I trusted you before, and that didn't work out so well.”

Max moved for the door. “I need to think.” He jumped off the porch and started down the driveway, running, drawing in the cool night air, burning off the stress with each mounting and mourning stride.

Twenty-five

Midnight. Max rapped on Holiday Inn room 202. Landon Harcourt opened, his shirttail out, his collar open, limp and tired.

“Didn't expect to see you tonight. We do have a legal case pending.”

“Can I come in?” Max said. He'd calmed down on his run. Formed a plan. Went home, showered, and kissed his wife.

“Suit yourself.” Harcourt powered off the TV. “Can I offer you a cocktail?” He waved a mini liquor bottle.

“Don't drink. I came to find out what you want.”

“I told you. I want to see the boy.” Landon tossed the empty bottle in the trash.

“Just like that? Out of the blue? You decided to pop into Colby, Texas, and see about your kid? He's two years old, man, where you been?”

“Staying out of Rice's way. Living my own life. Same as you.”

“You're not the same as me.” Not anymore. But seeing Landon disturbed Max in the shadowy places of his soul. Was this how he looked ten years ago?

It made him ill. “Have you ever seen him?”

“Right after he was born. See, you and I are exactly the same, Benson. Weak against Rice's charms.” The sound of his laugh rattled Max's bones.

“How did you two meet?”

“Mutual friends on a ski trip. But I live in Denver and the long distance thing got old. Not that we were serious anyway.”

“Why didn't you bother to check the lab reports for yourself?”

“You ask a lot of questions, Benson, for a
coach
. I'm not sure I should be talking to you.”

“Cut to the chase, Harcourt. What do you want? It's not to see Asa.” Max felt it. In his gut. Landon was up to something. “You're an intelligent man, you're educated. You don't waste time on things that don't benefit you.”

“You think you know me, Benson?”

“I know I know you.”

“My grandfather recently died and it made me aware of how . . . well, how fragile life can be. I took the paternity test in a moment of regret. Then Rice told me she'd been mistaken, you were the father and already on the birth certificate. So I let it go. To be honest, I was glad.” Landon leaned against the desk. “But I'm two years wiser now. And with my grandfather's death, it got me thinking about my life and mortality.”

“So you went looking for Rice's son?”

“My son. I called the McClures thinking they'd know why Rice lied. Why she named you father and told me I wasn't.”

“Something about you must have spooked her.”

“Maybe, but at least I didn't cheat on my pretty wife.”

Max fired across the room. “I'm asking you again. What do you want, Harcourt? I'm not buying this newfound enlightenment. And I can check to see if your granddaddy died.” Stay on offense. Execute. Read the D. Break him. Get his pride to speak. “Asa's not leaving this family. You should know that right now. I'll fight you tooth and nail. You got any money?”