“I want to know that you’re more than a sexual being, Jacob. Show me what kind of man you truly are. Can I trust your word? Can I believe you when you say you aren’t bad-mouthing me to my child behind my back? Can I trust you to teach him morals and work ethic and decency? Because I won’t let my child become a chip off James Blackstone’s block.”
Jacob stepped closer, literally towering over her. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Arching her neck to stare at him wasn’t comfortable, but she wasn’t going to concede with even a single step backward. “Since you didn’t know about Carter, I’m going to guess and say you didn’t know your grandfather came to see me right before he died.”
“Aiden would have told me.”
“Did Aiden know? He wasn’t there.”
“Who was?”
“That lawyer guy.”
“Canton?”
“That’s the one. They came to the house one morning. I’d only known I was pregnant for a week.”
“How could he possibly know about that?”
KC shook her head. “I’m not sure. But he did know how long we’d been seeing each other. I wouldn’t put it past either of them to spy on me somehow.”
Jacob’s Adam’s apple shifted in his throat. KC was sorry to have to deliver her news.
“James knew you were pregnant with my child.” The deadness in his voice reverberated through her. She’d often wondered how a man like his grandfather could have had a child. What kind of family did you create with manipulation and fear? No wonder Aiden Blackstone had run far, far away when he was younger.
Though Jacob had always seemed quite normal, she’d sensed a dark sadness underneath that excellent control of his. What games had James Blackstone played with his grandsons? What terror had he wreaked in their family before he died? Jacob had never even come close to sharing something that personal.
“That’s the only reason I could think of that he would demand I leave town. And never come back.”
Jacob seemed frozen; not a muscle moved. He gripped the crib rail with one hand. The knuckles turned white...and stayed white.
“But you didn’t stay away.”
“No. Once I found out he was dead, I thought the coast would be clear to come home.” That might have been a mistake, too. “But he threatened my family’s business—”
“How?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as if he suspected a lie.
“Jacob,” she said, shaking her head at him, “your grandfather owned half the town. He’d rented us the land Lola’s is on for my entire life but never would allow my mother or grandmother to buy it. I suspect it was so he could use it to his advantage if the opportunity arose.”
She tried to breathe around the anger that rose at the memory. “He threatened to shut down the business. Everything my mother and grandmother own is tied up in Lola’s. Not to mention that their house is on that land, too. So I agreed, and the men left. Then I cashed out some savings and used it to move away.”
Jacob smirked. “Serves him right.”
“When I heard about his death, I thought—well, we all thought—he couldn’t hurt us anymore. I just hadn’t figured out what to do about you yet.”
“And you think this is the answer?”
“It’s the only one I’ve got.” Might as well be honest about that. “Let’s face it, Jacob. You have money and a damn good lawyer. But James didn’t own me, and neither do you. If you want to be part of Carter’s life, stop throwing your weight around and work with me.”
“Who put you in charge? You haven’t exactly proved yourself trustworthy.”
Unease rippled through her body. She knew she’d had good reasons for her choices, but when she looked at it from his point of view... “I’m not denying you access to Carter out of anger or revenge, Jacob. I simply want to know that he’s in good hands. That you’re willing to make a place for a baby in your life. Not hand him over to a well-paid nanny.”
His eyes searched hers. “How can I be sure he’s in good hands with you?”
“I— Well—” Words failed her for a moment.
“Face it, KC. You ran halfway across the country to hide my child from me. I’m not the only one with something to prove. The question is, how?”
Jacob hadn’t felt so out of control since the last time he’d had KC in a bed. Only, anger wasn’t nearly as pleasurable. Still, he used the impetus to propel himself through the door to his brother Aiden’s study at Blackstone Manor, knowing John Canton was there for a meeting.
This morning, Aiden had mentioned an appointment for the lawyer to drop off some paperwork for their grandfather’s will. Canton still had control of the Blackstone inheritance, for now. There were some final hoops to jump through, then Jacob and his brothers would be free of James Blackstone and his minion.
“You bastard,” Jacob growled, absorbing his brother’s shocked look as he passed. But his focus was trained wholly on the lawyer.
The same lawyer who had assisted their grandfather in blackmailing Aiden into marrying Christina, their mother’s nurse, terrorizing them with threats of compromising their mother’s health and care if they didn’t comply.
“I knew you would force two people to get married to suit James’s purposes. Threaten, and bully, and even ruin an entire town on the whim of a dead man. But I seriously thought any decent human being would draw the line at cutting a child completely out of a man’s life.” He let his momentum carry him until he loomed over the smaller man. “Guess I thought wrong.”
From behind the desk, Aiden asked, “Jacob, care to fill me in?”
Canton didn’t even blink...or pretend not to understand what Jacob referred to. “I did as your grandfather ordered.”
“Didn’t you think I should have a say?”
Canton shrugged. “That was not for me to decide.”
With a growl, Jacob reached forward, but arms made of steel were there to stop him. Slowly, Aiden inched him back until there was enough room for him to stand between Jacob and the man he felt like killing.
“I’ve obviously missed something,” Aiden said. “Tell me now.”
From the other side of the barrier Aiden provided, Canton spoke. Brave man. “I believe Jacob is referring to a conversation his grandfather had with Ms. Gatlin.”
“What?” Aiden looked surprised.
Jacob turned away, relieving his brother of guard duty. At least not looking at his grandfather’s lawyer would help him regain control. In thirty-three years, he’d never experienced this many emotional twists. He didn’t like it. He needed stability. All the more reason to stay away from KC—but that wasn’t an option anymore.
He turned back, focusing on his brother. “I went to see KC Gatlin.”
Aiden gave a short nod. “So it’s true? The baby is yours?”
“He’s three months old.” Jacob felt the need to clarify, now that he had more facts. “I met KC on one of my flights home and...” How did he put this without making it sound as if KC was simply a booty call? “Okay, I was sleeping at her place whenever I came to town.” Why sugarcoat his