Jason’s face registered confusion. “Why not?”
“I assumed she was so embarrassed by her choice of husband that she’d rather have people think she’d gotten pregnant out of wedlock.”
“Do you think she left her husband to protect the baby or herself?” Jason’s voice was cold and hard. “I could respect that.”
No doubt he could. He’d been the baby in that situation once. “She never had one negative thing to say about her husband. I asked her if he’d hurt her, but she was adamant that he hadn’t. Then she begged me not to ask any more questions.”
“I’m guessing you did what she asked.” Jason finished off the last bite of his sandwich and tossed the wrappings in the trash.
Had she done the right thing by agreeing to Stephanie’s request? Doubts clawed at her heart. “What else could I do?”
“Nothing,” Jason said.
She didn’t bother to process why that one word sent a shot of relief through her system.
Caroline took a sip of tea. “We almost never spoke of him. Then one night she asked me if I could come over. When I got there, she was a mess. Told me her husband had been killed. She wouldn’t share any details, but she was devastated.”
“You think she loved him?”
“Yes. At least I’ll be able to tell Henry that much.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know who his father was. Stephanie always referred to him as Lee, and she never changed her last name. His name isn’t on the birth certificate.”
“Caroline, I have to ask. Do you think Stephanie was ever married? It could have been a one-night stand, and she was embarrassed to admit she didn’t know the guy.”
“No, I believe there was a real relationship and she did love him. But the rest of the story—well, I don’t know what to believe anymore. Do you... Do you think he might be the reason someone came after me?”
Jason didn’t answer—which was answer enough. She could put together the logic herself. If someone was targeting her, it was probably connected to the only new element in her life—her son. And since she knew nothing about his father’s family or what trouble they might bring, she had no idea how to keep Henry safe.
* * *
Jason put one hand on hers. She didn’t pull away, and the softness of her skin threatened to distract him. He focused on her face. “This guy, Lee, sounds like a pretty shady character. He could have been married or some type of criminal...”
“I know.”
They sat in silence. He wished he could read her mind. Was she angry with him for asking these questions? “I’m surprised your sister-in-law hasn’t done some investigating.”
“She wanted to, but I begged her to leave it alone. I have a feeling she’s been doing some digging on the side, but my guess is she hasn’t found anything yet. Besides, she and her partner, Max, have been deep into something lately. That’s where she is now—undercover somewhere. When things slow down, I have a feeling she’ll start asking a lot more questions.”
She dropped her head into her hands. “Maybe I should have taken her up on the offer.”
“There’s no point in stressing about that now,” Jason said. “Let’s focus on what we know. How old was Henry when Steph died?” Jason asked.
“Eight months. Car crash. Stephanie died at the scene. Henry got out with barely a scratch. I was listed as her emergency contact. When I went to her place to try to find her insurance information for Henry, I found her will.”
“And that’s when you found out you’d been named Henry’s guardian.”
“Yep.”
“Must have been a shock.”
“You could say that. One minute I was single and unattached. The next I had an eight-month-old to rear.”
“Were there any legal challenges?”
He’d been the pawn in a legal battle for a good part of his childhood. It wouldn’t surprise him if someone caused trouble without really thinking of Henry’s best interests at all.
“No. She had a trust set up for Henry. No one disputed it. There’s no mention of the father, beyond the request that I never allow Henry to know that side of his family or for the family to know him.” She picked up one of the napkins Jason had left on the table and started folding it into small squares. “Once the chaos settled, I started all the legal proceedings to make sure Stephanie’s wishes would be carried out. Her dad has had two heart attacks, and her mom has her hands full taking care of him. They had no interest in contesting the guardianship. The adoption will be final in two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
There was a tone in Jason’s voice that Caroline’s nerves reverberated to. “Why?”
“The timing of this makes me very suspicious.”
“You mean someone who knew the father—”
“Or maybe the father himself? We don’t even know if he’s dead. Do we?”
Caroline gulped. “No. I guess we don’t. But I know this. Henry is mine now, and I’m never letting him go.”
Jason heard the mama-bear growl in her voice. He pitied the fool who messed with her on a good day. Raw from the evening’s trauma and the past few months of upheaval, Caroline Harrison looked like a woman who wouldn’t tolerate any more nonsense.
“The adoption will be final in two weeks and he’ll be mine forever.” She raked her hands through her hair. “Assuming we’re still alive.” Caroline placed a bag of Oreos on the table. “Want some milk?”
“Of course I do.”
She grinned at him before returning to the fridge. “I knew it. Like I said, some things never change.”
She poured two glasses of milk and twisted her Oreo in half. He dunked his in his milk before popping it in his mouth whole.
He needed to ask her one more question. And it had nothing to do with the case. “There’s one more thing,” he said.
She looked at him over the edge of an Oreo. “Yes?”
“I need to apologize for what I said that night.”
Her face flushed. “Maybe we should just pretend that night never happened,” she said in a whisper.
Pretend it never happened? He relived it almost every day. “Is that what you’ve done?” He hated the huskiness in his voice and cleared his throat.
She bit her lip. “You made your feelings pretty clear, Jason. I’ve always regretted trying to change your mind. I lost so much that night. If I had a time machine, I’d stop myself from messing things up for both of us.”
He swallowed hard. It was now or never. “I’ve regretted that night for the past thirteen years, as well. But I think for different reasons. You spoke from your heart and told the truth.”
Spit it out, Drake. “But I didn’t. I was afraid. And stupid. I thought I was doing the best thing for both of us, and I’m not convinced that I was wrong about that. But I have regretted hurting you every day since.” He’d regretted it all the more because he’d been in love with her but had been too afraid to tell her, too certain that all the obstacles between them would ruin their chances, and that he’d be better off not risking his heart or her happiness.
His phone rang, and he ignored it. It rang again. “You’d better get that,” she said.
He