Page 113 of Break Out

Steel tipped his head to the side. “My dad died seven months ago. He was serving time in jail. He got sick, didn’t get to the doctor until things were advanced. In the hospital, they discovered prostate cancer. They didn’t even get to treat the cancer before he developed pneumonia and passed away. I wanted Jordan to attend his funeral.

“Since Jordan never took my calls, I had no idea if he would have read a text.”

“He wouldn’t,” I muttered without thinking.

Steel nodded. “Right. I went to Debra to explain things. She’s bitchy with me most of the time, but that evening, she was drunk on top of it and she let it fly that Jordan wasn’t mine.”

“Are you shitting me?” Dad asked, outrage lacing his tone.

Steel’s eyes cut to him. “No.”

“I should have let her have it last weekend,” I said.

“You met her?” Mom asked.

I shrugged.

Steel kept speaking. “I thought she was lying and said so. Deb’s always had to have the last word with me., She dug a file out with a paternity test.”

“Wait,” Bobby cut in. “She had the test done?”

Steel nodded. “She’d been cheating on me. When she turned up pregnant, she didn’t know who the father was. In her mind, it was supposed to be an insurance policy.”

“But it shows someone else is the dad?” Bobby asked.

“Right. It backfired on her, but at twenty, I was a moron. Had no idea she was cheating. Found that out five years later. Should have put it together at that point, but I didn’t.”

Bobby’s eyes were wide.

I tipped my glass at him. “This is why you have to be careful who you date.”

He arched a brow. “Because you were so careful yourself.” His eyes slid to Steel. “No offense.”

If I wasn’t mistaken, Steel sat a little straighter. “That wasn’t her fault. A woman hanging around the clubhouse heard me lose my temper about Debra trapping me. That bitch tried to do what Deb hadn’t. Problem was, she didn’t expect me to be with anyone outside the club.”

The hum of the fridge filled the room, such was our awkward silence.

Dad exhaled and looked at my brother. “That’s an example of why you keep your info to yourself, Rob. No disrespect intended, Steel. I can’t imagine I’d have reacted any better.”

Steel’s hand still rested on my thigh. I put my hand over his and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry you lost your dad.”

He dipped his chin and locked eyes with me. “Thanks, Jade.”

A mixture of love, gratitude, and wonder filled his eyes. I loved how expressive his eyes were.

“Why do you call her that?” Mom asked.

Steel’s eyes moved to Mom. “The necklace she wore when I met her was a ring of jade with a dragon. The look on her face when she sat down, she looked jaded. It suits her. Plus, calling her anything besides her real name keeps her safe.”

Mom arched her brows at Dad. “I told you her birthstone would have been a better idea.”

Steel burst with laughter. I fought a grin while my cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

We sped down San Jose Boulevard. “When were you going to tell me about your appointment?”

“Later tonight. It was just pregnancy brain that kept me from telling you sooner.”

He grabbed my hand. “I’m not reprimanding you or mad. Just wanted to be sure you were going to include me.”

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