Page 49 of Finding Limits

“I was so sure, it was there in black and white, and then we met and?—”

“I know, son.” I try hard to keep my own disappointment at bay. I was really starting to get used to the idea of being this kid’s dad.

“I didn’t know how to tell ya, and I was scared that things would change. You’ve made me feel so welcome here and I?—”

“Hey, nothin’s gonna change.” I slap him on his back. “You're a hard worker and a good kid.”

“But I ain’t your kid. Being him felt real special, like I had something to live up to. Now I don’t have a clue who I am.”

“Listen to me, just because we don’t share the same blood don’t mean that you don’t belong here.” I’m shocked at how disappointed I am, and having to show face right now ain’t fuckin’ easy.

“I just don’t understand why she would have lied on that certificate. Why put your name?” He shakes his head, looking defeated.

“I don’t know, kid.” The mystery of it all gets to me too, but not nearly as much as knowing this boy ain’t mine. “We’ll figure it out, we’ll find her and get to the bottom of it,” I promise him.

“You're still gonna help me?” He looks up at me surprised.

“Hell yeah, I’m gonna help ya. Hunter, around here we take care of our own, and you’re one of us now. Like it or not.”

“Does that mean I get the brand?” His lips raise into a clever smirk.

“No, it does not mean you get the brand.” I shake my head at him.

“So, what do I have to do?” Now I realize he’s being serious I got a nasty taste in my mouth.

“You gotta make sacrifices and earn it, and you sure can’t be screamin’ like a pussy over severed heads.” I play it down because this boy may not be my son, but I still care a whole lot about him. Dalton wanted to wear the brand his whole life, and getting it, ended him up dead. I won’t make that same mistake twice.

“Come on, we don’t wanna be late.” I kick JD into a trot so the subject can close.

“How was your day?” I kiss Everleigh when I walk back through the door.

“It was good, me and Savannah went to Leia’s cabin and we just hung out.” She has a huge beam on her face as she plates up our dinner. “Her little boy is so cute, all the kids are. I can’t believe I was here for so long before meeting them.” She sits down at the table and clasps her hands to say her prayers. I watch her, wondering if there's a cruel bone in her body.

Me, on the other hand, I’ve spent my entire day feeling resentful. Resentful of Bill fuckin’ Carson for having four boys and not appreciating them. That man never spent any time doing what a father should do, it was me and their grandfather, Hank, who taught ‘em all they know. Back when I thought Hunter was mine I felt the weight of that guilt. I hated all the years we’d missed out on and I had a whole lotta plans for making up that time. I was gonna be a good father, or at least I was gonna try my damn best.

“You okay?” Everleigh looks at me concerned.

“Hunter ain’t mine.” I rip the Band-Aid straight off and when I see the shock on her face, I have to look away.

“How? The two of you are so… Are you sure?” She shakes her head in disbelief.

“He got the results last week and didn’t wanna tell me.” I smile sadly, placing down my fork because suddenly, I ain’t hungry.

“And you're disappointed?” She reads my fuckin’ mind.

“Yeah, I’m disappointed. I ain’t ever thought about being a father before, hell, the idea petrified me. My life has always been this ranch, but I looked at that kid and felt real proud to call him mine.” I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes so I shake my head and get back to eating.

“And did you tell him that?” Everleigh reaches across the table and holds my hand. “I’ll bet Hunter is every bit as disappointed as you are.” She smiles.

“He was, and I told him I’ll still help him find his mom. I just don’t understand why that girl would lie, and why the hell she’d pick me to put on that certificate. I can’t make sense of it.”

“You knew this girl, right?” Everleigh abandons her food and walks around the table to rest herself on my knee.

“I think she was young and scared and she knew that you were a good person, maybe that's what she wanted for her little boy,” she tells me softly as she snuggles her body into mine and makes everything feel right with the world again. “Hunter may not be your son, but you haven’t lost the chance to be someone special to him,” she reminds me.

“I think I’d have been a good father,” I admit, wrapping my arms around her waist to keep her close.

“You would have been a great father, and you're gonna be an incredible person for him to look up to.” She sounds so dreamy and enthusiastic that I almost believe her.

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