Page 153 of Embracing the Change

It absolutely was.

Predictably, it had been a rough road Rix had to travel after he lost both legs in an accident when he was a firefighter, first the physical journey, then the emotional one.

But Rix was a tough nut, and he fought to the other side. Now, it was all about getting on with life, love, and making babies.

“You hear from Chet again?” Judge asked.

“Not a word. No whisper out there he’s causing any trouble. Doesn’t mean we won’t be blindsided by it.”

“Do you have any idea what his deal is now?” Judge asked. “I mean, Dru’s of age. Why doesn’t he just piss off?”

At his son’s question, Jamie made a decision.

And it was a big decision.

He then set about initiating that decision by explaining all that had been happening.

Everything.

Roland. Paloma. Chet.

AJ.

And finally, he said, “I haven’t spoken to your sister about this, but I need…” he trailed off.

Was he going to do this?

“What, Dad? You need what?” Judge prompted when Jamie left it too long. Then he suggested, “A posse to go to Texas and kick Granddad’s ass?”

Jamie wanted to smile at that.

He just couldn’t.

“No, because, Judge.” Fuck. “Because AJ Oakley is not your granddad.”

Judge was silent.

Jamie was in it now, so he had to give it all.

“I found your grandmother’s journals. She had an affair. I’m the product of that.”

“Holy fuck,” Judge pushed out.

“I know it’s a lot to lay on you over the phone?—”

“It’d be a lot to lay on me in person,” Judge said. “You’ve known about this for a while?”

“It took some time for me to get over losing your grandma before I could read her journals. It then took more to convince myself I had a right to her privacy. I missed her and wanted to be closer to her. So I read them, and I’m glad I did, for more than this reason. But yes. I’ve known it for years. I didn’t tell you because, well, frankly, son, I wasn’t ready.”

“It’s yours to share when you want to, Dad. I’m just…is it bad that I’m really freaking happy Grandma cheated on Granddad?”

Miraculously, considering their subject, Jamie felt his lips twitch. “No. But it wasn’t like that. It was a love affair, buddy. They loved each other. Deeply. He wanted to take her away from him. Give her a good life. But she had three kids, and they both knew how AJ could be, particularly Mom. If she humiliated him like that, he’d bury her, and my birth father.”

“Christ, the tentacles of his bullshit stretch forever,” Judge groused.

They were about to come to an end.

“What he did to you, how he used Belinda,” Jamie began, “and learning what was in those journals was what prompted me to deal with him in a final way, Judge. Mom felt trapped. Well before the final years of her marriage, she felt trapped, and he purposefully made her feel that way. It was a relief to her when he replaced her. So, part of why I made that decision has always been the fact that I plan, once that ranch is in my hands, to give it to my real father…and your two uncles.”

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