Page 55 of Wasted On You

Jacob rolled his eyes, already moving toward the mountain of coats on a table by the stage.

“Text me,” Mike Paul shouted.

Jacob ignored him, rifled through the pile, and grabbed his jacket. He left the Sundowner without a word or a look or anything. Typical teen, Mike Paul supposed, but one who was straddling a precarious line. He decided there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. He’d worry about the kid tomorrow.

Besides, he had other things on his mind.

Mike Paul grabbed a beer from behind the bar. Ivy was across the room with Millie Sue, Wanda, and Scarlett. His niece was snug in her arms, and it looked like the most natural thing in the world for Ivy to be holding a baby. It tore at something inside him. Some masculine Neanderthalthingthat screamed possession. Screamed, she’s mine.

Made him want to make one of his own. A baby. With Ivy.

And that thought had him taking a step back because never in his life had the thought of kids crept in. He knew he loved her. Knew that he wanted her. But kids? That was an entirely different situation.

He took a good, long pull from the bottle and then another as he considered what that meant.

Cal Bridgestone grabbed a cold one for himself and then turned to face the room. “Where’d the Clappison boy go?”

“My place.” Mike Paul had shared his suspicions of abuse earlier, so his friend knew of Jacob’s circumstances.

“That’s a tough situation.” Cal had experienced something similar growing up.

“It is.” He glanced at his friend. “You like having a kid, right?”

Cal looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. And maybe he had.

“Where the hell is that coming from?”

“Where do you think.”

Cal followed Mike Paul’s gaze and slowly shook his head. “You’ve got it way worse than I thought.”

“No shit.”

“This is real.” Cal sounded surprised.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

Cal gave him a strange look.

“I don’t want a sermon.” Annoyed, Mike Paul took another pull from the bottle.

“Aside from the fact she’s wearing another man’s ring?—”

“If I have to hear that one more time I’m going to put another hole into the wall.”

“Can’t help it, if it’s true.”

“Come on, you know Ivy as well as I do. She doesn’t love that guy. She might think she does. But no way in hell is he the right man for her.”

“And you are.”

“Yes.” Pissed, Mike Paul glared at his oldest friend. “Why are you giving me a hard time about this? You know she and I belong together. Hell, you knew it before I did. Remember when you tried to get me to dump Bethany Michaels before prom and take Ivy?”

“This is a long way from prom. We were kids.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Mike Paul asked. “You think it doesn’t drive me fucking crazy picturing her with that guy? Thinking about his hands on her? Knowing she should be with me?”

Cal sighed and shook his head. “I’m going to say something, and it’s going to get you riled up.”

---