Page 17 of Claiming My Grumpy Ex

The question hit me like a punch. I forced a steady breath, trying to keep my expression calm, but inside, everything was spinning. I hadn’t expected this—not now, not like this.

“What makes you ask that, honey?” My voice was even, though my heart was anything but.

Jake shrugged, eyes downcast. “I don’t know. He just… he felt familiar. I mean, I can’t explain it.” He looked up at me with a mix of curiosity and something deeper, something I wasn’t sure he even understood.

I managed a small smile, desperately trying to keep my voice light. “Jake, I only met Cory when we picked you up from the hospital, remember? He’s just a guy passing through Cedar Cove.” I could feel the lie settling in the space between us, heavyand uncomfortable. But I wasn’t ready to tell him the truth—not yet.

Jake nodded, accepting my answer, though his eyes lingered on me a moment longer as if searching for something more. Then he shrugged it off, switching back to his usual chatter about his friends, his grin lighting up his face again. I tried to stay focused, to match his energy, but the weight of his question stayed with me, pressing down like a stone.

After dinner, as Jake disappeared into his room to start his homework, I cleared the table, my movements mechanical. The truth was, I had lied to my son. I hadn’t wanted to, but his question had blindsided me. I’d always known this day would come—the day he’d want answers. And somehow, I’d convinced myself I’d be ready. But standing there in the kitchen, I realized how utterly unprepared I was.

I rinsed the dishes, each plate clinking loudly against the sink, the guilt hanging over me like a cloud I couldn’t escape. If only I’d told him the truth from the start, that his father was someone from my past, someone who’d left before he even knew. But now, it felt too late to set things right without unraveling the life I’d worked so hard to build.

After finishing up in the kitchen, I found myself back at the counter, staring at Cory’s photo on the foundation’s website, the cursor hovering over his contact number. The temptation to call him was almost overwhelming—to tell him everything, to demand he understand what he’d left behind. But the late hour reminded me it wasn’t the right time. Even if I wanted to converse with him, I’d need to find the words first, the courage to confront years of silence and uncertainty. Sighing, I locked my phone and slipped it into my pocket, telling myself tomorrow would bring a clearer head.

I rinsed my hands and turned off the kitchen light, my steps quiet as I made my way down the hall to Jake’s room. He wassprawled across his bed, asleep on top of his books, his breathing slow and even. I smoothed the hair from his forehead, my heart aching with the enormity of everything left unsaid. He looked so peaceful, and at that moment, I wished I could keep his world simple forever.

After tucking a blanket around him and turning off his bedside lamp, I headed down the hall to my own room, anticipation building for the bath I’d been craving all day. I filled the tub with hot water, adding a generous pour of lavender bath oil, letting the scent rise and fill the room. Sliding into the water, I felt a wave of relief as the warmth eased the tension from my muscles, the steam softening the edges of my lingering worries.

Just as I let my head rest against the tub’s edge, my phone buzzed on the counter. I glanced over, seeing Luke’s name on the screen. For a moment, the familiarity of his call brought a sense of comfort, but I felt a pang of irritation, too. I didn’t want to pretend everything was fine when my mind was swirling with questions and unresolved feelings. I hesitated, my finger hovering over the screen, but then I hit “decline,” letting the call fade into silence.

A ripple of guilt nudged me, knowing Luke was only trying to reach out, to be there for me. But tonight, I couldn’t do it—not with the weight of Jake’s question and Cory’s sudden reappearance in my life. I closed my eyes, sinking deeper into the water, feeling the ache of decisions left to linger.

In the quiet, I could almost hear Jake’s voice asking again, “Is Cory my dad?” The question lingered, echoing louder than I wanted to admit.

Nine

Cory

I glanced around my office one last time, the familiar expanse of glass and steel stretching out below me. Dallas’s skyline gleamed under the morning sun, a reminder of the life I’d built—the life I’d traded everything else for. Yet here I was, about to drive out of the city on an unplanned trip that had nothing to do with deals, donations, or board meetings. I had no idea what to expect from Elena, but I knew I couldn’t sit here another minute with all these questions eating at me.

My assistant, Natalie, poked her head in, eyebrows raised in surprise when she noticed my packed bag. “Returning to Cedar Cove so soon?” she asked, a hint of a smirk on her face. I couldn’t blame her. Since I purchased my cabin, I’d mostly worked remotely. Natalie snickered, “You’ve been even grumpier and irritable than usual.”

“Yeah,” I replied, trying to sound casual. “I need to handle a… personal matter.”

I’d barely finished the sentence when her phone buzzed, signaling her back to her desk. I took it as my cue to leave, givinga quick nod as I headed out. In truth, I hadn’t explained my quick return to Cedar Cove or even tried to. How did I explain to anyone that I had to figure out if I had a son waiting for me or that I was driving two hundred miles to reconnect with a woman who had, despite everything, never quite left my mind?

Once I was in my SUV, the skyscrapers and city noise faded behind me. The open, wide, and empty road stretched ahead as I merged onto the highway. Dallas disappeared in my rearview mirror, replaced by miles of Texas countryside dotted with fields and dusty backroads that seemed to go on forever. Cedar Cove felt like it existed in a different world altogether, untouched by the rush of the city, the world I’d been caught up in for years. At this moment, that quietness felt like exactly what I needed, much like my hometown, Beaver Creek.

But my thoughts became more tangled the closer I got to Cedar Cove. I tried to remember what life had been like back then—before the money, the Marines, and all the distractions I’d piled on. Back when the only thing that mattered was Elena and how she’d made me feel alive like we were invincible. She was the one person I’d let myself be vulnerable with, the one I’d stupidly walked away from for adventure.

And now there was Jake. A kid who reminded me of myself in ways I couldn’t quite shake.

The thought of it—the possibility that he was my son—filled me with a confusing mix of pride, regret, and a touch of fear I wasn’t used to. I’d never considered fatherhood before, not seriously anyway. I’d spent so long focused on carving out my place in the world that I’d never stopped to think about what else I might want. And now here I was, trying to navigate a role I hadn’t even known I wanted until a few days ago.

My mind drifted to Asha’s advice. She’d warned me not to storm into Elena’s life demanding answers, that I’d be better off easing into it, respecting whatever boundaries she might have.But damn, if it wasn’t hard to hold back. Every instinct in me wanted to know for sure—I wanted to be there for Jake, to have some connection. And if I was honest with myself, a part of me still wanted that connection with Elena, too.

Then there was the issue of my wealth, the life I’d built on my grandfather’s fortune. The Horizon Foundation was my public face, my way of giving back, but that barely scratched the surface of what I’d accumulated. Would Elena see me differently when she found out? I’d kept things simple in Cedar Cove—driving my SUV and staying at the cabin. I hadn’t flaunted any of it because that wasn’t who I wanted to be around her.

As I drove, the questions continued to pile up. What if Jake really was my son? Would he resent me for not being there sooner? For all he knew, I was some stranger who’d popped into his life unannounced. And if Elena found out about the money, would she think I’d left her behind for the life I’d chosen instead of a life with her?

The familiar, steady hum of the engine was the only sound around me, but inside, everything felt like chaos. By the time I was a few minutes away from Cedar Cove, my thoughts were spinning, and every fear and regret rose to the surface.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down. One thing at a time. I’d get to Cedar Cove, find Elena, and take it from there. I couldn’t fix everything in one conversation, and there were years of distance between us, but maybe—just maybe—this was a chance to start mending things.

The sun started to dip below the horizon as I finally turned down Elena’s street in Cedar Cove. The world here moved slower, the air felt cleaner, and every little thing seemed to matter a bitmore. I’d spent years running from anything that felt this simple or grounding, but now I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

As I eased my SUV down the road, I spotted her car parked in the driveway, confirming what I’d hoped for. My pulse quickened. This was it. A chance to reconnect, to see her outside of the bustle of her salon and in her own space.

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