Page 79 of His Stepdad Wears Leather

“She had a shift at the hospital.”

“Ah.”

Brody leaned against the island opposite her. “Any news on Walt? He still standing sentinel outside the homestead?”

Stacey turned to face him. “Are you sleeping with my son?”

All the life went out of Brody. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

“He told me about some older man he met when he first got to town… he used a fake ID to sneak intoa bar.” She shook her head. “For some reason, I went online and searched for the Greyhound stop… I wanted to know how far he’d walked. This bar is right down the road from that stop.” She paused, shaking her head again. “He had to come here.” Stacey turned back to face him, eyes wide. “You haven’t seen Noah in fourteen years. He said he used the name on the ID, not his own. So you wouldn’t have known he wasmyNoah. Right?”

“Stacey… you have no idea wh—”

“Don’t lie to me,” she growled. “I saw the way you two just looked at one another!”

Bile rose up Brody’s throat. He closed his eyes, Lex’s words once again whispering through his mind. The truth would ultimately come out. When he reopened his eyes, Stacey’s pain tormented him. “He said his name was Chris. I hadno ideawho he really was. I had no idea, Stace.No idea.”

She chuckled grimly. “Are you incapable of thinking with anything but your cock?”

“That’s unfair. I had no idea who he was!”

Her eyes closed. Her lower lip quivered. “But… it’s over now.Right?”

No.“Yes,” he lied.

She reopened her eyes, and they flashed at him. “Is it? He seems to believe he’s still attracted to this man of his. Wants it to continue.”

Brody glanced away, hating lying to her. “Ithasto be over. I told him that last night.”

Noah padded out of the bedroom, still wet and wrapped in a towel. “What’s going on out here?”

“Your boyfriend and I were just having a little conversation,” Stacey said before turning to Noah. “Get dressed and get your things. You’re coming home with me.”

“No,” Noah replied. “I want to stay here. With Brody.”

Stacey frowned at Noah. “He’s Parker’s father. Myex-husband.”

“Brody already told me… it was a business arrangement. His sperm for your insurance.”

“Oh? That’s all it was, hmm?” Tears welled in her eyes as she spun to glare at Brody. “Is it, Brody? Is that all we are to one another?”

“Of course it’s not. It’s not that simple. We’re family.”

“Exactly.Family.And family doesn’t do this to one another.” Stacey pulled open her purse and took out a folded slip of paper. She slapped it on the island before pulling her purse over one shoulder. “You want to play daddy? So take him to see this attorney. I need to get the hell out of here before I say something I might regret later.”

With that, she marched to the door and left them with a slam.

“Why did you tell her?” Brody asked.

“I never told her it was you!”

“You gave her enough to figure it out.”

Noah frowned. “How? I only said it was some random older guy I met in a bar. I gave her nothing else. There’s no way she could’ve known.”

“She saw the way we looked at one another.”

Noah paused, silent. “How do we look at one another, Brody?”

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