Page 119 of Choices

“So talk,” she dares him.

Exhaling through his nose, he shifts in his seat. “Nothing has changed.” He reaches out and turns my head to look at him. The touch leaves a blaze of fire in its wake. “Claire made one last-ditch effort to try to keep us together, but it’s not my kid.”

“Whose kid is it?” I ask, not sure I’m ready to believe him.

“Some kid she gets to mow her lawn.” He scrunches his nose, and it creases the bruises left from Callan’s beating.

“Is that sex terminology?” Rogue asks, still watching in the rearview mirror. “Mow her lawn?”

“No.” Gripping Monster’s headrest, he angles himself to speak to us both. “She fucked some kid she pays to do her gardening.”

What the actual hell?

“When you say, kid”—Monster starts, joining the conversation—“what do you mean?”

“I mean, seventeen years old.” He shakes his head.

And now, I’m dead.

“Are you bullshitting us?” I ask in disbelief. Claire is an attractive woman. She could fuck whoever she wanted within reason, and Cutter is incredible in bed. To go from him to a kid makes zero sense.

“I wish I was, but I kid you not.” Tension leaves his eyes.

“Seventeen?” Rogue says aloud, but it’s not a question. It’s a way for her brain to come to terms with the information.

“Why is your wife fucking anyone but you?” Monster grunts.

“Because we’re not together,” he says, taking my hand. “I promise you. This has nothing to do with me. It changes nothing. Rocco is my son, and we will co-parent him. But other than that, it’s over.”

“How do you know it’s his and not yours though?” Monster queries.

“Because we’re not together! Am I speaking another language or something? Why the fuck are you getting involved anyway?”

“You got in the car.” He says deadpan.

“Fine, just so everyone is on the same page. She’s a couple of months pregnant and I haven’t fucked her for the kid to be mine. It’s impossible.”

My heart settles, and silence falls over the car until Rogue squeals, “Seventeen?”

Before Monster grunts, “You haven’t fucked your wife in two months?”

A chorus of laughter rings out, and I feel like I can breathe again.

CHAPTER 35

HELL MOTEL

CUTTER

The rest of the drive, Kit allows me to keep her hand in mine, and for the first time since Claire uttered the words “we’re pregnant,” the vice grip on my lungs loosens, though the truth about Rocco still sits heavy in my head. Callan and Claire are the only ones who know I’m not Rocco’s biological dad, but I don’t want secrets between Kitty and me. I’m going to tell her the truth. But then I’ll lock this information in an impenetrable box and throw it in the ocean. Michael will never know.

Claire’s a conniving bitch, but she loves our son and would do anything to keep him safe. We scared her today with the reality of what the Carnells would do, and it’s enough to make her carry the secret to her grave. She agreed to take some time away to visit her aunt out of town until news of the baby blows over and I’ve had a chance to speak to Pres about Kitty and me. If Pres knew the truth about Claire, fuck knows what he would do about it.

“We’re here,” Monster announces, pulling into the parking lot of a motel.

“Thank fuck,” I grumble, needing to stretch my legs. We’ve been driving nonstop for over three hours.

“Where the fuck are we?” Pushing open the door, I step out into the brisk night air, then offer my hand to help Kitty out, darkness extending out like the ocean around us.

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