Page 79 of Hard To Leave

My voice was barely a whisper as I spoke through the tears. “I came to your show last night to tell you.”

“Really? Tell me what?” he mocked. “Don’t ya think you’re about eight fucking years too late?”

“What the hell is going on?” Jack snapped as the two men glared at each other.

My heart quivered with the fear of losing Jack before I could even get a chance to explain. I was questioning my loyalty to both men. I wasn’t sure who I should address first.

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Brogan demanded, his eyes were filled with hurt and anger.

I stared down at his worn black work boots with the steel toe. I was incapable of meeting his gaze.

Jack’s fingers dug into my shoulders. His fury vibrated against my back. “Who the hell are you?”

Brogan cleared his throat. I could see the vein in his forehead pulsing. “I believe I’m the father of your girlfriend’s kid.”

“What the hell is he talking about, Chloe?” He stumbled backward as if those words had physically struck him. “You told me you had a one-night stand and didn’t even know who the father was.”

“A one-night stand, my ass.” Brogan’s voice was filled with accusation and outrage. “What the fuck, CC!”

I opened my mouth and closed it. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. My brain frantically searched for a way to redeem myself, tried to find words that would be good enough to get me out of this mess. There was so much to explain, and the pressure of being put on the spot had my thoughts all jumbled up.

“Her name is Chloe. Asshole. And who the fuck do you think you are yelling at my girl at her place of work?” Jack grit out with his hand trembling violently at my lower back. He stepped around me and positioned himself at my front.

“I know what her fucking name is.” Brogan’s jaw pulsed with anger. “Because I dated her for three fucking years!”

Jack started to speak and then stopped. The look that came over his face is one I’ll never forget.

“Jack.” I felt like I was grasping at straws while trying to find a way to calm the situation. “I can explain.”

Brogan got right up in my face. “If you have any explaining to do, it’s to me. Not him. Now, start talking.”

Jack shoved him back, his temper rising to the surface. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that.”

“Jack!” I reached for his hand to calm him down. All the fears and the angst I’d been feeling these past few months came flooding forward.

I stood before both men, and I didn’t know what do, what to say, or how to fix this. There was no way to rewind the clock. No matter how much I wanted to.

So, there I stood wondering how the hell I let any of this happen. Just an hour ago, all I had to worry about was getting through my shift and spending the day with my two boys.

Now, I had to worry about how I was going to get myself out of this mess. How I was going to explain all this to my son. Tears burned the back of my eyes when I thought about what this would mean for all of us.

I wanted to wrap my arms around Jack and beg him to take me away from this nightmare. The thought of losing him cracked my heart wide open, and I knew if he left me, there would be no way to fix it.

My eyes shifted to the man on my right. We loved each other once, but somewhere along the way, we lost each other too. There was so much history between us, and because of Tanner we’ll always be connected, but that’s where it stopped.

I might have done the wrong thing for the right reasons, but I’m not sure any excuse I could give Brogan would make a difference. What I could give him was the truth.

My throat went dry as I fought the tears that continued to fall. “Tanner is your son, Brogan.”

His breath hitched, and the look on his face shattered me. “Why, CC. Tell me why?”

I could see the torment in his eyes as he waited for me to answer. Regret stirred between us as the fallout from my actions came crashing down around me.

My shoulders sagged in defeat. “I’m so sorry. This wasn’t how I meant for this to come out. I know I have a lot of explaining to do to the both of you. Please just hear me out.”

“Unreal. I can’t believe this.” Jack’s voice boomed throughout the whole diner as he paced around the restaurant. It was then that I noticed that the entire diner was silent, watching the slow-motion train wreck take place.

My customers were peeking up at me from every angle. Mr. Kazem, the local DA, eyed me from his plate of scrambled eggs. Ms. Brooks, the town gossiper, shook her head, as she sipped her coffee. And Peter, our dishwasher, stared at me from the small window facing the kitchen in the back.

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