Page 75 of Waiting for Devon
“All right. Devon is pregnant with your child.”
Every muscle in Reed’s body stiffened at the mention of Devon’s name. He snorted his disbelief. “What kind of a fool do you take me for, Taylor? Devon and I haven’t been together in months. The kid obviously isn’t mine.”
Jack clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to wipe the irritating smugness from the other man’s face. “Devon is three months along. You were together one night in September, and as you well know, once is all it takes.”
“I don’t know what kind of a game that woman is playing, but her child is not mine,” Reed insisted, growing angrier by the moment. “Maybe it’s yours.”
“Jesus, you really are a stupid son of a bitch. Do you think I would be here if it weren’t? Frankly, I despise you and what you did to Devon. Rejecting her after she’d been kidnapped was the worst thing you could have done. I would give my life to claim her child as mine. She doesn’t even know I’m here. She’s lying in a hospital bed, fighting to save the life of your unborn baby. If she loses this child, too, she will die. She said she would and I believe her. Devon needs to know you’re there with her, Barrington. Don’t make the same mistake I did. I abandoned her when she needed me the most, and as a result I lost the only woman I ever loved. If you feel anything for Devon,anythingat all, you’ll come to San Francisco and help her. For God’s sake, man, she loves you.”
“Get out,” Reed commanded in a voice hoarse with emotion. “I’ve heard enough. Leave me alone.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, when Devon gives birth to another Barrington,I’llbe raising it as my own and giving him or hermyname. I’ll be proposing to her after she’s released from the hospital. Maybe on Christmas Eve,” he taunted Reed.
“Knock yourself out,” Reed tossed.
“I’d like to knock you out.”
“You’re welcome to try.”
Jack threw the first punch. It knocked Reed backward over a three-legged stool. He recovered and charged at Jack with a grunt of anger. Reed hit Jack with a powerful right-hand hook, followed by a left jab. Jack shook it off and let fly an uppercut to Reed’s jaw. A good, old-fashioned brawl ensued with both men punching and kicking and rolling around on the ground. They took their fight outside the stable, each trying to knock the other out. It didn’t end until their fists were slick with blood, and they were both panting and moaning in pain.
“I love her!” Reed groaned as he tried to rise to his feet. “I do. I’ve never stopped loving her.”
Jack’s groans equaled Reed’s, but he made it to his feet first and held out a hand to help Reed. “Neither have I. But Devon doesn’t love me anymore. She’s carrying your child, and they both need you.”
“Let’s go to my cabin, get cleaned up, and talk this out like civilized men.” He offered a half-hearted grin, and Jack guffawed before he winced from a sore jaw.
Over a couple of beers, as they held ice packs to their bruised and battered faces, Jack and Reed discussed what to do. They agreed Reed needed to return to San Francisco with Jack and made plans to leave Dallas the following day on the Barringtons’ private jet.
As Reed and Jack climbed into the back of the limousine on their way to the airport, Jasper followed them. “Son, bring Devon home. We miss her. Tell her it’s not the same without her.”
“I will. If she’ll have me.”
Jasper clasped Reed’s shoulder through the open passenger’s door. “I pray she will.”
During the flight to San Francisco, Jack told Reed he thought it was best not to overwhelm Devon with a reunion in the hospital. “We should wait until she’s released and in the right frame of mind.”
“You’re right. The last thing I want to do is upset Devon. She’s already dealing with too much at the moment.”
“In no small part due to your rejection of her. Why’d you do it, Reed?”
Reed shrugged and avoided looking at Jack. “As you said. Mistaken pride. A foolish judgment. I expected Devon to trust me without giving her a reason why she should. And I regret it.”
“Devon had every right to hate me, and for a while she did. But look at us now. We’re close friends and colleagues. A year ago, I never imagined we’d be here. You’re the father of her baby, and she’s in love with you. Everything will work out, I promise. Though why she loves you is still a mystery to me.” Jack couldn’t resist a barb.
“Watch it, Jack. One more round and I would have knocked you out.”
“Dream on, Cowboy.”
After a smooth four-hour flight, Jack pulled into the driveway of Devon’s Victorian toward one o’clock in the afternoon. Reed stared at the structure and remarked, “It looks exactly like Devon described it.”
“She always talked about owning a Victorian while we were married. Come on. Let’s get you settled before I head to the hospital to check on her.”
Jack dreaded seeingDevon, not knowing how he was going to explain his black eyes, broken nose, cuts and bruises and split lip. He also had a few cracked ribs that hurt like hell when he breathed or moved the wrong way. His only consolation was that Reed looked and felt as badly as he did. Damn, it was a good fight!
Devon lay propped against the pillows, awake and alert and exulted to see Jack when he visited her hospital room. “Jack! Where have you been the past two days? I have good news. Dr. Warren said my last ultrasound showed the danger has passed for now. I still have to remain on bedrest, of course, but the baby is going to be fine. For goodness’ sake, why are you wearing those dark sunglasses?”
Wincing from pain, Jack carefully removed his sunglasses. “Don’t judge.”
