Page 60 of Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers 1)

Everything went quiet then, so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop. But it wasn’t a pin that was dropped at my feet. It was a nuclear fucking bomb.

“He’s my son.”

30

Laurel

FOR YEARS I’D dreaded this exact moment right here. Where the only two men I’d ever loved in my life found out what a fraud I was.

I’d always known it would come. The day when anger, hurt, and confusion stared me down. But I’d never quite prepared myself for the pain that would follow, the pain I felt now watching Noah back away from me, his walls rising as he studied me as though he’d never seen me before in his life.

My heart ached and my stomach churned, but I fought the urge to go after him and explain. There was someone more pressing than Noah in my life these days, and he was whom I needed to see to first.

I turned back to the window and noticed that Jake was no longer with Ryan. Damn it. So I pulled open the sliding door and made my way across the back deck.

I really needed to talk to Jake. The way we’d left things last night, the way he’d left period, was not going to work for me. I’d always had an open line of communication with him, and that wasn’t about to stop now just because this particular topic wouldn’t shine well on me.

Jake had a right to know the answers to the questions he was finally asking, and I needed to be brave enough to tell him the truth, no matter the consequences. This was no longer about me or my feelings, it was about his, and I wasn’t about to let another second pass without talking to him.

“Hey, Ryan?” I called out, not wanting to startle him where he was bent over the fence he was fixing.

He straightened up and shaded his eyes, looking in my direction. “Oh, hey, Laurel. What’s up? You leaving for the day?”

I glanced over his shoulder to see if I could spot Jake, but when I came up blank, I shook my head. “No, actually, I’m trying to find Jake. I thought I saw him out here with you.”

Ryan nodded as he dusted off his hands. “You did. He was helping me for a bit, but, uh…”

It was unlike Ryan to beat around the bush, but suddenly he looked uncomfortable.

“But what?”

He sighed. “He has a bit of an attitude today. Was being kind of rude and—”

“Surly?”

“Yeah. Not like him at all. I told him to go and walk it off.”

I rubbed at my forehead. This wasn’t good. Jake was never rude, especially to Ryan. He’d always looked up to Ryan, and this showed just how in his head he was.

“I’m sorry. He’s dealing with something right now, and I know that’s no excuse, but he’s going to feel horrible later for treating you like that.”

Ryan chuckled. “Hey, it’s no problem. He’s a teenager, and let’s be real, Jake’s more responsible than half the men I have around here. Maybe that’s why it was such a shock. He’s allowed to have an off day.”

Off was definitely one way to put it. Angry, betrayed, and disappointed was another. “Do you have any idea where he might’ve gone?”

“He was heading in the direction of the old cabin. That’s where I like to go to clear my head.”

“Okay, thanks. And again, sorry about all this.”

“Laurel, it’s fine, really.”

It wasn’t, but since I wasn’t about to lay all my problems at Ryan’s feet, I turned and headed off in the direction of the cabin. I opened the gate to the west vineyard and made my way down one of the long rows of vines.

It was a beautiful afternoon, which seemed ironic considering the mood I was carrying with me, and as my heels sank into the dirt beneath my feet, it occurred to me that this probably wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had.

I wasn’t about to let a little mud get in my way, though. I needed to talk to Jake and I needed to do it now. When I reached the bottom of the west hill, I saw him disappear inside the broken-down structure.

I took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air then huffed it up the hill to the very top. When I reached what would’ve once been a front door, I stepped over a broken plank of wood and stopped to look around.

It’d been years since I’d been up here, as it wasn’t really part of anything winery related. But as I scanned what was left of the dilapidated pile of wood, I knew it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the framing fell to the ground.

Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen today. Or at least not until I’d found Jake and the two of us were safely outside—away from potential falling hazards.

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