Page 108 of The Billionaire's Son

The slack-jawed shock on the old man’s face almost made Kelly relent. Almost.

“And not only that,” she continued. “I’ve been known to break a man’s wrist with one swift kick. Do you want me to prove it?”

She shot a glance to Trey. Her words had had their desired effect, and he’d backed off his white-hot rage. He stared at her, mouth open, obviously suffering from a bit of his own shock.

Well, that was fun.

Quite the day for the Wentworth billionaires.

She grabbed a towel, moved to the pool and called Jason over to her. He came quickly, and she scooped him in the towel and made her way into the house without looking back at Trey and his father.

She buried her face in the towel to hide her smile. Nothing had ever made her feel so cherished as when Trey had raised his hand against his father to defend her. Of course she couldn’t allow that to happen, but still.

Trey and Senior might need to have a conversation.

But so did she and Trey.

* * *

TREY WATCHED THE love of his life move away carrying his—no, their—precious son in her arms. She’d remembered Jason before he had. Right now Jase was as much hers as his.

Wrapped in a bright yellow towel, Jason hugged her neck tightly, holding on for dear life. Trey had a crazy notion to go after her, get down on one knee and propose this very minute. In front of his son and his father.

Hell, in front of the whole world.

He glanced to his father, who appeared deflated, as if Kelly’s words had sucked the air out of him. He looked old and very tired. Confused.

Why had he ever worried that the Wentworth dynasty would defeat Officer Kelly Jenkins? His warrior princess could stand up to anyone and was more likely to cause hiccups in his family’s creaky empire. She’d help him instigate the much-needed changes.

“Sit down, Dad,” Trey said.

Senior nodded and collapsed into Kelly’s chair. “Were you celebrating my betrayal?” he asked, focusing on the champagne bucket.

“We were celebrating the arrest of Jason’s kidnapper,” Trey said, pouring champagne into a fresh glass for his father.

“She’s a pistol, that one,” Senior said, his gaze fixed on the door where Kelly had taken Jason.

Surprised at the begrudging respect in his father’s tone, Trey slid the glass toward him.

“Yes, she is. You need to get used to having her around if you want to be part of my life.”

“Apparently you don’t want me in your life.” His father focused on him then, his eyes distant. “They wouldn’t let me in to see your mother.”

“And you know why.” Trey settled back, hoping for a long, civil conversation. “Let me explain the way things are going to be now, Dad.”

* * *

AFTER A WARM BATH, Kelly helped Jason change into dry clothing and settled him in bed for a nap. She selected one of his favorite stories and pulled up a chair beside his bed.

“Why is Grandpa Mean Bull here?” Jason asked before she could start reading.

Kelly lowered the book. Jason deserved some sort of an explanation, but what? She suspected Trey and Senior would be in conference for a while.

“He and your daddy need to talk about some stuff.”

“Is he going to stay?”

“I don’t know, but if he does, it probably won’t be for long.”

Jason gazed at her with wide innocent eyes. “Why is he so mean?”

Feeling like someone had taken hold of her heart and squeezed hard, Kelly shook her head. Mothering a child was a far more difficult job than she’d realized. She’d had training to be a cop. Where did a woman find instructions to nurture a child into a healthy adult?

“I think,” Kelly said slowly, “that maybe he’s unhappy and takes it out on other people.”

“Why is he unhappy?”

Kelly nodded. This one she could answer. “Today he’s mad because he didn’t get his way. You know how you get when your daddy or I tell you no?”

Jason nodded.

“It’s not very nice to watch Grandpa get mad, is it?”

He grinned at her sheepishly. “No.”

“Any more questions?”

He shook his head.

“Okay then.” Kelly raised the book and read out loud, not at all surprised when Jase fell asleep after four pages. He must have swum the length of the pool fifty times.

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