Page 72 of Truck Stop Titan

“Dane,” she pleaded. “Wait. I…um. Shit.” She planted her hands on her hips, dropped her chin. Then chuckled.

I planted a hand on the wall to hoist myself back to the standing position.

“Mim,” she said, voice shaky. “Could you grab us some bottled waters out of the fridge?”

I started toward the kitchen. “I’ll get them.”

Moriah shot an arm out to stop me. “Mim. Please?”

Mim skipped away. I stared at the hand curled around my wrist, unable to meet her eye to eye.

“I haven’t had sex with Matthew in over four months.”

Because he’d been fucking the receptionist, I thought to myself before her words sank in. I shook my head, the room going blurry.

“What the hell’d you just say?”

“I haven’t had sex with anyone but you in over four months.” Her voice trembled. “Matthew isn’t the father, Dane. You are.”

The rug seemed to fall from under my feet, and my knees hit the floor with a sickening crack. I felt no pain. I felt nothing.

“Dane.” Moriah kneeled in front of me. “Dane. You okay?”

Moriah

“ARE YOU SURE THISis okay?” I asked Slade, for the umpteenth time, kissing the top of Mim’s head, curling my fingers into her shoulder and pulling her tighter against my side.

Letting go seemed impossible.

“Of course it’s okay. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, Rocky is so excited. He has the whole day planned out.” She leaned back and studied me, her brows pinching. “Mim will be fine. If there are any issues, we know where to find you. I have your number, and the number at the office. And really”—she gestured to Mim—“she seems to blossom around my little guy, and he’s not so sad about his grandpa when she’s around, so this is a win-win for everyone.”

“Thank you, Slade. I mean it.”

I turned, meeting Mim eye to eye. “You going to be okay?”

She nodded, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth.

“If you need me for anything, just let Rocky or Slade know, and they’ll give me a call. Okay?”

Again, she nodded, then threw her arms around my neck and gave me a long, hard squeeze—her way of communicating that she’d be okay.

Dear God, who knew hugs could be so life-altering.

Mim clung to me until Rocky barreled through the double doors and skidded to a halt, crashing into the table. “Mim! Guess what? I got you a present. Come on, it’s in Mom’s office.”

Without another glance my way, she shimmied out of the booth and disappeared.

Slade slid her fingers through mine, offering a reassuring squeeze. “So, we’ll be here for an hour or so, then we’ll head to the beach for a bit, then to the mansion. Lettie is excited to see her.”

“How’s Leticia doing?”

“Putting on a brave face. Tucker hasn’t left her side, so that helps. Having the kids around will brighten her spirits. She loves being a grandma. Oh, and Dane’s been a huge help, taking care of everything around the house since he came back. Even the grocery shopping.”

My heart squeezed at the mention of his name. Dane had gone Defcon 1 after we’d arrived in Whisper Springs two days ago. He’d helped us settle into the apartment I’d rented. Helped direct the movers when they’d arrived, then kissed me goodbye, gave Mim a hug, and said he had work to do. Been a no-show since.

I knew he’d taken the whole, “surprise, you’re a daddy,” news a bit hard. We’d barely spoken of our recent bombshell on the flight back to Whisper Springs, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him for being distant. I hadn’t a clue how to handle the situation either. We hardly knew each other.

Slade turned to leave, but I grabbed her arm, desperate for any bit of information. “How well do you know Dane?” I blurted.

---