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Authors: Sugar Jamison
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realize what was happening; he yanked himself away, looking embarrassed and angry at himself for breaking down. “If you’re my father, then where the fuck have you been?”
Duke looked to Grace again. “I think that’s a question for your mother.”
Chapter 7
Grace couldn’t tear her eyes off Duke as he held on to their son and gently wiped his tears. It was then Grace knew she was wrong. That this separation was completely her fault. In her gut she had always known that he had never read her last letter. She knew he was better than that, more honorable. He just couldn’t have just ignored the presence of his son. He wouldn’t do what his father had done to him. She had made a terrible mistake, misjudging him like that.
“If you’re my father, then where the fuck have you been?”
She gasped at the language, at the anger in Ryder’s voice. But then Duke looked at her, thirteen years’ worth of anger and hatred built up in his eyes. She didn’t know what to say except, “I’m so sorry, Ryder.”
“Don’t talk to me. I hate you!” He stormed out of the house. She started to go after him, but stopped. He needed his space, and she didn’t know what to say.
She didn’t know where to begin, with Ryder who was hurting so much it broke her heart or with Duke who was standing before her, that heat of his hatred burning her.
“I’m sorry.” Those were the only words she could form.
“You are going to be sorry when I take him away from you.”
“What?” His words literally caused Grace to stumble backward. “You can’t take him away from me.”
“You don’t think so? You live in this shit box. You’re driving around a car that could fall apart at any moment. You’re working two jobs just to make ends meet when I have everything, when I could have provided for you both.”
“Screw you!” She rounded on him. “He doesn’t go without. He’s healthy and taken care of and no judge is going to side with you.”
“Why? Because I have a record? The record I got because of you.” He took a step toward her and she could feel his fury, but she wasn’t scared of him, only of his words.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen. You know I didn’t. I didn’t even know you were going to be there that night.”
“It doesn’t matter if you meant for that to happen. It did happen and you were so embarrassed by it you didn’t bother telling me that I had a son. Well, you’re going to pay for that, Grace. Because the tables have turned and I have everything and you have nothing. I will fight you in court and I will win.”
Fear slid down her back, but she knew better than to back down to Duke. “It won’t happen. I know it won’t happen. He is loved. He is cared for.”
“I heard from Lolly that he’s flunking classes and raising hell. The people in this town may not know he’s my son, but they know all about Ryder. He’s giving you problems. Problems that could have been avoided if he had a man in his life. His father in his life.”
“You forget that my father was a judge for thirty years. You forget that my grandfather was a congressman and that we have connections. You can try to fight me for him, but you won’t win.”
“You don’t think so?” He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice to a dangerous pitch. “I have all the money in the world and you have nothing. How long can you keep fighting me? How much money do you think your father has to pay a lawyer? By the time I’m done with you you’ll be so broke you’ll have no choice but to give him to me just to make sure he’s fed.”
“Is that what you want?” She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was all she could do to keep herself from trembling. “You want to raise your son alone when you have never been around a child?”
“I damn near raised my brothers. Or did you think the town drunk was a stable parent after his wife died?”
“You may have raised them, but you haven’t raised him. You don’t know
Duke looked to Grace again. “I think that’s a question for your mother.”
Chapter 7
Grace couldn’t tear her eyes off Duke as he held on to their son and gently wiped his tears. It was then Grace knew she was wrong. That this separation was completely her fault. In her gut she had always known that he had never read her last letter. She knew he was better than that, more honorable. He just couldn’t have just ignored the presence of his son. He wouldn’t do what his father had done to him. She had made a terrible mistake, misjudging him like that.
“If you’re my father, then where the fuck have you been?”
She gasped at the language, at the anger in Ryder’s voice. But then Duke looked at her, thirteen years’ worth of anger and hatred built up in his eyes. She didn’t know what to say except, “I’m so sorry, Ryder.”
“Don’t talk to me. I hate you!” He stormed out of the house. She started to go after him, but stopped. He needed his space, and she didn’t know what to say.
She didn’t know where to begin, with Ryder who was hurting so much it broke her heart or with Duke who was standing before her, that heat of his hatred burning her.
“I’m sorry.” Those were the only words she could form.
“You are going to be sorry when I take him away from you.”
“What?” His words literally caused Grace to stumble backward. “You can’t take him away from me.”
“You don’t think so? You live in this shit box. You’re driving around a car that could fall apart at any moment. You’re working two jobs just to make ends meet when I have everything, when I could have provided for you both.”
“Screw you!” She rounded on him. “He doesn’t go without. He’s healthy and taken care of and no judge is going to side with you.”
“Why? Because I have a record? The record I got because of you.” He took a step toward her and she could feel his fury, but she wasn’t scared of him, only of his words.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen. You know I didn’t. I didn’t even know you were going to be there that night.”
“It doesn’t matter if you meant for that to happen. It did happen and you were so embarrassed by it you didn’t bother telling me that I had a son. Well, you’re going to pay for that, Grace. Because the tables have turned and I have everything and you have nothing. I will fight you in court and I will win.”
Fear slid down her back, but she knew better than to back down to Duke. “It won’t happen. I know it won’t happen. He is loved. He is cared for.”
“I heard from Lolly that he’s flunking classes and raising hell. The people in this town may not know he’s my son, but they know all about Ryder. He’s giving you problems. Problems that could have been avoided if he had a man in his life. His father in his life.”
“You forget that my father was a judge for thirty years. You forget that my grandfather was a congressman and that we have connections. You can try to fight me for him, but you won’t win.”
“You don’t think so?” He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice to a dangerous pitch. “I have all the money in the world and you have nothing. How long can you keep fighting me? How much money do you think your father has to pay a lawyer? By the time I’m done with you you’ll be so broke you’ll have no choice but to give him to me just to make sure he’s fed.”
“Is that what you want?” She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was all she could do to keep herself from trembling. “You want to raise your son alone when you have never been around a child?”
“I damn near raised my brothers. Or did you think the town drunk was a stable parent after his wife died?”
“You may have raised them, but you haven’t raised him. You don’t know
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