Page 36 of The Handy Men
"Do you need anything from Jack or me?"
Paige shook her head, trying to see past the jealousy for a rational reason why Dean warned her off going to The Clam Shack, if everything was on the up and up. "Are you guys staying on the boat tonight or are you going home?"
They hadn't discussed it, but Paige now thought it was best if they weren't staying with her while her parents were up.
"I think we're going to stay local, so if you need us we can be there."
Local, like the house near Stephanie? "I see."
"Are you sure you're all right?"
She didn't want to have a fight, but she couldn't meet her parents or start her business off with this looming over her head. "Where's Jack?"
Dean's eyes went back to the road and he shrugged. "I don't know."
"Why are you lying to me?"
His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. "It's not what you think."
"Tell me why Jack is eating bad clams with Stephanie, then."
Dean winced. "We didn't want to upset you. Today of all days."
"Lying to me is a pretty sure bet I'm going to be pissed off at you."
"Stephanie tracked us down on another job and wanted to know if we were still interested in her."
"And Jack said yes," Paige said bitterly.
"No. We both said no. Jack took her out to lunch to ease the blow.”
She wished she could believe them.
“I’m sorry I lied. We were going to tell you later, but it’s nothing. Stephanie is our past. But there is a slight complication.”
Damn it. She was not going to cry. As soon as Dean stopped, she hopped out of the car and went straight to the kitchen.
"She was pregnant when she left us.”
And the hits just kept on coming. "So Caillie was right.” Paige put the milk in the fridge and refrained from slamming the door.
“Maybe. But she'd also been with a few other guys while we were together. She’s not sure who the father is. We told her today that we wanted her to do a paternity test."
Paige snorted. "Might want to do an STD test as well. So you guys weren't exclusive?"
Dean’s lips tightened. "I thought we were, but apparently Jack knew about the other guys and didn't care. He thought I knew."
Paige felt the rage subside a little. "I'm sorry. That must have been a big shock for you."
"Not as much as seeing Brendon, her two-year-old."
"He wasn’t at the restaurant."
"He's with his grandmother. Apparently, Stephanie had hoped that I'd marry her and the baby would have a father. But when I married Jack instead, she decided to go it alone."
"What about the other guys?"
"They were one-night stands. Guys she picked up at the tourist bars. She didn't even know their names."
