Page 170 of Wicked Savage Wolves
My palms are sweating.I’m picking up my kid from another dude’s house. One who I’m sure is enjoying playing house with what is mine. I fight to tamp down on the growl working its way through my chest.
“Jordy, you need to calm down,” Desmond, the voice of reason, says beside me in the passenger seat. Rafael and Zheng are sitting in the back, the three of them having collectively decided I couldn’t be trusted to handle this on my own. “If Joaninha sees you like this, no way in hell is she letting you leave with César.”
My lip curls and I snarl at him, flicking on my turn signal as I take a left at the stop sign. “He’s my kid,” I remind them.
Des snorts. “Like that fucking matters. Jo is going to see you and go full-on momma bear. Remember what happened the night you found out César was yours? She didn’t cave to you then and she won’t cave to you now. Take a breath. Chill. Put a leash on your wolf.”
I do as he instructs, but the tension riding me keeps me stiff. She’s been avoiding my calls. Avoiding me. And now, picking my kid up like this, none of it sits well with me. We pull up to the address she gave me, and I immediately spot Jae’s car. I figured he’d be here. It is the fucker’s house after all, but she could have at least—I don’t know—asked him to leave for a little bit.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel for a second before I force myself to open the door and step outside. “Breathe,” Zheng tells me. “You’ve got this.” The walk to the front porch feels like I’m heading to a funeral, but I have a plan. I just have to keep my eye on the prize. I ramp myself up as if I’m about to step on the field. I’ve got this.
All I gotta do is explain what actually happened the other night. Make her listen. Once she knows, she’ll understand. I get why she’s hurt. Angry. Hell, if I thought she stepped out on me I’d be pissed too. But this is nothing. We can get past it. I’m sure of it. I take a deep breath. Stick to the plan.
I knock three times on the door before it swings open and it’s Jae’s face that greets me.
“Hey,” he says in way of greeting and opens the door wider, taking me by surprise. I figured he’d posture or some shit. Try and knock me down a few pegs. He picked her up from the party. He saw what a mess she was. I’m sure she’s told him what she thought happened, so I expected anger from him. Or maybe satisfaction. But I get none of that. Just mild resignation.
Despite the greeting, I shake my head. I don’t want to go inside. I don’t want to be anywhere near this fucker because I am two seconds from going off and slamming my fist into his face.Breathe,I remind myself. He can downplay whatever he’d like, but I know he wants my girl and I’m sure he’ll use this situation to his advantage. If I were in his shoes, I would.
My worry from last night has morphed into righteous anger. I need someone to take it out on and unfortunately for me, it can’t be him.
"Where’s Joaninha?” I ask, taking a deep breath and searching for her scent.
He sighs and disappears down the hallway, leaving the door open for me to follow. I don’t. But I can’t stop myself from looking around, my eyes taking in the scattered toys and Joaninha’s backpack near the door. She’s made herself right at home.
A few seconds later she appears, César in her arms and a diaper bag hanging over her shoulder. My chest tightens when I see her. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and her face is bare, showcasing the dark circles under her eyes. She’s beautiful, but those signs of exhaustion worry me.
“Can we talk?” I ask, itching to reach for her, but instead I shove my hands in my pockets and wait.
“Is it about César?” she asks, dodging the question with one of her own.
I shake my head. “No. It’s about us.”
“There isn’t an ‘us’ anymore, Jordy. I think it would be best if we kept our communication centered around our son.” Her tone is clipped, without an ounce of emotion in it, but I don’t miss the clenching of her jaw.
I bite the inside of my cheek and glance at Jae, who is hovering a few steps away. I don’t want to have this conversation with him watching, but I can’t very well tell him to leave, either. And despite what she wants, we’re going to talk.
I shift my gaze back to Joaninha, careful to keep my tone calm, soothing even. I don’t want to tick her off and I don’t want to make a scene in front of César. I know he’s little. Doesn’t understand what we’re saying all the time. But I remember my parents fighting in front of me as a kid. That isn’t something I ever want to do in front of my son. “It isn’t what you think. I didn’t—”
“I know.” Still holding my gaze, she shakes her head. “I know what happened. I know you didn’t cheat on me.”
“You do?” Relief crashes over me and my shoulders relax. I take a step forward about to reach for her when she leans away. My arms fall back to my sides. If she knows, then why is she still being like this? My heart squeezes in my chest. What am I missing?
“I talked to Isa. And Meiying. And Zheng.” She sighs. “I didn’t have much of a choice since they just kept calling and calling, but yeah, I heard about the beer. The shirt. That you pushed Georgia away. I know all of that.”
If all that’s true then—
“But,” she takes a deep breath, “I still can’t be with you. Not like that.”
Wait. What? “Why the hell not?” I snap my teeth together to bite back the rest of my words, knowing I’ll say something I’ll regret.
Moisture pools in the corners of her eyes, but she blinks it away before holding her arms out to hand César to me, her movements stiff, almost robotic. I take him, careful to support his weight as she hands me his diaper bag. “Because the other night made me realize a few things I hadn’t stopped to consider.”
I flick my gaze between her and César and wait. He smiles, showcasing the two bottom teeth he has, and I take a second to properly greet him. “You ready to spend the day with your old man?” He gurgles and jabbers, swinging his arms and kicking his feet.
Joaninha remains quiet, so I decide to push.
“Like what?”
