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Jamie pulled on his jeans and headed out. He'd not told Kip
where he was going when he left and he felt a bit guilty. All last night he'd
thought about the baby. At first he wanted it no matter what then he was
afraid. The fear grew and turned into a frightening beast that haunted him. Kip
knew something wasn't right but Jamie needed to see Liz again to make sure he
really wanted to adopt the baby. He was so confused and really he didn't know
what he wanted.

When he pulled up outside of the coffee and donut shop he was
convinced this baby, boy or girl, needed to be with him. There were still
doubts and he would have to talk his man into it, but he didn't think Kip would
throw too big of a fit.

Jamie sat in his car waiting for Liz. He thought of all the
things he and Kip would do with the baby. His daydreams were filled with fun
activities and excitement. He knew everything wouldn't be perfect but with Kip
in his life, it would be so close to perfect he could almost taste it. Of
course if Kip ran off, not wanting the responsibility, he would make sure his
kid had a good life.

Liz turned the corner, waddling as she drew nearer. He swore
she'd grown even bigger since he'd seen her yesterday. She looked beautiful as
she pushed her hair back from her face. Happiness filled him and he ran to her,
taking her in his arms and swinging her around. He pushed her to arm's length
and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm guessing you haven't changed your mind?"

"No way. Yeah, I'm a little scared, but I want this. I
want the baby."

Liz smiled and cupped his cheek. He bent and brushed his lips
over her forehead, hugging her tightly. He took her hand and led her to the
bakery. He ordered them sausage kolaches and a milk for her. She sat at a table
by the window, staring across the street.

When he brought the food over he had the heartbreaking
thought that she had changed her mind. She looked sad beyond belief.

"What's wrong?" He took the seat beside her,
holding her hand as she took a sip of the milk.

"I wish things were different, but they aren't. I want
to be an actress. I'm leaving in a few months. They've offered me a position on
a cruise ship as a performer. Of course that offer was made before I got
pregnant. Hopefully when they see me at the practice two weeks before the
cruise leaves I'll be back down to an acceptable weight."

"I didn't know."

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons I can't keep the baby.
That and I don't want kids yet."

"How old are you?"

Liz smiled and ducked her head, her cheeks pinking up.
"I lied to you when we were dating a few years back. I was only seventeen
then."

"What?" Jamie gasped, his brain rebelling against
the thought of sleeping with someone so young.

"I'm sorry."

"Hell, I could have gotten in trouble."

"Yeah, but you didn't. I'm twenty now."

"Liz, I really didn't know you were that young. You
always acted so mature and you lied about your age."

"Yeah, it was probably a dumb thing to do."

He shook his head. "So you really are ready to give the
baby to me?"

"Yes. There was this lawyer who the other couple were going
to use. We'll need to get a lawyer to handle the paperwork. But yeah, I want
you to have the baby. I'll need to sign the documentation stating that you want
it. Then you'll have to do the adoption."

Jamie put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She looked
away, her eyes a bit sad. He hoped and prayed that once she saw the baby she
wouldn't change her mind. He really wanted this baby to be his.

"I won't lie, I do have mixed feelings, but I don't see
any way for me to have any of my dreams and have this baby. Plus, I just can't
do this now."

Jamie squeezed her arm. "I'll be a good father."

"I know you will. That's why I went looking for
you."

"You did?"

"Well, I was going to. When I ran into you at the hospital
it was an accident, but I was going to head out to the ranch if I hadn't've
seen you in town soon."

Jamie blinked then hugged her. It was almost too much. A
baby—he was going to be a father.

Something was wrong. Kip saw it in Jamie's eyes last night
and then again this morning. Not only was he not himself, he's sneaked off
without saying where he was going. Kip debated following for about a minute
then took off, chasing after Jamie, hoping he was wrong about his suspicions.

Had Jamie not come home smelling like women's perfume he
wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Then he'd seen a hint of lipstick on
Jamie's neck. Maybe he was overreacting and he should confront Jamie, not sneak
around, following him like some half-assed spy.

With luck, he saw Jamie's truck and slowed down before he
caught up to him. He felt like shit doing this. Jamie would leave him for sure.
Of course, if Jamie were doing something innocent, Kip would turn around and
head home. But Jamie would need to know. Hell, he should go home now, but they
were already in town and Jamie had parked his truck near the coffee shop.

Kip hated that he didn't trust Jamie. He kept telling himself
that he just wanted to know what he was up against. If Jamie were meeting a
girl, he'd say nothing, just let Jamie tell him naturally. Of course he knew
better, but lying to himself seemed to work for the time being.

Jamie sat outside the coffee shop and it was a miracle he
hadn't spied Kip. Every second that ticked by Kip felt worse and worse. He
didn't want to be the type of bastard who didn't trust his man and yet that's
exactly what he was doing. He wasn't behaving rationally.

Then a girl walked up and Jamie hugged her, spinning her
around. Kip clutched the steering wheel, his heart thundering. She was mostly
hidden from view so he didn't get a good look. Then Jamie kissed her cheek and
Kip almost jumped out right then and confronted the pair. But he stayed in the
truck, knowing that confronting Jamie and the girl was wrong.

Kip moved to start the truck then paused. He watched through
the window as Jamie brought the girl food and a drink. They sat beside each
other and looked like they were deep in conversation. Then they were touching
again and Kip almost came out of his skin.

He jumped out of the truck and headed to the coffee shop. The
smart thing to do was to stop walking and go home. Nothing good would come out
of walking into the coffee shop, but he couldn’t let Jamie walk away. He would
fight for his man, praying Jamie would see that they had something to salvage.

Kip drew in a deep breath and pushed open the door. The
little bell tinkled and Jamie glanced his way. Fear washed over Jamie's
features. Guilt was there too, mixed in with something else Kip couldn’t put
his finger on. Then Jamie smiled and waved him over. He stood up and yanked Kip
close. Kip didn't want to be in Jamie's arms, but he couldn’t stop once Jamie
pulled him off balance.

"Kip, I'm shocked but happy you’re here. This is Liz."

The woman rose from her chair like it was a momentous
occasion. She was heartbreakingly beautiful, her skin flawless. Kip didn't
stand a chance against her. Then he looked down and saw the huge bump at her
front. He glanced back at Jamie then at the belly.

"Liz, this is Kip. He's a great guy. God, I hadn't
intended you two to meet this way but since—God, this is awkward. Not at all
how I wanted to tell you but—hell, I don't know how—"

"The baby will be Jamie's," Liz interrupted, her
voice strong and steady.

"Excuse me?" Kip glared at Jamie. "Since
when—"

"I know it's a shock, but I just found out and I wanted
to make sure I was okay with this before I talked to you." Jamie was
speaking fast, his hands clasped in front of his chest. "You'll make a
great dad. I should have said something, but I didn't know—I mean really know
until this morning. God, this is so crazy. Please say yes."

Kip stared at Jamie then back at Liz. He tried to process the
words but what Jamie was saying didn't match with what he'd thought was going
on. "Excuse me?"

"I think what Jamie is trying to say, is will you adopt
the baby with him. Hell, you don't actually need to adopt. I've told enough
people Jamie is the father."

The shock of her words made Kip's knees weak. "Is
he?" Kip asked.

"No," both Jamie and Liz said.

Kip blew out a breath then drew one in slowly, his gaze
staying on Jamie. "I don't know—"

"Please just think about it. You'll be a wonderful
father. You are the nicest guy I've ever known. Any kid who could call you dad
would be exceedingly lucky."

Kip shook his head and touched Jamie on the arm. "Why
don't we sit down and talk about this."

Jamie bit his lip and nodded, taking a seat. Liz sat beside
him, holding Jamie's hand. Kip stared at their connection for a moment before
sitting next to Jamie. "Could you start over from the beginning?"

"Liz is pregnant," Jamie said.

"I get that part."

"She had a couple in mind for the adoption. They are splitting
up and she doesn't want to hand the kid over to just anyone. She can't raise
the kid on her own."

Kip nodded, his head still whirring with the words Jamie had
said earlier.
Father
. Could he do that? "Liz, you've been telling
people that Jamie was the father?"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know who else to say. I mean,
I kind of dated Jamie last year—okay, it was a few years ago."

"How old are you?"

"I just turned twenty-one—actually I turn twenty-one in
a few months," Liz said.

"How many?" Kip asked.

"Ten."

Kip swung his gaze to Jamie and frowned. "How old was
she when you dated?"

"She was seventeen," Jamie said.

Liz placed her hand on Kip's arm. "I lied, I kind of
have an issue with that. He really thought I was twenty four."

Kip turned to Jamie, his heart was in his throat and his head
spun. "Jamie, do you really want this baby?"

Jamie let go of Liz's hand, grasping onto both of Kip's.
"I didn't say anything last night because I needed to make sure that when
I asked you to do this I wouldn’t have any hesitation in my heart or my mind.
Yes, I want the baby."

Kip searched Jamie's eyes for doubt, wondering if he had it
in him to be a father. He glanced back at Liz then to Jamie. "You really
think I would make a good dad?"

"Babe," Jamie's breath whooshed out. "You
would be a terrific father."

"If we're going to raise this kid together, we need to
be married and now."

"Now?"

"Yeah, this week. I know you've got the church wedding set
for next month but we can't wait. We'll fly to New York and do it. And, since
we're going to be adopting a baby, I want this to be legal. No questions about
it down the road. We'll have a license and everything."

"Yes. I mean, I've already said yes, but I think you're
right. We need to make this legal."

Liz touched Kip and Jamie's hands, her smile wide. "I
know you two will be perfect. And I really don't want this to cost you a whole
bunch. I can just put Jamie's name down as the father. Think of it as my
wedding present to you."

Kip panicked, he'd had friends who'd had issues when they did
under the table adoption stuff. "No."

"No?" Both Jamie and Liz said.

"No. I want this all above board. I want to do this
right. That way the baby knows beyond a doubt that we wanted him."

"Are you sure?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, because what if something happened to one of us.
I just don't want there to be any legal issues."

Jamie took Liz's hand. "He's right. Because what if the
father ever did come back or what if something happened. I appreciate the
offer, but we both really want this baby and I'm afraid something will
happen."

Liz shrugged. "Okay, I get that. The other couple was
just going to spend a lot of money on lawyers. You don’t have to."

"I have some money stocked away," Jamie said.

"Me too. The baby will be well taken care of and loved.
We'll make sure that no one can ever take him away."

"Thanks you guys." Liz reached across the table and
squeezed his hand first then Jamie's.

Kip's head swam and he worried that he wouldn’t be up to the
task. He had never even thought about having kids. Really, he didn't think he
would find anyone who would want kids so he put it out of his mind. The reality
made him excited and scared. Jamie met his gaze, his eyes full of love. They
could do this together. With any other man he would have huge doubts, with
Jamie, he knew they could make it work.

Chapter Thirteen

Connor felt a hand on his back and smiled. He rolled toward
the warm body and opened his eyes, expecting to see Riley. Then it all came
back—the argument, the crash, the weeks after Riley's death. He shuddered and
ground his teeth together. His tears were on the verge of spilling. Mike hadn't
opened his eyes, but his hand was still on Connor's back, stroking gently as he
rubbed his way down Connor's back to his rear.

This was the first time since Riley's death that he'd been in
bed with anyone. The memories came hard and fast, leaving him gasping for
breath. The pressure of Mike's hand on his back increased. How could he be
happy with Riley dead? Riley would never have happiness again so why should he.
He'd never wake up in the morning, never kiss anyone, never hold him…or Lane.
Shit, everything was so messed up.

He liked Mike. Enjoyed spending time with him and if things
were different, he'd pursue the man without hesitation, but he didn't feel that
he'd paid the price for what had happened to Riley.

Mike moved and Connor stilled, praying the man didn't ask
what was up because he didn't think he could explain his thoughts without
upsetting Mike. The bed dipped then Mike was lying on Connor's back, kissing
his shoulder and his neck. The blunt tip of Mike's dick pressed between
Connor's ass and he moaned, arching up and spreading his legs.