DANE

I paced the living room as I waited for Trevor to get to there. What the hell could have been so important that he had to talk to me right now? Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Trevor knew how much trouble I had sleeping and wouldn’t have text me if it wasn’t important. He wouldn’t risk waking me up.

I rubbed my beard and jaw before plopping down on the couch. I wasn’t seated long when I heard a key going into the front door lock. I jumped to my feet as Trevor walked in. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on when I saw three people behind him: Brink, Zach, and Sadie. My mouth stayed hanging open as my eyes landed on Sadie. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest while knots formed in my gut. I hadn’t seen her in eight years and there she was standing in my living room at three in the morning looking as sexy as ever.

“What the hell is going on?”

Zach shrugged. “Don’t know, but I was told you’d need me.”

When Sadie walked in a bit more, I noticed her eyes were swollen from crying. I always hated to see her like that. I had beaten up a lot of people over the years who made her cry. I looked away from her gaze to Brink.

He pointed to the couch. “Sit.”

I did as I was told and waited.

Sadie was wearing my hat. The hat I gave her forever ago. She walked over and stood in front of me.

“Dane,” she said quietly and sniffled. She struggled to make eye contact with me.

“Sadie. It’s been a while,” I said as I looked at her. “Why have you been crying?” Dammit, not supposed to care, remember? You haven’t seen her in eight years. Don’t care.

“Because I’m a horrible person. I came back home to talk to you.” She paled, and I was afraid she might pass out.

I looked to my brother who had sat down next to me before looking to Trevor and then Brink. No one was giving away anything. What is going on?

“Maybe you should sit. You look like you’re going to be sick.”

She nodded and sat on the loveseat across from me. She finally met my eyes.

“Remember when I went off the dance school for a year?”

“Yeah. It was right after you dumped me.”

She was crying more now. She nodded. “This has to do with the reason I always push you away. I’ve kept something from you. A big something, and now I can’t anymore.”

Trevor sat down next to her. I watched as he put his arm around her shoulders.

“What did you keep from me?”

“I was pregnant. I didn’t go to dance school. I went to stay with Mammaw June and Papaw John in Duluth. Because…” She took a steadying breath. “My parents thought it’d be best if I go there and have the baby, put it up for adoption, and then come home as if nothing ever happened. I-I gave our son up for adoption, Dane. And now he’s back in the system.”

I could tell it took every ounce of energy she had to say those words to me.

“W-What?” Zach asked, voicing the words I couldn’t get out. “Dane has a son and you never told him?”

She couldn’t form words. Instead, she nodded and started bawling.

“Zach, this is hard enough without you losing your temper,” Brink said from the other side of me.

I watched as Trevor held on to Sadie as she cried. I sat there feeling a multitude of emotions. Anger, hurt, confusion, shock, sympathy. All of the emotions were fighting to win.

I had a son. A son. I felt tears fill my eyes. He had to be close to twelve. He couldn’t be much younger than Millie.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Dane,” Zach said worriedly. He gave my shoulder a squeeze, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t stop staring at Sadie. She had kept the fact I had a son from me for eleven years. I missed out on eleven years!

Eleven fucking years.

“Are you wanting to get your son?” Brink asked, breaking the silence.

Sadie nodded. “Dane, if you want to press charges for me lying to the hospital and adoption agency and telling them I didn’t know who the father was, I understand.”

Her hands were clasped in her lap and shaking terribly.

I didn’t say anything. I had a war going on inside of me. I wanted to hate her but, at the same time, I didn’t. I couldn’t. We had been in ninth grade. We were just kids. But that didn’t mean I forgave her. She’d lied to me over and over again.

“Dane, you’re worrying me.” I could hear the worry and fear in Zach’s voice. I couldn’t blame him. The last time I was this upset, I enlisted in the military a few days later.

I hadn’t spoken to anyone after Sadie left. Not until I enlisted.

Brink stood. “I’m going to go call Quinn. I’ll use the office phone.”

“I won’t press charges,” I said, finally making myself speak. My voice sounded odd to me.

Sadie stood. “I’ll leave.” She looked at Trevor. “Please tell Brink to let me know what he finds out.”

“I’m going to follow you back to your dad’s place,” Trevor said as he stood.

I glared at Trevor. “Did you know I had a son?” Anger had finally won out. Sadie looked at Trevor worriedly.

Trevor shook his head. “She told me she lost the baby. I hated seeing her go through that pain so I didn’t tell you. You were already hurting because she pushed you away. I didn’t want to add to it.”

“You knew she was pregnant?”

Trevor nodded.

“So, every time I asked you why she broke up with me and why she pushed me away, you knew it was because of the baby?”

Trevor nodded again. “Yes.”

“Get the fuck out,” I growled. “Both of you.”

I walked to the kitchen and went out the back door. I headed straight for the Owl Tree. Before I could think better of it, I hit the tree several times. The pain it caused snapped me out of my shock. I fell to my knees and started crying.

I heard a shuffling sound beside me and then felt a hand cuff my left shoulder.

“Let it out, buddy,” Zach said calmly.

“I have a son I didn’t even know about, Zach! She kept it from me for eleven years!”

“It’s fucked up.”

I looked up at him without wiping my eyes. “What do I do?”

“I’m pretty fuckin’ pissed off right now. I’m probably not the best person to ask.”

I dropped my head and stared down at my hand that was starting to swell. I closed my eyes before opening them up again and standing. “You should go home.”

“No way in hell I’m leaving. I’m staying with you until I know you’re all right.”

“Then you’ll never leave. I won’t ever be all right when it comes to this. But I won’t go and re-enlist.” I wiped at my eyes.

“Of course you won’t. You have a little girl counting on you to stick around. And now a son who needs a father.”

I nodded. “I have a son. I’ve missed out on so much, Zach. How can I ever make that up to him?”

“You didn’t know. Be honest with him.” When I got a good look at Zach, I saw tears in his eyes. “I have a nephew.” He wiped his eyes. “All I can think about is that he’s probably scared to death. Why is he in the system if Sadie had adopted him out? I need more answers.”

“Me too. Let’s go see what Brink found out.” I grimaced when I moved my hand. It was a fucking stupid idea to hit a tree.

“And some ice.”

I nodded and we headed inside. I needed to find out where my son was and how I could get him.