** Paige’s POV **
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The next days pass by in a blur of video calls with solicitors, paperwork and waiting for DNA
results.
We had opted for an at–home test, which had consisted of mouth swabs for both Ryder and
Jax. Then, both samples were sent to ab forparison. I know without a shadow of a
doubt that Ryder is Jaxon’s father, yet I’m still nervous about the results. A hundred scenarios
run through my head. What if the samples get mixed up? What if they do it wrong? What’s the
percentage of the results that are wrong?
There’s also the nagging question of what I should tell Jax about Greg. I don’t want him to
know anything, especially not that the man that he grew up with, the man I trusted to be in
his life, was just using him all along. That he is the enemy, that he wants his father and the
entire pack dead, and that he’s willing to use him to achieve that. How do you exin that to
a small, innocent child who only sees the good in people?
I do need to tell him, though. He needs to know that he can’t trust Greg under any
circumstances. My mind keeps shing back to the night the hunters attacked and Jaxon
left the house. If he had seen Greg out there, he wouldn’t have hesitated to go to him. He’d
have thought he was safe and walked out of this ce without a fuss, because he trusts
Greg.
Once Jaxon is tucked up in bed, I decide to broach the subject with Ryder. He’s stretched out on the sofa with his eyes closed, a frown on his face, but the moment I settle beside him, his eyes open and his attention shifts to me. His eyes are soft as he studies me.
“You’ve got that buzz about <i>you</i>,” he says quietly, his arm wrapping around my shoulders and pulling me in. “The one that means you’re thinking too hard. What’s wrong?”
“I’m always thinking too hard.” I huff, twisting the hem of my shirt in my fingers. “It’s about Jax and the whole Greg situation.”
Ryder’s jaw tenses, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“I can’t just… not tell him,” I continue. “He’s too trusting. If Greg showed up at the edge <i>of </i>the woods tomorrow, Jax would run straight into his arms without a second thought, and that
terrifies me.”
< Chapter 76
Ryder’s arm tightens around me. “You’re right. We can’t let that happen.”
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“I just don’t know how much to tell him. He’s a little boy. I don’t want to break his heart.”
Ryder presses a kiss to my temple. “Then we figure it out together. Should we discuss this with the others? They might have some ideas about the best way to approach this.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate their input,” I nod.
Ryder goes quiet for a moment, his gaze going distant the way it does when he’s
It takes less than a minute before the others join us. Callenes from the kitchen with a
ss of water. Parker and Remye in from the back, clearly having been on the porch.
“What’s going on?” Callen asks, his eyes flicking between Ryder and me.
I struggle to swallow, my throat dry, suddenly nervous with all of them watching me. “It’s Jax. We need to talk about what to tell him about Greg, because I have to tell him something.”
The room goes still. Even Parker, who’s usually so calm and unfazed, leans forward with a
rare frown.
Remy breaks the silence first. “The truth’s too much. You can’t tell a kid that someone he loved was nning to use him to kill his own father and pack. That will wreck him.”
“Exactly,” I say, relief flooding me that someone else gets it. “But we also can’t pretend that nothing’s wrong. He has to know not to trust Greg.”
“So… what? We give him a watered–down version? That Greg isn’t who we thought he was?” Callen asks.
“Something like that,<i>” </i>Ryder agrees. “He needs a kid–friendly version of the truth. Enough so he understands to stay away, but not enough to scar him.”
Parker runs a hand through his hair. “We could tell him Greg made some bad choices. That he’s not safe to be around right now.”
“Maybe make it like a story?” Remy suggests<b>, </b>surprising me. “Kids understand stories better than hard facts.”
Ryder looks at me. “What do you think, Paige<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“I think… we tell him Greg isn’t the person we believed he was. That he’s made dangerous choices, and because of that<b>, </b>Jax can’t be around him anymore. We don’t go into detail about
< Chapter 76
the hunters or the betrayal. Just… that Greg isn’t safe.”
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“Yes, I agree, keep it simple and clear.” Parker nods. “And it doesn’t destroy everything Jax thought he knew.”
Remy leans back, crossing his arms. “Just enough to make him wary.”
Ryderces his fingers through mine. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We will protect him with the
truth, but only the pieces he’s ready for.”
The tightness in my chest eases a little, though I know the hardest part is still toe.
Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll tell him tomorrow.”
“Good, now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, who wants to watch a movie?” Callen asks, his voice suddenly brighter.
“Some of us have patrol tonight,” Parker huffs, pushing to his feet.
Remy stands too. “I have to check the perimeter cameras.”
“Just the three of us then. What shall we watch, Paige? A chick flick? Horror? Comedy?”
“Any apart from horror, I have enough real–life horror at the moment.”
“You’re right, waking up to see Ryder’s ugly mug every day is a horror,” heughs.
“We look the same, you t**t!” Ryder snorts, throwing a cushion at him.
I leave the brothers to fight with an eye roll, even though I secretly love to see them like this, as I go to see Remy and Parker out.
The next afternoon, the kitchen smells sweet as the first batch of cookies bakes in the oven. Jaxon is standing on a chair beside me, his little hands covered in flour as he stirs more ingredients in a bowl that’s almost too big for him. His tongue sticks out in concentration, and despite the conversation we’re about to have, I can’t help but smile.
“Careful, baby,” I remind him as he tips the chocte chips in. Half of themnd in the bowl, the other half spill across the counter.
“Extra for me,” he giggles, grabbing a handful before I can stop him.
“Hey, you little thief!” Callen swoops in, snatching one and popping it into his mouth, making Jaxon shriek withughter, and for a moment, it feels like the perfect family afternoon.
Which is exactly why we’d chosen to do this now. Surrounded by warmth and something
< Chapter 76
sweet, hopefully it will soften the sting of what we have to say.
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Ryder leans against the counter, his arms folded, watching Jax with that look he gets. It’s equal parts pride and fierce protectiveness. Parker pulls out a tray, setting it on the side ready for the cookies, while Remy hovers close by, as quiet as usual.
“Jax,” I say gently, wiping a streak of flour from his cheek. “There’s something we need to talk
to you about.”
He pauses his mixing, blinking up at me. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, baby.” I press a kiss to his head. “You’re not in trouble.”
Ryder steps closer, his deep voice steady but soft. “It’s about Greg.”
Jaxon brightens at the name. “Greg? Is heing back? Can we make him pizza? It’s his
favourite.”
My heart twists. I nce at the others, and Ryder gives me the tiniest nod. We’d rehearsed
this. We just need to stick to the n.
“Honey, Greg’s not going to be around anymore.”
Jax frowns. “Why? Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” I say quickly, cupping his cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Greg made some bad
choices that make him not safe to be around.”
“Bad choices?” he repeats, trying to process.
Parker moves to his other side, his voice soft. “You know how in your cartoons, sometimes a character pretends to be the good guy, but really they’re not?”
Jax nods slowly.
<i>“</i>Well, Greg was pretending,” Parker continues. “He isn’t who we thought he was. That doesn’t mean the time <i>you </i>spent with him wasn’t real, but it does mean we can’t trust him anymore.”
Jaxon’s lip trembles, and my chest aches.
Callen gently sets the spoon aside and ruffles his hair. “Sometimes people wear masks, buddy. They act nice, but underneath, they’re not. It’s not because of anything you did, and you don’t need to worry about anything.”
Jaxon nces between us all, looking confused. “But… I liked Greg.”
< Chapter 76
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“I know, sweetheart,” I whisper, pulling him into my arms. “And it’s okay to feel sad about it, but from now on, if you ever see him, youe straight to one of us. No matter what he says. Promise?”
He sniffles against my shoulder. “I promise, Mummy.”
Ryder leans down, his big hand covering Jax’s small back. “You don’t have to worry, son. We’ll always keep you safe.”
Parker clears his throat and gestures at the cookie dough. “How about we finish these cookies, huh? Nothing makes bad news better than warm chocte chips.”
Jaxon gives a watery giggle, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “Okay, but can get extra chocte
chips?<b>” </b>
“Sure, you can,” Callen says immediately, already reaching for the bag.
Jax dives straight back into baking with a little more seriousness than before. I catch Ryder’s eye over his head, and he gives me a reassuring nod.
I hate it upset him, but I don’t think that could have gone any better. I feel a little safer now, knowing he won’t run straight into the enemy’s arms if he ever sees him again.
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