Chapter Six – Jay

As a police officer, Jay was trained to be observant. But if anyone asked, he would not be able to describe the woman who stood before him holding his baby. Yes, he knew it was his child even before they were introduced. Archibald Jayden Goren looked exactly like all the baby photos his mom used to embarrass Jay with when he was growing up. Any excuse would have her pulling out the family albums and flipping through the photographs that logged each stage of his life.

A pang of regret hit him square in the solar plexus. How his mom would have loved to meet her grandchild. Another life to catalog, another smile to capture with her lens.

“Hey, Archie. Look who’s here.” Kim approached the small boy and took him in her arms. “Thanks, Fiona.”

“We’ll go out for dinner and leave you alone.” The woman left, and Jay was alone with his mate and his child.

Jay took a step forward, not sure what to say or do. He hadn’t spent much time around children, he didn’t know what they liked. But he did know he was going to find out what his son enjoyed. Jay wanted to know what he liked to do, what his favorite foods were… Jay planned on being a big part of his son’s life. In the same way as Jay’s dad had been part of his. Nurturing, counseling, encouraging. “He’s amazing.”

“He is. Say hello to your dad, Archie.” Kim approached Jay, and the small boy smiled, revealing one tooth protruding from his gum.

“Hello, Archie.” Jay waved, feeling self-conscious. “How do you say hello to a baby?”

“A cuddle works best with Archie,” Kim informed him, and passed the small boy over to his daddy.

The weight in his arms was nothing to the weight on his chest as reality sunk in. He was a father. He had a son. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just hold him. For now, anyway. Another half an hour and he’ll be demanding food. But for now, he’s happy to stare at you!” Kim laughed. She was right, Archie’s eyes grew big as he stared at Jay, taking in his father’s features, from his hair, which also had to be touched, to his eyes, which Archie stared at as though he was under a hypnotic spell.

“We have the same chin,” Jay said, stroking his son’s chin.

“And the same smile.” Kim watched as father and son said their first hellos. If Archie’s squeal was meant to be a hello. Jay couldn’t tell. What if it meant, get me out of here!

Archie sighed and rested his head on Jay’s shoulder, his tiny hand resting over Jay’s heart. A heart he had stolen already and held in his grasp. Jay lifted his arm and tentatively placed his hand on the small boy’s back and rubbed it soothingly, just as his parents had once soothed him. They were linked, of one blood, of one family.

“Hi there, little fella.” Jay kissed the top of Archie’s head. As he looked up, he caught Kim’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t make him alone,” Kim said gently, coming to stand next to Jay and wrapped in her arms around father and son.

“But you’ve raised him alone.” Jay’s arm encircled her and pulled her close. “I can’t say sorry enough.”

“Yes, you can, and you already have.” She didn’t look at Jay as she spoke. “I saw those photographs. The ones you sent of the murd... I know why you did it. And now we need to put it behind us and build a life for our family.”

“I can’t help wishing my parents were here. My mom would have loved Archie.” His voice broke, exhaustion evident in each syllable.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” Kim took his hand and led Jay upstairs, to the room she’d shared with Archie since she arrived in Bear Creek.

“Are you sure they won’t mind?” Jay asked, thinking of the dragons whose house they were in.

Kim shook her head. “I don’t think so. They’re good people.”

Jay climbed wearily into bed, fatigue zapping the last of his energy. “I don’t want to close my eyes, in case you aren’t here when I wake up.”

“We’ll be here.” Kim took Archie from him, and rested him on her hips. As she moved away, he took hold of her hand. “Stand there. I want to look at you both.”

Kim blushed. “I feel self-conscious.”

“You never used to be self-conscious.”

“That was before I had a baby, I never lost all my baby weight.” Kim looked down at her body.

“To me, you are more beautiful than ever.” Jay lifted himself up, wincing as his shoulder throbbed. But he had to kiss his mate, had to show her how much she meant to him. “I love you.”

Their lips met, soft, gentle, two people unsure of what they meant to the other. Their time apart could not be erased by the touching of lips. But it was a start. They had to rebuild their relationship, and despite Kim’s words, Jay was certain he also needed to prove himself to her. Prove that he was here to stay. Forever.

“I’ll bring you some water. You need to keep hydrated. What about something to eat?” Kim asked as she helped him lift his leaden legs onto the bed.

“I don’t know if I have the strength.” He smiled weakly. That summed him up. Weak. He was useless right now. Perhaps being in a house full of dragons was not such a bad idea. But could they be trusted? Would they protect them? Even from one of their own?

“I’ll fix you some eggs.” Kim left the room, taking his heart and soul with her. He’d missed her for so long. Nights spent lying awake, craving the warmth of her body as if she were a drug he couldn’t live without.

In the silence of the bedroom, Jay let the last of the tension leave his body. He was safe. For now. What came tomorrow, or the day after that, he would deal with. But he needed to be fit and healthy, which meant rest. His torn shoulder would heal soon enough thanks to Wyatt removing the bullet and Kit’s stitches.

His mind drifted back into the mountains, to the man who had saved him. What was his story? There were few people who could cope with bullet wounds. Most would have gotten him back to town and called an ambulance, and the cops. But not Wyatt.

Why? He slipped in and out of consciousness as he turned that question over in his head. Jay couldn’t simply accept that Wyatt was a man who lived on a mountain. There had to be a reason. He had to have a story.

Everyone had a story.

Jay sensed Kim’s approach and forced his eyes open. “Hey there. How are my two favorite people?” he asked as the door opened and Kim’s pale face appeared, worry etched into her features. “Do I look that bad?”

“Honestly, you look like crap.” She glanced quickly at Archie, but he was too busy staring at Jay to listen to her mild curse words. “Must watch my language. I want his first words to be momma or dadda.”

“My first word was shit,” Jay told her with a smile, struggling to sit up as she placed a plate of eggs and toast on his lap. “My mom used to berate my dad for using the word. So you can imagine what she said to him when her angelic son’s first word was a curse word.”

“There’s so much I want to ask you about them, and about your time undercover.” She sat and watched him like a mother hen as he spooned food into his mouth. “Can you tell me?”

“I can. I will. But not today.” He closed his eyes briefly. “I want to forget all about the bad stuff and focus on what I was doing this for.” He reached out his good arm, but the pain from his shoulder shot through him, robbing him of his appetite.

“We should have gone to the hospital. They could give you some stronger painkillers.” Kim held tight to Archie, as if the child was a comfort to her. Jay suspected he had been, through all those long weeks and months when there was just the two of them against the world.

“I’m okay. It catches me by surprise, that’s all.” He made his mouth turn up at the corners, giving her a reassuring smile that likely looked more like a grimace. “It’s better without the bullet.”

Kim closed her eyes briefly, picturing his wound and imagining the pain. Jay hated her being exposed to the darker side of life. When he’d met her, she’d been young, carefree, with drive and ambition. He’d taken that from her and left her to fend for herself.

“When I sent the package to you, I was scared you wouldn’t make it here. I’m glad you found Avery. Did she hook you up with the dragons?” Jay asked, changing the subject.

“Not exactly. Alex brought Archie here. I stayed behind.”

Jay’s mouth stopped working on his food as he studied her closely. “Why?”

“Because I was scared. For you.”

“I can take care of myself,” Jay insisted.

“Really?” Kim nodded toward his shoulder, and Archie made his escape, wriggling out of her arms to pull himself across the bed. “Let’s not do this now. All that matters is it worked out, we are where we’re supposed to be, together.”

“You’re right.” He wanted to know every detail of her story. He particularly wanted to know who Alex was. He cursed himself for his own jealousy. But it went deeper than that. He was scared that they were not free of his past.

As he finished his food, all he could think was—why dragons?