I should have known it would come crashing down. Shit. Why did I think I deserved this? What on earth could have possibly convinced me that happiness was meant for me? I had let my guard down. Way down.

The instant I heard the phone ring at 6am I knew everything was fucked. Call it living with disappointment. Call it growing up without hope. Call it fucking reality.

Julie sat up when I answered the phone.

“Savi, what in the hell are you doing calling me this early?”

Her voice was urgent. “There’s a problem, Kane.”

“What kind of problem?”

The covers fell from Julie’s body as she leaned toward me, gripping my arm.

“It’s the boy.”

“What are you talking about?” I was barely awake.

“Maybe I should just come over there. Actually, I’m on my way over now. Sit tight.” She hung up and I stared at a blank phone.

If I thought I could hide the dread on my face, I was wrong. Julie looked as panicked as I felt.

“What’s wrong with Hunter?” she asked.

I shook her off as I climbed out of bed and searched for some damn pants. There was a pit as big as the Grand Canyon spreading through my belly.

“Savi’s on her way over. Get dressed.” I closed the bathroom door behind me and took a breath. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t good. Savi wouldn’t show up on a Monday morning at the crack of dawn otherwise.

* * *

Julie emerged from the bedroom dressed for school. Hunter was still asleep. I wanted it to stay that way until I heard what Savannah had to say.

There was a rap on the door and I immediately pulled her inside.

“What is going on?” My voice bared down on her.

She unwrapped a scarf and heavy coat, while she shook the snow from her gloves. The city was coated in a blanket of white.

“Before I tell you, you need to calm down, Kane.”

Julie walked next to me. “Good morning, Savi. What’s going on?”

“Hi. It’s not good news I’m afraid. We need to talk.”

“I’ll make some coffee,” Julie offered.

I looked up at the Christmas tree, looming over us. It was decorated with colored lights and paper decorations Hunter had spent half the night making. I’d never had anything in my house like it before. I’d never played Christmas carols or laughed so hard.

And I’d never loved any woman as hard as I did Julie when I took her to bed. It had been on my tongue the entire time. How much I loved her. How much I loved what we had built together. As I grazed her body with my lips it was all I could think about. And when I made her come over and over while it snowed outside I wanted her to know my life was different because of her.

We had this kid now. We had a tree. We had a family. And it was because of her.

I glared at Savannah, daring her to mess with it. Daring her to touch my family.

We sat around the kitchen island while Julie poured everyone a mug of coffee.

“Hunter is still asleep, but I need to wake him up in thirty minutes to get him ready for school,” she explained to Savannah.

“I understand, but this couldn’t wait.”

“Spit it out.”

“Legal called me before I called you.” She sat on the small stool, gripping her coffee cup. “And it seems like a lot of people saw Hunter and Julie in your family box last night during the game.”

“So? There’s some kind of problem with that?” I didn’t get it. I hadn’t watched the playback of the game like I usually did. Instead I was making a paper chain out of construction paper.

I could tell Savi was selecting the words she wanted to use. She only did that when she had bad news to deliver. Like my contract was in jeopardy, or I had lost another sponsor.

“A woman saw Hunter at the game. She called the police and reported him as her son.”

“That’s impossible,” Julie blurted out. “Hunter’s mother died.”

Savannah looked at each of us. “The woman claims that Hunter was kidnapped from her and that the woman who died was not actually his birth mother.”

Julie staggered backward and I caught her before she hit the counter. “I’ve got you, baby.”

“That can’t be.” Her face was white.

“No, it can’t,” I growled. “She’s lying.”

“Legal is looking into it, but so far the woman’s story checks out. She had a son who matches Hunter’s description who was reported missing three years ago.”

“Oh my God.” Julie’s knees buckled and I scooped her to my chest. “No. No.”

Savannah looked as stricken as we felt. “I have a private investigator on it. And of course the police are now involved. But I wanted to tell you before the lawyers called. I know you two have your hearts in this.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” I barked. “He belongs here.” There was a fucking Christmas tree with his little cut out hands all over it. No one was taking Hunter out of this home.

Savannah grimaced. “He might have a birth mother out there who has been looking for him for three years. Kane, I don’t know what the right outcome is here. But Hunter doesn’t need to know anything until we have some proof. You don’t have to tell him.”

I felt the sob wrack through Julie’s body. I was helpless to do a damn thing about it.

“We aren’t telling him anything, because it’s not true. He has parents now. Parents who want him. Parents who will do whatever we have to do to keep him. Do you understand me?” I knew Savannah didn’t deserve the brunt of my anger, but she was the messenger and in this case I had to shoot someone.

She rose from the island. “I’m sorry. Really I am. And I hope we have answers in the next day or two. Just don’t give the police or the attorneys a hard time. It won’t make things any easier.”

Julie nodded with a sniffle. “We’ll cooperate. Of course we will.”

Savi touched Julie’s arm. “Call me if you need anything.”

She walked to the door and gazed up at the tree. “I like it. Not your usual beer can Christmas, huh?” She smiled at me sadly.

I knew exactly what she was thinking. It was the same thing running through my soul. I finally opened my life to love and look what happened.