One glance at the little boy in the hospital bed was all it took.

Sawyer’s heart dropped right out of his damned chest. The dark hair, the upturned little nose…

Remy’s son could have been the photo-perfect image of Sawyer at that age. Or Walker, or Colt…

Roman men were undeniable that way.

When Remy called him, said what she said… a part of him questioned her sincerity. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was joking.

But one glance at that little boy, and he knew.

It was too much. He went right back to the overwhelmed headspace he’d lived in right after getting his papers from the SEALs… stressed beyond thinking, unable to take in anything new.

The second that he heard that the kid was going to be okay, he left Remy in the dust. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at her, to think about all the lies…

It was only when he got out to the parking lot of the hospital and climbed in his car that he realized he’d never asked for the kid’s name.

Not the kid. His kid.

“I have a son,” he said out loud, hesitant.

The words felt they burned his throat as he said them, they were so bitter.

Throwing his Range Rover into drive, he pulled out of the parking lot and headed back toward home. Only he didn’t quite make it there, because the idea of facing Colt and Walker made him want to throw up.

They’d known, of course. Had to.

Why the hell would his brothers, closer to him than anyone else in the entire world, lie to him about something like this? He didn’t know fuck-all about kids, but that one was at least a couple of years old.

So the lies had been going on for years.

Drumming his fingertips on the steering wheel, he took a sharp left and drove up to Satchel Creek, an old favorite of his camping spots. He had some gear in the trunk, so a quick pit stop at a gas station was all he needed to set him up for a few days of quiet reflection.

He thought that the drive out there, the short but steep hike up the side of the canyon, and setting up his little campsite atop the crest would have mellowed the edge of his rage.

Apparently not. He built a little fire, staring into the flames. Ate some beef jerky and drank some beer.

None of it helped. He felt like one big, raw nerve, like he was wearing his heart on his sleeve and the whole world was made of razor wire.

He’d been so stupid. Remy, her family, his own brothers… they’d all played him for a fool, because he was one.

No wonder Remy had been so damned resistant to his flirtations. She was walking around with this huge secret, hiding a big part of herself away and hoping… what?

That he never noticed?

What was her grand plan? That he just… never realized he had a son? Maybe that he went back to D.C.?

Or worse, maybe she’d planned to be the one to leave.

It did seem likely, given her options.

“Fuck,” Sawyer muttered, shaking his head. “This is fucked up.”

Grabbing his cell phone, he called Colt.

“Hello?” Colt answered. Sawyer could hear a feminine giggle in the background.

“Were you ever planning on telling me about Remy?” Sawyer snapped.

“Ohhhhh….” Colt said. “Hold on, man.”

Sawyer heard a rustle as Colt moved somewhere quieter.

“Hey. Uhh… did Walker tell you?”

“No. Remy called me and told me my kid was in the hospital, actually.”

Silence for several long seconds. “Shit. I’m so sorry, man.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you say anything?” Sawyer thundered.

“Well…” Colt said, then stopped.

“What?”

“I thought it was Walker’s kid.”

“WHAT?” Sawyer roared.

“Calm down! Just… the timing was odd. I thought maybe…”

“Fuck off. It’s my kid.”

“Well… okay.”

“Remy told me that The Colonel threatened her.”

Colt seemed to mull that over for a second. “Can’t say I’m that surprised.”

“I can’t fucking believe you. You and Walker both.”

“Sawyer…”

“Fuck off.”

Sawyer disconnected the call, losing the last bit of his patience. He turned the phone off and stretched out on his sleeping bag, staring up at the stars.

In his heart, he was mourning. He’d missed so much, deceived by everyone he knew. If Remy or one of his brothers had been honest, if his father wasn’t such a thug, things might have been so different.

He might have come home to a hell of a surprise, yeah. But at least he could’ve made decisions for himself. He might have taken his papers sooner, left the SEALs early and come home to take care of his girl.

And if she’d been honest, right from the jump, he would’ve put a ring on her. Baby or no baby, probably.

Hell, he was half in love with her now, even after she’d betrayed him in the worst possible fucking way.

His stomach churned as he thought of the wedding they might’ve had, the trials and tribulations of going through the pregnancy together. Raising their son, as a couple.

Now, it was all bitter ash in the wind, a fantasy that would never be.

How could he ever trust her again?

He drifted off to sleep, heartsick.