Destined to Change

chapter 11



Jaxon



It had been two weeks since Stacy and I had the DNA test done on Jaz. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Lor about this. I had to make sure Jaz was mine before I said anything to her. I knew that made me a huge a*shole, but we were getting so close. Sammy and Mags were really starting to love me. I felt like I was falling in love with them too. I could see myself in this family. I could see Lor and I getting married, raising the twins, and sitting on the porch in our rocking chairs watching the grandkids play. I never dreamed that I would want that kind of life. I had always been a city boy, but this country life with Lor was sounding better and better every day.

Stacy and I had plans to meet that afternoon at the clinic to get the results. I would finally know today. I would know if that sweet little baby girl was mine. And if she was mine, what the hell would I do next? I couldn’t stay married to Stacy. I thought I had loved her, but I never felt anything for her like what I’d felt for Lor. If she was mine, I would have to figure out some way to get Stacy to move to Missouri. There was no way I could be that far away from my kid. But that would probably be a moot point. Stacy and I tried for years and couldn’t conceive. I really didn’t think the little girl was mine.



Loralei



Jaxon had been acting kinda odd for the past week. I wasn’t really worried about it because we were getting along so well, and I could tell that he was really trying to make us work.

He was spending most of his free time with me and the kids or just me or just the kids. Seeing him with them really made my heart happy. Mags was his little princess. Sammy was his little man. And they were loving it, especially Sammy. He had already asked Jaxon if, when he turned eighteen, he would take him to get a cool tattoo like his. Jaxon said yes, and then turned to me pretty quick with an “oh crap, I agreed before asking you” look on his face. I smiled to show him it was okay.

But still I could just tell that something wasn’t right and my biggest fear was that this had something to do with Stacy. Maybe Jaxon didn’t want to divorce her. Maybe he was having second thoughts about everything.

I asked Jaxon to come over for a late lunch at my house, but he told me he couldn’t. He said he had something he had to take care of in town. I should’ve just let it go, but I couldn’t.

I had to know what was going on, so I did the only thing I could, I followed him. Not like a stalker. I just went into town before he did and kept an eye out for his truck. That was it. It wasn’t like I planned on cowering down in the seat and taking covert pictures of him.

It was a small town, so this was not hard to do. When I finally caught a glimpse of his truck, I noticed he was turning into the medical clinic. That scared me, I thought maybe he was sick.

What happened next made my stomach drop. He pulled in next to a little black Saturn Vue and out popped Stacy. She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. He didn’t look too happy about that, but what were they doing there together?

I sat across the street in the parking lot of the bank and waited for them to come out. Would they come out together? I didn’t have to wait long for my answer. Stacy came out first, crying and clutching a piece of paper. Jaxon came out shortly after her. He walked over to her, and said something to her that made her sob harder. He climbed into his truck and started back toward the farm.

I knew that I should have left. Hell, I knew that following him was wrong, but I had to know what was going on. I was afraid that Jaxon would continue to lie to me so I decided to get my answers straight from the bitch’s, uh, horse’s mouth.

I pulled in next to Stacy, climbed out of the jeep and walked over to her. She was sitting in her car, still sobbing. I knocked on the window, and she rolled it down.

“What the hell do you want? Haven’t you taken enough from me? Go the hell away!” she screamed at me and started to roll her window up.

“What is going on? Why are you so upset, and why was Jaxon here with you? Are you sick?” I asked.

“Oh so he didn’t tell the little country bumpkin bitch we have a kid huh? We were here getting the results of the DNA test.” She sneered at me.

My heart was pounding so fast. Another lie, he had lied to me again. He had a kid with Stacy. He left his wife and kid to go back to the farm. How could he do that? What kind of man was he, really?

“What do you mean, you have a kid?” I screamed back at her.

“Well let me explain it to you, honey. When a man and a woman really love each other, well they f*ck like bunnies and make a baby. Ours is a little girl and Jaxon just left us so he could go play house with you. Great man, isn’t he? Are you proud of yourself? He’s all yours - you won.”

I just stared at her. I couldn’t speak. This couldn’t be true. They have a kid, and Jaxon just left them. Because of me?

I ran back to my jeep, climbed in, and headed home. When I got to my house Jaxon was sitting on my porch, waiting for me. I parked and as I started walking toward the door I noticed how sad he looked. If I hadn’t been so mad at him for lying to me, I would’ve almost felt bad for him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I was waiting for you; I need to talk to you about something.” He looked up at me from under those beautiful long eyelashes.

“Stacy already told me. I know all about her.” I said while trying to keep a tear from welling up in my eyes. I couldn’t look at him. I was on the porch, trying to get in the house without him seeing how bad I was hurting.

“She told you?” he asked.

“Yes, she did. And I think that it’s time for you to go home to your family. You belong with Stacy. She’s your wife. You need to go home with them,” I said in the most unfeeling tone I could muster up.

“She told you everything and you want me to leave? Are you f*cking kidding me?” he asked with a weird look on his face, like I had just surprised the shit out of him.

“Yes, I think you need to stay with your wife. I’m fine here. I have my family and my life that I need to get back to. This was fun, but I think we both knew it wouldn’t last.”

Jaxon stood up and walked toward me. “What the f*ck are you saying, Loralei? You just want me to leave? You don’t want to give me the chance to explain?”

I turned and faced him. “There is nothing for you to explain. This, whatever the hell this was, is over. You have a family to take care of. So go do it!”

He stomped off toward Jake’s truck. When he got in the truck, he slammed his fists down on the steering wheel. He was mad. He was yelling, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. He started the truck up and peeled all the way down the lane.

I watched him drive away. He was angry, but he didn’t even put up a fight. No matter how much I didn’t want to admit it, I really wished he would’ve.

I went in the house and called my mom. I asked her if she could please pick the kids up at school and keep them until tomorrow. I lied and told her I felt like I was coming down with something and just needed to rest for a bit. I was sure she didn’t believe me, but she agreed anyway.

I ran a hot bath, climbed in, and tried to wash all my worries away. Well, that didn’t work so I had to come up with a Plan B. A plan that didn’t involve me messing up Jaxon’s life. He and Stacy were married and they had a daughter. They needed to be together. Their daughter needed her father.

I was hoping that Jaxon could be a father to the twins, but he needed to take care of his child, and he needed to be with Stacy to do that. I couldn’t interfere and ruin their family, no matter how much it hurt me to see him drive away today.



Jaxon



I couldn’t understand what was going on. I was so pissed off. But at who? Loralei? Stacy? Or myself? It was a definite toss-up.

Stacy told Loralei about the DNA test and she still wanted me to leave. God damn it! She must have felt that this would be an easy way out for her. I was so in love with that woman that I couldn’t see straight and she gave up on me. Just like that.

She made the decision that she wanted me to leave. She wanted me to go to my wife and raise a kid that’s not mine. How the f*ck did I fall in love with her? Apparently, she didn’t love me near as much as I loved her.

I had known in my heart the entire time that the DNA test would come back and say I wasn’t the father. I knew that I couldn’t have kids. Stacy and I had tried for so long and when she told me about Jaz, I just knew she wasn’t mine. I knew at that moment, I was the reason why we couldn’t have kids.

“Uncle Jake, I think it’s time for me to head back to California.” I couldn’t even look up at him when I said this. I knew that he would know something was wrong. I had moved beyond pissed, now I was hurting.

“Son, what’s going on? Did something happen with you and Loralei?” Uncle Jake asked. He was worried about me, but I just didn’t want to talk about this right now.

“Stacy came back, and she has a kid. Her name is Jaz.” The look on Uncle Jake’s face looked like something out of a bad movie.

“What do you mean she has a kid? Is it yours? Does she look like ya, son?”

“That doesn’t matter, Stacy’s my wife and I need to do the right thing by her and our family. I am taking her back home. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you letting me come stay with you. I really needed to get away, and you made me feel at home here. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

I grabbed Uncle Jake and pulled him into a man hug. Trying not to let him see how much it was hurting me to leave Loralei. But this was her decision and I had to abide by it, because I loved her.





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