“Jace?” he whispered. “What happened?”
“You were in an accident. You don’t remember?” Jason walked over to the bed.
Michael frowned a little and then nodded slowly wincing slightly as the pain lanced through his forehead. “I got cut off at the light.”
“Good. You have your faculties,” Jason said grimly. “Who is she, Michael?”
“What?”
“The woman who was in the car with you.” Jason was trying hard not to lose control. He had seen his sister-in-law looking lost as she made her way out and had seen her having to avoid the reporters.
He looked at his brother and then looked away. “How is she?”
“Why don’t you ask how your wife is?”
Michael’s eyes flew to him and Jason saw actually fear there. “She knows?”
“She knows, but what I want to find out is what the hell were you doing with a child in the car at that hour of the night?” Jason demanded.
“It’s not what you think,” Michael muttered.
“How do you know what I am thinking?”
“Please, Jace, tell me if she is okay.”
Jason stared at him incredulously. “You have some goddamned nerve, man.”
“You don’t understand!” he cried, trying to sit up.
“Then make me understand or by God I am going to hurt you in ways the accident never did!”
“She is my daughter!”
Jason stepped back in shock, his eyes on his older brother. “What?”
“Nineteen years ago when I was only seventeen I slept with a waitress from a bar I went to. It was when the same time I was supposed to go off to college and I was blowing off steam. It was a one night stand and I forgot all about it. Two months ago, Kaila, that’s her name, she called me up and said her mother had died and had left a letter for her and she should get in touch with me.” He closed his eyes briefly. “I did not want to believe at first and I had her investigated and rushed a DNA test to make sure. I had every intention of telling Leah but I wanted to be sure before I did that.” He opened his eyes and looked at his brother standing there. “I wanted to tell you but I could not find the right time.”
“Any time is the right time,” Jason told him coldly. “So why the sneaky meet?”
“I was making arrangements for her to move into one of the apartments we had acquired. She has no one, Jace, and I want to take care of her.”
Jason sank down onto the chair wearily, thankful that it was nothing like what he was thinking.
“How is she?”
“She is pretty banged up and out of it.”
“Could you find out for sure?”
“Yeah.” Jason ran his fingers through his hair wearily. “You need to talk to Leah as soon as possible.”
“I know,” Michael said disconsolately. “I hope I don’t lose her. I could not bear that.”
“I am sure she will come around.” He got to his feet. “I will go and find out.”
*****
“Leah?” crept slowly into the kitchen. The children were still sleeping and she had fallen asleep in the guest room right after Leah had come home. “What are you doing in here?”
“Thinking,” the woman said with a sad smile as she looked up at the woman standing there. “Wondering how to keep from falling apart and appearing as if nothing is wrong when my kids wake up.” She lifted the cup with the steam rising from it. “Herbal tea. It is supposed to settle the nerves. So far it is not helping. Jason called me a while ago and told me that Michael is awake and wants to see me. But I am afraid of what he has to say.”
“Do you love him?” asked softly as she pulled up a chair and sat with her.
Leah looked at her and smiled. “I have loved that man for the past twelve years and I suspect I will continue to love him for the rest of my life.”
“Then you are going to hear what he has to say and decide what to do.”