Raging Heart On (Lucas Brothers #2)(3)

“Oh, she told you. That’s good.”

“What?? You knew about this?”

“Dear, Kayla is here more than you are. She’s family.”

“Then why didn’t you stop her? She doesn’t love that *.”

“Maybe not. But she wants a child,” Mom points out, and the words settle in my stomach like lead.

“She doesn’t have to get married to have a baby, Mom.”

“Probably not, but Kayla’s a good girl. She’s not about to let someone she doesn’t know and trust just dip his wick in. That narrowed down her possibilities. That left you, Tommy, and little Mason who brings her groceries out at that store she shops at. And, well, he’s a little young, dear.”

“Jesus, Mom.”

“I’m just telling you like I see it. She would have talked to you about it, but you’ve made it clear how much you are against marriage and kids in general. She needed to talk to someone more open.”

“Meaning you.”

“Well, she is like one of my daughters.”

“Which is exactly why you should have talked her out of this. Or at least out of marrying Tommy. That’s crazy. She shouldn’t have to get married to have a kid.”

“Maybe not. Tommy is many things, but he’s not a fool.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s not going to be stupid enough to let Kayla get away. If she wants a baby, he’ll make sure he ties her to him and then give her one.”

“Kayla will be miserable with him mom.”

“Probably. But sweetie, Kayla is painfully shy. She doesn’t even know her own worth. She sees this as her opportunity to have her own family and she wants it. I’ve made my own share of crazy decisions and look how they turned out. It will work out in the end.”

“It won’t work out if she ruins her life!”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Unless you plan on stepping up and offering to be her baby daddy, let it go. It’s Kayla’s mistake to make.”

“I’m not having kids, Mom. I saw what that shit did to Green. There’s no way in Hell I’m going to get myself in that kind of mess.”

“Green’s taste in women is to blame for that. That she-bitch from Hell he was married to was proof of that and Cynthia is just a boil on the ass of humanity. A good woman is nothing like that. A good woman nurtures a man, makes him stronger.”

“Amen to that,” Jansen says, picking that moment to come inside. He slaps my mom’s ass, then pulls her to his side. “What are we talking about?”

“Kayla deciding to marry Tommy.”

“Jesus, does everyone but me know about it?”

“Pretty much. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t crazy about the idea either. I was hoping you might offer to help her out,” Jansen responds.

“Kayla and I aren’t like that. We’re buddies,” I deny immediately. “I just care about her. I don’t want to see her ruin her life like this.”

“And you’ve never once choked your chicken thinking about her?” Ida Sue asks.

“Oh hell, I’m not talking about whacking off with my Mom.”

“Why on Earth not? It’s not like I haven’t walked in your room and caught you getting to know Pamela Hand-erson up close and personal—and more than once, I might add.”

“I can’t for the life of me figure out how I ever thought coming home was the best thing to do right now.”

“I’d say that’s the first smart thing you’ve done in a long damn time,” Jansen says.

“Definitely,” Mom agrees. “And the second smartest thing is to go chase down Kayla and play slap the salami.”

“Mom, we don’t have that type of relationship.”

“Seems to me, son, you only have two decisions here. She wants a baby. Unless you’ve had some surgery I don’t know about, you can make that happen. So do it—or stand back and let Tommy.”

“Do it?” I ask, not believing what my own mother is saying.

“Give her a baby.”

“It’s not worth the risk. I won’t lose Kayla,” I say out loud without even realizing it.

“Your decision, I suppose, but if you let her tie her wagon up to Tommy Haynes, you’ve already lost her. Give her a baby. I like kids. This house is too quiet as it is. I could use a few more grandkids,” Ida Sue says, patting me on the shoulder like I’m still a child before leaving the room.

“That’s a smart woman,” Jansen says, staring at the door as if he can still see Ida Sue standing there.

“She wants me to get Kayla pregnant.”

“That doesn’t sound like a job a man would hate,” Jansen notes.

“Of course not. Kayla’s sweet, but we don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“That’s a damn shame. Still, the love of a good woman changes a man. Maybe she’ll make that idiot Tommy gain a few more brain cells and it will all turn out okay. Guess I better get out to work. Those cows don’t fence themselves in.”

I ignore him, staring out the window and wondering how I can save Kayla from herself. The idea of her marrying Tommy is wrestling around in my gut like poison. She’s too good for that prick. Why are Mom and Jansen so calm about it? Can’t they see that Kayla is destroying her life?