A Daddy for Jacoby(66)
“I can’t stay in Destiny and not be— It would just hurt too much to see…”
“Justin?”
“And Jacoby.” Gina turned to face her sister-in-law again. “He is the sweetest boy and I love him to pieces. I know Justin is running scared at the moment, but deep down I believe he’s going to do the right thing for himself and his son.”
“The right thing?”
“Finding out about Jacoby’s mother and the Ellsworths has got Justin all twisted. He doubts his ability to raise Jacoby.”
“Do you— Did he tell you what the Ellsworths want?”
Gina nodded.
“I guess you’ve figured out Richard Ellsworth is in town again and Justin’s talking with him right now.”
Not trusting her voice, Gina again nodded.
“I’ve tried to get him to talk to me about this. I know he feels like he’s been handling things with Jacoby on a wing and a prayer. I’d hoped once he knew for sure Jacoby was his that would change.” Racy sighed. “Maybe it’s just made it harder for him because of the way we were raised.”
“He’s so scared he’s going to turn into your father.”
“As crazy as it sounds, I understand his fears. My dad was abusive, both verbally and physically. I don’t know how many times Justin stepped in front of me…” Racy paused and swallowed hard “…protecting me from our father’s brand of discipline. Billy Joe turned out to be just like him. It was me and Justin against the two of them. So many times he took what both of them dished out so I…I wouldn’t have to.”
Gina sat back down on her bed and hugged Racy hard. Having been raised in a strict but always loving family, she couldn’t fathom what her sister-in-law described.
Racy returned her hug, then pulled back and brushed tears from her face. “Maybe what Justin needs is professional help. I think I’ll suggest that tonight when he comes to dinner. Of course, what he really needs is a good lawyer so he can fight for his son.”
Gina thought both were great ideas. Not that coming to terms with his childhood would do anything to solve what was, or wasn’t, happening between them, but making things right between father and son was the most important thing at the moment.
“When I was working toward my degree I spent time with a counselor,” Racy continued. “She helped me so much. Like Justin, I never thought I’d have children of my own. I was so scared I’d repeat the same horrible mistakes my father did.”
“But you worked through it, right? Aren’t you and Gage planning on having a family someday?”
Racy offered a wobbly smile. “Maybe sooner than you think.”
“What?”
“Nothing. We were talking about you and Justin.”
“There is no me and Justin. My head knows that. My heart is going to take a bit longer to catch up.”
The words came so easy that Gina almost believed them.
Pushing her own issues aside for the moment, she focused on her sister-in-law. “Now, what aren’t you telling me?”
Racy pulled her oversize purse to her lap, took out a paper bag and offered it to Gina.
“What’s this?” Gina peeked inside. “A home pregnancy test?”
“Five tests, actually. I went to a group of drugstores in Laramie.” Racy shrugged. “I wanted to cover my bases, in case one of them is a dud.”
Gina let go of her worries for now and rejoiced in the exciting news. “Racy, this is wonderful! Does my brother know?”
“Not yet. Can you imagine if I bought these tests in town? News of a Steele baby would spread so fast they’d be betting on the arrival date before I’d even had a chance to tell Gage.”
Gina sighed, easily picturing her big, strong brother cradling a newborn in his arms. “He is going to be over the moon about being a daddy.”
“I hope so.” A sudden smile lit up Racy’s face. “Let’s do the test now.”
“Now?”
“Sure, we could use the distraction.” Racy rose from the bed and headed toward Gina’s bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Racy emerged with her eyes trained on her watch. “Okay, I replaced the caps to cover the absorbent tips, yuck, and I’ve set my alarm. We need to wait at least five minutes, but no more than ten.”
Gina grinned. “Did you do all of them?”