Forbidden Love with the Marine(40)

She told herself that she’d give a listening ear to what he had to say but that didn’t mean she was getting her hopes up. Whatever came of the conversation, Makayla promised that she’d keep a level head and make the right decision – and keep it final no matter what.





Chapter Twelve


Blade couldn’t believe how good it felt to see Makayla again.

And yet he sensed her reserve and he understood it. Returning to the apartment from the hospital and finding Makayla gone had made him want to crash a fist through the wall.

He didn’t blame her if she felt betrayed. He could only imagine what it would have seemed like when Jessica called and dropped that cryptic statement.

But he was ready to put things straight with Makayla even if it meant opening up to another person the way he hadn’t in a long time.

They ordered drinks and it was all he could do to focus on what he had to say. It was three days and all he really wanted to do was kiss her, snatch her into his arms and feel the escape that only her sweetness and softness had been able to give him.

Blade had never been known for his cautiousness in relationships. Reckless with his heart, he knew he’d made one too many mistakes and now he was still having to pay for them. It could be said he wasn’t entirely to blame but the fact was that when it came to women, he wasn’t always the best judge.

But he sensed that he had nothing to worry about when it came to Makayla.

For some reason, he trusted her. And it didn’t seem fair to compare, but he knew she was nothing like Jessica. And that was a good thing.

“Before we say any more, I’d like to know, how is he? I mean Jamie?” Makayla asked quietly.

Blade exhaled a shallow breath. “He’s great. Thanks for asking. He was born with a rare condition that had him displaying symptoms of very low insulin levels at an early age. Luckily, his mother has a great backup support at the hospital. And then of course, now that I’m here in town, I’ve made it clear that I’m ready to be there when I’m needed. That’s actually one of the main reasons I moved down here.”

Makayla’s face was such a palette of confusion that Blade realized he wasn’t telling this right. He had to start at the beginning. Even though it made him feel uncomfortable talking about that one time in his life when he’d been so na?ve and trusting.

“Jamie’s mother and I used to date,” he began. “It was before Jamie was born four years ago. I was immersed in my life in the army and when Jessica and I got together, I let her know right up front that I wasn’t in for anything long-term. We dated for a few months and then I had to leave again on my next deployment. For almost a year I was gone and then I received a letter from Jessica saying she had a baby and it’s mine.”

Blade shoved his fingers back into his hair, looking away for a second as he relived that moment when he found out he might be a father.

“I wasn’t able to leave base until three months later, and then I was on the first plane out.”

He grew quiet, remembering the first moment he’d laid eyes on Jamie. For all his talk about not wanting commitment or getting tied down, he’d taken one look at Jamie and his heart had melted. They had the same dark blonde hair, and the little boy, barely six months old, had captured a part in Blade he’d never known existed. Then and there, he knew he’d do anything to keep Jamie safe, to give his son a home. Even if it meant being with Jessica though he knew they weren’t in love – or at least, he wasn’t. But whatever sacrifices it took to give Jamie a good home, then he’d do it.

“Three months after I returned home Jamie fell seriously ill. The doctors couldn’t understand it at first and ran multitudes of tests. Soon they were able to pinpoint his rare condition and told us he needed a partial organ transplant from a living related donor. Of course I immediately offered since I was willing to do anything necessary to make sure that Jamie would be okay. But the transplant couldn’t happen for one simple fact: we didn’t share the same blood type. We weren’t even biologically matched. Bottom line, I wasn’t his father.”


Blade took a long sip of his beer and let out a long sigh. Finding out Jamie wasn’t his had been devastating. Even now, years later, it hurt to talk about it.

Makayla reached over and squeezed his hand across the table. “So what did Jessica say when you confronted her?”

“I don’t think she was ever planning on telling me the truth but since Jamie’s life was at stake she had to come clean. She said she’d acted on the rebound when I broke up with her and left on my next tour. She’d picked up the first guy who showed an interest in her welfare, someone coincidentally who was also close to me. In fact, we were actually on the same team. The father was Thomas, my best friend and fellow soldier.”

Blade leaned his head back against the booth and closed his eyes. Talking about Thomas brought all the raw bad memories back to the surface.

“So where’s Thomas now?” Makayla asked. “Does he know he’s Jamie’s Dad?”

Blade shook his head. “No, he’s dead.”

Makayla gasped, slowly realizing where this was heading.

“He went down in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. No one survived. He never even knew he had a son. Since I was his best friend, I was the one to go through his things. He left me a letter saying that he had always considered me to be like his own brother and hoped I wouldn’t hold his mistakes against him. At the time, I didn’t know what he meant. I was touched but also confused by the letter. When I found out later that he’d had a one night stand with Jessica right after we broke up it all made sense.”