Loving You Read Free

loved this kid. She smiled back at him. “Okay then. Go on up and do your homework.”
    His whole body moped. “Aw, man. Come on, Tasha. How about a half hour of TV and
then
homework?”
    â€œLet me guess,” she said. “The Sports Channel.”
    He nodded.
    â€œFine,” she said to his back as he raced up the stairs, making enough noise for six kids his size. As his bedroom door slammed shut, she shouted, “A half hour. I’ll be checking!”
    *   *   *
    Jonas tossed his backpack onto the floor, dropped onto his mattress, and propped a pillow under his chest as he lay on his stomach, grabbed the remote, and pushed the ON button. The TV flickered briefly, and for one short second Jonas was afraid the old set wasn’t going to come on this time. Heck, it was older than him; it was bound to go out sooner or later. “Just not today, okay?” he said softly.
    As if it had heard him, the picture rolled wildly, jittered like someone was shaking the set, and then suddenly straightened itself out.
    He whistled out a relieved breath and punched in the right channel. The camera moved in for a close-up on the reporter’s familiar face and Jonas studied the man carefully.
    When the reporter smiled into the camera, Jonas smiled back. His stomach jumped like millions of butterflies were bumping into each other down there. He slapped one hand against his belly, trying to tame them, but it didn’t work. There was just too much going on.
    Too much about to happen.
    He’d waited for this for so long, Jonas didn’t know whether to be excited or scared. He knew Tasha would be mad when she found out. But sometimes a guy just had to do stuff that girls didn’t understand.
    Another guy would get it, though.
    Jonas looked at the reporter again. “You’ll understand, won’t you?”

C HAPTER 2
    â€œA paternity suit, can you believe it?” Jesus, even saying the words out loud gave Nick a cold chill that rattled his spine before settling in his gut. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. He knew because his head was pounding as though they’d had to batter their way through his skull.
    Paternity?
    Him?
    Jackson Wyatt, Nick’s brother-in-law and, more important at the moment, his attorney, looked up and said, “How about you shut up for a minute and let me read the paperwork?”
    â€œFine, fine, read.” Nick waved a hand at the other man and stalked around the confines of Jackson’s office.
    Set in an old brick building at the end of Main Street in Chandler, the only law office in town was huge. Bookshelves lined with leather-bound books crowded most of one wall, floor to ceiling. Jackson’s desk sat in front of them, an acre of carved wood, littered with neat stacks of papers and manila envelopes. In the middle of the room, overstuffed oxblood leather couchessat opposite each other atop a floral area rug. The faded colors in the carpet looked rich against the gleaming wood plank floor.
    Nick stopped pacing to stare blankly at a spear of sunlight streaming in through the wide window. Thank God Jackson had been here, working, when Nick called. Otherwise, Nick would have had to go to the house to see Jackson and get his advice. The problem with that was, he’d have had to listen to Carla’s advice, too.
    Shit.
    If his baby sister found out about this, the first thing she’d do—well, after hitting Nick in the head with whatever was handy—would be tell Mama. And once Mama Candellano discovered there was a possible extra grandchild running around … the planet wouldn’t be big enough to hide Nick.
    Not that he wanted to hide. Hell, like any other upstanding, self-respecting Candellano, when faced with a problem, his first instinct was to plant his feet and fight it out. But when there was no one to punch, he had to go about things a different way. Hence, the lawyer.
    Nick started pacing