Personal Chef

Chapter 61

I didn't sneak out.

And I didn't flirt with Shawn with the intent of fucking him.

Instead, I rejoined the party and avoided looking at his way. I swapped out my chardonnay for Diet Coke and spent the next hour and a half sobering up.

Eventually, people started to leave, so I grabbed my purse. I could safely drive home and was looking forward to sleeping late the next day.

"This was a lot of fun," I said to Shawn. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Did I do something to piss you off tonight," he asked in a hushed voice so that the few remaining people couldn't hear.

"No, of course not."

"Oh. I was getting a weird vibe from you the last hour or so. Can you stay a minute after everyone leaves? I want to talk about something."

A million red flags went up in my brain. Being alone with Shawn in the condo was not exactly a smart idea.

"Sure. I can talk for a bit."

Paige and Hayden were the last to leave. She just shook her head and smiled at me as she walked out the door.

When we were alone, we sat down on the sectional sofa, though we kept a safe distance between us.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I guess Coulson, Jayce's dad, wants to be on the birth certificate. I'm currently listed as his father and he has my last name. I blocked Kat on my phone, but she got ahold of Andrew and he passed this info on to me."

I'd wondered about this over the last few months. Kat hadn't just lied to Shawn and the public, she'd falsified a document by allowing Shawn to be listed on the birth certificate when there was a fifty percent chance he wasn't the father.

"That makes sense to change it, right? Although if I were him, I'd get a paternity test first. For all we know there was a third guy," I said.

"If he's smart he'll do that. And it does make sense, but now I have to fly to California and appear in person to sign off on the changes."

"Will Kat be there?"

"Unfortunately. As will Jayce's dad," he said.

"And maybe Jayce?"

He ran his hands through his hair. "Possibly. I don't really want to see them all together."

"I'm sure it will be a quick process. Just do what you need to and then this whole mess will be over."

Shawn's bottom lip started to tremble and I saw tears forming in his eyes.

"I miss him. Is that crazy? I mean, I was only his dad for a couple weeks, but I can't stop thinking about him," he said before wiping his tears away.

I got up and moved closer to him, taking one of his hands in mine.

"It's not crazy at all. You thought he was your son and you loved him. This is a huge loss and you're grieving."

"The two people besides my family that I loved the most were taken away from me because of Kat. I lost you and then I lost Jayce. I'm not handling it very well," he said.

"You still have me, but things are different for us now."

"I know, and I'm thankful we're friends. I hate myself for hurting you and making you stop loving me."