Shiver(59)

“You said to let it out. Just say it.” Now Fox started to shake, his eyes wide, panicked.

“Hold on.” God, he needed to breathe. Hell, he needed space. No, damn it, he needed the truth. “Who told you I was your father?” Had Raven lied to him?

“Mr. Harte told me.”

Aidan fell back in his chair like he’d been hit. It was just the sort of thing his dad would do. “He was probably lying to you. Messing with your head.”

“No.” Fox swallowed hard. “He showed me a picture of you when you were my age. We looked the same. That’s how he figured it out.”

Aidan got to his feet. Even with the pain in his leg, he paced the small confines of the wrecked cabin. Questions came at him like knives, each cutting deeper to the bone. “Did you talk to your mom about this?”

“No. Mr. Harte told me that she would deny it. But I did talk to my grandma.”

“Fiona?” Aidan whipped around and tried to still his expression when Fox’s eyes widened in surprise. “What did she say?”

“She never told me for sure. But she told me all about you. And…uh…bought me your graphic novels.”

Aidan stared at Fox, saw the dark eyes, dark hair, and finally the truth in the shape of his mouth, the cut of his cheekbones.

He had a son.

Fire burned in his stomach, his chest. The pain almost brought him to his knees. Raven hadn’t told him. She’d lied to him. His own father had known and never told him. Even Fiona hadn’t told him. He needed to have words with Raven. But first he had to deal with his son.

Holy shit, he was a father.

His heart pounded, and his lungs refused to draw air. He found himself scrambling to sit down before he fell down.

“I hope you don’t mind much,” Fox said, worrying his bottom lip.

Aidan’s gaze jumped to Fox. A lump formed in his throat. This boy, this young man was a part of him. He’d been denied knowing him, raising him, being a part of his life. No more. “I don’t mind. I’m stunned…proud and honored. And I’m so sorry I never knew.”

“That’s okay.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I know you had no idea.”

“I should have known. If I had, I would have been here for you.”

Fox looked down, the toe of his boot playing with a shirt lying on the floor. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” Aidan rubbed his face. First thing he needed to do was find Raven. “But I’d like to be part of your life. Would you be okay with that?” Fear rushed into him. What if Fox didn’t want a relationship with him? Didn’t want him as his father? Seriously, what did he have to offer the boy?

“Yeah. I’m okay with that.” Fox smiled and Aidan recognized the same dimple in his cheek that he sported.

How had he not seen it before?



Fox stayed until his dogs grew restless. Aidan awkwardly patted him on the back and warned him to be careful. Fox gifted him a full smile, and promised to keep the truth he’d revealed until Aidan had a chance to talk with Raven.

They were sure as hell going to have a talk.

After watching until Fox was out of sight, he entered the cabin. The dank, dark, hellhole he’d grown up in. The same place Earl had met with Fox many times with no plans to ever tell his own son he had a kid. He must have loved knowing that he had a relationship with Fox while Aidan had no clue Fox existed. The fucking bastard. It was just the kind of thing he’d get off on. Aidan clenched his fists. All this time Earl had secretly laughed at him, ridiculed him over and over for not being married, not having a family, not being man enough. And all along Aidan had a son he hadn’t been aware of. A son Earl could have easily told him about, but chose not to for whatever sick reason the asshole had come up with.

Aidan punched the wall. His fist crashed through the drywall, his knuckles coming back bloody. How he wished the bastard was alive so he could kill him again.

Aidan jerked on his coat, grabbed his keys, and slammed out of the cabin. He couldn’t have it out with his father, but he sure as hell could have it out with Raven.

He’d asked her if he was Fox’s father and she’d lied to him. Lied to him. How could she? She’d known how much he’d longed for a family, and she’d taken that away from him.

He stomped over the cleared path, feeding off the pain stabbing up his leg. It sure as hell beat the pain cutting into his heart.

Right in front of him, between him and the SUV, stood the black wolf. Aidan came to a full stop, breathing hard.

“Scram,” he yelled, throwing his arms into the air.

The wolf crouched into attack position. Its front legs spread wide, head low, and growled in response. Its teeth glinting like knifes in the setting sun.