Home is Where the Heart is by Christie Mack Page B

everything going on in Jordan’s life, but this time, there was no loophole. He was, in fact, Jake’s father. There really was no denying it, and he had no intention of ignoring his child either. He couldn’t do it to Jake, or to Cassie. They deserved far better than what they had previously been through.
    “Yes, he is mine. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s my son. I just thought you should know so we can spin the story to the press in a positive light before the tabloids get ahold of the story first.”
    He had seen firsthand how tabloids could taint your career with their own little twist by using words just big enough to cause a scandal around the globe, and then it was blown out of proportion. He couldn’t risk exposing Cassie and Jake to the dangers of tabloid life. It wasn’t fair to them, and they didn’t sign up for that.
    “Did you take a DNA test to confirm your findings?”
    “Not exactly, but that doesn’t mean he’s not my child. He is mine. He looks exactly like me when I was his age.”
    “That doesn’t mean you are the boy’s father either. Without a paternity test, we might be fabricating a story to the press that is not even necessary. One way or another, we need evidence to prove you are, in fact, this boy’s dad.”
    After an agonizing conversation with his agent, making Jordan wish he had never called Paul in the first place, Jordan ended the phone call, agreeing to ask for a paternity test to reveal the truth once and for all. Only then would they really know whether Jordan was a dad or not, despite him knowing deep down the results already.
    Now he just had to find a way to ask the hardest question of all—for a test from Cassie. Something he wasn’t looking forward to doing at all.

A couple of days later, after time was given to process Jordan’s desire to be a father to Jake, Cassie invited him over to her house Monday morning so they could sit down together and tell their son the truth. Cassie hadn’t wanted to rush straight into telling Jake, worried Jordan would change his mind again and say he couldn’t do it, which would break her son’s heart into a million pieces. She wanted to make sure being a father was what he truly wanted.
    After Cassie told Jake the news, he looked at Jordan, and then back to his mother strangely.
    “What’s wrong, baby?” Cassie asked, placing a hand on his knee. “Are there any questions you’d like answered?”
    “Is that why I don’t look like Mommy? Because I look like you?” Jake asked Jordan, and then turned to his mother. “Some people at school thought you weren’t my real mommy because I don’t look like you.”
    Cassie felt like sweeping her little boy into her arms and never letting go. People could be so cruel.
    “Oh, baby, that’s not true at all. I am your mom and I always will be,” Cassie assured him while swiping away a tear before he could see it.
    Jake nodded his head gently, leaning into his mother’s warm hug and turning his attention to the man he now knew was his father. “Does that mean I can call you Dad?”
    “Only if you want to, buddy,” Jordan answered. He wasn’t going to force something Jake wasn’t ready for.
    Dad . It still felt weird to know he was a father. He guessed he would get used to it eventually.
    “Okay,” Jake replied. There was long pause, silence entering the room, and then Jake asked if Jordan could take him to school this morning.
    “I don’t know. If it’s okay with your mom, I would be happy to take you to school.”
    Jake turned to Cassie. “Please, Mommy? Can he take me to school?” he pleaded. She looked into those big brown eyes of his and she knew she couldn’t say no to him, even though her mind wasn’t completely sold on the idea that Jordan was all in when it came to being a dad. She just hoped her little boy wouldn’t be disappointed later on. It wasn’t something she wanted to deal with, and she hoped she had made that clear with Jordan.
    “Of course he