Chapter 7
"Okay, that's great," Shawn answered distractedly. "But how did you even meet Jack?"
"In a bar," Katy snorted self-depreciatingly. "We were both drunk and we hooked up. I left the next morning, haven't seen him since, but… he got me pregnant with Maya."
Shawn was struggling valiantly to understand what he was being told, but he ended up saying the only thing he could think of, because surely there was some way that she had this wrong, "No, no, no; Jack doesn't drink."
"He did that night," Katy insisted. "After a breakup."
Shawn raked a hand through his hair, making himself work out the necessary timeline. Throwing his head back, he realized, "Rachel."
After Jack and Rachel had joined the Peace Corps together, they had gotten back together for awhile, and given Maya's birthday and the time that had passed while Katy carried her to term… the timeline worked out, he concluded. Apparently Jack had taken their separation harder than Shawn had been led to believe.
Now it was Katy's turn to look confused as she asked, "Who's Rachel?"
"My brother's ex," Shawn answered dismissively, surging to his feet.
Katy yelped his name, her hand darting out to grab his wrist. Surprised, he looked down into wide, terrified eyes and noticed that she was trembling. She looked like Maya had when they'd gone back to Philly and dug up that time capsule… like she thought he had one foot already out the door.
He sank back down into his seat, taking both her hands as he promised, "Oh, Katy, I'm not going anywhere. Sure," he allowed. "This is a lot to swallow, but," he snorted. "If there's anyone who gets the idea of making a drunken mistake, it's me." Seeing something flash behind her eyes, he shook his head before she could get started and added, "And, no, I'm not calling Maya a mistake." He squeezed her hands and made sure he had her gaze as he said firmly, "I would never do that, no matter who her father is or isn't."
"You don't hate me?" she asked faintly.
Shawn pulled her to him and tucked her head underneath his chin as he promised, "No, I don't hate you. I love you, Miss Katy Hart."
"I love you too," she managed, and then she was crying tears of relief.
Shawn held her until she was all cried out – he could handle a crying woman much easier than an upset girl – as he let this new information really sink in. When Katy had collected herself, she asked carefully, "What are you going to do?"
Seeing fear in her eyes, he pointed out a little gently, "You can't tell me something like this and expect me to do nothing, babe."
"You never can leave well enough alone, can you?" she asked with a tightlipped smile.
"You learned that about me the first time we met. I've been lied to enough that I've become an advocate for the truth."
Katy snorted, muttering, "Yet another thing you and Maya have in common."
He hesitated for a long moment, debating and envisioning the possible end results before he requested, "Let me call Jack. I'll tell him about Maya myself, and… and we'll just have to go from there."
She was still trembling and had no idea what to say, her thoughts plainly at war with each other, and she informed him absently, "I didn't tell her his last name. She has no clue he's your brother."
"Is that helpful?" he asked, trying to understand where she could be taking her thoughts.
"Well, maybe you could just… invite him over to visit you and he could 'happen' to meet Maya and we could see if they got along before we explained the situation."
"No more lies, Katy," he insisted.
"But fibs can make life so much easier!"
He noticed how she'd used "fib" instead of "lie," but he didn't call her out on it, saying pointedly, "Until you get caught."
She melted against him with a dramatic, defeated sigh and a small part of him managed to be amused. He rolled his eyes over the top of her head with a small grin and stroked her hair.
"You know I'm going to call Jack, right? And that I'm going to tell him all about Maya?" he said.
She sighed and gnawed on her lip for a second before she admitted, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
Shawn's eyebrows drew together again as he replied, "So you asked me here and told me this knowing that I'd call Jack, and that he'll probably want to meet her. Does that mean that you're okay with the idea of all of it?"
Katy sighed deeply and told him, "It means that I thought you should know, and hear it from me. As for Jack meeting Maya… I'll live with it." She sat up and caught his eye, adding the condition, "I'll live with it as long as it doesn't affect this – you and I."
Shawn shook his head and continued carding a hand through her hair as he swore, "I won't let it."
She turned her head to kiss him on the cheek before she replied lightly, "Then I'll let you go call Jack."
"Right this second?" he asked in surprise.
Though her smile was small and timid, it held a hundred emotions as she said understandingly, "I've told you about something you think needs fixed, you've thought of a way to fix it, and you won't rest until you've tried that plan out. So, yeah, you can go right now."
Trying to reassure her that he wasn't leaving their relationship, he kissed her and she deepened it desperately until he nearly considered staying right where he was and seeing what this could lead to. But he had to call Jack, and Katy was right, he had to do it now.
So he made himself pull away and go to the door of the café, telling Katy, "I love you."
Her gaze was adoring, like she couldn't believe her luck, as she answered sincerely, "I love you more."
He grinned, backtracking to give her one more chaste kiss before he left, as he murmured, "I love you most."
