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ever again. I’ve been hurt too many times already.
    She must have seen something telling in his carefully controlled expression; she retreated a step, and then another. An emptiness echoed inside him at the loss. Clutching the edge of the sink in a white-knuckled grip and taking short, quick breaths, she asked, “So, our secret marriage all those years ago meant nothing to you.”

 
     
     

Chapter 5
     
     
    Two hours later, Devon paced her living room. The cranberry painted walls, matching sofa, multi-colored quilt hanging on the wall, and several carefully placed plants created warmth.
    A deep buried chord struck inside him as the feeling of coziness enveloped him. In his line of work, he’d toured hundreds of completed houses in the last decade and never had any professionally decorated interior conveyed such a heartwarming atmosphere.
    Muffled voices floated to him through the thin ceiling . My son. My wife.
    Blowing out a hot breath, Devon released the pent-up anger at her, at himself. He’d come down hard on her. Twelve years of suppressed emotions would do that to a man. Holding onto it for so long had only made it worse. Discovering he’d been a father all that time added another layer of injustice.
    First and foremost, he owed her an apology. He’d set things right between them. Hadn’t he been a master of righting wrongs all his life? The worst wrong of all, the one to his father’s tarnished reputation, needed to be addressed soon. How could he begin to unravel the mystery of the twenty-year-old embezzlement charge?
    Jewel, his mind whispered what he’d failed to admit before arriving in town. He’d suspected she held some clues to the puzzle, unknowingly or otherwise. She had one more thing he wanted: answers.
    Shaking his head to clear it of the daunting task of approaching the sensitive subject with her, Devon turned his attention back to his present situation. After the apology he’d thank her for keeping the baby when she’d been all alone and for doing a damn fine job of raising Sean.
    Smiling inwardly, he allowed his mind to wander to their offspring. Sean, polite, well-mannered, unspoiled, protective of his mother, possessed many of the qualities Devon admired. I could never have accomplished half of what she has with him.
    A bead of perspiration slid down the back of his neck as nagging doubts chased through his thoughts. Will she allow me to participate in raising our son now? Will she come live with me and be my wife in every sense of the word?
     
    ***
     
    In the dimly lit room, Jewel hugged Sean tight, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. “Okay, Champ, to bed with you.”
    He climbed the ladder to the top bunk bed. “I can’t wait to tell the guys at school tomorrow about dad. Man, he’s the coolest and his Vette is awesome, even Kev said so.”
    Bending, she picked up the trail of clothes littering his floor, and then deposited them in his hamper. “Oh, he did, did he? And it’s important to you what your friends think?” Just like Devon.
    Blankets and sheets rustled as he pulled them back. “Oh, Mom,” he whined as if she didn’t understand guy things. “Of course it is.”
    Sighing, she tried to bite her tongue. Moving to the bed, she smoothed the covers, and then drew them up under his arms. “I’m glad you’ve got lots of friends, Sean. But remember, it’s what’s inside that counts the most.”
    He thumped his pillow a couple of times before settling down. “You keep saying that stuff over and over again.” He paused for a moment. “Mom?” It came out almost a whisper.
    “What, honey?”
    “I’m happy dad’s here. I just knew he’d come back one day, even if he didn’t know about me, I knew he’d be back to see you.”
    Tears smarted the backs of her eyes. He’d never told her this dream. “Why’s that?”
    “’Cause you’re way too pretty and nice. All my friends say so. Well…they do say sometimes you act like you might not care, especially