Looking For Trouble by Becky McGraw Page A

What did you say to her?"
     
    Something Jazzie said a minute ago, finally
settled in his mind and worked its way to the front. Wade narrowed
his eyes and asked, "What is it you're glad she didn't tell me,
Jazzie?"
     
    The woman's face got even redder and her
eyes widened in horror, then she covered her mouth with her hand
and shook her head then said, "Nothing," and turned to walk
away.
     
    Wade took two steps and caught up to her
then grabbed her shoulder, and grated, "Tell me, Jazzie...what is
it that Jess didn't tell me."
     
    "I can't tell you...it's not my place to
tell you," she said with determination.
     
    Wade figured maybe he could trick her into
telling him, so he went fishing. "She did tell me, if it's Angel
you're talking about," he said trying to keep an even tone. This
had to be the issue, because there wasn't much else that Jess had
been evasive about.
     
    Jazzie spun around to face him, her dark
eyes wide with shock, as she said breathlessly, "I don't believe
you...she wouldn't."
     
    Her reaction told him that whatever Jess had
held back, it had to do with her baby, and that made his stomach
lurch, and his heart rate kick up. He didn't think she was pregnant
when they'd had sex a year ago, and now her best friend had
basically told him there was something she wasn't telling him about
the baby.
     
    Two and Two still added up to four, and Wade
felt his heart drop through the floor, as he cast his line out
again, "Yeah, and I want to see my daughter, that's what we argued
about..." he lied and tried to keep his face neutral, although the
blood was pounding so hard through his body, he heard it in his
ears.
     
    "That's something you'll need to talk to
Jess about..." she said and tears filled her eyes, then she
finished with a shake of her dark head, "I can't believe she told
you...she said she'd never do that."
     
    "She didn't, but you just did," Wade told
her with so much fury heating his blood, he was afraid it was going
to boil out of his ears, then he shouted incredulously, " I can't believe she didn't tell me, since that kid is mine
too." Wade looked around and saw the remaining guests from the
party had all stopped talking and were watching him intently,
including Cassie and Luke.
     
    Beau Bowman stepped up and put his hand on
Wade's shoulder, and said quietly, "Maybe we should take this
outside so there's not an audience, man."
     
    Wade hadn't realized how loud he'd evidently
been, and shook his head, then walked outside with Beau, before he
said, "And I can't believe she was hitting on you tonight,
either...she's a piece of work."
     
    "She wasn't...that was all an act because
you were using Katie Upton to try and make her jealous...you
succeeded, and evidently, so did she. Maybe ya'll just need to act
like mature adults and work things out, for the kid's sake?"
     
    Wade didn't know why, but relief poured
through him, then guilt about what he'd been thinking about the
leggy blond, which evidently was off base...at least somewhat. "I'm
going to work things out all right, and she probably won't like
it," Wade told him angrily. "That baby is mine too, and she's not
going to keep her from me."
     
    A whimper sounded behind Beau, and Wade saw
Jazzie take off running toward the van behind the tent. That's all
he needed, another woman with a broken bone tonight, Wade thought,
then took off after her. It didn't take much for him to catch her,
and grab her up off of her feet, but it took a lot to hold the
little wildcat, who was kicking him in the shins with her spiked
heels and flailing her fists around his head, landing blows now and
again.
     
    He squeezed her tighter, and hissed near her
ear, "Settle down, Jazzie..."
     
    "Let me go, asshole, or I'm gonna do some
damage, no surgeon is gonna fix," she screamed and kept
fighting.
     
    " Fuck !" Wade shouted and let her go,
when her heel connected with his calf, and he was sure it was
embedded there. She took off for the van again, and he let her