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  BLINDSIDED

  LOU & JACE DUET

  BOOK 2

  TERALYN MITCHELL

  Copyright © 2022 by Teralyn Mitchell

  Cover Design by Tash Drake, Outlined With Love Designs

  Copy Editing by Jenny Sims, Editing4Indies

  Proofreading by Brandi Zelenka, My Notes in the Margins

  * * *

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  For Tash.

  * * *

  You were a ray of sunshine in this sometimes bleak world. We lost you far too soon, but you made a big impact while you were here. Your legacy will live on through the covers you made and all the lives you touched. I miss you ♥️ 💔 🖤

  CONTENTS

  About Blindsided

  Playlist

  1. Lou

  2. Jace

  3. Lou

  4. Jace

  5. Lou

  6. Jace

  7. Jace

  8. Lou

  9. Jace

  10. Lou

  11. Jace

  12. Lou

  13. Jace

  14. Lou

  15. Jace

  16. Lou

  17. Jace

  18. Lou

  19. Lou

  20. Jace

  21. Jace

  22. Lou

  23. Lou

  24. Jace

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek of Wrong Places

  Thank You

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Teralyn Mitchell

  About the Author

  ABOUT BLINDSIDED

  They thought they were on their way to happily ever after. They were wrong…

  * * *

  After a blissful four months together, Lou and Jace thought they had it all. Everything was going perfectly. But the problem with perfection, is that there’s only one way for the relationship to go.

  * * *

  Down.

  * * *

  When his ex shows up in their small town and blindsides him with a potentially devastating secret, Jace knows the choices he makes next will either strengthen or destroy the life he’s only started building with Lou.

  * * *

  There’s no doubt they love each other. But between communication breakdowns, past hurts, and complications neither of them saw coming, is love enough? Or are Jace and Lou better off going their separate ways once and for all?

  PLAYLIST

  This playlist is made up of songs that inspired this story and others that I was listening to during the drafting and/or editing phase. It cannot be found online at this time.

  “My Person” by Spencer Crandall

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  “Butterflies” by MAX, Ali Gatie

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  “My Boy (My Girl Version)” by Elvie Shane

  * * *

  “I Wish I Missed My Ex by Mahalia

  “Anything She Says” by Mitchell Tenpenny

  * * *

  “My Boy” by Elvie Shane

  * * *

  “You” by Dan + Shay

  * * *

  “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur

  * * *

  “Don’t Check On Me” By Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Ink

  * * *

  “Catch” by Brett Young

  * * *

  “Truth About You” by Mitchell Tenpenny

  * * *

  “Steal My Love” by Dan + Shay

  1

  LOU

  “I’m here to talk to you, Jace, about your son.”

  Her words hung heavy in the air as I tried to process them. What was she talking about? Jace had a son? One he hadn’t told me about and whose life he wasn’t in. The tightening in my chest and stomach indicated anxiety and rising panic. A hand encircling my wrist had me turning to face Jace.

  “Lou,” he said. “I have no clue what she means by that. If I actually had any children, you’d know about it.”

  All I could do was nod. I couldn't find my voice. Jace’s light eyes were pleading with me to believe him. Of course, I did. Jace hasn’t given me a reason not to believe him. I stepped closer to him and pressed my palms to his chest.

  “I believe you, babe,” I stated simply.

  He leaned in to press his lips to mine. And it was like the apartment fell away until Dahlia’s voice interrupted us.

  “Ugh,” Dahlia voiced. “I saw enough of that in the society papers last week.”

  Jace’s eyes flashed as he brought his attention to the woman sitting in the living room. “You’re more than welcome to get the hell out, seeing as this is my apartment,” he snapped.

  I’ve only seen him this angry when Cheyenne pulled that shit she did at our grandparents’ wedding anniversary. It was clear Jace wasn’t happy with Dahlia being here.

  “So much animosity,” she taunted. “Could it be because you still hold a torch for me?”

  I slid my hand into his and squeezed it. Jace glanced down at me.

  “Let's see what she says. Being pissed off or rising to every one of her obvious baits is only going to slow things down, babe,” I said low, hoping Dahlia couldn’t hear me.

  Jace nodded, taking in a deep breath before letting it out. I tugged him back into the living room. We sat on the couch and faced Dahlia, who glared at me.

  “Why is she here?” Dahlia snapped. “This is between me and you.”

  “She’s my girlfriend and I don’t keep shit from her. Get on with it, Dahlia, or leave,” Jace told her.

  “I feel unwelcome.”

  “Because you are.”

  “Okay,” I said to both of them. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m here to stay, Dahlia, so just get on with it, please. What son are you referring to?”

  “Jace’s son.”

  “I don’t have any children, Dahlia. You know that better than anyone else,” he stated.

  “Since you have one, you’re right. I’d know that better than anyone,” she quipped. “When we broke up, I was pregnant. We couldn’t be together because you threw everything out the window when you retired and I didn’t want to be tied to you after how we split, Jace. I started my relationship with Felix while we were still together. It was plausible that either of you could be the father. I let him think Beckett was his.”

  She explained what happened as if she were giving us her grocery list. It was unnerving. It was clear she didn’t have any remorse and felt justified in her reasoning. Jace stared at her, and I could sense the anger boiling over as he processed her words. I put my hand on his knee, squeezing it to remind him I was there. He spoke.

  “What the fuck are you saying, Dahlia?”

  “Don’t get upset,” she said as if she were talking to a child. “What did you expect me to do? We weren’t together, but Felix and I were.”

  “Are you going to sit there and act like you’ve done nothing wrong?”

  “Regardless of that, it’s not the point,” she said.

  “Then what is the point, Dahlia?” Jace snapped.

  “That you’re a father. Beckett is three years old. He needs a dad in his life. He’s a smart and busy kid. Beck loves getting into every-fucking-thing. It drives me nuts. He also has a little sister, Cordelia, who is Felix’s child. Don’t worry about her.”

  “Why are you here now? Why, after three years, are you telling me I have a kid?” Jace asked. r />
  “Felix and I are getting a divorce,” she said, looking at her nails. “Beckett got sick a couple of months ago and Felix took him to the hospital. That’s how Felix found out Beckett isn’t his biological son. He tried to be okay with it, but I was served divorce papers a day after Beckett’s birthday. He wants nothing to do with me or Beckett, so you’re up.”

  I closed my eyes, shaking my head. The way she was talking grated on my nerves. She’d ruined all these people’s lives and acted like it was no big deal. If it proves that Jace is indeed his father—there was no way I was taking Dahlia’s word for it—then he’d have to meet someone new who was now “Dad.” This wasn’t okay. That poor little guy. And Jace. If the paternity test proved Beckett was Jace’s son, that meant he missed out on the first few of years of his life. Jace missed seeing his first steps or hearing him speak his first word. He missed those precious moments that come from being around a baby.

  “I’m not taking your word for it,” Jace voiced, echoing my thoughts. “We’re getting a paternity test done first. Once we have the results, we can go from there. My lawyer will send you the name of the lab where I’ll be tested.”

  “Suit yourself, Jace. I don’t care. I’m sure he’s yours, since you and Felix are the only men I was with,” she huffed.

  “Forgive me for not believing you when you just admitted to cheating on me and keeping this enormous secret,” Jace snapped, his resolve gone again.

  “Whatever. Send me the information and I’ll make sure he’s there,” Dahlia said, standing.

  She didn’t give us a backward glance as she walked out of the apartment.

  2

  JACE

  The front door closed, and I let out a relieved sigh. I was glad Dahlia was gone so that I could process this bomb she’d dropped. I potentially had a son. How the fuck was I supposed to cope with that?

  “Are you okay?” Lou asked.

  “No. I can’t believe she’d do something like this,” I answered. “Scratch that, I can, but it doesn’t make it any less wrong or frustrating. She kept this all a secret until it was convenient for her to tell me I had a son.”

  “It’s fucked up, Jace. I won’t lie. Dahlia was wrong on so many levels.”

  She truly was. I shook my head in frustration. Dahlia was good at hiding her true nature. I didn't realize she was pretending to get what she wanted for a while. It pissed me off that I’d stayed with her for so long. I didn't understand how she could keep this from me. I potentially had a son. One I knew nothing about. I missed three years of his life if this was true. I didn't know how to feel about it.

  “I’ll call my lawyer in the morning to get the ball rolling on this paternity test,” I finally stated.

  “Right,” she said. “What if you’re the father?”

  I looked at her. “I don’t know, love.”

  I didn't know what to do if Beckett was mine. What would it mean for us? Dahlia would be in our lives if I were there for him. And it’d suck that my first kid wouldn’t be with Lou. She kissed my cheek and told me she was going to start dinner. I watched her walk into the kitchen. I didn’t know what was next for us. This was curveball I wouldn’t have expected in a million years.

  I focused on the small screen of my camera and snapped the picture. The little boy was grinning with a few missing teeth. His mother was off to the side, encouraging him. It’d been three days since I found Dahlia at my door and she’d dropped the news about me potentially being a father. Lou and I had decided not to tell our families until we were sure. After this shoot, I was headed to get that paternity test done. Dahlia had already taken Beckett this morning, and all they needed was a sample from me to confirm that I was indeed his father.

  “I think I got enough shots of your little man,” I told the mother. “I’ll get them edited and sent to you by next week at the latest.”

  “Thank you so much,” she said and gathered her son, who took her hand.

  I watched them walk out, feeling a pain in my chest. Lou and I were supposed to celebrate a lot of firsts together. Having a kid one day was at the top of that list. I was unsure what this would do to our relationship. I didn’t want to lose Lou. Not so soon after I’d finally made her mine. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, regardless of what the test proved.

  I groaned as I started packing up my equipment and taking down the backdrop I’d used for the little boy’s pictures. I rented a small space in downtown as my studio. It was perfect for shots like the ones I’d done today. I had all kinds of clients, and I didn’t limit myself because photography was my passion. It truly didn’t matter who or what I was photographing. I was content, no matter what.

  Once that was done, I locked up and headed to my truck. I needed to get this over with. One outcome would change the rest of my life and my relationship with Lou. I wasn’t ready for that, but I also knew I couldn’t put this off any longer. We needed to know. Turning on the radio and putting on my seatbelt, I backed out of my parking spot, and headed to be tested to see just what my future held.

  3

  LOU

  The last few days have been… interesting. Things were a little weird between me and Jace. I didn't know how to talk to Jace about my feelings. He’d thrown himself into his work, and of course, I was working as well. We have seen little of each other since Monday and it was now Friday. I knew he was trying to process what was happening. I didn’t want to pile my feelings on him too. We should get the results for the paternity test sometime today.

  “Tell me what’s been going on in your life,” my therapist, Serra, said.

  “Well, a lot actually,” I replied. “Work’s work. It’s a job that allows me to pay my bills. I still haven’t decided exactly what I want to do. Things have been going so well for Jace and me. But Monday was a blast from the past that has potentially derailed things.”

  “Your past?” Serra asked.

  “No, Jace’s past.”

  She raised her eyebrows and jotted something down on her notepad. “Who showed up from his past?” she urged.

  “His ex-fiancee. I walked into his apartment to find her sitting there. She told us that Jace is a father.”

  Serra couldn’t hide her surprise. “What happened next?”

  “Jace assured me he hadn’t known about this kid and from the way Dahlia—the ex—was talking, I believed him. While I felt like my life was spinning out of control, she was damn nonchalant about it.”

  I was glad I was there when Dahlia and Jace had that conversation about their son. I knew he wouldn’t keep something like this from me. There was something else bothering me: I had no clue what decision Jace would make if that test came back positive.

  “I’m sure that struck a nerve,” Serra stated. “How did that make you feel?”

  “Pissed off for obvious reasons but also confused,” I told her.

  “Tell me what happened next?” she urged, so I did. She listened patiently, jotting down notes as I spoke.

  “When will you get the results?” Serra asked.

  “Today.”

  “How are you feeling about everything? You told me what happened but left your emotions out of it.”

  I was feeling so many things, but I decided to just start with one. “Guilt.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m angry and sad. I’m sad that Jace and I won’t be able to experience our first child together.”

  “How so?”

  “If the test comes back positive, then he’ll be a father before I’m a mother. We wanted to experience having our first kid together. Now we find out he’s already a father?”

  “I can understand that, Lou, but regardless of the outcome with this paternity test, when you get pregnant, it’ll still be the first child you’ve had together. It’ll still be magical and special.”

  It felt like a loss, even though I knew she was correct. Everything in my being was telling me Dahlia was telling the truth. The minute she said it, I knew the kid was his and I guess
that’s why I’ve felt the way I have this week. Things were going to change.

  “Is that all you’re feeling sad about?” Serra asked gently.

  “I’m sad for Jace. He missed out on three years of Beckett’s life. I am sad that he has to go through something like this.”