Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“What the hell am I going to do, boy?” I murmur.
A moment later, my phone starts to ring. It’s my woman. Even now, after the showdown, I faintly smile as I pick it up. James’ question rings in my mind. If I had to choose, could I really let Samantha go? But could I be content with never seeing my son again? No, never. He’s my boy, dammit.
“Hey,” she says. “There’s something I need to tell you…”
“Is it about James?” I ask.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“I just spoke to him. He told me about the barbershop quartet, and I told him about us. I had to. I couldn’t lie to him anymore.”
She pauses and then says in a small voice, “I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”
“How did you know that?”
“You, Fletcher. You sound cold. Like you’re getting ready to pull away from me.”
“He asked me who I’d choose. You or him.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m a coward, Samantha. I couldn’t give him an answer, but I know one thing. A man who abandons his son is no man at all.”
“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I wish there was some way I could fix this.”
“It’s not your fault,” I reply. “You’re beautiful, sexy, funny, shy in the best way. It’s not your fault people can’t help but fall for you.”
“But a son and his dad? That’s not exactly ideal, is it?” After a pause, she laughs, but just like mine, there’s no humor or joy. Just an expulsion of tense air. “I think that was a bit of an understatement.”
“Yeah,” I say, with the same kind of laughter. “Just a bit.”
“Do you still want to walk Loki?” she asks. “I’ll understand if—”
“We are walking him,” I snarl. “I need to see you. Nothing makes sense unless I’m with you.”
There’s a long pause. I think she might’ve disconnected. When she finally speaks, her voice is full of emotion. It sends another crack down my heart, joining the one put there by the sense of betrayal in my son’s voice.
“Do you mean that?” she asks. “I mean, when you say things like that, they aren’t lines, are they? It’s real? All of it?”
“It’s real,” I snarl. “The realest thing I’ve ever experienced. I…”
I love you. I need you forever. You’re going to give me so many children one day.
I genuinely believe that if it weren’t for the standoff with James, I’d say all of this without a doubt. Nothing would stop me, and I’d mean every word. I can’t keep letting fear hold me back, but I can let my son’s agony hold me back. What sort of father would I be if I didn’t?
“I’d never trick you,” I go on. “I swear on Loki, Samantha. I’d die before I did that.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “Good. Thank you.”
“I’ll meet you at your place—”
“No, let’s meet at the park,” she says. “I’m sorry. Mom’s going to be here. I still haven’t told her any of it. As far as she knows, I’m still waiting for… Well, I don’t know what she thinks I’m waiting for. Maybe she thinks I’ll stop caring.”
“It’s not as easy as that, is it?”
“No,” Samantha says, “but nobody else seems to understand.”
She’s right. Nobody does except for me and her. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all that matters.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Samantha
“Where are you going?” Mom asks when I mention I’ll be heading out soon.
Luckily, one of her favorite quiz shows is on. She doesn’t look at me as she asks the question. Instead, she leans over her knitting, staring at the screen as she waits for the host, who she has a crush on, to reveal the answer.
“Uh, out,” I say, knowing that’s the stupidest thing I could have said, but lying to her feels wrong. It makes me feel like a dirtbag.
Mom claps her hands together when the answer pops up. “I knew it!” Oh, dang. Commercial break. She turns to me, eyes narrowed far too perceptively. “Do you think I was born yesterday, Sam?”
I swallow. Uh oh. “What do you mean?” I ask in my most innocent voice.
“You’re acting very shifty. Something tells me this involves a certain man we discussed recently.”
I feel my cheeks turning red, a surefire way to give myself up with Mom. She’s always been able to read me fairly easily. My blushing cheeks might as well be a warning light going off. “Maybe,” I mutter, knowing there’s no use in lying.
“I see.” Mom nods. “I suppose you did wait a few days.”
“I know you think I’m being immature, Mom, but it’s much more serious than you think.” He saved my life. “I think we could be a real couple and make it work.”
Mom sighs. I think she’s going to snap at me. Then she walks over to my chair and sits on the arm, wrapping her arm around me. “I can tell how much this means to you. I think I went a little overboard last time, but you must be careful. I don’t want you used and discarded like so many young women are.”