“Liar! You didn’t want us to meet!”
“I didn’t want you to hear us argue and fight,” she explained in a thick voice. “Brady, I want you to get to know your father, but not like this.”
“If he doesn’t come back now, it’s your fault!”
When she saw the angry tears in her son’s eyes, her own throat constricted. Crying wouldn’t help her now, so she just continued in a patient voice, swallowing her own tears. “I know you’re angry, but you mustn’t be unfair.”
“I’m not unfair,” he protested, his face red with tears and exhausting anger.
“It’s not my fault that you don’t know him yet,” she countered calmly. “It hurts me when you say a thing like that, Brady.”
He hiccupped with righteous indignation. “Well, whose fault is it, then? My dad’s?”
“No,” she replied, not wanting to torpedo Brady’s relationship with his dad before its commencement. “It’s nobody’s fault. Your dad didn’t know about you.”
Sometimes it was a curse to have a clever child. Brady was able to draw the correct conclusion in an instant. “So you didn’t tell him about me at all?”
“I wanted to tell him about you, but at the time we had already separated and couldn’t find each other. It’s a long story, Brady, but all you need to know now is that it’s nobody’s fault. It’s neither your dad’s fault nor my fault that you didn’t get to know him until now.”
Brady was silent and thoughtful for a moment. He lowered his head, forgetting about the ice cream.
Thorne forced earnestness into her voice. “If you want to get to know your dad, I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen.”
He furrowed his brow in a skeptical expression. “Really?”
“Really.” She inhaled deeply. “If you want to, we can call him and set up a time for you two to get together.”
His expression changed again, becoming insecure. “Mom?”
“Yes, love?”
“I … I don’t want to meet him alone.”
“Do you want me to come along?” Thorne asked gently. She didn’t need to tell Brady that she wouldn’t have left him alone with Shane anyway. His father first had to prove that he was serious about wanting to be with his son before she would let them be together alone.
Instead of answering the question, Brady whispered unhappily, “What if he doesn’t like me?” He hiccupped again and tried to suppress a fresh burst of tears.
Thorne took the spoon from his hands and set it down on his bedside table along with the ice cream. Then she put an arm around his shoulder, hugged him to her side, and gently stroked his face.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m certain he’ll like you. In fact, I think he’ll like you a lot.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“Brady.” She lifted his chin so she could meet his gaze. “Why do you think he won’t like you?”
His eyes flickered around, betraying his confusion. Then she had to stifle a smile, because he heaved a world-weary sigh befitting an old man. “Mom, you keep telling me how stubborn and naughty and loud I am, so …”
“Oh, yes, you sure are,” she said emphatically, pulling him into a close embrace to show her love for him. “And I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
“But what if … what if my dad doesn’t like that?”
Thorne swallowed hard. “Where do you think you got all those traits? Your dad is just as stubborn, naughty, and loud as you are. And that’s why he couldn’t not like you, even if tried.”
Even though the whole situation tore her heart apart, she was grateful to see her son snuggle closer into her arms again, all anger and blame forgotten. She stroked his hair and then pressed a kiss on the crown of his head. “I promise you that everything is going to be okay again, love.”
His answer was a loud sniffle. “All the other kids have dads.”
“I know,” Thorne murmured, pressing him close. “I know. And you do, too.”
Chapter 8
Never in his entire life had Shane been as nervous as he was now. He’d lost count of the times he’d changed clothes, and he’d even practiced what he wanted to say in front of the mirror. He was worse than any nervous girl preparing for a date.
Now he was sitting at a table in a cozy little pizza place, craning his neck to see the door at all times. He also kept tapping the wrapped box that sat next to his chair. Even now, he was haunted by the memory of walking up and down the aisles of the giant toy store without the slightest idea of what his son might like. Of course he’d been six years old once, but he didn’t remember what he’d played with then. And he had no clue what Brady liked. The only thing he did know was that Brady liked pizza, which was why he was here now. As for the present, in the end, he’d asked a sales clerk for help. She’d told him that most six-year-old boys would love a remote-controlled race car.
As he waited, he wondered whether it was a sensible idea to bring such an ostentatious gift to the first real meeting with his son. But he desperately wanted Brady to like him, so he went for bribery.
He would have liked to ask his own mother for advice on how to act, and he would also have liked to take her with him to the toy store. But neither his mom, nor Kayleigh, nor Hayden were speaking to him right now, so he couldn’t count on feminine support. Since he’d told his entire family the story of Thorne, her brother, and the undercover investigation, they’d all turned frosty. Even Heath and Kyle disapproved of the role he’d played, though they were far more understanding than his female family members. Ryan was the only one to agree that Shane had had no other choice—but Ryan was a cop, too, and thus a bit biased.
But he couldn’t worry about reconciling with his family until he first met Brady.
As soon as he’d decided that, he saw Thorne and Brady enter the pizza place. Shane jumped up and then stood, rooted to the spot next to the table, while they walked towards him.
Thorne’s smile was forced, and she looked just as nervous as he was. Shane threw her a brief glance before his eyes were drawn to his son. He was still completely fascinated with their resemblance and couldn’t get enough of staring at the kid, who’d been looking at the floor but now slowly raised his head.
With a warm feeling that was completely unfamiliar to Shane, he smiled and cocked his head to the side. “Hello there.”
“Sorry we’re a bit late,” Thorne greeted him, sighing loudly. “The usual parking mess.”
“That’s okay.”
“Have you been waiting long?”
He looked into her blue eyes and realized he was trembling. He shook his head. “No, no,” he lied. “I just got here a few minutes ago.”
“Good.” She smiled briefly and stroked Brady’s shoulder.
Shane ran a nervous hand through his hair, took a step backwards, and pointed to the table. “Is this spot here okay? We could get a different table—”
“Nonsense,” she cut him off, pushing Brady towards the table with a gentle hand. “This is perfect. Especially since it’s right next to the heater. It’s gotten awfully cold outside.”
It seemed he wasn’t the only nervous one. He remembered Thorne was prone to prattling on and on when she was feeling insecure, and, suddenly, the thought brought another memory to him. The morning of her interview at a local college. For hours, she had paced the hallway between the bedroom and the bathroom, talking nonsense. He had lain in her bed and watched her skip around in her underwear, driving herself crazy. In the end, because she’d been too wound up to drive, or think straight, he’d driven her to the college and waited in the car until she’d re-emerged an hour later.
“Last year we already had snow at this time,” Thorne prattled.
Funnily enough, it was Brady who shook his head and groaned. “Mom.”
“Alright, alright.” She raised her hand in apology and started taking off her coat. “Brady gets embarrassed when I talk too much.”
“Yes, I do,” the little g
uy agreed curtly, taking off his jacket, too. Then he sat down next to his mom.
Amused, Shane cleared his throat before sitting down again. He didn’t have the slightest idea what to say next, so he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Fortunately, Thorne seemed to understand, because she turned to Brady, who was suspiciously silent, too.
“What would you like to drink, love? Maybe an orange soda?”
“Right.” Shane lifted his head to call the waitress. “Are you both hungry? Maybe we could order a large pizza for the three of us to share?”
“Brady’s always hungry—especially if there’s pizza. Right, Brady?”
The boy looked up, not sure what to make of the efforts of the two adults. He shrugged very casually. “Dunno.”
Shane gave Thorne an alarmed look, but she just smiled and shrugged as well. “An orange soda for Brady and a cup of coffee for me would be very nice, Shane. And then just pick the pizza you like. We’ll eat it, I’m sure.”
He was glad to have something to do for half a minute, giving the waitress their order. But then the stressed-out woman scurried away from their table, and the awkward silence descended again.
Shane grew more nervous by the second, wracking his brain for a topic they could talk about. Usually he had the Irish gift of gab, but now, of all times, his tongue seemed stuck to the roof of his mouth.
“Brady just told me something exciting in the car,” Thorne suddenly blurted out, giving Brady an encouraging look. “He got a big part in the school Thanksgiving play this year. He’s going to play the first settler.”
Shane felt like a gigantic idiot, but he heard himself say, “Cool. Are you looking forward to that, Brady?”
Brady looked at him skeptically, and he couldn’t blame him. Dammit, he’d always thought of himself as a cool guy, but when confronted with his son, he acted like a total loser.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” the boy murmured, sounding as if he didn’t care either way.
Thorne, on the other hand, was starting to enjoy the conversation. At least that’s what her sparkling blue eyes suggested. “He’s downplaying it, Shane. He spent days practicing for the tryouts.”
“Mom,” Brady protested, blushing a little.
And that’s when Shane realized Brady was just as scared of coming across as uncool as he was. On Brady’s part, the fear was completely unfounded. Shane couldn’t stop staring at his son, and felt his heart race when he did. How could he have thought the boy was anything but wonderful?
He cleared his throat. “I always wanted to be a settler,” he admitted, “but I couldn’t memorize all the lines.”
Slowly, Brady lifted his head. “Really?”
“Oh, yes,” Shane asserted fervently. “I was always cast as a Native American and had to stand at the back of the stage.”
“So you didn’t have fun?”
“Oh, I still did.” Shane smiled, happy to see his son’s interest kindled. “I thought it was really cool because we got to hold bows and arrows.”
Now Brady was grinning as well. “Our Native Americans don’t get to hold bows and arrows.”
“They don’t?”
“No, because last year Stuart shot an arrow at Ella. He got into a lot of trouble.”
Shane could tell Brady thought the prank on his classmate was fascinating and the trouble a necessary evil. That didn’t surprise Shane because, as a kid, he’d felt the same. He leaned forward and confided, “My sister Kayleigh had to play the turkey once.”
Brady’s eyes widened. “Did the other kids laugh at her? We always laugh at the kid that has to play the turkey.”
“Brady,” Thorne warned. “I’m listening.”
“Mom,” the little guy protested cockily, “when I told you Timothy is gonna play the turkey this year, you laughed, too.” He turned to Shane and explained, “Timothy is really fat.” Then he turned back to his mom and went on, “You even said they’d have to alter the costume to fit him—”
“Yes, I know what I said,” Thorne interrupted, blushing.
When Shane saw the embarrassment on her face, he had to contain his laughter. Then he explained to Brady, “Well, nobody laughed about my sister.”
“Why not?”
He couldn’t tell Brady that Kayleigh had already been infamous for her right hook in kindergarten, could he? “I have three more brothers,” he said instead. “We would have come to our sister’s defense if anyone teased her or laughed—”
“You have three brothers?” Brady’s eyes were huge now, and he scooted to the edge of his chair, leaning his elbows on the table. “Really?”
“And a sister,” Shane added. “Their names are Heath, Kayleigh, Ryan, and Kyle.”
“Are you the oldest brother?”
“Almost. Heath is one year older than me.”
“And the others?”
He was enjoying his son’s curiosity and relaxed slowly. A brief glance at Thorne told him she was listening intently but guardedly. He could sense her reservations, but nevertheless, he was grateful for her impartiality, and for the effort she was putting into allowing them to start off on the right foot.
“Kayleigh is a year younger than me. Ryan and Kyle are twins, and they’re five years younger.”
“Wow, you have a really big family,” Brady marveled.
“Oh yeah.” Shane waited while the waitress distributed their drinks. He watched Brady raise his glass to his lips and take a large sip before looking back at Shane with this mixture of curiosity, joy, and insecurity. With every fiber of his being, Shane hoped that his son liked him and thought he was cool. So, without thinking it through, he suggested, “Heath is a firefighter. If you’re interested, we could visit him at the firehouse …” He stopped himself, groaning inwardly, realizing he may have overstepped a boundary. But when he looked at Thorne, she merely lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.
Brady immediately sat up straight, nodding enthusiastically. “Oh, yes, please!”
“Only if your mother says it’s okay, of course,” Shane added hastily.
“That sounds like a nice idea,” Thorne said calmly, surprising Shane. “If your brother isn’t bothered by it, sure.”
“I’m sure Heath will be fine with it.” He swallowed. “Thank you, Thorne.”
She smiled politely. “It’ll be nice for Brady to meet the rest of your family.”
Thorne’s goodwill had him confused, and also a little humbled. Since he’d first met Brady, Shane had expected Thorne to make it extra hard for him, or even to forbid him from seeing his son. Instead, she had called him and asked to set up a meeting so Brady could get to know him better. And now she was being as accommodating as he could have wished.
“Mom told me you work with the police,” Brady piped up.
Shane turned his attention back to his son and nodded. “That’s right, I do.”
“This kid in my class, his mom is a cop, too. She gives people tickets. Like if they drive too fast or park where they’re not allowed to.”
Shane didn’t exactly want to explain to a child what his job entailed, but he shook his head in amusement. “That’s not what I do.”
“What do you do?”
“I catch criminals.”
“Cool.” Brady’s eyes lit up excitedly. “Then do you have a pistol?”
All little boys seemed to possess a fondness for guns. When Shane was little, he’d been the same. He’d constantly badgered his policeman grandfather to show him his service weapon, but just like the old man more than two decades ago, Shane had no intention of pulling out a gun in front of a child. He nestled into his hoodie and tried to think of something else to say. That’s when he remembered the present.
He leaned over, picked it up off the floor, and placed it on the table. That distracted the boy immediately.
“I almost forgot, Brady. I brought a little something for you.”
“A little something?” Thorne echoed in a sarcastic tone that made him flinch.
Brady’s eyes widened,
and he looked up at his mom, as if waiting for her permission to accept the gift. When she gave him an encouraging nod, he proceeded to tear off the wrapping paper without delay.
Shane watched him, feeling unsure again. “The lady at the store told me boys your age like these things a lot. But if you don’t like it, we can always exchange it for something else.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Thorne said dryly.
Brady was so amazed he seemed unable to shut his mouth. “This … this is so awesome!”
“What do you say, Brady?” his mom prodded.
“Thank you!” He beamed up at Shane. “Thank you! This is so awesome! I’ve always wanted a car like this!”
“Then you’re very welcome.” Shane was not only relieved by the exuberant smile his son gave him, but he had to admit it also warmed him and filled him with an unfamiliar joy. Without realizing it, his own smile mirrored his son’s exactly.
“Mom, can I try it out today?”
“Not in the apartment,” she responded immediately.
And then Shane got his first glimpse of his son’s obstinacy. “But Mom!” he protested with a pout.
“Not in the apartment, Brady. But …” She cleared her throat, before adding in a curiously thick voice, “But maybe you can meet your dad in the park soon, and you can try it out together.”
While Brady happily agreed and turned the box around and around on the table, Shane gave Thorne a grateful look. She returned it with an unreadable expression.
***
Luckily, Thorne was on her lunch break when the phone rang again.
Her boss had lost an important case yesterday and was currently busy preparing an appeal. This meant his mood was abysmally grumpy, and he’d already taken it out on several of his employees. Thorne expected to be the next in line. Normally her boss was very affable, generous, and a really nice guy, but when he was under pressure, he lost his temper.
So she didn’t want to antagonize him by taking private calls during work hours. Her lunch break was definitely better suited to that. She’d just received a call from a police officer who wanted to talk about her brother’s case, so she was expecting yet another one of those unpleasant conversations.
Blast From The Past (The Boston Five Series #2) Page 9
