by Andrew Grey
“Yes.” Clay continued taking Duane around and ended up getting a bunch of small things for him to try. When Duane saw that Auburn got a huge lollipop, Clay picked out one for Duane too, and they headed for the checkout. While Andrew paid, Clay did some shopping of his own, picking out a box of hand-dipped chocolates for Andrew. He paid and joined the others outside.
“Horsies now?” Duane asked.
“We’re going tomorrow,” Clay answered, scooping Duane into his arms and tickling the youngster, his giggles filling the street.
“No, now,” he said between bouts of laughter.
“Right now, we’re going to the grocery store and then back to the house for a while. But if you’re good, Clay and I will play games.” Andrew was brilliant—bribery and holding out a carrot at the same time.
Both kids got in the car easily. They were great in the grocery store and during the ride back to the house. Clay parked, and the kids hurried inside and sat together on the sofa while he and Andrew came in with the purchases. Clay put away the groceries and put the candy on the back of the counter so Andrew could control it.
“Can we play now?” Duane asked.
“Hide and seek?” Auburn requested.
“Okay. Who’s it?” Clay asked, and the kids pointed at Andrew. “Then go hide, and Uncle Andrew will count.” The kids took off as Andrew sat on the sofa, his hands over his eyes. Clay leaned down and kissed him gently. “I’m glad you’re a good sport.” He lightly stroked Andrew’s arm before turning and walking out of the room. He figured he’d hide in the master bedroom closet. Clay noticed a hatch in back, pulled it open, and crawled into the space before putting the door back in place as best he could. Then he sat back to listen.
“Ready or not,” Andrew called, and Clay heard him checking noisily around the main floor. Of course, he didn’t find anyone there, and went upstairs.
Peals of laughter drifted to his ears as Duane and then Auburn were found.
“Where’s Clay?” Andrew called as they all came down the stairs. “Can you all help me look?” There was plenty of giggling, and Petey yipped with excitement as they all entered the bedroom. “Is he under the bed?”
“No!” Auburn called.
“No in the potty,” Duane reported as the closet door opened.
Clay didn’t move or make a sound. Just as he expected, they didn’t notice the access door and closed the closet once again.
“He’s a good hider,” Auburn said, and they left the bedroom.
Clay quietly got out of the access hatch and stood in the back of the closet. Eventually they came in the bedroom once again, and when Duane opened the closet door, he jumped out, grabbed him, and swung him around.
“You found me.” Clay laughed and set Duane down. Petey barked, and Duane whooped, pulling Clay into the living room.
“I finded him,” Duane pronounced.
“Then you’re it,” Clay said, and got Duane one of the living room chairs. “Can you count to twenty?”
Duane lay with his face in the cushions, counting, and they all hid. Clay took Andrew’s hand and led him into the bathroom, where they stood in the tub and pulled the shower curtain.
“You’re good at this,” Andrew whispered.
“Maybe I just wanted to get you alone in the shower.” Clay did his best not to think about Andrew wet and hot, all of him open and accessible to his hands and tongue. He slipped his arms around Andrew’s waist, holding him close as he rested his chin on his shoulder. He could stay like this for hours.
“I finded you,” Duane called with a scream as he pulled back the curtain. They stepped out and waited in the living room while Duane found Auburn.
They played a few more rounds until the kids were tired. Yeah, it was the kids who wore out first—at least that was Clay’s story, and he was sticking to it.
Duane and Auburn played in the living room with their toys while Clay and Andrew sat at the counter after Clay poured them each a glass of wine. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”
“Okay. If you say so.” Andrew smiled regardless and took a sip of wine.
“It was fun, and listen to those two,” Clay said softly. “They’re happy and they haven’t worried about their mom in a while. It won’t last, but it’s all about making them happy. Once we have Harper and can go back to Carlisle, then we can get them settled, find a day care, and get them in a regular routine until we know what’s going to happen with Mary.”
Andrew nodded and swallowed. “What about us, after this is over?”
“What about it?” Clay hadn’t brought that up because he wasn’t sure how Andrew felt and hadn’t wanted to pressure him—or be rejected, for that matter. Yeah, they’d spent the night together and were probably going to do that again while they were here, but that didn’t matter to some guys, so….
“Once they catch him, what happens?” Andrew gulped his wine.
Clay leaned closer. “What do you want to happen? You’re looking at me like I have all the answers, but I don’t. There are two people—you and me—and I can’t read your mind.”
Andrew’s face grew stormy in an instant. “Do you think I jump into bed with any guy who crosses my path?” His eyes seemed to burn.
Clay held up his hands. “Hold on here. I just asked you a question. Don’t go all prickly on me.” He shook his head. “I just asked you what you wanted.” He shrugged and set his wineglass on the counter. “You have to tell me, just like I need to talk to you. As for what happens when you don’t need me to watch your back for you… I don’t know. I suppose you’ll go home, and me and Petey will go back to the way things were.”
“Is that what you want?” Andrew asked.
“Now we’re just going around in circles.” Clay puffed his chest forward, drawing himself as large as possible. “What do you want, Andrew?” He added an edge to his voice. “Just say what it is that’s going on in that swirling brain of yours. You analyze cases and assess witnesses and legal procedure all day, and you do it deftly and with ease. It can’t be that hard to assess what you want and tell me.” He rested his hands on the cool granite.
“What if I don’t know?” Andrew asked. That hadn’t been something Clay had expected. “I mean, I have the kids to think about now, at least until Mary is better, and they’re a lot to ask of someone. So what if I said that I wanted to keep seeing you? That I was hoping we could date and spend time together? The kids like you and have fun with you around, but it’s a lot to ask of someone, to….” He sighed. Clay remained quiet, figuring he needed to let Andrew say what he wanted to say. Though it was hard, because he didn’t like the way Andrew seemed to discount him. “It’s a lot to ask of you. We moved things forward when it was only the two of us, and suddenly everything has changed. It would be selfish of me to expect that things would be the same for you.”
Clay nodded slowly. “Probably. But that’s why we’re talking now. You don’t have to assume anything. All you need to do is ask.” It was that simple. “I don’t have a crystal ball and I can’t see what might happen. I don’t know how things will work out. But I’m not going to run for the hills because things have changed for you.” He met Andrew’s gaze. “So I’ll go first. Once all this is over, I want to continue seeing you, okay?”
Andrew nodded.
“Yeah, you and the kids will go home… and things will definitely be different, but I’m not going to just walk away.” He couldn’t. His heart was already engaged. Clay stroked along Andrew’s jaw with the back of his fingers.
“Oh?” Andrew smiled. “I like that.”
“Is that all I get?” Clay teased and winked.
Andrew smiled—he loved Andrew’s smile—and turned to where the kids were playing before stealing a quick kiss. “I guess you’ll have to see just how much you’ll get… later.”
“Of course, you may change your mind once you meet my mother,” Clay said.
Andrew rolled his eyes. “It will be fine as long as I don’t eat or drink anything while I
’m there.” He sipped his wine, still smiling as he took one of Clay’s hands in his. “I’ll brave your mother’s cooking and your snoring for as long as you think you can stand me. But you can’t tell me that things aren’t going to be different. What if you decide that it’s all too much?” Andrew bit his lower lip.
Clay didn’t think he’d ever seen Andrew this unsure of himself, and he didn’t like it. Truth be told, he liked the self-assured, sometimes cocky pain-in-the-ass who presided over a courtroom with complete control. If Clay were honest, that kind of confidence was damned attractive.
“Hey. What if you decide that you aren’t interested in building a life with a cop? You know how unpredictable it can be, and as long as you’re caring for these two delightful monsters, they’re going to need routine and steadiness, and….”
Andrew squeezed his hand. “Face it. You’re just as nervous as I am. And you never signed up for… well, a prickly judge and two kids. You got assigned to the prickly judge part.”
“And I found out that he’s a pretty good guy.” Clay leaned closer and spoke softly. “Who seems to have touched my heart, and if you think that those kids haven’t done the same, you’re crazy. They’re wonderful.” He stared deeply into Andrew’s eyes. “Don’t use them as an excuse. I’m asking what you want. Not what you’re afraid of.” Clay kept his expression strong even as his belly fluttered like it was filled with butterflies. Clay could admit that he was falling in love with Andrew. There was so much more to him than he’d ever thought.
Andrew swallowed hard, his eyes flicking from side to side, and then damned if his tongue didn’t make a slight appearance, wetting his lips.
“What do you want, Andrew?” Clay was getting nervous that he was being rejected. The attraction was there, but dang, Andrew was a tough nut to crack.
“Uncle Andrew, come play with us!” Duane raced up to where they sat and took Andrew’s hand. “You too, Mr. Clay. Please!” He smiled, and Andrew grabbed his glass and let himself be tugged away.
Clay did the same, determined to get an answer from Andrew eventually. But at the moment, it seemed they had more important things to do, like play a spirited game of Chutes and Ladders. Andrew didn’t stand a chance… of course, neither did Clay. Auburn smoked them all.
They played again, laughing and hooting whenever he or Andrew landed on a chute and ended up going back down. The kids seemed adept at missing the bad stuff until Duane nearly won and then landed on the big chute that sent him way down.
“It’s okay. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. It’s how things work.” Andrew put his arm around him, and they finished the game. This time, Andrew won, and he scooped Duane into his arms, flying him around the room until he forgot all about the loss.
“Do you want to read a story?”
Auburn raced away, returning with a copy of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
“I remember those from when I was a kid. My teacher read them to us.”
“Do you want to read to them?” Andrew asked.
Clay was about to agree when Andrew’s phone chimed.
Chapter 6
ANDREW HATED getting those messages. They always pulled the rug out from under him. He was with the kids, so he had to keep it together and let Clay handle it. The other messages were frightening enough, but this one was downright terrorizing.
Maybe your parents know where you are.
Clay left the room, probably to call the sheriff and relay what had been sent. Andrew had never answered any of the messages, but they kept coming, and of course they were meant to scare him—that was their entire purpose. They were simply messages that took very little thought and no time at all to send. He and the kids were well away, and Clay was more than capable of handling this.
“What story do you want?” Andrew asked, schooling his voice.
“This one.” She pointed, and Andrew read “The Slow-Eater–Tiny-Bite-Taker Cure” story. He did his best to pay attention and try to make the story fun even as he wondered what Clay was doing in the other room. He finished the story as Clay emerged with a grin on his lips.
“I’ll read you another in just a minute,” Andrew said, setting the book aside and giving each of the kids a piece of candy. He carried his empty glass to the sink, meeting Clay there.
“He made a mistake,” Clay said. “I called Carter. That guy is a computer genius, and he was able to follow the message back. Most of the time it’s difficult to do because of the amount of traffic. But Harper sent this text from western Cumberland County, out past Newville. It pinged off a tower with limited usage, so we know his location within about five miles, and everyone is converging out that way. They’re getting close, and his mother lives out that way, so they’re going to start there. I’ve suspected all along that he’d stay close to her.”
“Okay. But what do we do?” Andrew asked. “I fucking hate this,” he added in a whisper. “It’s like that asshole has taken over my life.” He seethed.
“Can I ask what it is with you and having to be in control all the time?” Clay didn’t wait for an answer before hugging him. “I know this is some deep-seated need that you have, and I only want to understand you better.”
Andrew shrugged. “I don’t understand it myself. My mom always says it was because her dad and I were so close, and he died of a heart attack when I was about six. He and I used to do all kinds of things together. Mom tells tons of stories about us. I remember he was a lot of fun. He loved popcorn, and we used to eat it in bed while we watched television.” Andrew smiled. He’d always felt safe with his grandpa. “I can remember him taking me to the Fourth of July parade, and I asked him to put me on his shoulders. He lifted me off my feet, gasped, and nearly dropped me. I stood there, holding the little flag that he had bought me, scolding him as he clutched his chest and fell to the ground. Mama grabbed me and hauled me away as I screamed for him.” Andrew swallowed hard. He hadn’t thought about those things in years and was surprised how fresh in his mind they were. “Mom held me tight and kept me away while an ambulance arrived, and they took Grandpa away.”
“Oh gosh, that must have been awful.”
“It was. For a long time, I thought if I hadn’t asked him to pick me up, he never would have had a heart attack and I’d still have him.” Andrew sighed softly. “Of course, that was wrong. But….”
“Hey. You were a kid.” Clay turned to Duane and Auburn. “They tend to think that things are their fault even when they are completely outside their control.”
Andrew nodded. He knew that was true. “Grandma told me that what happened wasn’t my fault. Then she hugged me and let me cry it out and told me that she loved me. I still miss both of them so much.” There was nothing he could do to change any of it. “Grandma died in her sleep when I was sixteen.” He swallowed hard. Andrew had never realized he was so easy to read, but Clay hugged him again, even more tightly.
“No….” Clay seemed to understand what was coming next.
“Yeah. I was staying overnight at her house.” Andrew shook his head. “Let’s talk about more pleasant things, okay?” He wiped his eyes and sat back up. “I don’t think we need to take an extended trip through memories on Nightmare Lane.”
Clay snorted. “You’re funny.” He handed Andrew back his phone. “Call your parents. Let them know about the new threat so they can be prepared and take precautions. I think this is as hollow as most of his other threats. He’s trying to get to you the only way he thinks he can. But let’s make sure your family can be as safe as possible. I’m going make something for dinner.” Clay went to get the kids. “Who wanted to help make dinner?” he asked as Andrew left the area to give himself some privacy.
“Are the kids okay?” his mother asked as she answered the phone.
“They’re fine.” He girded his loins. “I think I need to talk to both of you.”
His mother paused. “I’ll get him.” She set down the house phone, and Andrew waited as his father’s heavy footsteps approached.
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br /> “What is it, Andrew?” his father asked gruffly after switching to speaker.
“Listen. I’m being threatened by a prisoner I sentenced who was scheduled to appear before me again. He vowed revenge, and he’s escalating now and threatening to get to me through you and Mom. The police have been hunting him for days now, and they think they might be getting close. But I wanted to alert you so you could be safe.”
“Is that why you’re in the Poconos?” his father asked.
“Yes. I have a deputy with us to provide security. He’s been looking after me for nearly a week now. I’ve taken a few days of vacation and gotten away so we can be safe. All right. I remember you were threatened before, when I was a kid, and you knew how to handle it.” Andrew calmed his nerves. He and his father didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but he didn’t want anything to happen to either of them.
“I’ll take care of things on this end.” His father sounded determined. “You watch your own back and be careful, especially with my grandkids.”
“I will, Dad. Just look after Mom. Hopefully this is all just a precaution and nothing will come of it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I hope so too. Just be safe.” His father ended the call, and Andrew figured that last thing his father had said was probably as close to loving words as he was ever going to get. He put his phone back in his pocket and joined the others in the kitchen.
“Do you want to take over?” Clay asked. “I’m going to check outside and make sure we’re battened down for the night.”
Andrew took the spoon from him, and Clay made his way through the house, pulling curtains and locking all of the doors, with Petey following behind him for a while, then returning to sniffing around the floor.
“We’re making sketti,” Duane said with a smile when Clay returned.
“I know, bud.” Clay got the garlic bread ready to go in the oven and got the kids back before opening the oven door. “Are you both hungry?” Clay asked. “Do you think you can set the table?”
“I can,” Auburn said, and Clay handed her the silverware. “I’ll do a good job.”
