“How do you expect me to do that?” he frowned.
“I think it would be best for him to get to know you as sort of a friend first.”
“That’s ridiculous, Latrice. I’m not the boy’s friend. I’m his father.”
“You are his father, but right now, I don’t think that’s what he needs. Right now, he needs to connect with someone who can show him the right way to act.”
“Are you listening to yourself? What better person to show a child that than his dad?”
“Here’s the thing, CJ isn’t able to make friends very easily. Back in Minnesota, he got mixed up with some bad kids. We haven’t been here very long, but his teachers are already telling me that the same things are happening here. He’s not a very outgoing boy. He needs someone he can talk to that’s not a parent right now.”
“Okay, how do you think things should be handled then?”
“For now, let’s agree to hold off on telling him that you’re his father. What I need from you is for you to do something to form some kind of bond with him. This is your chance to become a huge part of his life. This is how you’re going to get to know him.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “How do you expect me to form a bond with a ten-year-old boy without telling him who I am? Wouldn’t he think that’s kind of weird? Besides, it’s not like we had the best start to this relationship. I did arrest him after all. He told me he couldn’t stand police officers, which is pretty much what I am. He doesn’t need a friend. He needs a true attitude adjustment. Please, tell me how to form a bond with a kid who despises everything that I am and everything I stand for.”
“Do you really think he meant what he said to you? He’s never had anything against cops. It was all his way of acting out to the situation. You should have saw him laughing with the cop out there. Believe me, he doesn’t hate cops. Regardless of what happened earlier, it can’t be changed. You can only go forward from here. Anyway, I’ve already done a little bit of checking up on you. I understand that you’re coaching a pee wee football team. I want to get him playing in something like that.”
“I can get him involved with no problem. He can play as my son.”
“I don’t think you’re listening to me, Chance. You need to get to know him on a different level first.”
“Latrice, I know you said that you’ve thought this whole thing out, but I really don’t think you have. I get why you’re concerned about him, especially if he is getting involved with the wrong group of kids. Seriously, though, who knows better about that than me? Hell, you left because I was hanging with the wrong crowd. I was able to come out of it. I don’t know why you’d think I couldn’t help him do the same.”
“What don't you understand here? This would be way too much for him.”
“Okay, let me put it to you another way. Everyone in this damn town knows both of us. They know our history. When people start realizing you’ve come back home and see that little boy, don’t you think they’ll start putting everything together for themselves, especially when they find out he’s named after me?
I sat there, letting his words sink in for a moment. It was something I hadn’t thought of.
“Then what, Latrice?” he continued. “What are you going to do if someone else gives him the news before we have a chance to? How is he going to feel knowing that we both lied to him? If you think it would be tough to know now, imagine what he is going to feel like after all that.”
As much as I hated to admit it, I knew Chance was right. Kansas City was a big city, but the communities within it are small and close-knit, especially the one we were living in. It would be nearly impossible for the truth to stay hidden.
“You’re right, but I just don’t think he’s ready.”
“Okay, I get that, and as his mother, you have a right to feel that way. With that said, I think I might have another idea. What I need from you, however, is to really listen to my idea without cutting me off or telling me it’s crazy. Deal?”
“Fine,” I replied, knowing that I didn’t have much say in the situation anymore anyway. I’d had the upper hand for far too long, and we both knew it. It was time to share some of the decision making.
“Okay, I want to go back to the story you were telling me earlier. The one where you told him about his daddy. You told him that we were in love and wanted to get married, but you ended up leaving before telling me you were pregnant.”
“Right.”
“He also knows that this is where you’re from, right? He knows you grew up around here?”
“Yeah, he knows we’re staying in my parent’s house where I grew up.”
“Have you thought about talking to him and mentioning that his daddy lives here as well? Once you break that to him, you can actually tell him who I am. You let that sink in for a little bit and then tell him that I still don’t know and maybe ask him how he would like you to proceed. That way, he can feel like he has a part in the decision instead of the news being thrown at him.”
“I don’t think that’s smart. The two of you apparently have already butted heads once. This is why I told you I wanted you to try to form some sort of bond with him in another way. Right now, if I did what you’re saying, he’d probably tell me not to tell you anything.”
“Okay, so then maybe we place him in a position where he has no choice but to accept me. What is he going to do if he has no choice but to see me very regularly?”
“How does that happen short of the two of us getting back together?”
“You just said it. We get into a relationship. Of course, I mean that we pretend to be in a relationship.”
“I don’t see how that helps things,” I replied with a frown. “That might make it even more obvious to everyone out that you’re his dad.”
“That’s why you tell him that I don’t know. He’ll know who I am, and he’ll think that the two of you are the ones with a secret. That may even cause him to bond with you more. There will be two scenarios at that point. CJ will either really want me to know that he’s my son or he’ll do everything in his power to make sure I never find out. While he makes those decisions, I’ll be doing my best to bond with him and win him over.”
“It’s not going to be that easy, Chance. What are you going to do when you can’t win him over?”
“It’s not a matter of if I can win him over, it’s a matter of when. That boy deserves to feel like he belongs with his daddy, because he really does belong. He’s a part of both of us, and he deserves to have both of us in his life. He’ll be exposed to me and, little by little, we’ll expose him to my side of the family as well. Before long, I’m sure he’ll be ready to call me dad. And if that doesn’t work and he doesn’t want us to be together, all of his focus will be spent trying to figure out how to drive a wedge between us. At least that will occupy his time instead of him getting into trouble.”
It was becoming more and more difficult to argue with his logic. He made some very valid points. Still, I wasn’t a big fan of the plan he’d concocted. I didn’t like the idea of acting like I fell for Chance again, especially since being around him again was already feeling way too comfortable.
I knew that if I was going to go along with his plan, he and I were going to have to start spending a lot of time with one another.
I’d never fully gotten over him, and I didn’t know if my heart would be able to handle it all. Not only that but seeing him in front of me was suddenly starting to excite me in other ways.
It had been ages since I’d been with another man. I spent so much time working to take care of my son that I didn’t have much time left to date. Besides, I don’t think any man could have come close to what Chance and I once had.
I looked up to see Chance staring at me, watching my every move with great interest. I wondered if he could sense what he was doing to me as I repositioned myself in the chair.
“What if he finds out it’s all a ruse?” I asked. “How will he feel if he finds out we aren’t really
in a relationship? Any trust he’d have in either of us would be gone.”
“He has no idea what it’s like to be in a home with both parents. These days, most kids seem to come from broken homes. I think that he would appreciate the fact that both of his parents are willing to do whatever it takes to be a big part of his life.”
“I don’t want you to think I don’t want you in his life because I do. There’s just so much that can go wrong with this idea you’re suggesting.”
“I know there’s a risk that things can go wrong, but just imagine how things can be if everything goes right. If we do it this way, CJ is in complete control of what happens next. I just don’t want to spend all this time with my son without him knowing the truth about me. Even if he thinks I don’t know who he is, I want him to know about me. Will you at least consider this?”
“Yeah, I’ll think about it. Just give me some time to gather my thoughts.”
“I’ll give you until tomorrow morning.”
“What?”
“Tomorrow morning. That’s as long as I can give you.”
“That doesn’t work for me. I need to think longer than overnight.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’ve already lost ten years with him. I’m not going to lose anymore. Also, before you even think about doing something stupid, I’ve already contacted my lawyer to find out what my rights are as a father. I just hope I don’t actually have to use him; though, I do have a meeting scheduled with him to discuss this in detail.”
I shook my head, saddened by the way things were going. “I’m not going to keep him from you, Chance. You don’t have to lawyer up.”
“I hope not. Meet tomorrow morning for breakfast? We can decide what we’re going to do then.”
I really wanted more than 12 hours to figure out what I wanted to do, but I knew he wasn’t going to go for that so I agreed to meet him.
“Okay, let’s meet at Leed’s Diner in the morning.”
Chapter Three
Chance
I picked up the receiver of the phone and pressed the button that rang the lobby. Instead of the receptionist picking up the telephone, I watched out the window as Officer McKade ran over to grab it.
“This is Officer McKade,” he answered, making me laugh.
“Can you bring in the John Doe, please?”
“Right away.”
When I hung up the phone, I looked up to see Latrice staring at me with a confused look on her face.
“Like I said, CJ wouldn’t give me any information when I brought him in. Since we didn’t know his name, he became a John Doe. That’s just the name we give to anyone who comes through that can’t be identified. Remember, nobody but us knows about this conversation.”
Before she had a chance to respond to me, the door to my office flew open, and CJ walked in with Officer McKade right behind him. The boy looked down at the floor when he saw his mother standing there.
“I didn’t think you were ever going to get here to pick me up,” he scowled.
“What? You think these nice people can just call your mom to pick you up when you won’t even tell them what your name is? If it wasn’t for your school calling me, you might still be sitting there. I think you and I need to have a serious talk about why you didn’t bother going to school. You know you could have really hurt somebody if Officer Sparks here wouldn’t have picked you up.”
“I didn’t want to tell him nothing,” the boy replied. “I don’t like the police.”
“That’s okay,” I told him as I crossed my arms across my chest. “I don’t like kids with attitudes like yours. You don’t have to like anybody you don’t want to like, but you need a serious lesson in respecting others.”
I realized that my fatherly instincts were already beginning to kick in. The boy may have had a bad attitude, but I planned on fixing that in the near future.
“Can we go now?” CJ asked, sarcastically.
“Yeah, we can go.”
“Hold on just a minute,” I said, not liking the tone of voice he’d just used with his mother or the way she quickly gave him exactly what he wanted. “I don’t think you realize the severity of what you did today. To help straighten you up, I need to see you back here every day after school for the next week. I’ll have a list of things for you to do around the station.”
“Yeah? And what happens when I just don’t show up?”
“CJ, you can’t talk to him like that,” his mother warned, leading me to hold my hand up to quiet her. This conversation was strictly between a father and his son.
“Not showing up wouldn’t be very smart. Your mother has given us your address. If you’re not here, I know where to find you. If I have to come looking for you, things are only going to be much worse in the end.”
I knew I was already getting off on the wrong foot with my son, but I wasn’t sure what other choice I had in the matter. CJ had to accept me as an authority figure before he’d ever be able to accept me as a father. Latrice wasn’t protesting. I could tell by the look on her face that she knew exactly what I was doing.
“He’s right, CJ. You’re going to come straight here after school each day and do exactly what he tells you do, you got it?”
“Yeah, fine, whatever. Can we just get out of here please?”
Latrice looked up at me, and I nodded, handing her a copy of the form that had been filled out. “I was getting ready to head out for the day myself. I’ll walk the two of you out.”
I walked them out to their vehicle and watched as they got in and buckled up. Walking around to the passenger side, I bent down and stuck my head inside the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, CJ.” He didn’t reply. Instead, he defiantly looked straight ahead. I turned my attention to his mother. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I watched as she backed out of the parking space and drove away. Looking at my watch, I cursed under my breath when I realized I was late to a card game that my brother was hosting.
“You’re late, asshole,” my brother Justin said as I walked through the door.
“Yeah, I know. Some pretty big shit went down at work, and I had to get it taken care of before I left,” I replied, grabbing a beer out of the fridge as my brother Nick yelled out in frustration. I smiled when I realized he was losing as usual. I always got a kick out of it because Nick was always the first one to talk shit, and was usually the first one out.
As I watched my four brothers sitting at a table playing cards, I reflected on just how lucky I was. These men were more than just brothers to me, they were my best friends in the world. They are the guys I should have been spending my time with years ago, instead of hanging out with the thugs in the streets. These guys always had my back, even though Jeremy could test my limits at times.
Jeremy is a little under a year younger than me. He’s all about motorsports, and it doesn’t matter what kind. He races cars, bikes, and boats. Justin is the brother known for his creativity. He is an aspiring author who has been writing for almost five years, yet has one titled book to publish. We always love to give him trouble for that. That leaves the twins, Nick and Mikey. Nick is a few minutes older and never lets Mikey forget it. He is a restaurant owner while Mike is a paramedic.
“Everything okay with you, Chance? It ain’t normal to see you so quiet,” Justin inquired.
I realized I’d been standing there staring at my beer bottle while replaying the day’s events in my head. “What’s wrong with being quiet sometimes? You guys could learn something from it.”
“Okay, smart ass.”
“Oh, leave him alone,” Nick piped in. “He’s probably just having a hard time. He and Jeremy are single so they aren’t getting any. I can’t even imagine what it’s doing to them.”
“You shut your mouth before I punch you,” Jeremy yelled. He didn’t smile or give any indication that he was joking.
“Anyway,” I said. “You guys will never guess who I saw today.”
The guys kept play
ing until they realized I wasn’t going to tell them until they were paying attention to me. Eventually, Mikey put his cards face down on the table. “What the fuck? Who?”
“Latrice.”
Suddenly, the room turned silent, and everyone playing cards turned their eyes in my direction.
“Latrice? You mean our Latrice? From back in the day?”
“No, not our Latrice. My Latrice.”
“What the fuck do you mean your Latrice? Didn’t she dump you and take off a long ass time ago?”
I took a seat at the table and leaned back. I knew they were going to give me shit. I heard about what an asshole I had been a lot over the years. There was a period of time that my brothers all stopped talking to me because of the people I was hanging out with.
“That was my fault. I planned on marrying the girl, but I couldn’t get my head out of my ass long enough to get my own life straight. By the time I did, it was too late.”
“Yeah, whose fault was that? She would have been the perfect girl to marry, but you always left her by herself so she could look like a fool,” Justin said angrily. “Hell, I introduced you to her. I’ve always felt bad about that after the way you treated her.”
“I never meant to make her look like a fool. Why was it so hard to believe that I actually loved her?”
“Gee, I don’t know,” Jeremy said with attitude. “Most men wouldn’t put running the streets ahead of the woman they claim to love so much. The way I see it, you wanted to have your freedom, but you also wanted someone to be there for you when you needed them. Anyway, let’s talk about something else before I get pissed off and knock you out like I did when you got out of juvie.”
Nick couldn’t contain himself and had to jump into the conversation as well. “You know, I hope she has a husband that looks like a supermodel and a bunch of kids running around. That would be good karma since you let the best thing to ever happen to you get away.”
I looked up at the ceiling, getting very annoyed. This was my family, and they were supposed to be loyal to me no matter what. When it came to Latrice, however, family loyalty didn’t seem to exist. I watched as Nick shuffled the cards and dealt a new hand.
Second Chance (A Secret Baby Romance Novel) Page 4
