Heartward

by Andrew Grey

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  More from Andrew Grey

  Readers love Andrew Grey

  About the Author

  By Andrew Grey

  Visit Dreamspinner Press

  Copyright

  Heartward

  By Andrew Grey

  He doesn’t know that home is where his heart will be….

  Firefighter Tyler Banik has seen his share of adventure while working disaster relief with the Red Cross. But now that he’s adopted Abey, he’s ready to leave the danger behind and put down roots. That means returning to his hometown—where the last thing he anticipates is falling for his high school nemesis.

  Alan Pettaprin isn’t the boy he used to be. As a business owner and council member, he’s working hard to improve life in Scottville for everyone. Nobody is more surprised than Alan when Tyler returns, but he’s glad. For him, it’s a chance to set things right. Little does he guess he and Tyler will find the missing pieces of themselves in each other. Old rivalries are left in the ashes, passion burns bright, and the possibility for a future together stretches in front of them….

  But not everyone in town is glad to see Tyler return….

  To Dominic, who puts up with all my moods, especially when I’m writing the hard parts.

  Chapter 1

  TYLER BANIK sighed as he drove the rental car down the freeway. He probably should have just gotten a hotel, but he was tired of traveling, and after being delayed and diverted, he had figured it was better to drive than to try to fly. His parents were expecting them, and all Tyler wanted was to get where he was supposed to be.

  Abey, short for Abraham, stretched in his car seat, and Tyler was afraid he was going to wake up, but he settled once again. Tyler pulled his attention out of the rearview mirror and back to the road ahead. At least he was settled and not fussing the way he had for much of the journey across the Atlantic. Not that Tyler could blame him. The flight wasn’t the most comfortable, and Tyler could understand why Abey hadn’t been at all interested in the food.

  “Papa,” Abey said groggily, and Tyler slowed and pulled off to the side of the road. This had been one hell of a long trip.

  “Are you thirsty?” Tyler asked, already fishing through the bag on the passenger seat for the cooler with the sippy cup.

  “Potty,” Abey said, and Tyler pulled back into traffic, never so grateful to see one of those supertall McDonald’s signs shining over the trees ahead.

  “Okay. There’s one just ahead. We’ll be there in a minute.” Tyler wasn’t sure how much of what he had just said Abey comprehended with his language barrier and age, but he got off the freeway, parked, and helped Abey out of the seat before taking him inside and rushing to the bathroom. Abey hurried into the stall and used the toilet like the big boy he was, or at least wanted to be. When he was done, Tyler helped him get his pants pulled up and flushed. “Are you hungry?”

  Abey thought a second and nodded, so Tyler took him to the sink, held him while he washed his hands, and then put him down. He took his hand as they stepped out and up to the counter. Tyler ordered some chicken nuggets, fries, and some apple slices for Abey, along with some milk, and then took the dinner to the table. Abey climbed right up and tucked into the food as though he hadn’t seen any in days. Whatever Tyler put in front of him, Abey shoveled into his mouth as fast as he could chew and swallow. It broke his heart to see it, even after six months, but he let Abey eat and didn’t try to sneak one of his french fries. Tyler had come to realize that Abey wouldn’t understand and would become very upset.

  Once he was done, Tyler lifted Abey into his arms, his son curling in for warmth and almost immediately falling to sleep. Tyler took care of the trash and went to the counter, quietly placed a to-go order for himself, and once it was ready, left the restaurant. He got Abey buckled in, slid in the driver’s seat, and returned to the highway before eating his own food one-handed.

  His phone rang as he finished the last of his fries. “Hey, Mom,” Tyler said, answering the phone and putting it on speaker. “We’re just getting past Grand Rapids, so we’re a couple of hours out yet.”

  “Okay.” She sounded tired. “The man with the house called and asked when you wanted the keys. You know the two of you could just stay here.”

  “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll call and leave him a message.” Not that they had a great deal of things to worry about. After three years of travel from one relief location to another, and living out of suitcases and what he could carry, Tyler was looking forward to having a place of his own. Besides, he and his dad didn’t exactly see eye to eye on things, and his mom…. Tyler loved her, but after too much time under the same roof, they would stomp each other’s last nerves. “You go on to bed. I have Abey’s things in the car, and I can set them up in my old room with me.”

  “Don’t be silly,” his mother said. “I’ll see you when you get here.” She hung up, and Tyler continued driving.

  Abey slept the rest of the trip, and Tyler was never so grateful to see the freeway exit to Scottville in his life. He took it and navigated to his parents’ home on the edge of town. He pulled into the drive and turned off the engine, staring at the ranch house he’d grown up in and suppressing a sigh. He had made it. Six hours from Cleveland, after God knows how many hours from Venice. At least Abey was still asleep, and Tyler didn’t want to wake him.

  He got out of the car, and his mom came out, pulling her robe tighter around her against the spring chill in the air. Tyler hugged her. “Where’s my grandson?”

  That single question nearly brought tears to his eyes. “Abey is asleep, Mom. We’ve been traveling for so long that he’s just worn out.” Tyler popped open the trunk and pulled out their suitcases. His mom took the small one as his dad came out.

  The greeting was tense. His father hugged him, but there was no warmth in it, like his dad thought it’s what he should do, so he did it. He took the bags and went right back inside. Tyler opened the car door, unbuckled Abey, and lifted him out of the seat. Abey barely stirred, and closing the car door and leaving everything else until morning, Tyler followed his mother inside.

  He carried his son through the familiar house, which hadn’t really changed in twenty years, and down the hall to his old room. It hadn’t changed much either. Well, it was clean and neat, and his mother had cleared out a lot of his things, but the pictures of exotic cars and the bedspread were the same. Tyler got Abey’s jacket and clothes off and pulled a pair of pajamas on him. Then he turned down the bed and put Abey in it. Thankfully, he settled right back down and was slumbering within seconds.

  Tyler sat on the side of the bed, watching Abey, his heart sighing with relief. They had gotten home, overcoming all the months of challenges and roadblocks.

  “Tyler,” his mother whispered when she cracked the door open.

  “I’ll be right there.” He adjusted Abey’s covers and then slowly stood and left the room, cracking the door in case Abey woke. Tyler found his mother in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cup of tea. “Is Dad in bed?”

  “He has to work in the morning.” There was little else she needed to say.

  Tyler pulled out a chair and sat down, his head drooping forward.

  “Are you all done with disaster relief now?”

  “Yes. Abey pretty much saw to that.” He was a fireman and EMT by trade, and after finishing school, went to work for
the St. Louis Fire Department. When his life completely fell off the rails, he needed a change and took a job with Red Cross Disaster Relief because he thought it would be a great way to help people and see the world.

  “Why didn’t you go back to St. Louis?” she asked as she slid over a mug.

  Tyler took it absently and sipped the hot brew. “There’s nothing for me there now, and it’s for the best. I left to start over and ended up taking a three-year detour. Now it’s time I built a life, and the department here offered a job.” He took another sip. “I thought that maybe it was time to come home.” Lord knows he had done a shit job with his life on his own. “And I have Abey now.”

  “I still don’t understand how that came to be.” She finished her tea, stood, and pushed in the chair. Tyler was well aware of how his mom and dad felt about the entire situation, though it was completely irrelevant as far as he was concerned.

  “I’ll tell you all about it eventually.” He drank the now-cooled tea and took both mugs to the sink. “I’m going to go to bed. I don’t have to do anything tomorrow before noon, so don’t wake either of us, please.” He left the room and went to where Abey was still asleep. Tyler changed into a T-shirt and shorts and climbed into bed with Abey. There would be time tomorrow to get all the things they needed so Abey could have his own bed. Right now, Tyler was too tired to think about it. He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.

  For good or bad, he was home, and that carried with it issues but also a sense of peace. His hope was that the little town would be slower-paced and make things easier for Abey, in contrast to the big city. Only time would tell if this was a good decision or the worst one of his life.

  A SOFT poke on the shoulder woke him, followed by another. Then a giggle and footsteps on the floor. Tyler kept his eyes closed, listening for another giggle and waiting for a pounce. When it came, Tyler held Abey as he tugged him up onto the bed, to much laughter. It had taken months to hear that expression of joy, and it rang in Tyler’s ears as the most wonderful sound on earth.

  “I heard you,” his mother said as she cracked the door open.

  Abey immediately stilled, grew silent, and then buried his face in the covers.

  “That’s your grandma. She’s really nice. I promise.” Tyler held Abey closer and waited for him to lift his face out of the blankets. “It’s okay.” He sat up and lifted Abey along with him. He went right to him, burying his face in Tyler’s neck.

  “I’m making you something to eat,” his mom said quietly.

  “Thanks. I’m going to get him cleaned up, and then we’ll be out.” He held Abey tightly and grabbed some of their stuff. He had gotten used to doing a lot of tasks one-handed, and once his mom had gone and closed the door, Abey let Tyler put him down. Tyler grabbed some fresh clothes and things, then headed to the bathroom with Abey.

  Tyler got Abey washed up and helped him dress. Abey wanted to do it himself, which took three times as long, but Tyler could be patient and was relieved that Abey was acting a little more like a normal three-year-old. “Are you hungry?”

  Abey nodded.

  “Grandma is making us something to eat.” Tyler knelt down right in front of him. “Your grandma is very nice, and she is going to love you a lot. I promise.” God, he wished he knew if Abey understood him at all. Most of the time, he talked but thought all of it went right over Abey’s head. Not that he could blame him. This entire situation was difficult for both of them, but all the change for Abey had to be overwhelming his young mind.

  Abey hugged him around the neck, and Tyler lifted him up. Few things in the world were as rewarding as those hugs. He carried Abey out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, where Tyler changed quickly and took Abey into the kitchen.

  It was nearly eleven and his mom had made pancakes. Tyler got Abey in a chair and placed a plate of cut-up pancake and a few pieces of bacon in front of him. Abey tasted the pancake and must have liked it, because he started shoveling in the food like crazy.

  “Slow down, honey. No one is going to take your food away,” Tyler’s mother scolded, and Tyler shook his head.

  “That’s exactly what he thinks, Mom. Abey has been without food before. He was undernourished and probably starving when I found him, so he eats every meal as though it’s his last.”

  The pieces of pancake disappeared into his little mouth, and he only slowed down when the first pancake was gone and Tyler added some more to his plate. Then he settled in to eat more slowly.

  “Here,” his mom said, flipping three pancakes off the griddle and onto a plate for him.

  Tyler sat down, and Abey watched him until Tyler began to eat. She brought over a plate of bacon, and Tyler took a few pieces and added one more to Abey’s plate. He fisted it in his left hand, eating pancakes with his right.

  “My God.”

  “It will be okay, Mom. Things are getting better, but it will take some time for the memories to fade.” At least he hoped to God they would.

  “Does he talk?”

  “Some. But he was learning another language up until six months ago, so he says things I don’t understand. I am teaching him English, and he’s picking it up pretty well. He’s like a sponge, Mom, but there’s a lot going on with him right now.”

  Abey finished the last of his food, and Tyler got up for some paper towels, washed him up, and followed Abey out of the room. In the bedroom, Tyler fished in the bags until he found Abey’s toys, then handed him the worn stuffed monkey. Abey cradled it to him, and Tyler grabbed the rest of the toys and carried Abey to the living room. He set Abey down with the toys, intending to let him play, when his mom came in. She sat down and leaned forward, trying to get Abey’s attention.

  “Let him come to you. He will eventually, just out of curiosity.” He settled to watch, and Abey played with the cars.

  “You didn’t tell me what happened,” his mom said, and Tyler sat back. She seemed… not older than the last time he’d seen her so much as more tired.

  “It’s a long story.” And one he really didn’t have the energy to talk about right now. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Abey stood and hurried over to him, holding out his monkey. Tyler took it and placed the floppy stuffy on the sofa next to him. Abey went back to playing, and then after a few minutes, took the monkey back and ran it around in the back of the truck.

  “I got him some toys when you called to say you were coming. I wasn’t sure what he needed, so….”

  “Mom, Abey’s things fit in the little blue suitcase that you carried in last night. That’s all there is, and everything I have is in the ones I brought. There’s nothing else. I’ve gone from the site of one humanitarian disaster to another over the last three years, and Abey—” Tyler’s throat clenched and he shook his head. “I’m sure what you got is perfect. I want to go to the store, and once we get into the house, I’ll need to get furniture and things. I also need to return the car to the rental place.” There was one in Ludington, so he had made sure to use the rental place that he could return there. “And I need to buy one.”

  “Where did you get the car seat?” his mother asked.

  “The Red Cross provided it for Abey, and I brought it with us on the plane.” They had been so supportive for months.

  Abey got up off the floor with his monkey and carried it to Tyler’s mom. He held it, watching his mom, and then set it on the arm of her chair. Abey turned around and went back to playing. His mom reached for the toy, and Tyler shook his head.

  “Leave it right there, Mom. He knows where it is and he trusted you with it.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “It’s just a stuffy, and a beaten-up one at that. I should take him to the store so he can pick out a new one.”

  “No.”

  “Where did it come from?” she asked, lifting it off the arm.

  Abey hurried over and practically jumped up on her lap, snatched back the monkey, tucking it under his arm, and went back to his trucks.

  “I told you
. It’s his favorite toy, and he trusted you with it. Next time, just leave it. The doctors I talked with said that they think he uses the toy as a surrogate, putting it out there first to see if it’s okay. If the toy is good, then he might follow. But if something happens to Simeon, then Abey stays away. I’ve seen it time and time again.”

  His mom smiled when Abey looked at her again, and he came over to her. This time he held Simeon, but let her ruffle his hair. “Do you want some juice?” she asked, and Abey turned to him. Tyler nodded, and his mom slowly got up and left the room.

  “I have sippy cups for him.”

  “I washed the one from last night.” She returned with his cup, and Abey took it, then hurried over to stand by Tyler, Simeon tucked under his arm, his free hand clutching his pant leg as he drank.

  “Can you say thank you?” Tyler prompted.

  Abey pulled the cup out of his mouth, looking at his mom, but didn’t say anything.

  “You need to be nice and say thank you.” Tyler was trying to teach him to be polite.

  “Fank you,” Abey said, and put the cup back in his mouth.

  Tyler leaned down, praising him softly and ruffling his hair. He loved it when Abey looked at him, smiling from behind the cup.

  “When do you start your new job?”

  “Monday, though I want to stop in to the station so I can meet some of the other guys before I start. There’s also some paperwork and background information that they asked for, and I wanted to get that to them.” He was looking forward to starting something new.

  “All right. Do you want me to follow you to drop off the car, and then I can take you where you need to go?” She checked her watch. “I’m supposed to work at four.”

  “It’s all right. I don’t want to put you out. The agency will give me a ride after I drop off the rental, and I thought I’d buy a car.” Lord knew he had the money. For years his salary had been deposited in the bank each month, and since most of the time he’d ended up living in camps alongside the people he was trying to help, his expenses had been limited.