Time, I figured, would tell.
****
“Pancakes?” Riley murmured hopefully the next morning as she lay in between Layla and me after having climbed into bed with us in the night as she often did. Oscar lay at the foot of the bed; at some point he’d decided he’d put up with me. I still wasn’t sure the feeling was mutual.
Layla raised a brow at me, and despite the bruise at her temple, looked as gorgeous as ever. I preferred her this way—free of makeup, with her gorgeous mane of hair in disarray and sleep marks still imprinted on her smooth skin. I relished the fact that I was one of the few who got to see her this way.
“Sure, baby.” I smiled at Riley, my voice hoarse with sleep. “And some coffee for your mama.” I winked at Layla before hoisting myself out of bed.
I looked down at my girls, Riley now snuggling into her mama’s arms where she’d remain until I called them down for breakfast.
It had become a weekend routine, so different from the chaotic weekdays trying to get Riley off to school. I loved these lazy mornings making breakfast for my girls. I’d never thought of myself as much of a cook, but then again, I’d never had anyone to cook for.
I’d just finished plating the pancakes, Riley already digging in and Layla on her second cup of coffee, when the doorbell chimed.
Layla cocked her head to the side, looking at me questioningly. I shook my head, indicating I hadn’t expected anyone, before striding to the door.
When I found Thorn Archer standing on the other side looking like he hadn’t slept a wink, my pulse quickened. “Can we talk?” he asked gruffly.
“Yeah,” I agreed, gesturing for him to come inside. “Coffee?”
“That’d be good.” He nodded a greeting toward Layla and Riley, who were both looking at him curiously.
“We can talk out back.” I nodded toward the back patio once Layla had filled his cup. She shot me a discreet look of support before I led him out the patio doors to the outdoor table already bathed in warm sunlight.
We sat across from each other, my eyes on him, his on the yard. “You putting in a pool?” he asked, looking at the work already started in the back yard.
“Yeah,” I grunted, not interested in small talk.
He nodded as though trying to collect his thoughts. I sat back and let him have that.
“Took me longer than I’d care to admit to piece it together,” he began. “You asking if I knew Kelly was so out of left field. Haven’t thought about her in years. Hell, didn’t know her long to begin with. But then I sat with it. And I thought about how old you are. What you look like—who you look like,” he amended quietly, his eyes swinging to me. “Were you about to tell me what I think you were?”
The momentary silence that followed was so thick I could practically taste it. “Yeah,” I responded before forcing myself to press on. To give him more. “IfI told you. Wasn’t sure I was going to,” I admitted.
His blue eyes narrowed. “How in the hell could you not tell me something like that? I have a son I never fucking knew about,” he barked in agitation.
“Because for all I know, you didn’t want a kid to begin with. She certainly didn’t,” I muttered.
“I didn’t know about you,” he replied vehemently. “She and I, what we had was volatile. Only way with a woman like that. We were young, but eventually, I got tired of her shit. She left town. I never saw her again. I had no idea she was pregnant. Fuck,” he murmured in clear agitation. “I knew she was fucked-up, but I never imagined she’d do something so twisted as to have my kid and keep that from me. Where is she now?” he demanded.
“Dead,” I muttered. “Long time ago.”
He put his elbows to his knees, his hands steepled. “Did she do right by you?”
I snorted. “If putting me in the system for most of my life is doing right by me, then yeah. She did just fine.”
He sat back in his chair, seeming unable to keep still. “She gave you up?”
“Yep,” I replied.
“And she still didn’t fucking tell me?” His demand was tortured as he looked at me as though I’d have some sort of answer.
There were so many emotions swirling in my gut, some expected, some still maturing into something I could label. But what I hadn’t expected to feel was sympathy. And in that moment, this was no longer just about me, what I’d lost. It was what he’d lost too. It was exactly as Layla had first pointed out, the possibility I hadn’t given much credence to. That maybe he would have wanted me. That maybe that opportunity had been robbed from him.
“Were you… okay?” It was as though he could barely get the question past his lips.
“I did all right,” I assured him. “Learned how to handle myself. When I aged out, I went into the military for a couple of terms. Then I found the Knights. I found my family. Just not in the traditional sense.”