LITMIR.BIZ

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At the first sign that he was comparing Andy to the child he’d envisioned having with Claudette, she’d boot Slade out of their lives. Giving in to exhaustion, she closed her eyes and slept.

      Between delayed flights and scheduled layovers, dawn was nearly breaking when they finally landed in Seattle. Driving to the house she and Andy shared with her mother and aunt, Lisa grew more and more tense. Slade had never been one to make small talk and the silence in the car felt deafening.

      “What have you told Andy about me?” He asked, abruptly breaking the stillness.

      “Nothing. He’s barely two years old and, so far, he hasn’t asked about his father so I’ve never said anything.”

      Slade studied her narrowly. “What were you going to tell him when he did finally ask?”

      “To be honest, I wasn’t really sure.” Her shoulders stiffened defensively. “But I wouldn’t have told him anything that would have turned him against you.”

      “Just the fact that I wasn’t contributing to his upbringing in any way would have done that.”

      “I did what I thought was the right thing to do at the time.”

      Slade held back an angry retort. In all fairness, he knew he couldn’t entirely fault her. He’d so much as told her that he didn’t want a relationship that went beyond the surface.

      No further conversation passed between them until they were pulling into the driveway of the huge old two-story home in one of the older districts of Seattle. Again, it was Slade who broke the silence. “I like to know what I’m walking into. Just how opposed are your aunt and mother to my being here.”

      “They’re uneasy, but not really opposed. They’re afraid you don’t honestly want Andy and that he’ll sense it and feel rejected.”

      “I would never do that to him.”

      Lisa knew he believed what he was saying and, as a mother, she felt her son was so adorable that anyone would fall in love with him. However, having been stung by Slade’s past herself, she vowed to not allow her son to be equally harmed.

      Entering the house, they smelled coffee brewing along with the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Before they could close the door behind them, two women came out of the kitchen. The one in the lead, Slade judged to be in her fifties. With her green eyes and once black hair, now streaked with gray, she was an older version of Lisa. The woman following her, whom he guessed to be in her sixties, also bore a strong family resemblance.

      “We both woke early and couldn’t go back to sleep,” the younger of the two women said, her voice curt with anxiety as she studied Lisa, then turned her gaze to Slade.

      Lisa forced a calmness she wasn’t feeling into her manner. “Mother, this is Slade. Slade this is my mother, Helen Gray.”

      Slade extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

      Helen accepted the handshake but made no response.

      “And this is my aunt, Ester Kelso.” Lisa completed the introductions.

      “Pleased to meet you,” Slade said, extending his hand to her, as well.

      “I’m not ready to say the same about you,” Ester replied, accepting the handshake but continuing to regard him with distrust.

      “Aunt Ester,” Lisa admonished sternly.

      “Ester can be a bit too outspoken,” Helen said. “But she is merely saying out loud what I’m thinking, as well.” A fierce protectiveness glistened in her eyes as she, too, turned her full attention on Slade. “We won’t stand by and allow you to harm Andy in any way.”

      Slade glowered at the women. “I’ve come here to accept my responsibility as his father. If I had known about the pregnancy, I would have married Lisa and taken care of her and our child from the beginning.” He turned to Lisa, his jaw set in a resolute line. “It’s never too late to right a wrong. I’ve given this situation some thought and decided that we have to get married. And it should be done as quickly as possible.”

      Lisa had always known Slade was a man who lived by a strong code of duty. She also knew that it was duty and nothing more that was the reason he was willing to marry her. Her shoulders straightened with pride. “I didn’t bring you into Andy’s and my life because I wanted you for a husband.”

      “And I will not allow my son to go through life as a bastard. We will marry and I will have his name changed to Logan. I want him to know that he is as much a member of my family as he is of yours.”

      “We can have his name changed without you and me marrying.”

      “That’s not enough. I want him to be able to say his parents were married. I know that sounds old-fashioned, but that’s the way I am.”

      Helen stepped between her daughter and Slade. “I realize that life might be a lot easier for Andy if he has a father who wants to claim him, but I will not allow you to bully Lisa into doing something she thinks is wrong.”

      Ester placed herself beside her sister, forming a human wall between Lisa and Slade. “And neither will I.”

      They reminded Slade of the women in his own family…strong-willed, determined, self-reliant and stubborn. “I’m just trying to do right by my child.”

      Even though Lisa was still not certain Slade would be able to find a real place in his heart for her son, she found herself coming to his defense. He was, she knew for certain, a man of honor. “I know Slade means well,” she said, stepping out from behind the protective barrier.

      Aware of her doubts about him as a father, Slade was surprised by the conviction in her voice.

      “I suppose we really didn’t have any other option but to bring him in on this,” Helen said with a heavy sigh, still not looking convinced that this had been the best course of action.

      Ester continued to stare sternly at Slade. “Our Lisa is a wonderful woman. No man in his right mind would ever consider her second best. She’s strictly first-rate.”

      So, Lisa had been honest with them about why she’d kept their child a secret. “I’ve always respected Lisa. I know she’s a first-rate person.”

      Both Helen and Ester tossed him disgruntled glances, letting him know they found his response less than satisfactory.

      “She’s a woman any man should be proud to love,” Helen snapped, and Ester nodded curtly.

      “It’s been a long trip,” Lisa interrupted. She’d confessed to her aunt and mother that she’d been in love with Slade and hoped that he’d fall in love with her. Even if Slade had guessed that was the case, she didn’t want them confirming it by blurting it out. “I’ll show Slade to his room.”

      “There’s coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls in the kitchen,” Ester said.

      “As soon as we’ve freshened up, we’ll be down,” Lisa returned, motioning Slade toward the stairs.

      Picking up both his and her satchel, Slade nodded his goodbye to her mother and aunt, then waited for Lisa to precede him up the stairs. When they reached the second-floor landing, he stepped in front of her, stopping her. “I want to see my son.”

      Lisa, too, was anxious to see her child. The mere sight of him gave her strength. “He’s asleep and I don’t want to wake him,” she cautioned as they neared a room, the entrance blocked by a child’s safety gate.

      From the doorway, Slade peered inside. The window shade was up, allowing early morning light to give dim illumination to the interior. His gaze went immediately to the twin-size bed nestled in the corner. The top and one side each against a wall, a child’s bed rail protected the side open to the room. Realizing Lisa was not about to open the gate that separated him from his son, Slade frowned. “I want a closer look.”

      “I told you, I don’t want to wake him.”

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