Page 66 of The Prodigal Prince

Thor nodded. “Most likely.”

The virtual confirmation was too much for Mac. He found a nearby trashcan and lost the little bit of food he’d eaten.

If his father was a narcissistic, homicidal, megalomaniacal, crime lord and his half-brother attempted to follow in Isaiah’s footsteps, what hope did Mac have of breaking the family cycle?

What made him think he could be a good father?

* * *

The lookon Mac’s face as he returned to the table surprised Fiona. She couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but it wasn’t what she expected.

Not that she could put her finger on what she expected.

Mac remained quiet throughout the last forty-five minutes of the meeting. He carried Gray throughout the silent walk back to the quarters next to his apartment.

“Tinsley should be here soon,” Mac told her as he set Gray on his feet. “I have some work to do, but I’ll check in with you later.”

The subdued tone of his voice tore at Fiona. If she knew what was bothering him, maybe she’d be able to help, but she had no idea.

“We’ll be here.” She sat next to Gray on the sofa.

Mac nodded but didn’t say anything else as he left.

For the rest of the day, she and Gray snuggled together and watched movies. In between, they ordered food from the kitchen, including cheese toasties and macaroni and cheese, played a game or two - though neither one of them could concentrate for long. Tinsley spent a little bit of the day with them, but the rest of the time she was in her room.

When dinner time rolled around, she still hadn’t heard from Mac. Gray asked to sleep in her room. Fiona wasn’t going to say no. He fell into a sound sleep and Fiona decided it was time for her to get ready for bed, exhaustion sending her far earlier than normal.

As she sat on the edge of the bed applying lotion to her hands when a light knock on the door leading to Mac’s quarters caught her attention.

The door wasn’t locked so she called for him to come in.

When the door swung open, she saw Mac leaning against the door frame with his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

Fiona moved to stand in front of him. “Are you all right?”

Mac gave a half-shrug with the shoulder that wasn’t pressed against the door frame. “I’m not sure.”

She rested a hand on his arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m not sure.” Mac walked into the room and headed straight for the doors on the other side then went onto the balcony.

Fiona followed and waited for him to lead the discussion. The slight chill in the air felt good after the warm interior of the palace. He leaned against the balustrade and stared out over the vista in front of them.

“I don’t know how to be a father.” Pain in his voice nearly brought tears to her eyes. “My biological father was a homicidal maniac. He tried to raise my half-brother the same way. My adoptive father - who never technically adopted me but was married to my adoptive mum - was absent at best. He’s now using his pregnant wife and my new half-sibling to try to force Esme to accept them all as part of the family. Yesterday, the press said she should give the baby a title with an estate and let her father run it until the child comes of age.”

Fiona hadn’t heard that part, but simply waited for him to go on.

“With examples like that, how can I even hope to be a mediocre father, much less a good one?”

She slipped her hand inside his elbow and leaned her head against his shoulder. “You’re nothing like either one of them.”

“I’d like to think I’ve changed in the last six years, but before that… You were part of my life. You know what I was like. How can I hope to raise my son any better than I was? Especially when he already has an amazing mum. He doesn’t need a papa who doesn’t have a clue, who could ruin him for life.”

“The fact that you’re concerned means you’re already a better father than either one of them. On top of that, you’ve put your life on hold for years to protect us, and in the last few days, you’ve put yourself in front of both of us to protect us from whatever those two men were going to do. You’ll make mistakes. You’ll get things right. You’ll say things you don’t really mean. You’ll have the best conversations and best hugs and snuggles that can’t compare to anything you’ve ever experienced.”

Mac stood and pulled her into his side as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You really think so?” He kissed the side of her head. “You really think I could be a good papa?”

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