Page 202 of Toxic Temptation
No response. I can see Luka from here—shoulders hunched, hands clenched in his lap, that spaced-out face he wears when he’s trying not to cry.
Kovan looks back over his shoulder at me for a long moment, then jerks his head to summon me. “You try.”
He retreats to give me room. I approach the car slowly, like Luka is a wounded animal that might bolt if I spook him. When I reach the window, I don’t immediately speak. Just settle against the cracked-open car door and wait.
After a few minutes, he glances at me sideways. “Are you gonna make me come inside?”
“Nope. I’m perfectly happy staying right here until you’re ready.”
“What if I’m never ready?”
“Then I guess we’ll both be out here for a really long time. Hope you don’t mind my company.”
For the first time all day, the corner of his mouth twitches upward. Not quite a smile, but close.
“Can I ask what happened, or do you want to keep it private?”
He considers this seriously before answering. “She had presents.”
“That’s nice.”
“They were wrong.” His voice is small. “Like, toys for little kids. And she got me a baseball glove, but I don’t even like baseball. She didn’t know that.”
My heart breaks a little more with every word. “Did you tell her?”
“No. I pretended to like everything because she got mad when I didn’t smile for pictures.” He finally looks at me directly. “There were a lot of pictures.”
Of course there were. Documentation for the court case.
“She made me eat cake even though I didn’t want any. And she said we had to get a picture of me blowing out the candles.” His hands twist in his lap. “It tasted weird.”
“What kind was it?”
“I don’t know. It had cherries. I hate cherries.”
Another thing his own mother doesn’t know about him.
“Sounds like a pretty rough birthday,” I say carefully.
He nods. “The worst part was when she kept asking me questions about you and Uncle Kovan. Like, if you fight or if he’s mean to me or if you guys are happy together.” He looks out the opposite window. “I didn’t know what to say.”
“You could have told her the truth.”
“What’s the truth?”
I’m quiet for a long moment, thinking. Whatisthe truth? That Kovan and I started as strangers united in a stupid, crazy scheme? That somewhere along the way, it became real, atleast for me? That I love this kid and his uncle more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life, but I’m terrified it’s all going to disappear?
“The truth is that we care about you,” I say finally. “Both of us. More than anything.”
“Even though I’m not really your kid?”
That makes me want to tear up. “Luka, look at me.”
He turns reluctantly.
“Biology doesn’t make a family. Love does. And I love you more than I could ever love any kid who happened to share my DNA.”
His eyes fill with tears he’s been holding back all day. “Really?”
