Page 82 of Second Chance Wedding
The woman passed the baby off to a friend in the crowd and approached the tiny stage to snag the boy. The toddler screamed louder, wanting “Daddy hold him.”
Instead of snuggling his son, the guy chose to sing another song while his wife carried the now-screaming boy to the lady’s room.
The crowd would applaud each time the man finished a song. Then he’d wave a hand at the dude at the controls, and another song would start, like he had a whole set list and performed a concert and reveled in the attention.
Cole’s anger rose. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact Ana had been with someone like that. Then again, she’d been drinking that night, drowning the pain of their breakup with alcohol. Ana wasn’t thinking clearly when she’d chosen her hookup because Cole instinctively knew the guy on stage wasn’t someone who would’ve normally appealed to her.
But none of that mattered now. Not when Ben teemed with upset and hurt and a million other emotions he visibly struggled to process as he watched the scene play out.
Cole searched his brain and tried to come up with something that might make Ben feel better about his conception.
He came up empty.
Sometimes a beautiful lie hurt worse than the truth, and right now, the truth stared them in the face with brutally painful detail.
Cole wiped his hand over his mouth and rubbed hard as he put himself in Ben’s shoes. To need something—to needthis—knowing how much it would hurt. Ben had guts. Courage he undoubtedly got from his mother.
Ana would be devastated when she heard because she’d look at it as another failure on her part. She’d take it to mean that she wasn’t enough to satisfy Ben’s needs as a parent, and that’s why he’d sought out the man that made his existence possible. “Have you seen what you needed to see?”
Ben nodded, the movement jerky. “Yeah. Can we leave now?”
“You bet. Let’s go.” Cole took out some bills and caught the waitress’s eye before tossing them to the table to cover the food and tip.
Cole didn’t wait for her to arrive. Ben was already out of his chair and heading toward the exit, and Cole hurried to follow, grimacing when the man’s wife and baby boy appeared ahead of Ben in his path. The toddler had gotten lose from his mother once again and ran into Ben’s legs before holding onto them for balance.
“Sorry,” the woman said, bending to pull the little boy away. “He’s tired and just wants his daddy.”
Cole stepped close just as the woman stood and hauled the toddler up with her only to freeze when she caught sight of Ben’s emotion-ravaged face.
“Oh, honey. Are you all right?”
Ben sidestepped her and bolted for the door, and Cole followed, avoiding the woman’s gaze.
Outside, the temp had dropped and left the parked vehicles with fogged glass. Ben walk-jogged a few steps before stopping and bending at his waist, hands on his knees as he gasped out a few choked curses and sobs.
Cole walked slower, giving Ben a few minutes to come to terms with the night. When Ben straightened, Cole wrapped an arm around Ben’s shoulders and steered him toward the Jeep.
Another raw sob tore out of Ben’s chest, the sheer brokenness of the sound ripping Cole in two.
“Ihatehim,” Ben said, his voice thick with tears and emotion. “He’s aloser. He told my mom to kill me because he didn’t want a wife or kids. He’s a liar. He just didn’t wantus. He didn’t wantme.”
Cole had never doubted that Ben’s father was less than. He’d proven that when he’d left Ana and his son to fend for themselves. At any point, Ben’s dad could’ve contacted Ana and inquired about their child, taken on some of the responsibilities, but he hadn’t.
In his opinion, there was a special place in hell for men who abandoned their wives and families and left them struggling. And Anahadstruggled. On every front, she’d struggled to cope and survive, losing her parents in the process as well.
He’d never understand how people—the very ones who were supposed to love you and support you—were the first ones to burn the bridges meant to lead the way home.
All Cole could do was grip Ben’s shoulder and neck, letting the teenager cry it out. God knew he deserved to shed the tears.
After a few long minutes when Ben’s tears had lessened to sniffles and shuddering breaths, Cole spoke from the heart. “Ben, it sucks that he’s the short straw you pulled when it comes to a father, but I’m going to tell you something and I mean it. Look at me and listen up.”
Ben blinked a few times and wiped a hand under his runny nose before sliding a glance at Cole that ripped his heart to shreds.
“You do not need that poor excuse for a man in your life. He might be your biological dad, but that doesn’t make him a father. He’s not. And no matter what happens between me and your mom, you need to know you’re mine now. You hear me?Iam your family now, which means you’re a Blackwell. That also means you’ve got me and Brooks and Alec and Gage—all of us—to help you through whatever you need.Weare your family, Ben. You understand? You do not need that guy in there.”
Ben blinked at him, a fresh bout of tears appearing on his cheeks, so choked up he just nodded.
“Good,” Cole said. “But I gotta warn you, this also means you’ve got a lot more people who are going to expect the best of you. No more excuses for bad behavior, no more acting out. If you have a problem, youtalkto one of us. No more stunts. You got it? You don’t sneak out and— take on something like this alone. When I think of what could’ve happened to you tonight…”
