Page 104 of Hot Stuff
Like Micky, all I can do is nod.
And listen.
“Hey, Amos. Sorry about that. We’ve got some unexpected company.”
I don’t hear what the man says but I do see the crease in her brow as she listens to him, her eyes on me.
“Are you sure?”
She’s nodding now, her gaze darting between me and Micky.
“Okay. He’s here. I’m not sure if we should call the…” her words trail off when her eyes land on Micky as he climbs out of his chair and hides under the table. “Ah, Amos? Can you get those documents to me? Anything else you can dig up too?”
I can only imagine the man has found the boy’s birth certificate. I hope so. We need to know who his parents are so we can work out whether to take him to them or keep him hidden under my dining table.
“Thanks. Bye.” Coming back to me, she keeps an eye on the other end of the table as she bends down to whisper in my ear. “Do you have a cousin? Michael?”
“Yeah, but we haven’t seen him since my dad’s brother took off with him back when we were…shit, I think I was ten. Why? Is Micky his?”
“The paperwork says so.”
“So how’d he get here?”
“Michael was killed in a car accident a couple of months ago.”
“Oh.” I should be saddened but I don’t feel anything but confused. I have my cousin’s little boy and no idea how.
“Amos is going to keep digging but it appears as though your cousin left you his son.”
“What?” I can’t stop myself from jackknifing out of my seat. A small whimper from under the table has me immediately cursing myself. “Oak.”
I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I have nothing in my head but the fear I see in Micky’s eyes every time he looks at me. Was my cousin a child abuser?
I shove my fingers through my hair and grip the back of my head. “What do we do?”
“We find out how to keep him.”
The fierceness in her voice has my gaze locking with hers. “Keep him?”
“Yes. I don’t care how he came to be here, he’s not leaving. I want to remove that fear I see in his eyes. I want to make him smile. What three-year-old doesn’t smile at a bowl of ice cream?” she whispers urgently.
“I don’t know. I haven’t had much to do with kids.”
“Well, Amos found a will leaving you guardianship of Michael junior so we shouldn’t have any issues keeping him with us. I need to call my lawyer and we need to get married as soon as we can, or get me made co-guardian or something.”
She’s thinking. I can see her brain working all the angles, considering all the possibilities. “God. I didn’t think I could love you any more.”
“Let’s see if we can coax him out from under there with a movie or cartoon or whatever it is kids watch on TV.”
“I’ll message Shelby, ask her to get some toys…maybe some cars or LEGOs?”
“Good idea. Why don’t you go see what you can find for him to watch and I’ll get him out from under there.”
“I’m worried about his reaction to me.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he’s not as scared of you as he is of me.”
