Page 44 of Due Process
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Son, I know you were just trying to protect your grandpa, but he’s old enough and ugly enough to look after himself.”
He sniffled. “But Dad—”
“Is not your responsibility, Eli. Your dad… He’s going through a lot at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you have to step in against him. He’s an adult, okay, bud? And this stuff should be left for the adults.”
Eli ruffled the blanket, the edge rising to cover the lower half of his face. I could see his bright brain working behind his eyes, soaking everything in.
He was so different from my own preteen. Where Logan was boisterous, loud and energetic, Eli was the opposite—quiet, studious and contemplative.Shit, I hope I’m not stuffing this up.
“All anyone wants,” I said. “Me, Grandpa, Mum and even your dad, is for you to be safe and happy, Eli. That’s all we want. Everything will work out, I promise.”
Silence filled the space as minutes ticked by. It wasn’t uncomfortable. Just the settling of dust that had been rudely disrupted before.
And just when I thought he had fallen asleep, Eli whispered, “Will you always be there for us, Curt?”
“How long have I known you?”
“Since I was a baby?”
“That’s right. Your whole life. I’m not going anywhere.”
Then, that insightful eleven-year-old nearly had me completely undone when he murmured, “I wish you were my dad.”
Way to break my heart, kid.Despite my revulsion for Felix, in that moment, I had no intention of stealing his kids from him. Having experienced my own ugly custody battle with my ex, I would never subject another to that. However, I also didn’t want to shut Eli down if I had become a source of safety and comfort for him. He had been through a lot and was vulnerable at that moment. He required reassurance, not semantics about who played what role.
So, I gave him the only promise I could. “I’ll be whatever you need me to be, bud. A friend, a coach,a dad.Just say the word, and I’ll be there.”
We didn’t converse after that, Eli content with my answer enough to fall back asleep. Once he was snoring, I left his room and found my phone flashing on the coffee table pushed against the living room wall. And what I found had me trembling so much that I couldn’t keep the device steady.
“I miss you when you’re not with me.”
“I dream about you.”
“These bikers might be hot. But they have nothing on you.”
A few more texts and a phone call later, and I was practically a vibrating ball of energy.
My foot pushed down harder on the accelerator.Time to get my girl.
Chapter 25
CURTIS
The return ride consisted of loud, off-pitch singing, the devouring of greasy food and now cute little snores from Stella in the passenger seat beside me.
My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, catching Daisy in the back, staring out into the void. As soon as Stella had passed out, her boisterous friend dropped the façade, a certain melancholy taking her over.
“Everything alright, Daisy? Feeling sick?”
She shuddered out of her internal thoughts and murmured, “I’ve been sober for hours. I stopped drinking earlier in the night.”
“But Stella—”
“I wanted her to let loose and have a good time.”
“What about you?”
“I wanted to forget,” she said, her eyes lapsing shut. Then, quieter, “And I couldn’t even do that.”
