Page 52 of The Player

A whimper leaves her as she walks away and I follow. Lennox is going to either be ecstatic or he’s going to hate me. Hell, I hate myself for leaving them alone for so damn long.

* * *

“You’re my dad?” Lennox is standing in front of us, blinking, and his lips are moving like a fish out of water.

“Lennox, I…” Julie starts, but he interrupts.

“This is so awesome!” He runs over to me and hugs me. After the hug, I feel like my world is coming together, and Lennox goes to his mom.

“You are amazing, Lennox,” she says as she hugs him. Julie isn’t looking at me, but I see the tears falling. Her worry was for nothing.

“I’m sure you have questions, and I promise to tell you the truth.”

He turns to me, the smile dropping for a moment. “Why did you leave mom?”

Shit. No punches, just like Julie. “I was stupid, Lennox. You see, when I was younger, things that shouldn’t have mattered to me mattered and I let it get in the way of you and your mother.”

As he sits down next to me, he puts his hand on mine and links our fingers. “You promise not to leave again?”

Julie gasps and I look at her. This has to be so hard for her. Hell, it’s gut-wrenching for me. “I promise, Len.”

“You gave me a nickname.” His grin is so damn blinding and reminds me of Julie, I almost start bawling.

“Yeah, kid. You’re mine and now you get a nickname just like your mom is Ju-Ju.” I don’t tell him about Sugar Plum. That’s for our private time.

“Can I call you Dad?”

Fuck.

This kid is going to be the death of me. My heart splinters, reattaches itself, and speeds up, all in a matter of seconds. “Yes.” I grit out and pull him into me. I have a kid. It settles into my brain, and the reality of it is that I’m a father.

“Sweet.” He pulls back and I’m not ready to let go. I do though. He’s bouncing on his tiptoes. “Can I invite my friends over for a sleepover this weekend?”

Julie laughs and shakes her head. “You are going to be a showoff, aren’t you?”

“Yes!” He runs out of the room when Julie says he can have his friends over. It’s cute and silly all at the same time.

“No more secrets,” Julie says and stands up. I walk over to her and she looks up at me. “Please, no more secrets.”

“Good, then you’ll need to know I used to sneak into your bedroom and sleep with you.”

“I know.”

Her words make my head pop up and I blink. “What do you mean you know?”

“I mean, I left the windows unlocked for you so that you could get in. You had a key for a reason. Because you would never use the windows.”

A blush creeps up along her cheeks, causing me to laugh. “Were you trying to tempt me to be with you?”

“I…” She licks her lips and I grin.

“Sugar Plum, I have always wanted you but knew I wasn’t good enough for you.”

Julie tsks and shakes her head. “I’ve wanted you since we were in diapers. I can’t help it.”

“That’s my good Ju-Ju.”

We can hear Lennox chatting with his friend, and we laugh. His friends are so damn excited they can’t get a word in as they all try to talk.

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