Page 28 of Loving You

“Still here?”

Bronx looked up at his son. “Haven’t moved.”

Lucas touched the edge of the table, then walked back to the sofa and sat. “She still asleep?”

“Yeah. She’s definitely a better baby than you ever were,” Bronx murmured.

“Cool. So, I found this retirement home in this creepy, abandoned building with a nurse that I’m pretty sure has iron spikes for teeth. I thought I’d get you signed up now and save me the trouble when you’re old.”

Bronx chuckled and leaned in to his son, resting his temple against Lucas’s shoulder. “It’s not my fault you had so much shit to say before you acquired language.”

That was true. Lucas had also been a late talker, but his doctors had warned him that blind babies tended to do things late since they were missing visual cues. Bronx used to hold him close and press his tiny fingers against his lips so he could feel them moving whenever he talked to him. But he was still nearly two before he was forming three-word sentences. Once he got started though, he hadn’t stopped.

“Does she look like Dallas?”

Bronx studied her a bit more. “Yeah, but I can see her mom in her too.”

“Do you think he hates that?”

“Nope.” Bronx knew what Lucas was getting at. “And yes, bud, you look like your dad too. And no, I don’t hate it.”

Lucas stiffened and turned his face away. “He’snotmy dad.”

Bronx sighed, then used his foot to hook the travel cot closer and set Audra down on her back. She stretched again but stayed out, and when he was satisfied, he turnedback to his son. Reaching out carefully, he brushed the backs of his knuckles against Lucas’s elbow, then took his hand in his and squeezed.

“He’s a dipshit, but he’s still your dad.”

“He’s not even a sperm donor,” Lucas said tightly. “Technically, he’s my shitty-ass, never-there uncle.”

Bronx bowed his head. He’d known this was coming. He’d known that Lucas’s anger was simmering under the surface of his attempt to pretend like everything was okay. Like it didn’t hurt. Like years of resentment hadn’t been building up because Jules had never been present.

“Did you know that Frey’s ex left him because Rex was Deaf?” Lucas said before Bronx could say anything.

Bronx did know. He and Frey had lamented over how fucking shallow and shitty their exes were. “He told me.”

“Is that, like, athing? I mean, why even have kids if you’re not going to love them no matter how they come out. I mean, what if everything was fine, thenyougot into an accident and went blind. Would he have left you?”

“Statistics say most likely,” Bronx told him honestly. “And my experience with him says definitely. He probably wouldn’t have waited more than a few weeks to escape the marriage.”

Lucas looked pissed. “So you knew all this, but you still chose to marry this guy?”

“I didn’t know until after you were born. And I was…I don’t know, I was a jackass who thought maybe he’d get over himself once he realized you were an amazing kid.”

“So you made me live with some guy who hated me for something I couldn’t help just in case he decided to pull his head out of his ass?” Lucas stood up. “I need a fucking walk.”

“Don’t—” Before Bronx could finish, Audra wasup and screaming. Lucas deflated, but Bronx knew he needed to let his kid get out. “Just go. Give Gage a call, yeah? See if he’s around. I’m sorry I fucked up.”

“Whatever.” Lucas marched toward the front door, grabbed his cane from the hook, and slammed it on his way out.

Audra screamed harder, so Bronx grabbed her close and began to pace the floor. “I’m sorry. Your uncle really sucks right now, and he hurt your cousin’s feelings. I totally deserve the screaming.”

She looked at him with her big eyes—eyes that looked like Dallas’s. “Dada…dadadada.”

“Hopefully soon,” Bronx said. And he meant it. He’d already fucked up with one kid. He didn’t want to screw up with another.

Chapter Eight

BRONX

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