Page 82 of Forever Mine

I led him over to a large garage at the back of the property. His interest piqued. I knew he had never been inside and the windows were all tinted so you couldn't even see in.

“Pick one,” I said as I opened the door and escorted him inside.

His mouth dropped open and his eyes were wide in shock as he looked at my collection of vehicles. A large, black, dually diesel truck; a brand new Jeep I hadn't even really broken in yet; a silver BMW convertible; a sleek green Jag that I rarely took out; and a classic 1965 Stingray in Vette yellow. I had a thing for cars.

“That one,” he said, pointing to the Corvette.

“Good choice.” I grinned down at him, grabbing the keys off the hook on the wall.

“Are all these yours?” he asked.

“Yup.”

“Cool! So, why do you share the SUV with Mommy then? She's always having to take you to work so she can use it and all, but you don't really need her to do that with all these.”

I laughed. “I know.” I shrugged. “Guess I just like the extra time with her.”

He grinned. I knew it made him happy that I loved his mother so much, even when she was breaking my heart and stirring up my wolf with that mission nonsense. He would never know about that, though.

I kept things upbeat. The Vette only had two seats, so he had to sit in the front. I knew Maddie was going to freak out, and he did, too.

“Mommy's not going to be happy about this. Are you sure it's okay?”

“Of course I'm sure,” I said. “Here.” I grabbed one of my motorcycle helmets off the shelf and shoved it down on his head. “Now, buckle up, and you'll be good to go.”

“I'm still supposed to be in a booster till I turn eight,” he warned.

“I know, I know. Remind me to check while we're in town and see if anyone has one. In the meantime, this works, right?”

He giggled, and I liked that he was happy. His laughter made me crave more of it, so I went to the cabinet and grabbed my old football shoulder pads. I took off the helmet and shoved the pads on him, then replaced the helmet.

“There,” I said, checking him over thoroughly. “No way she can say you're not safe now.”

Oscar laughed harder. “You really want me to wear all of this?”

“Riding in the front seat is very serious. Just making sure you're absolutely safe.” I opened the door as he climbed in, still laughing. I strapped him down, satisfied of his safety, even if he did look ridiculous. I needed a little ridiculous just then.

I opened the bay with the remote in the car and we drove off, closing it behind us. I knew I was speeding as we flew around curves and over hills. Oscar cheered me on the whole time. Sometimes boys just needed a little danger in their lives.

We arrived safely at the Cold Shack. I unbuckled him and removed the gear before we got out. He was in second grade now, I didn't want the others to pick on him because I was over-exaggerating things.

We headed inside hand in hand. He ordered a cup of mint chocolate chip and I got a banana split. We sat in the booth and chatted about everything. He told me school was going great. He was making lots of friends. We talked about the new house. He hadn't seen it in a while, so I promised to stop by on the way home.

Jessica came in with Bobby and two other boys. I recognized one of them as the one that was giving Oscar shit the night of his first pack run, but by the way they greeted each other and Oscar begged for them to join us, I knew they had already become fast friends.

We pulled over some extra chairs and Jessica and the boys sat down. I was suddenly out of the picture and forced to talk to her. I really wasn't in a social mood, though, so I first checked my phone. Several missed texts from Christine popped up.

There was some paperwork she needed my signature on before end of day. I checked the time. I could give him a few more minutes.

“So, Liam, how is fatherhood going? Oscar seems to be settling in nicely and I hear the new house is almost complete,” Jessica started, obviously just making casual conversation.

We chatted for a few minutes. I was surprised at how much information I glimpsed on Oscar and how he was settling in from her. Jessica Moore was obviously in the know with the second graders of San Marco. It was reassuring to hear how well he was doing, not that I expected anything less.

As we stood to leave, Jessica did too, and I noticed for the first time just how very pregnant she was. A longing to see Maddie's stomach swollen with my child washed over me. I grinned despite the trials of the day. I couldn't wait to see it and know that was my child she was carrying.

We said a quick goodbye and headed back to the car. Oscar got in and buckled, but didn't move to put the safety equipment on. I looked past him to the Cold Shack and saw the other boys watching. I didn't say a word as we drove off.

We headed for my office and as we walked in, Chris immediately began doting on Oscar. The kid was a bit of a charmer, I had to hand it to him. By the time I had gone in and signed the stack of papers she'd left on my desk and returned, that boy had Christine Canine wrapped around his little finger. Promising her he'd visit again soon, we left.

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