Page 40 of Claimed By the Don

She bites her lip, and I can feel her trembling. She’s so nervous, but she’s not telling me to wait till the time is right and she’s prepared her mom and Liam or until she feels ready. She’s being so brave it breaks my heart a little.

I nod and follow her inside. The house is quiet when we go into the kitchen. I wash my hands, get out eggs and milk. Daisy moves around silently, heats a skillet, measures flour. I mix pancake batter while she washes berries at the sink. It reminds me of the night she came to make dinner with me at my house, how perfect it felt seeing her there, doing normal, everyday things together.

The tester pancake falls apart and I steal a bite of it while she tries again. We laugh softly, just happy to be together. I hear the floor creak behind us and turn.

There he is. Dark hair rumpled and sticking up on one side, his face flushed from sleep. I catch my breath. Daisy goes to him and I watch them together, my heart pounding. I’m the nervous one now.

“Morning, kiddo,” she says, “you up for pancakes?”

“Yeah. Why is he here, Mommy?”

“You remember Benny. He talked to you on the phone. He’s the one that made the bad man bring you home,” she says. He watches her with wide, serious eyes and nods in agreement.

“He was nice to me. He said he’s your friend.”

“He’s definitely my friend. In fact, you should know him. Liam, this is Benny Falconari. When I was a kid growing up here in this house, we were friends.”

“Ok. What happened to that man that took me? Did he go to jail?” Liam asks her.

“Yes. A big jail,” she says without hesitating.

“And he never gets out?”

“Never,” she says decisively. “Benny made sure he won’t ever hurt anyone again. I know it was super scary. Mommy was really scared too. That’s why Gram called Benny to help us. And he did. You’re gonna like him. He’s having breakfast with us.”

“Can I wake Gram?”

“Let’s give her a few more minutes to sleep,” she says. “Go to the bathroom and wash up. I’ll finish breakfast.”

Liam walks over to me and looks up, appraising me from head to toe.

“Hi,” he says a little shyly, then squares his shoulders. “Thank you for saving me and making the bad guy go to jail.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, not sure how to go on.

Liam turns and darts off to the bathroom, leaving me staring after him. Daisy clears her throat. When our eyes meet, her face is full of emotion. She presses a hand to her chest. I nod.

“He’s awesome,” I say.

“Thanks. I know.”

“What if we take the day off today?” I say.

“I wasn’t going to send him to school today after what happened yesterday. I want to make sure he’s okay and I’m not ready to be away from him yet. I already let my boss know last night.”

“Good. After we eat, I’ve got to make some calls. But I was thinking, Luna Park opens at eleven this time of year.”

“We take him to Coney Island?” she says, her eyes lighting up. I nod.

“I think he’ll love the Magic Bikes. Want me to bring that camera?”

“You kept it?”

“I knew you’d need it.”

“Yes, please. Bring the camera. I can’t believe this, Benny. Yesterday was the worst day of my life. Someone took my son. I didn’t know if I would ever see him again. And now, today, I have everything I ever wanted and we’re taking Liam to Coney Island.”

“Yeah, believe it or not, sometimes things turn out right, Daze. Stick with me.”

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