Page 100 of Deserter

He thanked me again before disappearing and as his truck fired up outside, I watched my son transform in front of my eyes. He relaxed his shoulders and the smile returned.

“Mr. Grey, thank you for letting me sleep over.”

I nodded and clenched my jaw before heading toward the master bedroom. “Make yourself at home, kid.”

“Yes, sir. You hear that, Katy? We can play all weekend!”

I walked into our room to Kate shrieking something unintelligible in response.

“Hey,” Celia poked her head out of the bathroom, curling iron in her hand like a weapon. If she’d been wearing more than a bra and panties, I might’ve seen her as more of a threat. “Who was here? The party doesn’t start for another thirty minutes.”

I followed her back in and lowered the cover on the toilet before sitting. “Comedian brought Mikey. I told him to take Betsy away for the weekend—” My throat tightened, and I brought a hand up over my face.

“Jamie? Baby, what’s wrong?” She knelt in front of me, letting her arms rest on top of my thighs.

“I’m fuckin’ failing him. Kid’s ready to jump out of his skin anytime he hears Comedian’s voice.” My eyes stung and I kept my hand up. I didn’t want her to see me revert back to the scared kid who hid in closets when his old man was in a rage.

I didn’t want either of my kids turning out like me, but Mikey was growing up just like I did, and that path only led to one destination.

She stroked my forearms. “Hey, you’re not failing him. He loves you.”

“What the fuck good does that do when I can’t keep him safe, Celia?”

“I could talk to Comedian,” she offered, and I let my hand fall back down to my lap.

“What?”

“I could—you said yourself that he respects me—” I shook my head and her voice tapered off.

“Said he respected you because he was scared of me. There’s a difference. Men like him believe that if there ain’t a dick between your legs, then you’re worthless.”

Her lips moved into a flat line. “Then you’re gonna have to tell him yourself. It’s time. If Betsy can’t keep him away from Mikey, you have no other choice.”

“You’re right,” I admitted.

“Of course I am. You didn’t marry a dummy.”

I swatted her ass as she stood up and pulled her back against my chest, letting my fingers dip beneath the lace of her bra. “Once this little party’s over, I’ve got ideas on how to celebrate our first anniversary.”

Celia watched our reflections in the mirror with an arched brow. “Our anniversary was yesterday and, if I remember correctly, you celebrated plenty.”

“Fuck, Celia,” I growled against her ear. “Let’s make a weekend of it.”

* * *

“I can’t reach her by phone,” Celia said with a sigh as I closed the front door behind Wolverine and Lucy.

“Maybe she got hung up at work. Luce said she’d picked up more shifts.”

“That’s not like her. She wouldn’t just forget about her goddaughter’s birthday. Something’s wrong.”

Mikey and Kate lay passed out next to each other on the carpet in the den whileThe Land Before Timeplayed quietly on the television in front of them.

They’d both had their fill of cake and cookies and I’d been convinced they’d be awake for days. Instead, they’d run themselves into the ground. Literally.

“Let’s get them settled and I’ll ride over; see if she’s at home. Would that make you feel better?”

Celia nodded. “Thank you. I just want to make sure she’s okay. If she’s gone off with another guy, so help me, I’m gonna strangle her.”

---