Page 105 of Born Daddy

Rogan took both his mom’s hands in his. “If Mitch were to walk in here today and say he was sorry, let’s let bygones be bygones, that wouldn’t be enough. Not anymore. But, if he came in and said he was sorry, that he wanted to be an ally and stand up for injustice—then I would welcome his friendship with open arms.” Rogan shook his head. “I can’t do it anymore, Mom. I can’t let things like that slide anymore or pretend they don’t bother me. Not only for me, but for Tate. I hope you can understand.”

“Oh my God, honey, of course I do!” She leaned over and pulled him into a hug, patting him on the back. “I’m very proud of you for taking all the different sides into consideration and making the decision based on that, and not from a place of anger.” She let go and beamed back a smile at him. “And you’re looking out for Tate. He’s so lucky to have you.”

Rogan’s cheeks heated. He could never explain in a million years how lucky he was to have Tate.

“Did Lenny end up taking Mitch’s side?” she continued.

His mother’s features radiated the pain the prospect that yet another friendship had fallen by the wayside indicted.

“Actually, no.” Rogan still marveled at how the mild-mannered Lenny had stood up to their former buddy. “He told Mitch he was horrified by his behavior and that he’d had enough. He stood up for me and Tate, said Mitch didn’t have the right to do what he did. He’s been by the apartment a couple times in the past few weeks to watch the game with us.”

His mom sighed. “Well, that’s good to hear. I always liked Lenny very much, he’s such a nice man.”

She pressed her lips together, as if afraid to bring up something else. Rogan wanted to get all the questions out of the way so he could enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend with everyone, so he decided to give her a little prod.

“What else is on your mind, Mom?”

She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the den, then leaned in closer. “Have you spoken with Judy LeBlanc at all?”

Rogan’s chest tightened at the mention of Cam’s mother. Things with her hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped.

“I tried calling the hospital to check in with her, but she refused my calls. They wouldn’t tell me if that meant she was refusing only mine, or if she didn’t want to speak with anyone at all.”

Mrs. LeBlanc had tried to take her life more than once since Cam’s death, the most recent incident being after the salacious news reports regarding Jace and the diary.

She patted Rogan’s hand. “When I ran into Clara at the market last week, she told me they’ll be keeping her for thirty days this time. And Clara said she’ll be there for Judy when she gets out.”

Rogan drew his eyebrows together. “Clara was able to get some time off to visit?”

Mrs. LeBlanc’s sister lived in Los Angeles, and her work schedule was what had prevented her from attending Cam’s funeral.

“Oh! I guess I didn’t mention when I called you about Judy. Clara left her job and moved here to take care of Judy until things settle. She’s actually trying to convince her to sell the house and go back to Los Angeles with her.”

“Wow.” Rogan nodded his head slowly. “Getting away from all the memories in that house and this city would probably be very good for her.”

His mother smiled. “I agree. It’s awful the way people blame her for what Cam did.”

Rogan’s gut twisted. “And the harsh truth is no matter how many times the investigators publicly exonerate Tate, there will always be that section of the population convinced beyond all doubt he was involved. That’s one of the scars Cam gave Tate that will never be healed.”

His mom nodded sagely. “So true. If only they could know him like we do.”

Rogan’s chest unexpectedly swelled at his mom’s words. She saw Tate as part of the family now. Rogan wouldn’t be the only one who cared about and stood up for him.

“Hi. I’m not interrupting, am I?”

They both turned their heads to see Tate standing at the threshold of the kitchen. Mom was the first one to respond.

“Of course not, honey. You come in whenever you want, this is your place too now.” She rose from her chair and waved him forward. “The dip is ready if you want a snack before Johnny puts the burgers and dogs on the grill.” She chuckled as she opened the refrigerator door. “And who knows when that’ll be with those silly coals.”

While she removed several items from the fridge, Rogan gestured for Tate to come in as well. It seemed silly, but he hated being apart from his boy for too long. He sometimes worked long hours during the week if there were tests to grade or off-campus drills, so every moment with Tate had become even more precious.

Tate smiled then closed the short distance between them, leaning in for a kiss without hesitation. Rogan gladly accepted, musing that not only was his family comfortable with Tate, Tate was comfortable with them.

After a short, tongue-free kiss, Tate slid a chair close to Rogan, then took his hand once he’d sat down. They exchanged glances, the happiness radiating from Tate’s features infectious. Their time at the lake had been peaceful with Tate expressing how much he loved being there, and Rogan idly wondered if they could find a place they could afford on a lake. He’d have to investigate, see if there was a location that wasn’t too much of a commute. They didn’t need much square footage, so perhaps they could swing it.

“Boys, do you want me to fix you a plate of snacks?”

Tate slapped a hand to his mouth, holding in either a snort or laugh. Rogan pressed his lips together to do the same. In the past, his mother referring to him as a boy wouldn’t have caused him to blink. But ever since he’d become Tate’s Daddy, the word had taken on a whole other meaning.

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