Page 3 of Born Daddy

Rogan grunted and the man’s panicked stare darted his way, his cheeks flushing. Mrs. Rogan hadn’t so much as twitched at his query.

He cleared his throat—the one thing he seemed to be a pro at—then straightened. “Well, I uh, I suppose you’ll be wanting to take the ashes with you now?” He regarded Rogan then took a step back. “Are you a family member as well?”

“Yeah. We’re good here.” Rogan hoped the man got the hint and moved on.

He cast a glance over his shoulder then turned back to Rogan. “The ashes…”

“I said, we’re good.”

The man swallowed hard then gave a shaky nod. “Yes, well. I guess I’ll leave you to it.”

“Do you have another service scheduled in here soon?”

Rogan supposed another grieving family waiting for the room was a reasonable concern for the funeral director to have, but his first instinct had been to tell the guy to get the fuck away from Mrs. LeBlanc and leave her alone.

“Uh, no. The room isn’t booked for the rest of the day.”

Rogan gave him a curt nod. “Then we’ll leave when we’re ready.”

This time, the guy scurried up the aisle and out the door. Rogan tracked his departure, and that’s when he noticed that both the young mystery man and the reporter had already left. He was thankful he hadn’t needed to fend off the reporter, since he was in a surly enough mood that he could’ve done something inappropriate. It also seemed as if the young man had turned out to either be respectful of Mrs. LeBlanc, or that he’d thought better of approaching her after Rogan had made his position known.

He took a seat again, since Mrs. LeBlanc hadn’t moved an inch throughout the entire exchange.

“Mrs. LeBlanc, what can I do to help?” He wondered if his offer was any better than the director’s had been.

She inhaled a shuddering breath. “Nothing, Rogan. Thank you.” She continued to stare ahead. “I appreciate what you’ve done here, and…” Her voice hitched. “…and that you paid your respects, but…” She turned to him, her glimmering eyes blurred by the black veil covering her face. “There’s no protocol for this. No proper action to take.”

Rogan clasped his hands, worrying his fingers as he debated what to do next. It wasn’t as if there’d be potato salad and a cold cut tray waiting for her back at home, friends dropping by with coffee cake and condolences.

“Can I give you a ride home, come back for your car later? Or…?”

He rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger. The weight of the day settled over him like a lead blanket and he contemplated hitting a bar then taking a cab home after he was properly obliterated.

She laid a hand on his arm. “I know you want to help, but I promise that you already have.” She gave him a melancholy smile. “Don’t let his sin become your burden.”

Rogan’s eyes burned and he swallowed hard. “You have my cell. Anytime, don’t hesitate to call. I mean it.”

“I know you do, hon.” She returned to staring straight ahead. “I just need to be alone right now.”

Rogan nodded, even though she couldn’t see. “Okay. I’ll speak with you soon.”

She didn’t acknowledge him, so he rose, steeling himself to face the rest of the day.

Once he’d made it outside, he checked his watch. While three in the afternoon wasn’t too early for some bar goers, he rarely partook anymore as it was. Maybe the better plan would be to grab a six-pack and go home. Somehow though, the thought of being alone bothered him. Typically, it wasn’t an issue, but under the circumstances he’d been operating with the assumption he’d be spending the day commiserating with Lenny and Mitch.

“Um, excuse me.”

Rogan stopped short of reaching his truck, startled at the sight of the mysterious young man from the service emerging from a shaded area near some shrubbery. He frowned. The kid was no longer as mysterious so much as he was familiar.

Wait a minute…

The man peered up at Rogan through wide doe eyes, his hands shoved into the pockets of his skinny black jeans.

“You’re…” Rogan’s mouth had gone dry. “You’re Cam’s boyfriend.”

This young man had held some other designation within his relationship with Cam that had never been delved into with the old gang. Cam had kept his personal life separate, something he hadn’t shared in detail with them as the years had drawn on after high school. But the fact that Cam’s partner was involved in the same alternative lifestyle as his friend gave Rogan a chill. All of Cam’s victims had been subs.

“Y-yeah.” He lowered his eyes, his shoulders slumping. “I guess that’s what I was.”

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