Page 17 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

Matty’s head tilted up, and his big brown eyes stared up at mine in awe. “You did?”

“Yep. I did.”

“What was your teacher’s name?”

“My first-grade teacher’s name was Mrs. Cardoza.”

“Did you like her?”

“I did, yeah.” I nodded. “She was great!”

“Do you think she’ll be my teacher?” Matty asked as I pushed open the door and held it open for him.

“No. I don’t think so.” She died fifteen years ago, so teaching would seem pretty unlikely, at least without some really strong smelling salts.

“Callum Knight.”

I heard my name coming from a woman’s voice and lifted my head to see a vaguely familiar-looking face. I tried to place her, but without context, I was struggling. It had happened a few times since my return. Twice at the Piggly Wiggly and once when I was walking across the town square heading to the police station. People seemed to remember me, but I was not fairing as well.

“Leanne Lyons.” She placed her hand on her chest. “Mark’s little sister.”

“Oh, right. Leanne, hi.”

Mark Lyons and I played football from Pee Wee all the way up until senior year. He went on to play in the NFL. He was one of the few people I’d seen since leaving town. He, Harlan Mitchell, and Jack Dawson, the police chief’s son, had all come out to see my bout in Vegas five years ago when Mitchell was playing major league baseball. They watched me in my biggest fight to date with Louis “Mad Dog” Martinez. It was the last time I’d stepped into the cage. It ended in a split draw, which would typically mean an immediate rematch because both fighters would want the opportunity to settle the score. That hadn’t happened.

Martinez had a health scare the week after the fight and announced his retirement, and at the same time, I took a step back for personal reasons. Matty needed me. I had to focus all my energy into raising him as—for all intents and purposes—a single dad.

“Wow, it’s been a long time!” Her smile spread from ear to ear as her eyes scanned me from head to toe. “You look…great.”

“Thanks.” I caught myself before automatically replying, “You too.” From the predatory gleam in Leanne’s eye, I didn’t want to doanythingto encourage or give her the wrong idea.

Leanne was a couple of years younger than her brother. I seem to remember her always wanting to tag along after us and Mark not wanting her to, which I would assume was typical. I wouldn’t know since I didn’t have siblings.

Or, shit…I guess I did. Fuck.

That was another layer of shit to this crap onion. Besides putting Nadia out of sight and out of mind, I’d also packed away my father’s mistress and his love child into two large suitcases of emotional baggage and buried them out in the Denial Desert where feelings go to die.

The truth was, I’d always wanted to have brothers and sisters. I asked for them every year for Christmas until I was eight and found out Santa wasn’t real. I then transferred my request from the jolly, white-bearded man to another bearded one and prayed nightly until I was in my teens. I tried to bargain with God saying I would stop cursing, get straight As, and do my chores without complaining for a whole year, but my negotiations fell on deaf ears.

I wasn’t the only one who wanted to expand the family. There were so many nights I overheard my parents talking when they thought I was asleep. My mom begged my dad over and over, cried even, saying how badly she wanted another baby. But my dad always refused. He wouldn’t come right out and say no; that would have been a mercy. No, he kept dangling the carrot in front of my mom. There was always an excuse; either money was too tight, or it wasn’t the right time because of his mayoral race, or he wanted to be in better health before they tried again, whatever excuse he could think of to string her along. Which was why finding out he had a child with someone else, a family that he’d named in his will and left the bulk of his life insurance to, was more than a stab in the back; it was betrayal on a psychologically cruel level.

“When did you get back in town?” Leanne placed her hand on my forearm.

“A few days ago.” I gently moved my arm away and put it around Matty’s shoulders.

“Where are you living?”

“I’m staying out on the family farm.”

“Have you seen Mark? He didn’t tell me you were back in town.”

“No, but I’m gonna hit him up. I’ve just been getting settled.” I looked down at Matty.

She blinked and then glanced down as if it was the first time she’d even noticed my son. “Is he, is this…is he yours?!”

“Yeah, this is Matty. Matty, this is Miss Lyons.”

Leanne crouched down to Matty’s level. “Hi, Matty.”

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