Page 3 of His Stepdad Wears Leather

The grin on his face was as contagious as his smile had been earlier. Even with all Walt had said, Brody couldn’t help but return the amused expression as he waved back—though it was bittersweet.

Don’t let them go.

He was filled with terror over what the boy would endure with his father and stepmother during that trip. Yet there was nothing he could do to stop them that wouldn’t land him in jail. Hopefully the Happiest Place on Earth could counterbalance all the bullshit the boy would have to listen to while there.

Stop them.

As soon as the car disappeared into the distance, he reached into his pocket for his cell and caressed it. He held it a long moment, unsure if he should call Noah’s mothers and warn them of Walt’s threat. They, too, were on a well-deserved vacation and he was loath to interrupt it with nonsense. After debating a few more moments, he flipped open his phone and dialed Geena’s cell. She, of the pair, would freak out the least.

His call went straight to voicemail.

“Geena… call me as soon as you get this. Everyone’s in one piece, but there’s something you should know. Don’t say anything to Stace. She’ll get herself all wound up.” He took a deep breath. “But call me. ASAP.”

1

Present Day

Brody clutched a brightly colored gift bag as he strode through the packed P.F. Chang’s. Near the back, he saw his son waving him over. He returned Parker’s brilliant smile before eyeing the boy’s moms, Stacey and Geena, seated in the semi-circular booth. As he neared, Parker scooted out of his seat. Brody opened his arms wide and wrapped the boy in a bear hug. Now nearly thirteen, his kid was almost as tall as he was.

“Hey, Dad!” Parker’s voice had seemed to deepen overnight.Another product of puberty.

“Hey there yourself, birthday boy.” He gave one last squeeze and stood back. “Will you stop growing? You’re making me feel old.”

“Well, my birthday isn’tofficiallyuntil Saturday.” Parker grinned from ear to ear, showing off a mouthful of metal braces. “And youareold.”

“Yikes,” Brody said. “I’m not even forty yet.”

“Thirty-nine is old,” Parker replied, doubling down.

“Whatever.” Brody rubbed his son’s head. “Sorry I’m late. Forgive me?”

“This isn’t late. Not for you,” Geena cracked. “I didn’t expect you for another fifteen, at least.”

He slipped into the booth behind Parker and eyed Geena. “I can’t help it if I have to work.”

“You’re the boss,” Parker said. “You can leave whenever you want.”

“If only that was true,” Brody replied. He handed over the bag to Parker. “That’s for you.”

Parker’s face lit up. He was practically bouncing off the seat. “Can I open it now?”

“That’s up to your moms.” He eyed them, smiling.

“I suppose so,” Stacey said. Parker immediately tore into the bag while Stacey eyed Brody. “No hugs for your ex-wife?”

“Or for the woman who stole her away from you?” Geena asked, grinning wickedly.

Brody leaned back in his seat and grinned at Geena. “As I recall, she was yours before she was mine—not that she was ever truly mine. That meansIstole her fromyou. For a little while, at least.”

“It was great while it lasted,” Stacey said, lifting her wine glass in the air.

Theirs hadn’t been a true marriage, but an arrangement. They’d each gotten something out of the deal—but if Brody was being honest, he’d definitely gottentwogood things. He was thankful that Stacey and Geena let him be an involved dad, even when he hadn’t thought he’d wanted to in the beginning. He turned his attention to smile at his mop-headed son tearing into the bag for his gift.

“Oh wow!” Parker roared. “The new Zelda game!” He eyed Brody. “Mom and Mimi got me a new Switch, too.” Parker leaned over and hugged him. “Thanks, Dad.”

“A little birdie told me you might like that,” Brody said, hugging his son back and winking at Stacey.

“Just what we needed. Another console. Because the Xbox, PlayStation, Wii U,andcomputer weren’t quite enough gaming for him,” Geena said sarcastically. “He’s going to turn into a microchip. In my day, we played outside.”

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