Page 96 of His Stepdad Wears Leather

“You’re not goinganywhere,” Stacey said. “We finally got our son back. He’s staying put. At least for a while.” Stacey eyed him, one brow raised.

“Well, the fact that your ex-wife isn’t threatening to blackmail you and seems to be open to accepting this will go a long way,” Jereme said. “Had our situation been more like yours, we might’ve been able to weather the storm back home. My mother is a lost cause… but my father finally relented. He accepts our relationship.”

“Truly accepts it?” Geena asked.

Jereme sighed. “Do I suppose he wishes I’d met someone else? Maybe. Maybe not. But after nine years together, I assume he realizes this was more than some flash in the pan.”

Anson chuckled. “His dad and I actually get along now. We see him and his family every holiday. We watch football games together at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“It’s borderline Norman Rockwell,” Jereme added with a grin.

The clamoring of footsteps sounded back down the stairs. Parker ran over with his Switch to show Brody whatever game he’d bought. He watched, enthusiastically, as the other men at the table carried on their conversations with Noah, Stacey, and Geena.

Brody scanned the dining room. He had his son. His family. Friends. And his boy.

A smile came to his face.

“Dad? Are you watching me?”

Brody refocused on Parker. “Yeah, of course, kiddo.”

14

Noah hugged Brody tight at the front door. He didn’t want to let go. But he’d play things cool, as Brody had suggested. Noah didn’t want to destroy his relationship with his mother and Geena, either. Brody kissed him deeply before saying his goodbyes. After his daddy was gone, he closed the door and pressed his fingers against his kiss-swollen lips. Turning, he pressed his back against the door and smiled.

And then he saw his mother sitting on the stairs, watching him. A gasp left his lips, and he frowned. “How long have you been there?”

“Only a moment. I wasn’t eavesdropping.”

But she’d seen them kiss. Noah’s face reddened. That kiss… his smile returned, spreading across his face.

“Tonight was the first night I’ve seen you truly smile since you arrived,” his mother said.

Noah eyed her, not sure what to say.

“You sat beside him at my table—and you relaxed. You smiled and you were happy.” Tears glimmered in her eyes. “The last time I saw you—a decade or so ago—a judge had had you testify in his chambers. I caught a glimpse of you… and you weresounhappy looking. The happy, bubbly little boy I remembered was gone. I was terrified of what they were doing to you.”

She paused a moment, and Noah tried to remember. He hadn’t understood why he’d been forced to talk to the judge and now he did. She’d been fighting for him.

“You came back, and I wanted to see you smile so desperately. You forced a few for me, I could tell they weren’t real. They didn’t go all the way to your eyes. Tonight, they did.”

“I don’t want you hurt, mom. I want to have a relationship with you and Geena and Parker. I want to be a family.” He sighed. “But I also have this connection to Brody that I can’t explain. I’d call it love at first sight, only I don’t believe in love.”

“You don’t believe in love?”

“Dad and Abbie Lee said they loved me. If love can make you cruel and vicious, then I want no parts of that.”

“Your father doesn’t know how to love anyone. He doesn’t know how to love himself, sweetheart.”

Tears pricked the backs of Noah’s eyes. “That’s the only love I’ve ever seen.”

“Do you not remember your early years here? You were so loved, so happy.”

A tear slid down Noah’s cheek. He wiped it away. “IthinkI remember it… but it almost doesn’t seem real.”

His mother rose from the stairs and drew him into her arms. “I love you with my whole heart,” she whispered against his ear, squeezing him tight. “I willalwayslove you with my whole heart.”

After that night, he knew she didn’t lie.Thiswas a parent’s love. For the first time since arriving, Noah truly hugged her back. “I love you, too, mom.”

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