Em’s eyes darted to mine. “Not exactly. Come sit.”
Em unlocked our hands and moved aside so Iain could sit between us. I poised at the edge of the couch and turned toward them, my arms balanced on my thighs as I waited for Em to take the lead.
“Iain, remember that time you asked me about your dad? I told you he lived somewhere else because he was busy studying and learning for a new job.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he isn’t studying anymore. In fact, he’s here.”
Iain looked over at me with wide eyes. “Areyoumy daddy?”
My eyes misted, and it took me a few seconds to voice my answer. Even then, it sounded raspy. “Yeah, buddy. I’m your dad.”
Iain’s face lit up. “Cool! I knew it. When you said you like ranch dressing on your fries, I guessed you were him. What took you so long to learn? Did you not do your homework like you’re supposed to?”
I never took my eyes from Iain’s face as I swallowed hard. “I’m really sorry, bud. There were some…complications along the way. I didn’t mean to be away for so long. I never wanted that.”
“So, you’re gonna live with us now?” Iain looked up at me with excited eyes.
Shit. I should have seen that coming.I glanced at Emalee, who was staring back with wide eyes, the alarm turning her eyes even darker.
“You should live with us!” Iain grinned as he bounced on the couch. “You and Mama can have my room.”
Em’s topaz gaze widened and practically bugged out of her head. “Iain, honey, your dad isn’t moving in with us, but he’ll be in Sterling Mill for a while. Besides, I think your dad needs a little more space than we have for his dog.”
I knew she was desperate to distract him. The ploy worked.
“You have a dog?”
I laughed. It figured he was more excited about a dog than me. “I do. His name is Milo.”
“I can’t wait to meet him. Does he play fetch? Can he do any tricks?”
I chuckled. “A few. Maybe you can teach him more.”
“Cool,” Iain exclaimed. “Where are you going to live? Are we going to move in with you?”
“Um…”
Em ruffled his hair. “Your dad and I will figure it out. But that’s grownup stuff, okay? In the meantime, he’d like to get to know you better. I bet you have more in common than just how you like your fries.”
He turned back to me. “What were you learning to do?”
“I was learning to become a veterinarian. It takes a lot of extra schooling, and the school I went to was in North Carolina.”
“What’s a venarian?”
Em stayed quiet as I explained. Whether by chance or genetics, Iain loved animals, too, and I think I gained a few more points on Iain’s cool factor scale when he found out my job was to take care of pets.
“So, you like dogs?” he asked me with a sly grin.
“Of course.”
“Can I have my own puppy, Daddy?”
CHAPTER24
Zach