Page 41 of His Place in the World
“Dad?”Del asked.
Something was wrong.It wasn’t only Matt’s behavior but also the way he appeared.He was pale, as if he’d seen a ghost, and he kept running his hand through his hair.
“I need you to stay calm,” Matt said.
“I don’t know if I can promise that.I don’t know what’s happening.”
Matt sucked in a breath.“Your mother is here.”
Del froze.Angus knew most of what happened between Matt and Del’s mother, so he was aware of the fact that this was a big thing.
“I need you to give her a chance and to listen to her,” Matt quickly added.
“Why would I do that?”Del’s tone was hard.
“Because she’s also Cora’s mother, and Cora is only six years old.I can’t risk losing her.I can’t risk for your mother to get custody of Cora.”
* * * *
Del had no idea what was going on.He’d heard his father’s words, and they made sense, but nothing else did.Why was his mother here?He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her, although he suspected it was six years ago when she’d dropped off Cora and had left again.Del had hoped she’d been there to stay when he’d seen her, but he should have known better, even at fourteen.
And now, she was back.
It didn’t make any sense.
“Has she said anything?”he asked.
He wanted to rage, to tell his mother to fuck off and never come back, but he wouldn’t risk Cora, and he could see how terrified his father was.She might not be his daughter, but he’d raised her as if she were, and he didn’t want to lose her.
Was that something Del’s mother might do?Del wouldn’t put anything past her, which meant they’d have to be careful.
“She wants to talk to you and Doyle,” Matt said.“She, well, she said she wants to fix her relationship with the two of you and Cora.”
“Why?She never cared.”Del was twenty, and he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he’d seen his mother after she’d left home when he was five.Hell, he didn’t even need all five fingers.
His father rubbed his face again.“I don’t know why she’s here.I don’t know if she’s telling the truth or if she’s lying.Either way, it would be easy for her to get Cora.I’m not her father, which means I don’t have the same rights as her.”
“But you raised her.”
“I did, and I adopted her.It doesn’t mean your mother wouldn’t manage to get her if she tried, though.”
And that wasn’t something Del could accept.
Del straightened his back and squared his shoulders.“Fine.I’ll talk to her.”
A gentle hand touched the small of his back, stopping him from stomping inside the house.“You should probably look less like you’re about to take her on in a fight,” Angus murmured.
“You don’t know what she did to us,” Del spat out.
“Not the details, but I know enough.If she’s here to fix her relationship with you, you can’t look angry when you meet her.”
“I don’t care what she wants.I just need her to leave us alone.”
“Unfortunately, it might not be an option.Let’s just see what’s going on, all right?”
Del nodded.He’d never been so grateful for Angus’s presence.If it weren’t for him, he’d have barged into the house and yelled at his mother.He was still tempted to do just that, but he kept Cora in mind as he climbed the porch steps.
“So much for lunch,” he murmured.“I’m sorry.You don’t have to stay.”
