Page 37 of Loving Trent
“I’ve got to meet someone this morning, but I’ll be back within the hour. Uncle Joey will be here by then, and I’m finally going to talk to him.” I turn my back on her and quickly change my clothes. It’s not the first time she has seen my naked ass, but that is all she has seen on me. “I’m coming back for Shawn and Harley. Can you make sure they both are awake and ready?”
“You’re taking Shawn?”
“Yes,” I say, pulling my shirt over my head. I snatch up my phone and shove it in my pocket, then head past Maria, leaving her behind for the second time. As soon as my boots are on, I’m out the front door, setting my new plan in motion.
Me
Sonny, meet me in town.
Ten minutes later, I’m waiting for Sonny to show up at a local diner. I’m going to talk to him first, and then I’m going to call Demon and fill him in. I’m not worried about Demon not liking this plan because he will do whatever needs to be done. It’s Sonny that I need to make sure is on board with the fact that I’m openly claiming his only son. The bell above the door chimes, signaling that someone new is walking in. I heard the roar of his bike, so I didn’t turn toward the door.
A hand comes down on my shoulder right before Sonny says, “Morning, what’s got you demanding me to meet you this morning?”
I push the second cup of hot coffee toward the other side of the table. Sonny walks around, and I make sure to keep eye contact with him. I’m glad Shawn got his green eyes from his birth mom, Sandra, not Sonny, because it makes it just a little easier on me. “There is something I need to talk to you about.”
He sips his coffee before leaning back and crossing his arms. “Am I going to want to kill you after this?”
“Honestly, maybe, but it is what it is. Okay, so there is something I left out when telling you about my past. I was born and raised in Cape up to the age of thirteen.”
Sonny’s brows bunch together as he says, “Okay.”
“I only attended middle school there for three months before Josiah and Eve sent me away, but I met a boy there on the first day. I kind of became obsessed with him and started writing about him in my journal, which, you know, is what Josiah found that made him send me to camp. Five months ago, I saw the same boy for the first time again, and that old obsession came back, but a million times worse. I’ve been keeping tabs on him, but I thought I needed to put my past to bed before introducing myself to him.” Keeping my hands still and lying in plain sight is tougher than I thought. I’m not ashamed of what I did… You know, stalking his son, but maybe I’m a little nervous about his reaction.
“It sounds like this guy doesn’t remember you.” Sonny’s blue eyes bore into me as if trying to get to the end of the story faster.
I shrug my shoulders and take a drink to buy myself some time because here comes the part that Sonny isn’t going to like. “He doesn’t. Nor does he know that I’ve been watching him from afar.”
“Okay, and I need to know this because?—”
“He’s your son.” I blurt out, cutting him off.
Sonny’s face remains the exact same. No emotions flit across his eyes as he takes in what I just said. “You’re telling me that you,” he points at me, “have been stalking my son. You’ve been stalking Shawn?”
“Yes, and there’s more. As you know, my house has no furniture, but what you don’t know is that I’ve been staying at Nana’s. Last night, Shawn broke down in my arms, telling me how unsafe he has been feeling due to everything: the fire, the attack, and the abuse?—”
Now anger is burning in Sonny’s blue eyes, and he leans forward, bracing his arms on the table. “Abuse?”
“It’s not my story to tell, and I’m sure he will tell you, but yes, abuse. His ex was verbally and physically abusive to him.” I grab Sonny’s arm when he stands up quickly to stop him from running out the door. “I took care of him,” I say quickly, and Sonny sits back down. “He is still breathing, but I broke both of his wrists and told him to leave town. Which he listened to.”
“I want a name,” Sonny demands.
“That will have to come from Shawn, not me. I don’t want to betray him even more than I am right now. I just wanted to clear the air with you about my intentions.”
“What are your intentions?” Sonny is back to having his arms crossed.
“I want to take care of him. He takes care of everyone around him but doesn’t let anyone take care of him. That’s changing right this second… Actually, it changed last night. I’m done hiding in the shadows, biding my time until I think it’s the right time. I want to get to know him on a personal level. I want to know everything about him. Not just what I was able to find online or by watching him. I don’t know what it is about him that has captivated me, but something has. I not only want Shawn to be mine… I want to be his.”
“And you want my permission?”
For the first time, I move and let my emotions show. My jaw ticks, and I clench my hands into fists, which he can see because they are sitting on top of the table. “No, I don’t want your permission because I’m going to do it anyway. No one will ever have the chance to hurt Shawn again because from this point forward, he is mine. I handled his ex, and I took care of those assholes who touched him the other night. No one is going to stop me.”
Sonny smiles for the first time since he walked in. “You’re the one who beat up Jason and his friends?” I nod and he laughs. “I knew I liked you. As for what I think, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. As long as Shawn is happy with you and is treated right, that’s all that matters to me. But I do have one question for you.”
I keep the anger-laced reply sitting on my tongue about treating Shawn right because I will treat him like a king. “Okay.”
“Did you save him? You said five months ago, and that’s right around the time his apartment building caught on fire, and while your eyes have a hint of green in them, they are mostly brown.”
“Yes, I did.”
