Page 62 of Hawk
“Of course. She’s heard every story I have about you at least a dozen times, and once you meet DJ, you’ll never want to leave.” He looked down before asking, “Are you going to stay, or is this just a visit?”
“That depends on Hailey, but I was planning on staying,” I answered as we stood from the table.
He picked up the gun, and briefly, I feared he was going to turn on me. Instead, he handed me the gun and asked, “Can you keep this secured? We generally don’t allow weapons in front of DJ. He’s smart, but he’s still three and thinks everything is a toy.”
I tucked it into the back of my jeans and pulled my shirt over the gun. “Of course,” I replied and followed him out of the room.
In the lobby, James was sitting on an overstuffed couch with a sleeping Zeus next to him. My sweet boy lifted his head and looked at me before lying back down with an exhausted sigh. I gave James a quizzical look, and he smiled at me.
“I figured this handsome boy belonged to you, so I brought him inside. He went potty before we came upstairs.”
Devlin laughed as James stood and walked in front of me. He offered me his hand, and I slowly extended mine until we shook. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Stella. Welcome to the family.” He turned to Devlin and asked, “Would you like some pastries from the bakery for breakfast? Amaya is craving honey buns, so I was on my way to get some.”
He looked at me and lifted his eyebrows. I nodded, and he replied, “An assortment plus something for Zeus.” I went to object, but he explained, “They’re dog friendly.”
“I’ll bring them up to you,” James said, and without another word, he turned and reentered the open elevator door, leaving Devlin, Zeus, and me in the lobby area.
Devlin looked at me and asked, “How is he with kids?”
“Perfectly safe and completely trained. Your son will be fine around him,” I answered.
The elevator returned a moment later and Devlin extended his arm to the mirror box. I clicked my tongue and Zeus followed us inside, pressing against my side. When the doors opened again, we stepped directly into Devlin’s apartment, and I was impressed by the lived-in feel of it.
“Daddy!” a tiny voice yelled from somewhere beyond the main room. The next thing I knew, a small version of Devlin came running into the room, happy to see his father. When he saw me, he stopped and appraised me for a moment, completely overlooking Zeus.
He walked to me but stopped about a foot away before lifting his arms and asking, “Up, peese.”
My brother looked on with a smile as I carefully picked up his son, who immediately wrapped his arms around my neck and exclaimed, “Stewwa!”
I wrapped my arms around him and felt the tears fall again. The simple act of love from a child was cracking the ice around my heart and bringing me back to life.
If I could feel this for someone I’d just met, maybe there was a part of me that could be open to Colton. Maybe he could save my life for a second time.
Chapter 20
Stella
