Page 8 of Light in the Dark (Heaven and Hell Duet 2)

I smile, earning one from him, and clap my hands, which causes him to do the same. “That’s it! Good job, Sawyer. AhDa,” I repeat, hoping to hear him say it again.

“AhDa!”

Oh, I think I love this little boy a little bit. “Can you say your name? Saw-yer. Sawyer. Try it. Sawyer.”

“I love you with him.”

I snap my head up to look at FC, standing in the doorway between his bedroom and his bathroom, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. All I can do right now is stare and hope I’m not drooling.

“He’s pretty smitten with you already.” He nods to where Sawyer still rests against my chest.

“I have to say, I’m a little smitten myself. He’s so sweet and cute.”

FC blows me away with his smile. There’s a loud knock on the door. “That must be Nana. Let me let her in and then I’ll get dressed.” I pick up Sawyer and follow him. My eyes can’t help but stare at his scars once more.

He opens the door, but it’s not his nana. I know this in one glance for a few reasons. One, the woman on the other side isn’t old. She’s young, maybe around our age or so. She has a black eye and a gash along her nose. FC’s entire body goes rigid the moment he sees her.

Her eyes leave FC and land on me. “Who is that bitch with my son?”

Oh, god. This is Lila.

FC fills the doorway with his body, blocking her view from us, and something makes me disappear far enough down the hallway to be hidden from view, just in case. “You need to leave, Lila. There’s a restraining order still in place and you have no right to be here.”

“FC, babe, I miss you.”

“Leave, Lila. You have ten seconds to walk away before I call the law to remove you. There’s no reason at all to be here and less reason when I add in the fact that there’s a restraining order.”

“I want to see my son.”

“You don’t have a son,” he corrects her, his voice hard and harsh, making me flinch.

“Babe.”

I hear a slap. “Get your fucking hands off me. My babysitter is calling the law right now.” Does he mean me? I hurry to his bedroom to grab his phone. Sawyer whines a little and clings to my neck. As I walk back down the hallway, I hear the door slam closed. When I peer around into the living room, FC paces.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

FC whirls around. He stalks toward me and nearly snatches Sawyer from my hold. “We’re not going out tonight. I need to make some phone calls.” He takes his phone as well and returns to the door, constantly peering out the peephole. He yanks the door open and then pulls an elderly lady inside.

“Boy, don’t you manhandle me like that!” she chides.

“Did you pass a car on the way in?”

“No,” she answers with confusion.

“Fuck,” he mutters.

“What’s this about, FC?”

“Lila was just here. If you didn’t pass a car on its way out, then she might still be in the parking lot.”

Her eyes widen. “That hussy is here?” She turns. “Let me go find her.”

Just as she opens the door again, FC pushes it closed. “Nana, I don’t think you’re equipped to go after Lila. Just take Sawyer and let me call Karen, see if she knows why in the fuck that woman is back in my life.”

When his nana takes Sawyer is when she notices me. “Oh my. Idaline. Please forgive me, dear. Hello.” She advances toward me for a hug. “It’s nice to meet you. I apologize that it’s when a messy situation has unfolded. Come with me. Let’s give FC a moment alone.”

She pulls a reluctant me away and down to Sawyer’s room. “Can you tell me what happened?”

---