Page 127 of Broken Road

Chapter 34 – Pile it On

Ruby

I stretched myself awake. Mm, I could get used to waking up with this pleasant ache between my thighs.

The West End Diner waited for Jace and me, and I’d already slept in. In the shower, I wondered if Maria knew about Vander being Jace’s dad. I cringed, hoping nobody questioned me about it.

I needn’t have worried. Maria flew out of the kitchen in fierce mama bear mode and told Jace and me how happy she was for us that we reunited with Vander.

Loudly.

I don’t know why that surprised me. Greeks barely have volume control on a good day. When they got emotional, they held nothing back.

On the way back out to the car, Jace wrapped his skinny arm around my waist. “Well, Momma, if they didn’t know about… uh… dad before, they know now!”

I laughed and hugged him.

“You can call him ‘dad’, you know. He is your dad.”

Jace quietly contemplated before he replied, “I just want it to be for real, you know? Like, I don’t want to call him dad, and then he takes off. Uncle Gus, he’s a dad, a real dad. I don’t know yet if Vander is a real dad.”

I bled internally hearing his words, bearing witness to the legacy I’d given him. “I understand why you might feel that way, and you take your time, but I believe he’s a real dad. When he found out about you, he cried for all the time lost. Even if things between him and I fell apart, which they won’t, he would never abandon you.”

“You’re okay with me calling him dad?” He asked softly.

My mouth fell open in surprise. “Why wouldn’t I be, agapimeno mou?”

“Well, it’s just that you’ve been mom and dad for so long, it’s like he’s trying to take your place.”

We stood at the passenger side of the car. I turned and placed both of my hands on his shoulders. “Look at me, agapi mou. I’m always going to be exactly what I am, but we’d be fooling ourselves to say you haven’t been missing a father in your life. The fact that you haven’t had him since day one is a freak accident, a mistake. If he had known, he would have been here. Don’t punish him for something that was out of his control.” I paused to gauge his reaction. The longing on his face pierced my soul. “He’s a good dad, and he’s yours. You can claim him if you want to, he’s already claimed you.”

Shortly after we got home, Amber and Alex arrived. Alex came inside with a face like a thundercloud.

“Ela, levendis mou,” I called him to me.

He came without hesitation and leaned his forehead against my chest.

“What’s wrong, agapi mou?” I murmured, stroking his fair hair. I could feel his body vibrating with his emotions. He was so much like me, this boy.

“I asked my dad to come for dinner today, seeing as dads are allowed now, and he said no.”

Amber stood frozen in front of me, her hand braced against the air, her face stricken.

I raised my eyebrows in question, and she pressed her lips together and shook her head no, then pointed to herself. Gus was available, it was Amber who wouldn’t let him come.

I lay my cheek on top of his bent head. “Honey, I bet he wanted to come really badly. Your dad loves you. So much.”

Alex wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed in close. “I miss him,” he said tightly.

I swallowed hard, met Amber’s eyes, the plea plain in mine.

She stood with her hands over her mouth, her eyes glossy. She nodded resignedly. She needed to figure this out. She slipped away into the dining room.

“You want one of my famous super tight burrito hugs?” I asked him.

He laughed. “You’re not big enough to do that anymore.”

“What?” I yelled in mock outrage. “I so am!”

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