Page 49 of Savage

Malcomb nodded, and I could see the pain in his eyes as he whispered, “Thank you for not telling him anything bad about me. You had every right to.”

“I would never do that. It wouldn’t be fair to him or to you... I would’ve told him more, but I didn’t want to make any promises that I couldn’t keep.”

“I get it,” Malcomb said, his voice filled with regret. “I just hope that he can forgive me for not being here.”

“He will... He’ll just need a little time.”

Malcomb nodded, and we both fell into an uncomfortable silence as we made our way back into the living room. We sat down on the sofa, nervously glancing around the room. I could feel the tension in the air, and I knew exactly why it was there. We had so much that needed to be said, but I had no idea where to start.

After several moments, I finally said, “He was eight pounds six ounces and twenty-one inches long when he was born, and he was the sweetest baby I’ve ever seen. He hardly ever cried... He loved his swing and bouncy seat, but he seemed happiest when I was holding him—which was one of the reasons it was so hard to keep up with my classes. I felt guilty leaving him, and I felt guilty when I wasn’t in class. So, I dropped out and started school here.”

He didn’t respond.

He just sat there listening as I went on to say, “He was crawling at nine months and walking just before his first birthday. He’s crazy about playing ball and loves animals. I’ve even considered getting him a puppy, but I just couldn’t afford it, which is probably for the best.”

Again, he didn’t respond.

I got the impression that he wanted to hear anything I was willing to tell him about Dalton, so I continued, “He graduated from preschool a couple of weeks ago. His teachers adored him and hated to see him go. I wish you could’ve seen him in his little outfit. He looked so precious... Wait. I’ve got one on my phone.”

I grabbed my phone and pulled up the image, then showed it to Malcomb. He studied it for a moment, then nodded. “Good looking kid.”

“Yeah, he is.” I smiled and turned off my phone. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t go on and on like that.”

“No, no. I want to hear it. I want to hear everything.” I could hear the anguish in his voice as he said, “I want to know everything there is to know about you both.”

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know... Mind if I ask you something first?”

“You can ask me anything.”

Nervous to hear his response, I swallowed and looked to the ground. “Was Dad the only reason you broke things off with me?”

“Yes and no.” He looked utterly defeated as he admitted, “There was a lot of truth to what your father said. You had a lot going for you, Londyn. You were way too good for the likes of me, and it wasn’t fair for me to hold you back.”

“You never held me back, Malcomb. If anything, you pushed me to be better.” My voice trembled as I told him, “I was so shy and withdrawn when we first started talking. You gave me the courage to step out and try new things. I’m who I am because of you.”

“You would’ve found your way with or without me... Hell, look at this place. You made a home for a kid, and you did it on your own.”

“No, I had a lot of help along the way.”

“Maybe, but on the day to day, it was you.”

“You’re sweet to say that.”

“I mean it, Londyn.” Regret laced his words as he muttered, “I never stopped loving you, Londyn. Never once. Day in and day out, you were always on my mind. Had I known...”

“I know,” I assured him. “But you’re here now, and that’s what matters.”

We spent the next hour or so talking and looking at old photographs, and it was nice catching up with him—so nice that I hadn’t noticed the time. I also hadn’t noticed that we weren’t alone until I heard him ask, “Do you tell funny joy-kes?”

Malcomb and I both whipped around and gasped at the sight of Dalton standing in the doorway. Malcomb glanced over at me, then immediately back to Dalton as he answered, “Now and then.”

“You ride motorcycles?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a motorcycle.”

“Do you like pancakes?”

“Yeah.” Malcomb smiled. “I like them just fine.”

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