by Susan Stoker
Milena held up a hand to stop her friend. “What in the world are you talking about, Sadie? He hasn’t said anything about coming over after tomorrow. Let’s take things one day at a time, huh?”
Sadie smirked. “You’re so cute.”
“What?”
“Of course he’s going to be over here every day. He wants to get to know his son, but maybe more importantly, he knows how badly he screwed up, and he’s going to do everything in his power to get back in your good graces. If he has to use JT as an excuse to see you every day, he will. Mark my words, Milena. Operation Get Milena Back will commence tomorrow.”
Milena rolled her eyes at her friend.
“And just so you know, I’m happy to watch JT for you any night you want to go out, just the two of you.”
“It’s too early for that.”
“Is it?”
Milena wanted to emphatically say yes, but couldn’t deny she was interested. The man who had been at her house today, and had apologized so sweetly and earnestly, wasn’t the same man she’d known all those years ago. That man had been closed off and angry, with just enough of his sweet side coming out to make her fall in love with him. She didn’t see much of that old anger in him now…thankfully. Could he really be so changed? Could he really still love her as much as he claimed he did?
She wanted to believe it, but a small part of her was still afraid that maybe he was just laying it on thick so he could have access to his son.
“Maybe,” she hedged, rolling her eyes again when Sadie beamed.
“Right. On that note, I’m going to call my aunt and let her know all is well down here and that I’ll be staying for a while. I have a good feeling about TJ, Milena. He reminds me a lot of my uncle, and that’s a good thing. Give him a chance. You won’t regret it.”
Milena didn’t respond verbally, but simply nodded at her friend. She watched as Sadie climbed off the bed and headed to her own room, closing the door softly behind her.
Flopping backwards, Milena huffed out a deep breath and wondered how her life had gotten so complicated so quickly. A week ago, she was a single mother working two jobs to try to earn enough money to move out of her parents’ house into a small, cramped apartment.
Now she was still a single mother, but that was about all that was the same. She’d been embroiled in the middle of a sex-abuse scandal, interrogated by the FBI, and had been reunited with her baby’s daddy, whom she’d thought she hated but deep down still loved, but whom she definitely didn’t trust with her heart yet. She had only a part-time job with no insurance, but had a feeling she’d have an influx of money in her bank account soon, a gift from TJ.
It was all so unbelievable.
Shaking her head and deciding she needed to take one day at a time, Milena checked the baby monitor. Satisfied that it was on and working, she climbed under the sheets and snuggled beneath her comforter.
She was asleep within minutes, her dreams full of the man she’d missed every day since he’d left in the middle of the night.
Chapter 7
TJ kept his eyes on his son, but was very aware of the woman at his side. They were at a playground, where Milena had suggested they go when he’d shown up at her parents’ door after lunch. JT seemed to be a happy child. Every time he fell, which was often, he’d pick himself up, giggle, and run off again. He was content to toddle after the older kids at the park, not even caring when he couldn’t keep up.
TJ had stayed up late the night before, reading articles about colic and what caused it—and horrifying stories about parents who cracked under the pressure of the unrelenting crying, and harmed their child to make them stop screaming.
Every word he read made him feel guiltier about not trying harder to find Milena and make amends. It might not’ve changed the fact that JT was colicky, but he could’ve been there to share the load for Milena.
“I’m working on the insurance thing, but unfortunately, because we’re not married, I can’t get you added to my plan,” TJ blurted into the awkward silence that had settled between them like a weighted blanket. “JT is fine, because he’s my son.”
“I expected that,” Milena said without any trace of irritation or disappointment.
“I talked to the HR director this morning though, and she gave me some names of private insurers. Tomorrow when you’re at work, I’ll call and get information. You can decide which company and plan works best for you and I’ll get that set up.”
She looked at him in confusion. “You don’t need to do that.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But I am.”
Milena huffed out an irritated breath and looked back toward the playground to where JT was playing. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can. But I need to do this for you.”
She refused to look at him. “You don’t need to do anything of the sort.”
“I wasn’t there for you when I should’ve been. I wasn’t there to hold your hand and take care of you when you were forced to stay in bed when you were pregnant. I wasn’t there when you went into early labor, and I wasn’t there to help take some of the stress off of you once JT was born. I know I can’t fix my absence with money, but knowing that you’ll be covered in case some jackass runs into you on the road, or if you fall and break a bone, is a peace of mind that I need. And I think it will take some stress off you too. Please, let me do this.”
Milena sighed. “We’ve been over this. You can’t change the past, TJ.”
“I know. Believe me, I know. But I can change the future, or at least help shape it.”
She turned to look at him again. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“No.”
“Fine. But I want to pick the plan. You don’t have any say.”
TJ felt the tension roll off his shoulders at her acquiescence. “No problem.” Right. He was only going to show her plans he thought were adequate, no matter the cost. “It’s going to take some time to get JT added to my insurance.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. I mean, he’s a kid. He needs to be protected, just in case.” TJ cleared his throat, not wanting to bring up the next point, but knowing he had to. “I do need to prove I’m JT’s father though. The HR director said that a paternity test would probably be the quickest way to do that. I hate to think about JT having to be pricked by a needle, but—”
“Why?”
TJ blinked at Milena’s question. “Why what?”
“Why do you need a paternity test? Won’t the birth certificate work as proof?”
He stared at her for a second before the meaning of her words sank in. His chest immediately got tight and he pressed his lips together tightly to try to hold back the emotion threatening to overwhelm him.
Looking down at the dirt under his feet, TJ tried to swallow so he could answer Milena’s question.
He felt her hand touch his shoulder. “TJ? What’s wrong?”
“You put my name on his birth certificate?” he asked in a tone that probably sounded weird.
“Of course I did. You’re his father. Why wouldn’t I?”
Not able to sit any longer, TJ stood and paced in front of the bench. “Because you hate me? Because I left you to have my child alone without a word? Because I don’t deserve it?”
He looked down at Milena in confusion, waiting for her answer.
She slowly stood and faced him. Their difference in height felt perfect to him. Her blonde hair just brushed her shoulders and her blue eyes seemed even bluer in the sunlight. For their outing, she’d worn a green tank top with a pair of cropped jeans and flip flops on her feet.
She looked casual and comfortable, and all he wanted to do was haul her into his arms and kiss her until she gave in and forgave him. She was curvier than he remembered, probably because she’d had his child. All TJ could think about was how beautiful she was—and how big of an idiot he was for thinking for one second that he could give her up.
�
�TJ, you’re his father. Yeah, I was upset when you left, but I was more sad. I decided before JT was even born that he’d know nothing but good things about his father. Putting your name on his birth certificate was never a question for me.”
“Thank you,” TJ choked out. He wanted to say more, but wasn’t sure words could adequately explain his feelings.
She opened her mouth to respond when a scream sounded from the playground, followed by wailing.
TJ was on the move before he’d even thought about it. JT was lying on the ground crying as if he was being tortured.
“What happened?” he asked a little girl, probably around eight years old.
She looked scared, but answered him anyway. “He fell. He was trying to go up the ladder of the slide.”
TJ looked up where she was pointing and nodded when he saw the four or so steps. It was high, but not high enough to have done any permanent damage to JT. The ground was covered in mulch, giving the area under the playground equipment a soft, spongy place for kids to land if they fell.
He quickly felt for any blood, lumps, or bumps on his son’s small body. Finding none, he scooped JT up into his arms and stood, cradling him against his chest. One hand rested under his butt and the other pressed his head into his shoulder. The screams coming from his lungs were loud. Loud enough to make TJ wince with their volume.
“Is he okay?” Milena asked from next to him calmly.
“I think so. He’s got a set of lungs on him, doesn’t he?” TJ asked.
“Come on, let’s go sit. He’ll be fine in a couple of minutes. He’s just scared. It’s not the first time he’s fallen.”
“You’re being really calm about this,” TJ noted as he followed her back to the bench they’d been sitting on.
“He’s an active boy, TJ. He’s had his share of scrapes and bruises.”
TJ eased down onto the bench and rocked his son and murmured words of encouragement and sympathy in his ear until his sobs turned to the occasional sniffle. He patted his back and asked, “You better now, buddy?”
JT sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, then nodded.
“What hurts?”
The little boy shrugged.
“Did you fall on your butt?” Milena suggested.
JT nodded.
Her hand came out and joined TJ’s in rubbing their son’s back. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “You want to go home, or stay and play some more?”
JT looked over at the playground, then back at his mom. “Play.”
“All right. Let go of Daddy and get going. Twenty more minutes then we need to go home.”
TJ leaned over and placed his son on his feet. He ran a hand over his light brown curls and watched as he ran back to his new friends as if nothing had happened.
Neither he nor Milena said anything for a minute or two as they kept an eye on the little boy to make sure he was okay.
Finally, TJ said softly. “Okay, that about gave me a heart attack.”
Milena chuckled, and the sound was so carefree and happy, and reminded him so much of how she was three years ago, it almost hurt. “You better get used to it. I swear he’s part monkey. One of his favorite things to do is climb.”
He turned to face Milena. “Is that what he sounded like when he had colic?”
“Pretty much. His lungs were smaller, but his cry was just as piercing then as it is now.”
TJ shook his head in awe. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help. You’re simply amazing,” he told her.
“What?”
“I listened to him for only a couple minutes and I thought I was going to go crazy. I wanted to fix whatever was wrong. Make him stop crying because he sounded like he was in so much pain. I can’t imagine having to hold him for hours as he cried.”
“If you apologize again, I’m gonna get mad,” Milena told him.
TJ blinked.
“Seriously, it’s done. You’re sorry you left. I was upset and pissed, but I did what I had to do for my son. Our son. You don’t have to apologize every time something happens that makes you think about what you missed. Okay?”
TJ swallowed hard, but nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Good.”
They watched JT play for another twenty minutes before Milena called out to tell him it was time to go. TJ took the big shoulder bag Milena had insisted they needed to bring with them. It weighed a ton and he’d only caught glimpses of what was inside. Diapers, snacks, two bottles of water, tubes of some sort of cream, an extra set of clothes for JT, and who knew what else. She insisted that if she didn’t bring it with them, something would happen and she’d need it. He didn’t argue, but secretly thought it was crazy.
As they walked toward his black Mustang—her car should be returned sometime tomorrow, she was told—TJ looked around out of habit. His eyes stopped on a man sitting on a wooden bench on the far side of the playground. He hadn’t noticed him earlier.
He was wearing a baseball cap pulled down low over his forehead, so TJ couldn’t see his face clearly. He had a scruffy beard and was tall and lanky.
TJ stopped at his car and stood aside as Milena strapped JT into his car seat.
“Do you think we could stop at the store on the way home?”
TJ turned away from the man and faced Milena. “Of course.”
“Great. I’m out of Cheerios and it’s JT’s favorite snack.”
“No problem. I told you, anything you need, whenever you need it, I’ll make sure you get it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, I need a million dollars, but I’m not going to hold my breath that you’ll deliver anytime soon.”
“Give me fifty years and I’ll make sure you have your money, Doc.” TJ’s voice deepened and he leaned into Milena as he spoke, creating a little cocoon of intimacy between them.
She stared up at him for a second, then cleared her throat and took a step back.
Realizing he was pushing, TJ smiled, then allowed her the space. As he walked around to the driver’s side, he remembered the man. His gaze wandered back to the bench he’d been sitting on, only to find it empty. He looked around the area and saw no sign of the mysterious-looking man.
Vowing to be more observant in the future, TJ opened the car door and climbed inside. Just because the man was wearing a baseball hat didn’t mean he was dangerous. He tried to convince himself of that, but his conscience wasn’t having it.
Making a mental note to contact Cruz as soon as he could to see if there was any update on the whereabouts of the Joneses, TJ started his car and headed for the grocery store with the two people who meant the world to him.
* * *
“You’re sure it was her?” Jeremiah asked.
“Positive,” Jonathan told his dad. “I didn’t see the other woman though.”
Jeremiah waved off his son’s words. “And there was a baby? Was it a girl or boy?”
“A boy. A real brat. He fell off a tiny little ladder and screamed his head off.”
“A boy,” Jeremiah mused. They were currently staying in a fleabag motel on the outskirts of San Antonio. It was a piece of shit, but they took cash and didn’t ask too many questions. They’d tried to call some of the men who had been coming to the school for years for assistance, but they were all either behind bars already, or had hung up when they’d found out who was calling.
It pissed Jeremiah off, but he didn’t need them.
But he decided he did need that little boy.
It would be the perfect revenge. He was just going to kill the bitch and be done with it, but this was even better. He needed to groom someone else to help with his new school when he set it up, and taking the son from the bitch who had brought down his empire would devastate her.
He’d take them both, show her exactly what her son’s future would be, then dispose of her. He didn’t want a woman around. He had no use for women, none whatsoever.
He would take the boy, and he’d allow his son to take the bitch’s
friend. They’d use her to get a couple babies and then get rid of her too.
Jeremiah smiled at his son. “Keep your eye on her. I want to know her schedule. Who she sees. Where she lives, and what time she comes and goes. We’ll figure out the best time to catch her unawares.”
“And get the redhead too, right?” Jonathan asked.
“Yeah. Her too.”
“Do you have a plan?”
Jeremiah’s hand was moving before he’d even thought about it. He smacked his son across the face before the other man had a chance to move. “Seriously? After all this time, you’re questioning me?”
“I’m sorry, Father,” Jonathan said immediately, bowing his head.
“Just because we aren’t at school doesn’t mean the rules have changed,” he told Jonathan, his words low and deadly.
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t forget again. You might be an adult, but I can and will punish you like I did when you were young. Remember that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“To answer your insolent question, of course I have a plan. Don’t I always?”
“Yes, Father.”
“What are you still doing standing here? The next time I see you, you’d better have more information about that bitch and my new son, hear me?”
Jeremiah barely paid any attention to the son he’d fathered when he was just seventeen as Jonathan left the motel room. His own father had brought a young teenage prostitute home and hidden her in their basement. He’d tied her down and made Jeremiah fuck her until she’d gotten pregnant. Then she was kept down there until his father thought the baby could survive outside her womb. He’d cut his grandson, Jonathan, out of her belly without mercy, leaving the woman screaming in pain until she’d fallen silent. Jeremiah still remembered how bad she’d smelled when his dad had forced him to clean up the mess. She’d died from blood loss, but he hadn’t cared.
He’d had a son.
Someone vulnerable to him. Finally.
He’d always been weaker than his dad—and he loved knowing he could do everything to his son that his father had done to him.