Chapter 22
DALTON
“I want to go to the beach.” Toby tugs on my shirt and looks at me with big brown eyes. “Please, Daddy, can we go to the beach?”
I stare at him with a wry smile and run my fingers through his hair. “Hey, maybe later on, but I’m just doing some work right now.”
“But I want to build a sandcastle, and I want to go in the water. You promised last night, and Miss Sage told me that she would help me make a fort.”
“She did what?” I ask him, curious that he’s brought up Sage’s name.
Ever since she babysat him, he’s mentioned her every day.
“Miss Sage says she likes to go to the beach, and she would take me, and when she takes me, she’s going to get me ice cream.”
“Yeah, well, Miss Sage is actually on a date today,” I say, though I’m not sure if I should be giving him that information. He’s still young, and I don’t even know if he really understands what date means.
“What’s that, Daddy?”
I don’t have the answer, and I shake my head. “She’s gone to the beach with someone else today.”
“Let’s go and surprise her and say hello.”
“I don’t think she’d be happy with me if I surprised her right now,” I say, laughing. Now, that is an understatement.
After the first couple of dates, I can see how it would look like I was deliberately trying to sabotage her love life, and I’m really not.
If Sage and I are to be, then it will happen.
But the fact of the matter is, I like her, and I do want more, but I can’t give her what she really wants, and so I am going to let it go.
“Daddy, I want to go to the beach, please.”
“Toby, what about you give me thirty minutes? And then I’ll go and get my boogie board,” I say.
“And can we take sandwiches, and can we call Miss Sage and see if she wants to meet us?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think she’ll be free today, but next time I go to work, I’ll ask her, okay?”
“Okay, thank you. You’re the best daddy ever.”
Toby steps up and gives me a quick hug around the leg, and I look at him in amazement.
“Thanks, Toby.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, and then he runs off to his room.
I am in complete shock. That’s the first time Toby has ever said something like that to me, and it really means something and actually helps to remind me that I am on the right path, that maybe I can atone for my sins one day.
I pick up the phone and call Brett.
“Hey. How’s it going?” he asks.
“I just wanted to know if you had any updates on Toby’s mom or on Sage’s dad.”
“Actually, I’ve got some leads, but nothing concrete yet,” Brett says. “It’s weird, you know? Some people are easy to find, like they want to be found. Then there are people who aren’t easy to find, and sometimes, I wonder if those people should just be left where they are.”
“You don’t have a good feeling, huh?”
“Do you, Dalton?” he asks me matter-of-factly.
I don’t say anything because the truth is, I don’t—not about Toby’s mom and not about Sage’s dad—but I hope I’m mistaken.
“So, I actually have to go,” Brett says. “I have a meeting in about thirty minutes with someone you used to know who might have a lead on Sage’s dad, actually.”
“Oh?” I question.
“Yeah, one of Jimmy the Fish’s friends, Mikey. Do you remember him?”
“Vaguely. He is old school. He would’ve worked with my dad.”
“Yeah, well, turns out Mikey, Jimmy the Fish, and this third guy used to hang out quite a bit and go down to New York. And well, it turns out, this third guy used to be a bit of a ladies’ man, so I’m trying to get some information from this guy, Mikey.”
“You didn’t want to ask Jimmy the Fish?”
“Not yet,” Brett says.
I don’t question why not because Brett knows what he’s doing far better than I do.
“I’m ready, Daddy.”
Toby comes running, and I hold my hand up.
“Hey, Brett, sorry about that. That was Toby. We’re about to head to the beach.”
“Oh, no worries. By the way, how is Sage doing?”
“Great. I think she’s doing great. Thanks for asking.”
“And her sister—what was her name again?”
I pause because I know Brett well enough to know he hasn’t forgotten Rosie’s name, but I decide to play with him.
“Whose sister? Sage’s sister?”
“Yeah. Shoot, what’s her name? Was it Becky or Sarah or Daisy or something?”
“Rosie,” I say.
“Oh, yeah. I don’t know how I forgot.”
“I don’t know how you forgot either, Brett.”
I start laughing, and he grunts.
“Well, how is she?”
“Yeah, she’s doing great. I think I told you all of them are on that dating app, and I think she’s got a date coming up soon.”
“Huh,” he says. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. So, hopefully, she meets someone who will be cool for her.”
“I don’t know if that would be the word I would use, but it’s none of my business.”
“Yeah. Well, I’ll speak to you later, okay, Brett?”
“Okay.”
We hang up, and I give Toby a grin.
“You know, young man, relationships can be very difficult.”
“What’s a relationship, Daddy?”
I smile. “You’ll know when you hit sixteen.”
“I can’t wait till I’m sixteen. I hope I’m just like you.”
“I hope you’re a better version of me, Toby. Come on. Let’s go.”
We walk down to the beach, and he runs ahead of me, giggling and laughing as he waves his hands in the air.
He stops suddenly and runs back to me. “Daddy, Daddy, guess what!”
“What?”
“Miss Sage, she’s over there with a man.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Should I go and say hi?”
“Oh, I don’t think so, Toby. She’s—”
“I’m going to go. I’m going to go.” And with that, he goes running. “Sage! Miss Sage!”
I hurry behind him because I know what it’s going to look like.
It’s going to look like I put him up to it.
I can’t see where he’s running, and then I see her sitting on a lounge chair next to Parker, who’s wearing a pair of board shorts, a cap, and glasses.
She’s taken by surprise when Toby goes running into her arms.
“There you are, Mommy. Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,” he shouts, and my heart sinks.
Sage looks up in surprise and looks over at me. There’s a glint in her eyes.
I shake my head and mouth, Sorry. I can’t believe this is happening.
“Toby, what are you doing?” I stare at him.
“What? Miss Sage is so pretty. She’s like a mommy.” He beams at me. “Isn’t she, Daddy?”
“I’m so sorry, Sage. I swear I did not tell him to do this.”
“I’m going to start thinking you’re sabotaging my dates, Mr. Leone.”
She gives me a look, and I hold my hand up.
“Scout’s honor, I would never do such a thing.”
“Not this one at least,” I murmur under my breath.
She tilts her head to the side and gives Toby a quick hug. “Well, it’s good to see you, Toby.”
She holds him gently like she thinks he might break, and he hugs her tightly. Her face lights up with happiness, and I can see she is touched.
“It’s good to see you too. I told Daddy I wanted to come to the beach and that you told me you’d buy me ice cream, and he said that you had a date.” He presses his lips together and looks over at the man. “Who are you?”
Parker pulls his sunglasses off. There’s a hardness in his eyes, and I can tell he’s not impressed. “I’m Parker. I’m on a date with Sage here. And you are?”
“I’m Toby,” he says.
Parker looks at Toby, then at me, and then looks at Sage. “Is there something going on here that I should know?”
“No. Dalton is just my boss, and he’s my friend, and sometimes I babysit Toby.”
“I’m her favorite,” Toby says as he gets onto her lap. “Aren’t I?”
She strokes his head and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re a cutie pie, Toby.”
“You know what? Let’s get a drink,” Parker says, jumping up. “You want one, Dalton?”
“I am—”
“I think you’d like to get one with me,” he says.
“Okay.”
We walk over to the concession stand in silence. When we get close, he finally speaks. “I don’t know what your problem is. I don’t know if you wish you had a shot with Sage, but she’s mine now, so you need to back off. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s not funny.”
“I am not playing any game,” I say, but I realize this man is definitely not as cool, calm, and collected as he seemed.
He’s playing a part, and he’s definitely not someone I trust to be around Sage.
“I look after Sage. She’s very important to me.
” I stare at him. “I won’t let anything happen to her. ”
“And neither will I,” he says. “She’s exactly the sort of woman I want on my arm, you know?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, I’m just saying that she and I are getting to know each other, and this could potentially be something very special between us, so I’m going to speak to you man to man and tell you and your son to back off.”
“I’ll be watching you, Parker.” I smile, but there’s no mistaking the venom in my tone.
“Keep watching.” He tilts his head up, as if in challenge. “This one’s mine, Leone. Stick with who you know. Little boys shouldn’t get involved in big men’s games.”
“And wannabe soldiers shouldn’t go to war with veterans,” I hiss back, all the while waving at Toby and Sage. “Only one of us will survive this, Parker, and it sure as hell won’t be you.”
“I’ll remember you said that when she’s screaming in my bed tonight.” He pushes his sunglasses back up his nose and turns around. “Sage will be mine.”
I don’t trust him, and the last thing I’m going to do is back off.
I look over toward Sage and Toby, and I can see he’s looking up at her with big, wide eyes. My heart sinks because, at this moment, I realize something. I’m falling for Sage, but it’s not only that; so is Toby, and that’s a much more dangerous thing to worry about.
I’m not going to let Parker worm his way into her heart, but I have to make sure to protect Toby just as much as I protect Sage. Even if it means breaking my own heart.