Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Jude didn’t know what he was expecting when he’d spoken with a five-year-old on the phone, but it definitely wasn’t the thin little boy wearing jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, squatting at the base of a tree and sticking pine needles and rocks into a mound of dirty snow.
“He’s not wearing a coat.” Finlay was already on the move. When she reached him, she crouched, using her fingers to get the boy’s unruly curls out of his eyes. “Hey, Cody.” He neither answered nor looked at her, but she persisted. “What’re you making?” Her breath came out in white puffs.
“A fort.”
“Are these windows?” She touched some of the rocks.
“No. They’re guards.”
A visceral memory hit of being outside in the cold, just like this kid. That feeling of being exposed and vulnerable rocked him to his core. Because at least he’d had Marco. This boy didn’t seem to have anyone.
“Oh, that’s really cool,” Finlay said. “I bet the people inside feel really safe. Hey, guess who’s here to see you?”
The boy’s gaze flicked up.
Several emotions ran wild inside him. First, the boy’s uncanny resemblance to Marco threw him back to his own childhood when his friend was a scrappy, skinny kid who wouldn’t back down from a threat.
But also, with the same wild black curls and dimples on either side of his mouth as his dad, the boy reminded him of the quieter moments with his friend when they’d hike or build forts away from the chaos of the club.
But man, it was like looking right into Marco’s hazel eyes.
Until this moment, Jude had understood intellectually what Carlo was asking of him. But right then, he got it on a much deeper level.
Because this is Marco’s son.
And he’s out here alone in twenty-degree weather with no supervision. Did he even have food in his belly?
If something happened to Carlo, this boy would grow up in the club. He wouldn’t have a traditional education, celebrate holidays, or know the kind of love only a parent could give a child.
Cody would live by his desires and not his obligations. Like Marco, he might never realize his potential or become the man he was born to be.
“Cody,” Finlay said. “This is Jude.”
“You came.” The boy’s eyes widened with awe.
“Of course. I said I would.”
“Are you really going to get me a bike?” Cody asked.
“Yes.”
“Can we go right now?” The boy scrambled to his feet. His hands were red from the cold. His clothes were filthy and damp. “Please?”
Jude knew what he had to do. “Yeah. You’re coming with me.” He had no other choice. “Come on.”
Finlay picked up the boy. “We need to get him washed up and into dry clothes. Which do you want to do?”
“I’ll find something for him to wear.”
After they entered the kitchen, Finlay went straight to the sink while Jude headed into the mudroom to pick out a kid-sized coat, hat, and gloves. Next, he had to get jeans and a shirt from Carlo.
Turning back to tell Finlay where he was going, he saw she’d propped Cody on the counter to wipe his hands and face with a dish towel. The intimacy between them was like mother and son. There was so much trust in the boy’s eyes as he turned his palms up and tilted his chin to let her clean him.
An image of her in a home, a kitchen, the smell of chicken roasting, two kids on the floor, playing with toy cars, blew through him. It was so vivid, so…good…that he immediately shut it down.
What the fuck was that?
Jude had zero interest in a family. A mortgage. A dog shitting in the yard.
Imagine me selling insurance and mowing the lawn.
Yeah, right.
He strode over to her. “Come on.” He lifted Cody off the counter. “We need to talk to your grandpa.”
The boy went stiff, and he clung to Finlay’s T-shirt. “Can Miss O’Neill come, too?”
“Absolutely.” Before Finlay could even reach for the boy, he flung himself into her arms. “Oh. Okay. I got you.” She ran a soothing hand down the back of his head. “It’s all right.”
“Will you come with me to get a bike?” Cody asked her.
“You don’t have to do that,” Jude said quietly. He couldn’t involve Finlay in this situation. She had enough of her own shit to deal with. “He’ll get used to me. We’ll be fine.” He reached for the boy.
But that only made him more anxious. “Please, Miss O’Neill?”
Finlay’s gaze dropped to the floor for just a moment as she grew contemplative. She drew in a breath. “Sure. That sounds like fun.” She shot Jude a rueful smile. “Better than dealing with my own life, right?”
He didn’t think it would work without her. “Maybe if you come with us to get the bike, it’ll give him time to get used to me. After that, I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
“Deal.”
They headed back to Carlo’s room. As he knocked on the door, he turned to her. “Can you give me a minute to talk to him alone?”
“Of course.”
“Then bring Cody in so he can say goodbye.”
She eyed him curiously, but as soon as Jude heard, “Come in,” he entered the room, leaving her and the boy in the hallway.
He stood before the older man. “What exactly do you need from me?”
Relief softened the man’s features. “Take care of him while I’m away.”
“I just take him home with me? That’s it?”
“I think that’s best. I can’t look after him right now. Will you stay here, though?”
“I can stay in town, but you don’t expect me to move into the club, do you?”
“Trust me, if I could live independently, I sure wouldn’t be raising Cody in a bike club,” Carlo said. “But what can I do? I can barely walk to the bathroom.”
“You don’t mind if I take him to my dad’s? We can give him a nice Christmas.” The idea of his dad, brothers, and Ava helping made the prospect of looking after a kid much more doable. He could hire a sitter or a nanny. Cody might get a kick out of doing Snowfest with them.
“That’s good.” Carlo smiled. “That’s real good. I’ve already written up a schedule, though I didn’t think anyone here would keep it. It’s just preschool, but it means a lot to him.” His gaze cut away. “The guys here don’t always take him.”
“Is this legal? I feel like people would call the cops if they saw me with a kid.”
“I’ve been looking into this,” Carlo said.
“Got a lawyer who’s gonna file a petition for emergency temporary guardianship.
It’ll last ninety days, but like I said, I should be back in six weeks.
The judge’ll likely set the hearing for Monday morning.
Now, I can’t be there in person, but I’ll write up my reasons for wanting you. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“All right, then. You’ve got my number, so let me know if you need anything. And feel free to call him any time you want. I’m sure he’ll want to know you’re okay.”
“I’ll do that.” He clutched the arms of his chair, his fingers turning white from the effort.
Jude wanted to tell him to stay seated, but he could see the concentration, the determination, so he kept his mouth shut.
By the time Carlo rose, perspiration gleamed on his skin.
He reached out a hand. “Thank you, Jude. This gives me real peace of mind.”
The gravity of the situation sank like a stone in his stomach. This commitment, along with its longer-term implications, made him want to cut and run. Wash his hands of the whole thing.
Not because he didn’t care about Marco, Carlo, or the boy, but because it was a big fucking deal to be responsible for a little boy. How could he be slinging drinks one day, and the next, agreeing to take on the role of guardian for a kid he’d never met before?
Yet, at the same time, he knew he was making the right—no, the only—choice he could live with. “You’re welcome.”
The door creaked open, and Finlay came in, the boy still clinging to her.
Sensing the man didn’t want his grandson to see him in pain, Jude helped Carlo back to his chair.
The grandfather patted his leg. “Come here.”
The boy wriggled free, and Finlay set him down. He approached his grandpa. “Mister’s gonna get me a bike so I can go to school.”
“That’s right.” The tenderness in Carlo’s eyes, the way that gnarled hand cupped the back of the little boy’s head, made Jude’s chest ache. “Now, you know I’ve been sick, right?”
The boy nodded, so sincere, so trusting.
“And, thanks to Jude, I get to see a doctor who’ll make me better. You’re going to stay with him for a few weeks, and Jude’s going to take you to school every day. Sound good?”
The boy swiveled around and looked at Jude, hesitant and a little fearful.
While Jude stood there like a tree trunk, unsure what to do, Finlay said, “Did you know that Jude was your dad’s best friend? They knew each other from the time they were little boys. There’s no one else your dad would’ve chosen to take care of you but him.”
Jude felt pretty stupid. He should’ve been the one to say that. Should’ve gotten down on a knee and talked to the boy at eye level.
But he’d learn. He’d have to.
“Do I still get the bike?” Cody asked.
Carlo laughed. “Yeah. You still get it.”
“You’ll be with Jude for Christmas,” Finlay said. “He’s got a big family, so that’ll be a lot of fun.”
“There’s a backpack over there.” Carlo pointed at the corner. “And his things are in the top drawer of that dresser.”
“All right. Let’s get you packed for a fun adventure.” She reached for Cody’s hand. “Come help me so I don’t forget the important stuff.”
“Will you be there too?” Cody asked. “With me and Mister?”
“I can hang out with you sometimes, sure,” Finlay said. “I’d like that.”
As the two set off, Jude pulled out his phone. “Let me text my dad. He can pick us up.”
“No need. Take my car.” Carlo tipped his chin at the top of the dresser. “I won’t be driving for a while.”
Jude picked up the car keys and jingled them. “Anything else of yours you want me to take?”
“Eh. You can’t bring anything with you when you go. Besides, the car’s got his booster seat in it.”
“You’re not going anywhere, old man. At least, no farther than Idaho Falls. Just focus on getting better, and I’ll see you in six weeks.” He headed out.