Chapter 17 Rock
ROCK
“Come get me, Rock!”
“One last time,” I said. “Then we need to get ready for bed.”
“Awww, can I stay up later?” he asked.
“Nope. Bedtime’s at eight. But tomorrow, we might be going to the park together,” I said.
“Can we swing!? Will you swing with me!?”
“Of course, I will, buddy,” I said as he barreled into my arms. “Whatever you want.”
I picked Gavin up and put him on my shoulders, then we traipsed around the backyard like a massive dinosaur.
It had become his favorite game with me, and I adored it.
He held his arms out and made growling sounds while I stalked around on my long legs and held onto his.
We walked around the backyard and the front yard.
Up and down the block. People sitting on their porches waved at us and giggled at the sight of Gavin roaring at them.
I felt whole. Complete, with my son on my shoulders.
I ducked us into the house before he slid off my body, dropping into my arms in a fit of giggles.
“All right. Time for bed,” I said. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
I ran him a bath and sat in the doorway while he cleaned himself down.
I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to help, but he looked as if he knew what he was doing.
He asked for a washcloth and his soap. He scrubbed himself down and even tried washing his own hair.
I grinned from the doorway as I leaned my head back, resting it on the wood and taking in the moment.
My first bath with my son.
“Can you read me a story?” Gavin asked.
“I can make you up a story. How about that?” I asked.
“My own story? That’s awesome. Do that. Mommy doesn’t do that.”
“Because Mommy has to deal with everything else that comes with you. So, I’ll do the story,” I said.
I watched Gavin hunker down as I ran my fingers through his wet hair.
“Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away--”
“A forest?” Gavin asked.
“Are you going to listen or not?” I asked.
“Sorry.”
“Yes, in a forest. Off in this forest there was a massive castle. With wooden walls and large steps and a moat.”
“Moats are awesome. Can I have a moat?” he asked.
“One day you can have anything you want,” I said.
“And this moat guarded the wooden castle in the middle of the forest. For years and years, the bridge never came down. Those who were lucky enough to find the wooden castle never knew how to get in. They tried climbing the walls and swimming up to the entrance. But nothing ever worked.”
“Why not?” Gavin asked.
“Because inside was a very angry prince.”
“Isn’t it supposed to be a princess?” he asked.
“Nope. In this story, it’s a prince. And the prince was angry. And lonely. And hurt. He never let the bridge down for anyone, and he cursed whoever tried to climb his walls or swim his moat.”
“Why was he angry?”
“Because the prince had lost a lot in his life. His family. His friends. He didn’t have anyone to hang out with. To talk with. So, his anger grew and his loneliness grew and the hurt got worse. Until one day, a woman started yelling.”
“Is it the princess?” he asked.
“It was. She was a beautiful princess with a booming voice and a very stubborn attitude. She yelled and yelled until the prince came to the window, then she told him to let down the bridge because she needed a place to stay.”
“What did the prince say!?”
“He told her ‘no’. He didn’t have anywhere for her to stay, so she needed to leave. But the princess kept yelling and annoying him so much he finally let his drawbridge down so she could come into the castle.”
“What happened when she got inside?”
“She made herself at home. Picked out a room. Cooked her own meals. Talked with the prince whenever they crossed paths. And little by little, the prince began to like having her around. He liked having someone else roaming the halls of the castle. He liked having someone to eat with. He liked having someone to talk to, even though they mostly fought.”
“That sounds like Mommy,” he said with a giggle.
I grinned down into his gray eyes as he pulled the covers up to his chin. If he only knew the story I was telling him.
“The prince and the princess spent weeks around one another. And soon, the two of them warmed up to each other. They went on adventures and spent nights together, and the prince found himself falling in love. For the first time in his life, the prince experienced something other than anger and loneliness.”
“Did the princess love him too?” Gavin asked.
“The prince wasn’t sure. Once the princess had gained her strength for her journey, she left.”
“What!? This is a dumb story.”
“She left, and the prince became even angrier. Even lonelier. Even more hurt. Until one day, several years later, the prince decided to strike out on his own. To rid himself of the wooden walls and the musty forest and venture out into the world. And when he got tired of traveling and needed a place to rest, he knocked on the first door he came to. And guess who was behind that door?”
“The princess!” he exclaimed.
“That’s right,” I said with a smile. “He had found the princess’s house without even knowing it. She welcomed him in, they caught up on their time lost, and she offered him a room to stay for the night.”
“Do they fall in love and live happily ever after?” he asked.
I smoothed my hand over his forehead before answering with the only ending I felt the story warranted.
“The happiest of ever afters,” I said.
“That wasn’t such a dumb story.”
“I’m glad you liked it. But it’s time to go to sleep.”
“Will you tell me it again tomorrow night?”
I drew in a deep breath as my eyes danced between his.
“I might not be here for it, but have your Momma call me. I’ll tell it to you over the phone. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said.
I bent down and kissed his forehead as my heart filled with love.
The day I spent with him had been one of the best days of my life.
I was beginning to realize how fun it was having a kid around.
How great it was to play with them and laugh with them and experience the world through their eyes.
I tucked him in tightly before I walked out of his room, then I shut the light off and closed his door.
My eyes flickered over to Piper’s closed bedroom door and I debated going in and snuggling next to her. But I decided against it. She would be getting up shortly.
My phone rang as I walked down the stairs, so I pulled it from my pocket. I saw Brewer was calling and my heart seized, worried that something might have happened. Things had been quiet on the home front lately, which meant a storm was brewing somewhere off in the distance.
“Yep?” I asked. “What’s up?”
“Wanted to let you know I got in touch with Diesel. We’re talking with him Monday,” Brewer said.
“Sounds good to me. I’ll be there. Just make it in the afternoon or something, in case something pops up on my end.”
“I take it the talk with Piper went well?” he asked.
“Things are going okay for now. We’ll see what happens in a week when I fuck up for the first time.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Kids are a constant learning curve. I’m learning that with Ana.”
“How are your women doing, by the way?”
“Makenna’s finally stopped worrying so much. Especially since I’m now off that damn pain medication. Ana’s still upset we can’t play like we used to, but it’s getting there. I’ve got her into the habit of settling down with me and watching a movie every night,” he said.
“Sounds like a good tradition.”
“How’s it going with Gavin?
“He’s good,” I said as I sat down onto the couch. “We played and ran around out back. I got him some dinner and helped him get ready for bed. I just got done telling him a bedtime story.”
“Daddy Rock. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“You and me fucking both.”
“How’s it feel?”
“Still foreign, but I’m having a fucking blast.”
“That’s good. That’s a good thing, Rock.”
“All I have to do is keep this shitstorm away from them and it’ll be okay,” I said.
“Don’t worry. Diesel will help you with that. You know, once you tell him. Because I sure as hell am not spilling that story to him.”
“I’ll be there to talk Monday,” I said. “But right now? I need to fucking sleep.”
“Yep. Sounds like a dad. I’ll see you then.”
I hung up the phone and set an alarm for the next morning, then dozed off on the couch.
I woke up to the sound of footsteps upstairs.
I heard Piper humming to herself as it drifted through the ceiling, so I rolled over and kicked my feet up onto the couch to fall back asleep.
After one solid day with Gavin, I was ready to sleep for a fucking week.
And the idea that she had done this shit alone, from pregnancy to five years old, without so much as a fucking inkling of help had me stunned.
I knew Piper was strong, but I had no idea how strong.
It took a rock-solid human being to do what she was doing on a regular basis, and it only served to light a fire under my ass to help her in any way I could.
She’d been doing this shit alone for too long. And it was time she had a break.
My eyes didn’t fall back open until a little after eight in the morning.
I heard Gavin bounding down the stairs before he wrapped around the couch and squealed.
He threw himself onto me and I smiled, wrapping him up into my arms and rolling over onto my back.
He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me close, resting his tangled web of hair into the crook of my neck.
“Morning, Rock,” he said sleepily.
“Morning, buddy. Momma get in yet?” I asked.
“No. I think she’s still at work.”
“Then it looks like you and I are going to the park.”
“Yay! Can we go now?” he asked.
“Let’s get you some breakfast and get some clothes on, then yes. We’ll head to the park.”
I sent Gavin upstairs to get some clothes on before I peeked my head into the garage. There was a car sitting there, but it didn’t look like the car Piper drove. I turned on the light and took in the sight of the rust bucket sitting there taking up space.
If I could find the keys, it meant I wouldn't have to hotwire the damn thing to get Gavin to the park. Because I didn't have anything other than my damn bike.
I poured Gavin the cereal he pointed out for me before pouring a bowl myself.
I wasn’t a cooker. Never had been. But he seemed to be okay with the sugary cereal and the milk that came as a byproduct.
He looked over at me and smiled with that milk mustache of his, then promptly asked for another bowl.
So, it gave me an excuse to have another one myself.
After searching for a few minutes, I found a spare set of car keys I assumed went to the vehicle in the garage.
I hoisted Gavin into the car seat in back and he buckled himself in.
I opened the garage door and moved my bike out of the way, parking it in the garage so no one driving by would see it.
I knew taking him to the park and being out in the open like that was a risk, so I left my leather cut hanging over my chair at the kitchen table.
The less I could advertise my association with the guys, the less trouble Gavin would be in by being seen with me.
I went back inside and grabbed my phone, checking to see if I had any messages from Piper. But the only one I had was ‘emergency at work. Park?’
So, I typed her a message back before snapping a picture of a smiling Gavin in the backseat of the rusted-up car.
I was taking my son to the park for the very first time in his life.
Which meant I’d get to treat him to lunch before our time was up.