Chapter 2
Lennox
Checking my phone, I wait a few seconds to make sure a text message isn’t just slow to load. My internet service isn’t great out here. It looks like all of my messages sent just fine though.
I stare out the passenger window. So much has changed. I never thought I’d come back to this hole-in-the-wall.
Ding. My heart races. A text message. Nervousness, betrayal, hope. A nauseating mix of emotions slams around inside of me.
I let my eyes drift to the screen.
Never mind. It’s from the moving company. I grumble.
“Is that him?” Blake asks, keeping his focus on the road.
“Movers are delayed an hour.”
“An hour’s not bad. Still no word from Henry?” Blake’s trying to be supportive of my effort to connect with my newfound son who hasn’t responded to my last five messages.
Not a real surprise since the response prior to that was “fuck off”.
Admitting that I’m being shut out makes it worse. “Nothing. Would you mind if I take the truck while you wait on the movers?”
“The rental’s only a few blocks from town. I’ll go with you, we can walk and stretch our legs.”
“I’m not headed to town.” I hesitate, but there’s no hiding my struggle from Blake. We’ve come up through the ranks together from being beat cops to detectives. “I’m going to Henry’s.”
“Maybe don’t do that the very first day we get to town.”
Blake’s caution catches me off guard. I’m usually the one holding back.
“He’s my son. I just want to meet him.”
“It’s a small town, maybe give it a minute, you might find out what his mom told him about you.”
The helplessness of not knowing what my baby mama told people infuriates me. “Would have been nice if she’d told me something about him.”
But since she died in a car wreck five years ago, all I’ll ever know is Henry’s interpretation of what he remembers her saying.
“Look Lennox, I don’t fault you for wanting to meet your son, but we’re here for work. We need the people in town to trust us.”
“What better cover than meeting my son?”
“Don’t fuck this up. Chief would be livid if he knew you took this job because you have an ulterior motive. Besides, you can’t tell your kid you’re an undercover cop. You’ll have to lie to him right out of the gate.”
“It’s not the ideal way to start a relationship. I get it.” I turn the radio up and stare at the mountains as we roll into Whispering Pines.
Blake pulls into the driveway of the small furnished two-bedroom rental, and we do a walkthrough. The tiny bathroom with a vanity that’s mostly sink makes me wish we’d gone for something bigger. I didn’t want to stretch the budget though.
“Alright.” I hold out my hand. “Give me the keys.”
“How are you going to explain where you got his phone number and address?”
“Online directory.” I shrug off the easy answer and take the keys Blake hadn’t let go of.
I put Henry’s address into the GPS then ignore the directions and just drive. Is Blake right? Should I wait?
There’s no way he can understand how badly I need to set this straight. I have to let my son know that I would have been there for him if I’d known.
Finally turning onto Henry’s street, I breathe heavier as the house numbers climb toward his.
He’s standing in the doorway. There’s no doubt he’s my son. When I was his age, I looked just like him. Now, with my beard and fifty more pounds, we’re not going to be mistaken for family as easily.
But more interesting, is the fiery little thing on his porch.
His car must be the one in the driveway and hers presumably the one in the street. I have to pull forward to the next house to park. As I do, I notice a female in the car parked on the street. The fiery one’s friend?
Are they picking Henry up to go somewhere?
Are they dating or just friends? If he has any brains, he’d be dating her. I’d date her. That’s a wildly inappropriate thought. I’m probably old enough to be her dad—a great reminder that I’m here to meet my son.
I’m out of my truck, striding down the sidewalk when their conversation hits my ears.
Her voice is raised defensively. “You’re not even making sense.They can’t both be true.”
He’s defeated. “And yet, all you want to do is have fun. Even that’s not so fun after a while, Ceci.”
She takes a step back, her mouth dropping open but words failing to come out at first. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
It seems like I should default to taking my son’s side, but the desire to have fun with Ceci hits below the belt.
If Blake was here, he’d undoubtedly tell me to mind my own business—this is not the optimal point for starting my relationship with my son. No one wants to be seen getting ripped a new one.
“What the fuck are you lookin’ at, old man?” My son shouts at me.
There’s another thing we had in common at that age, hotheadedness.
I pause, studying the pair.
Ceci doesn’t bother to look my way or allow me time to answer, just lays into my son. “You should have been a fucking man and ended the relationship if you were done.”
My chest tightens. My fists ball. Did he cheat on her? What a goddamn idiot.
I relax my fists. This woman doesn’t need me to come to her defense no matter how badly I want to. And perhaps the only way to make this situation worse would be to actually punch my son.
He tries to get a word in. “Seemed like—”
She doesn’t care. “I’d have been happy to move on. In fact, that’s what I’m doing. Trena and I are leaving you and this shithole of a town.”
“Then why are you still standing here?” Henry turns to me. “Same goes for you. Unless you’re a cop and can arrest her for trespassing, get the fuck out of here.”
Interesting, but as Blake reminded me, I can’t tell Henry. Also interesting… I’d love nothing more than to cuff his apparently ex-girlfriend and fuck her. Gotta let that thought go for a lot of reasons.
She turns as if going to her car, but our eyes meet. She freezes.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
The tension held in her expression softens. Her eyes switch from shooting daggers to something much more welcoming. Can she tell what I’m thinking? Is she thinking it too? We’d be so—
No! I will not hit on my son’s ex minutes after their breakup. Correction, I will not hit on my son’s ex ever.
“Arrest her or get out of her way.” Henry pulls me from the trance.
Doing a quick assessment of the situation, I curse myself for getting lost in the ridiculous fantasy.
I’m standing between her and her car. The niceness in her eyes… she’s just trying to get me to move. Wow, how did I let myself think that a sparky, gorgeous woman half my age would be interested in me?
And why can’t I stop feeling like I need to make her mine?
“Move, old man.” Henry says, getting on my nerves.
She’s got me all messed up. I step backward, giving her a clear line to her car. Not like she couldn’t have gone around.
She looks at me curiously as she passes. I’m not sure what she sees, but she lowers her gaze, pokes me in the belly, and says, “Way to rock that dad bod.”
I can’t breathe. I’m consumed by a citrusy scent. It takes me a second to figure out it’s hers.
She and her friend, who I hadn’t noticed had gotten out of the car, get in and speed away, leaving me with my son.
Henry’s heading back into the house. It’s not going to get any less awkward. “Henry, wait a second.”
He whips around. “Do I know you?”
“I wish you did.” I wait as recognition dawns on him. Probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t texted him earlier today asking to meet up.
“Are you that creeper who’s been texting, saying you’re my dad?”
“I am your dad. I wasn’t sure how else to connect with you.”
“Why now?”
I spelled this out in a text, but I’ll start from the top. “I just found out about you.”
“You mean, you just found out about my mom’s life insurance policy?”
“I read about the car wreck. I’m truly sorry she died.”
“You can let the charade go. All of the life insurance money is gone.”
“Surely you can see the resemblance.” I motion between the two of us. I may be mad at his mom for a lot of things, but at least she had life insurance to take care of him after her death.
He puffs his chest, stands a little taller. Smirks. “Let it go, man. Even if you were my dad, I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“Okay, fair enough. Let me show you a picture from when I was your age.”
“Today’s not the day.”
“Can we set up a time to talk? Neutral ground… I saw a diner in town.”
He huffs. “I’ll text you.”
His tone betrays his words.