Chapter Eight #3
German didn’t stop showing the man who had protected no telling how many clients over the years.
“You’re doing something most people would never do in your situation.
You’re putting your son first. That’s pretty fucking brave, and stressful.
Forgetting a pen is nothing under that kind of strain.
I can’t even imagine how much this is tearing you up inside. ”
Blaze grabbed a pen from a nearby table. “Here.”
German accepted, still looking as if he took this as seriously as it was. He used the closest flat surface, marked through something, and then signed. German passed the paperwork to Blaze. Blaze didn’t hesitate to sign right alongside German.
German handed the paperwork to Dara when Blaze was done. “Here, I marked through the part about you paying child support along with back pay when you get on your feet. You just worry about getting better. I’ve got this.”
Dara accepted the signed pages, but she huffed. “You obviously don’t know how expensive kids are, especially one with special needs. The least I can do is try to find a way to pay you back.”
German softened. He reclaimed his spot on the end of the bed and took Dara’s hand between his.
“Look, sweetheart, I love Ben to pieces. You’re right about me not knowing shit about raising a kid, but trust I have this while you’re gone.
The last thing you need to be worried about right now is money. Okay?”
“Okay.” Dara’s voice sounded small, but she still looked determined.
Blaze couldn’t love German more than right then.
“There’s a notebook in the bag with a ton of info on, like medical stuff and food textures Ben can’t handle.
Stuff like that. Oh, and his tablet is in there, and I couldn’t pack and carry too many clothes, but he should be fine if you—”
German made a motion, cutting her off. “I’ve got this.”
She took a deep breath. “I know.” Dara stood. “I guess I should go before I lose my nerve.”
Blaze shot to his feet. “Would you like me to drive you? I can hold your hand and walk you in, or whatever.”
Dara shook her head and wiped her eyes. “Thank you, but no. Not only do I have to do this on my own, but I don’t plan to go here in Boston. There’s a place in Pennsylvania that’s supposed to be the best. I think I’ll do that.”
Blaze wished he wasn’t so worried, but drugs made people turn into someone else. He didn’t know if she’d lose her will before then. “That’s a long drive.”
A smile exploded across Dara’s face. “Yeah, but it’s even farther for Mom.”
Blaze chuckled. Their mom was amazing, but she could also be overwhelming.
For whatever reason, she had always been twice as hard on Dara.
Blaze pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
“I love you.” He squeezed harder when everything really hit him at once.
This had been his best friend at one point in his life.
The entire situation murdered him. He swallowed.
“I love you,” he repeated. “Like German said, we’ve got this.
” Blaze’s throat swelled. It could be heard when he spoke. “He’s going to be so proud of you.”
Dara drew a breath and cried at the same time, making a sound that had to hurt.
Blaze took a step back. He needed to let her go. “You’ve got this.”
German took his place and gave Dara a quick hug. “You know where to find us when you kick this thing in the ass.”
She chuckled, but her voice dropped to a whisper. “Thank you so much for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
German dipped his chin. “I’m not doing anything. Ben is coming to stay with his fun uncles for a little while. We’ll try not to ruin him too much.”
Dara laughed again. She looked calmer at German’s words. Dara took one last longing look at Ben before giving a sharp nod. She squared her shoulders and headed for the door. It was so hard to watch, but he was so proud of her. Sometimes, the first step was the hardest.
The moment they were alone again, German looked his way. They held each other’s stare. A thousand conversations passed between them without a word. They turned out the lights again and climbed into opposite sides of the bed. On their sides, they held each other’s gaze over Ben’s head.
German broke first. “I guess you got your reason for me to stay.”
Damn. That stung.
Luckily, German didn’t stop there and totally break him. “But I’d still love to marry you and seal the deal.”
Relief poured through him, followed quickly by elation. A huge grin tugged at his mouth, making his cheeks hurt. He totally forgot about German not telling him that he had accepted a job in Washington. That didn’t matter now. “You’ve got it.”
A look passed over German’s features, and he rolled from the bed.
“Hold on a sec.” He grabbed his phone. In the silence, Blaze could hear the phone ringing and a man’s voice answer.
“Hey, Steel. I’m sorry to do this to you after saying I’d take the Washington job, but I have to resign.
Something just came up and I won’t be able to work for a while.
” He nodded and listened before speaking again.
“I’ve taken emergency custody of my nephew. ”
His nephew. God, they really were doing this. He would make German the happiest man on the planet. German would see. Blaze was the most driven person he knew. He never failed at anything that mattered to him, and German was everything.