Chapter Seventeen
It had taken everything in Paxton not to jump up and say a few choice words about Sandra’s ex. This explained so much. Why David didn’t seem to have any age appropriate skills that most boys learn from their dads, why the child never showed signs of missing his dad or wanting to see the man, and why Sandra Lynn too often seemed downright beaten down. Once or twice as she spoke, he’d wanted desperately to ask if the drunk had ever laid a hand on her but decided not to. He truly hoped not, or his brothers might have to strap him down to stop him from seeking the jerk out and tearing him to shreds, limb by limb.
“This was a nice idea.” Still swinging, Sandra stared out at the gazebo in the middle of the park. “The town did a nice job with this park. It has something for both kids and adults alike.”
That he could easily agree with. “They have summer picnics with bands playing in the gazebo. I’ve only been to a couple, but it’s a ton of fun.”
“I can see that.”
“They have face painters, and those clowns who make balloon poodles. The kids love it. I bet David would have a blast.”
“I think you’re right. He laughs a lot more now. I like that.”
“I’m sorry.” It was all Paxton could think to say.
“I was stupid to expect Ed to change.”
He shook his head. “Not stupid, hopeful. After all, you did love the man once.”
“Maybe. I think I was in love with the dream he promised, not so much the man. Though at the time, I didn’t realize it.”
“Dreams are hard to let go of.”
“I suppose, but for the first time in a long time, it looks as though most of mine will come true. A sweet son, a house with a big yard for him and a dog.”
“You want a dog?”
She nodded. “Definitely. Every little boy needs a dog.”
His mind turned over to Gray at the ranch. A good dog like that would be perfect. He’d have to check around if any of Gray’s offspring was having puppies.
“Speaking of which.” Sandra glanced down at her watch. “It’s getting late. Mom is probably getting David ready for bed, but I still should go home to at least kiss him goodnight.”
“Of course.” Without hesitation, he pushed to his feet. Not till he stood did he realize he had not for a single moment let go of Sandra’s hand. He loved the feel of her delicate hand in his, but more so, loved that she had not once tried to pull away from him. Not till they’d reached his truck by the café did he release his hold on her. Closing the passenger door, he quickly circled the hood and climbed into the vehicle.
A short distance from her mother’s, her phone dinged again and that same troubled frown appeared.
“Your ex again?”
She nodded.
“Does he usually reach out multiple times?”
Her head turned from side to side. “No.” Still staring at the phone for another moment, she let the phone drop to her lap and her head fall back against the seat. “He wants to visit with David.”
She’d been here for weeks already and this was the first he’d heard of David’s father actually wanting to see his son. “Has he asked before?”
“No.” She lifted the phone again and stared at the screen. “He didn’t fuss when the judge gave me permission to move out of state. He seemed happy to exchange parental privileges to avoid paying support.”
“He doesn’t pay you?”
Again, her head turned from side to side. “Mom and I discussed it and we agreed that we would be better off raising David on our own than letting Ed disrupt his life in exchange for financial support.”
“But he wants to see him anyway?”
“So much for no interest if it saves him money.” On a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the seat. “I guess I’m going to have to pay a visit to Declan.”
“Declan?” What did she need with his cousin, the police chief? Unless, the jerk really had been physical with her.
Turning her head to face him, she blew out another long sigh. “One of the conditions of visitations if Ed decided to see his son was that they had to be supervised.”
Paxton’s blood ran cold and his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “Did he try to hurt David?”
“Other than driving drunk with him in the car, no.” She opened her eyes again. “I guess I might as well tell you the rest of the story.”
Biting down hard on his back teeth, he prepared himself for what he didn’t want to hear.
“Ed got caught up in a police sting. He seems to have an affinity for high-school-aged girls. Or at least ones he thought were teens. In the middle of the custody hearing, he was caught with a young looking police woman who Ed thought was a high school girl looking for a little fun, as he called it.”
Every minute this guy just kept piling on the reasons for Paxton to really want to ship this character off on a one-way passage to the moon.
“I have to let him visit, but it has to be supervised and honestly, I’d rather that be with someone who can make sure Ed doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“You don’t think he’d hurt him, do you?” Not that Paxton was putting anything past this guy. He sounded like a typical controlling and emotional, if not physically abusive, spouse. Especially if it meant hurting Sandra through their son.
“He’s a cowardly lush with a nasty mouth who thinks David ruined our marriage, but even so, sober, I don’t think he’d do anything to him.”
“What a moron.” Oops, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Have you told Grace any of this?”
She shook her head.
“Might not be a bad idea to get a good lawyer involved as well. You know, just in case.” Though he suspected, knowing his family, wherever David and his father met, there would be a whole heck of a lot of Farradays nearby to keep the guy on the straight and narrow. Including him.
Sandra didn’t like the idea of too many people knowing what David’s father was truly like. The last thing she wanted was for people to paint her son with the same brush. For just a moment, she gave herself pause. When had she stopped thinking of Ed as her husband—or ex-husband—and only as David’s father?
“Shall we call Grace?” Paxton repeated.
The man was right. A good lawyer was something she really could use. She’d hired the best she could afford for the divorce and custody issues, but she was never fully convinced that the attorney had done all he could for them. As much as she believed that David deserved a father, she truly felt that with all of Ed’s issues, David would be better off not knowing the man than having to learn for himself what a jerk his dad was. The truck turned up her mother’s street and then shortly after, pulled into the driveway.
“I’ll call Grace tomorrow morning.” She reached for the handle as the truck came to a stop. Even though Ed had only texted her twice, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get way more complicated than she wanted. With David about to go to bed and her mother in the habit of going to sleep early, the thought of sitting home alone stewing over Ed held little appeal. “Want to come in for some coffee or tea?”
“Would love to.” Paxton threw the truck into park and climbed out. He’d barely had time to put both feet on the ground when the front door flew open and an excited David came running down the front steps.
To her surprise, Paxton was braced and ready when David flew into his arms. “I knew you’d come home with Mommy.”
“And here I am. But in your pajamas, shouldn’t you be inside.”
The child looked momentarily contrite, nodded, and then with a grin as wide as the Rio Grande, looked Paxton in the eye. “You’ll carry me inside, won’t you?”
“You got it, sport.” In a split second, as if Paxton had done the maneuver many times before, he shifted David around and had him hanging on piggyback style. “Here we go.”
David cackled with delight as Paxton, pretending to be a horse, trotted them up the stairs and into the house.
“You can set him down, now.” Sandra wanted to sound more stern, but couldn’t stop smiling herself at how much fun both the boys in her life seemed to be having.
“To my room!” David shouted with the authority of an heir to a royal throne.
“Your wish is my command.” Paxton hiked him higher on his back.
“Wait. You can’t trot him up a flight of stairs.” She set her hand on his arm, about to give David a short lecture on not taking advantage of people’s kindness and how life isn’t all fun and games and who knew what else when grinning as wide as her son, Paxton tilted his head to face her.
“Sure we can.” With a wink and a “Last one to the top is a rotten egg,” Paxton hurried up the steps, Sandra and her mother on his heels.
Following the direction of David’s extended arm, Paxton trotted into the bedroom the boy shared with his mother and grandmother and dramatically dropped him on the small bed, collapsing beside him, feigning exhaustion.
“That was fun. Can we do it again?” David practically crawled over Paxton sprawled across the narrow bed.
“Another day,” Sandra spoke up before Paxton agreed to more fun and games.
“You heard your Mom, sport.” Paxton pushed to his feet and took a step back.
That disappointed look that didn’t quite reach the level of a pout, almost had Sandra changing her mind, when David nodded quickly and once again smiling, faced Paxton. “Will you read my bedtime story to me?”
“Sure can.” Paxton looked to the night table and the books piled high. He flipped through a few and turning to her asked, “Do you not have any chapter books?”
As much as she hated it, she had to shake her head. All they’d brought from home was what fit in her car and they’d never had a lot of extra money for new books.
Paxton’s eyes danced with an idea as he leveled his gaze with her. “Didn’t your dad read a lot of Louie L’Amour?”
“He loved those books.” Her father reading to her as a little girl from his favorite books brought back warm memories.
“All in hardback. I still have them.” Her mother bobbed her head sharply and snapped her fingers. “That’s a great idea, I’ll be right back.”
A few moments later, David was tucked under the covers, had said his prayers with Paxton, and was now listening to the man read the first chapters of an old western. It didn’t take long for her son to drift off to sleep.
Paxton pulled a receipt out of his pocket, stuck it on the pages he was reading, and closed the book. “That’s why I thought prayers first. We always fell asleep when Mom or Dad read to us.”
“Thank you. I could tell he really loved listening.”
“These are not exactly children’s books, but they’re good clean fun and will do wonders for building his vocabulary.”
“Like I said, thank you.”
He nodded and handed her the book. “If it’s all right with you, I’d be happy to come by tomorrow night and read the next chapter or two?”
And once again, her heart did that little flutter thing it did so often around Paxton. That the man showed so much interest in her son, more than his own father, was enough to make her cry. How blessed was she to have a man like this in her life. In her life. She had no idea what the future held for her, or Paxton, or her son, but right about now, she’d pay big bucks for this moment in time to never end. And wasn’t that silly wishful thinking?