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“I do, and I appreciate that.”
“Anything at all, man,” Damon added.
I jerked my chin down, offering a nod of respect. “I should get to work.”
Avalon didn’t hesitate to respond. “Okay. Talk to you later, Banks.”
Needing to return to what felt comfortable, I walkedaway from my coworkers and the conversation that had the power to lead me in one of several directions I wasn’t prepared to go.
I wanted the distraction of work for a few hours, and I did manage to get it. That said, being in the kidnap and ransom unit, I was a guy who generally liked to be able to be in the action. Though I didn’t like knowing that it would mean someone’s life could have been in danger, there was a part of me craving that action.
There had been one case I’d helped on since Violet died that I thought was going to make me feel like I was back, but things had sort of worked themselves out just as I’d arrived with another coworker of mine on the scene.
On the bright side, not having to make any rescue attempts today not only meant that nobody was in that kind of danger, but it also meant that I was able to leave work on time to make it home, so my mom could make it to her pre-op appointment.
I’d given her a call as I walked out of the building late that afternoon, and by the time I pulled up at my house, my mom was ready to walk out the door.
“I hope you had a good day, Banks. I wish I could stay and chat, but I’ve got to go. Rhys was wonderful today.”
“Okay. Good luck at your appointment. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sounds great.” She turned around, took a few steps toward the family room, and peeked her head around the corner. After waving, she said, “Bye, Rhys. Grandma will see you tomorrow. Lamise, it was wonderful meeting you.”
“You, too, Robin. I’ll see you later this week.”
A moment later, my mom walked through the front door and out to her car. I closed the door behind her and made my way into the family room.
And when I walked in, I felt that same feeling settle in the center of my chest. Lamise was sitting on the couch, and my boy was sitting on her lap with his back to me. He was cuddling close to her, the way he would cuddle when he first woke up from a nap.
He looked completely content, and she looked… fuck, I couldn’t even begin to admit to myself what I thought about the way she looked holding my son against her chest.
My throat grew painfully tight, and I couldn’t work out if it was because I liked what I was seeing or if it was because I hated that it wasn’t Violet sitting there.
“Hi, Banks.”
Lamise’s sweet voice made the ache in my chest grow stronger, and I had to compel myself to swallow past the pain in my throat.
I forced myself to speak. “Lamise.”
“Your mom wasn’t lying,” she started. “Rhys had a great day, and he just woke up a little bit ago from his nap. He’s still getting acclimated.”
Nodding, I moved deeper into the room, so I could see Rhys’s face.
As I approached, Lamise gently stroked her fingers against the back of my son’s head. “Your daddy’s home, Rhys,” she whispered quietly to him.
I made it to the couch, sat down beside them, and expected Rhys would lift his head up and reach for me.
He didn’t.
He stayed where he was, resting his cheek against Lamise’s chest while he looked at me. Knowing it would be much easier for me to focus on him and not the scent of Lamise’s perfume, I pinned my eyes on my boy and asked, “What kind of greeting is this, little man?”
He showed off his two teeth as he started to smileat me.
“I don’t think it’s very funny,” I told him. “You always come right to me as soon as I get home from work. What’s this all about, Rhys?”
He started singing.
It was the sweetest, most delicate sound that came out of him, and it was clear he was singing.
