Chapter Three
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He had a son.
A son.
Elijah sat back on his heels, letting go of Miles in the process. Skye looked as though she were about to be sick with the way her freckles were contrasting with too-pale skin.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but you were a difficult man to track down for a while.”
His jaw worked. “You could have called me.”
She flushed. “I lost your phone number.”
“It was programmed into your cell.”
Her lashes lowered. “I deleted it.”
“That so?”
“Yes.”
When she didn’t say anything more, he jumped to his feet and began to pace. “And now you’re here.”
“I wanted to do the right thing.”
“By making me wait for what—over a year to meet my son?”
Her chin tipped up, but instead of indignation, all he saw was relief. Had she really thought he would assume the worst? He wasn’t stupid, and neither was she. Before she left him, he’d never taken her for a liar. It had to have cost her more than just her pride to travel across the country.
“You believe me.”
“Yeah, I believe you. The timing is right, I think. How old is he, by the way?”
“Twelve months and two weeks.”
He ran a hand though his hair, then glanced at Miles, who was busy gnawing on a plane and drooling. “I mean, the kid doesn’t look that much like me, except for the eyes, but I’ve—you’ve…” No matter how he explained himself, it would come out wrong. “If you say he’s mine, then he’s mine. What do you need?”
Hurt covered her face as tears filled her pretty eyes. “Need?”
He nodded. “Money? Place to stay? A court order for custody? Wedding?” He swallowed hard. “Take your pick. I’ll do the right thing by you and my—Miles.”
“I don’t want anything from you. Miles, however, needs a father, so I’ve decided to move back home to North Carolina.”
She didn’t need him? That was a kick to the gut. “As in Holland Springs or Jessamine?”
“Jessamine is more convenient.” She straightened her shoulders. “I have a job interview in a couple of weeks, and I plan to find a place to rent tomorrow.”
He knew she’d made good money as a midwife out in Denver, but her income had to have been negatively impacted when she had Miles. There was no way she could be in two places at once, which bothered him. He hated to think of her struggling, especially with a kid. Doubly so since Miles was his son.
“What about tonight?” he asked.
“I made reservations at the hotel in town.”
The thought of her leaving so soon made his protective instincts rise. “You can stay here. I’ve got the room.”
“That’s very kind of you, but—”
“No buts. It seems I have a lot of catching up to do with my son, and I’d like to get started right away. Take him to the park or something this afternoon.”
She leveled him with a look. “You would?”
Maybe he didn’t know that much about kids, but he was smart. Besides, he had nieces and nephews, so he could figure it out, or phone a friend if he hit a wall.
“Yup.” He moved to the fireplace. “I have two guest rooms and a hall bathroom for you to use. Take your pick. I’ll sleep in the master. It has its own bathroom, so you won’t have to share with me.”
“Are we talking about just tonight?” she asked, her voice wary. He hated that sound because when he’d known Skye, she’d been confident about everything.
“No. I think you and Miles should move in with me… until we figure things out.”
“I don’t want you to feel obligated—”
“That is the last thing I feel. In fact, if you didn’t want my help, you shouldn’t have come, but the fact is you’re here. So’s my son, and I’m a Lawson. We always do what’s right.”
She gave him a small smile. “I know.” A yawn split her face in two. For the first time, Eli noticed the dark circles under eyes.
“When’s the last time you slept?”
“Through the night?”
He wasn’t that ignorant. “Since you left Colorado.”
“Oh… um… I took naps in my car, mostly. It was easier, cheaper, and faster.”
He glanced at the clock. His parents would be here in less than two hours. Surely he could manage Miles while Skye got some shut-eye. “How about you go pick out a guest room and get some sleep while I take care of Miles?”
He half-expected her to fight him, so when she agreed, he gave her a surprised glance.
“He didn’t come with instructions, and I managed to figure it out. You will, too.” She rose unsteadily to her feet, grabbing onto the arm of the sofa for support. “He’ll want to eat soon, and since you can’t produce breast milk, there are some bags of it in a cooler in the diaper bag. Warm it up on the stove first, in a… thingy with water.” She shook her head. “Sorry. I think exhaustion is finally getting to me. Just Google it and you’ll be fine.”
“Is that all he eats?” His eyes dipped to her breasts before coming back to her face.
Her brow arched.
So sue him—he was a man, and she’d mentioned breasts. Of course he was going to look.
“No, there are a couple of jars of baby food in the diaper bag as well.”
He made a noise. “Impressive. Next thing you’ll tell me is that I can pull a floor lamp out of that bag, too.”
For the first time since she arrived, she laughed. The sound still did things to his heart. Hell, it almost felt like it was whole again.
After getting Skye situated in a bedroom on the opposite side of the house from the master—thank God—he sat beside Miles and watched him play for the longest time.
Everything the baby did fascinated him, and he could admit he’d counted his fingers and toes a couple of time before he actually allowed himself to touch any of those tiny digits.
Miles giggled when Elijah brushed his hand over the baby’s toes. “Ticklish huh? Me, too.”
Miles’ eyes widened. While Elijah couldn’t be sure, his son might just have the beginnings of Lawson blue in there.
“You have a lot of relatives around here. Once they find out about you, there won’t be any stopping them from coming over. We’re a cult like that. A good cult, though—you don’t have to shave your head or give away all your toys.”
Miles held out his plane, with its Snoopy pilot, and made a happy noise.
“Is that for me?”
Miles snatched it back, giggling again.
“Guess not.” Elijah lowered himself beside his son, and then stretched out on his side. “I like to fly planes. Did your momma tell you that?”
He paused, as if he would get a response, but Miles sat up instead. Damn if it wasn’t the most beautiful motion Elijah had ever seen.
“You’re a strong boy, Miles.”
His son waved his chubby arms around.
“You’re an eater, too, just like all Lawson men. You keep eating, though, and one day you’ll be big and strong like me. Also, we’ll keep you away from Uncle Mason, so he doesn’t teach you words that your momma probably doesn’t want you to say.” Okay, so Eli was heading into dumb territory, but he’d never talked this long to a baby before, and he was winging it. “Do you know any words?”
Miles growled.
Elijah growled back.
Miles’ eyes filled with tears, his mouth wobbling, before the room filled with cries.
“Oh, no. Oh, Lord, no. Don’t cry.” Elijah swooped his son into his arms, sitting up at the same time. “I got you.”
Miles kept crying, and Elijah just knew it would wake Skye up. Not only that, but she would figure out he sucked as a dad because he didn’t know shit about kids. She’d leave him, then. Well, she’d already left once, but she’d decide Miles didn’t need a dumbshit for a daddy and do it again.
Awkwardly, he began patting the boy’s back, something he’d seen his mother do with kids a thousand times—his dad, too. Finally, Miles began to calm down, his little body growing heavy as the seconds passed.
He looked down, his chin almost stuck to his neck as he tried to see over his beard and into his son’s face. Miles had his eyes closed, tears at the corners as he clutched his toy plane tight.
Elijah’s heart swelled so big it felt as if it were about to burst into pieces—the good kind, too. “Note to self, no growling at your son.”
With one hand, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and texted his parents. He needed help, and he had to convince Skye that she should stay with him.
Right or wrong, the only place she and Miles belonged was with him, at his house, so he could take care of them. Hell, she didn’t need to work to put a roof over their head or food on the table. He could provide that and then some.
He’d give her the option, though, because he knew she was proud and she enjoyed being a midwife… but not because he was in love with her.
Oh, no.
He had to do right by her and Miles, and that was entirely different.