what it would be like to have you involved in Tyler’s life, I never thought of having to deal with your mother.”
“She’ll do anything for the people she loves.”
“Like I’m getting on that list?”
“You know she’ll be there for Tyler.”
“A small consolation,” Liz said. “Right now the only thing I’m grateful for is the fact that she didn’t have time to tell me what having your son is going to mean to the Hendrix family name. How we’ll have to make sure we act right all the time and do the right thing, so the legacy isn’t tarnished.” She took a step. “Come on. He’s waiting to meet you.”
Ethan followed her in. He wanted to ask what she’d told Tyler, what his son was expecting. All day he’d imagined what he was supposed to say or do, how to make it everything Tyler wanted the moment to be. Before he could ask, or even swallow the sudden surge of anger that followed the concern, she stopped and turned to face him.
“He’s really excited and a little scared. I told him some about you-what you do, that sort of thing. Please remember however you feel about what happened, he’s not to blame.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“He’s my son,” she reiterated, staring into his eyes. “I’ll do anything to keep him safe.”
A claim Ethan hadn’t been able to make until now, he thought, knowing he couldn’t dwell on the unfairness of the situation. Tyler was the important one here. The one who had to be protected.
“I’m not going to hurt him,” he said gruffly.
She sighed. “Just be careful. The ability to hurt someone is usually in direct proportion to how much that person cares about you.”
She moved into the living room, then called up the stairs. “Tyler. Your dad is here.”
Ethan braced himself for emotional impact. He heard slow footsteps on the stairs, then his son came into view.
Any doubts he might have had about paternity died the second he saw Tyler. The boy was all Hendrix. From the dark hair and eyes to the shape of his head. He looked like Ethan’s younger brothers had when they’d been kids.
An unexpected rise of emotion made it tough to talk. He was filled with longing and sadness, as well as wonder. His kid. How had this happened without him guessing Tyler was alive?
Liz waited until the boy stepped into the living room, then moved behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.
“Tyler, this is your dad, Ethan Hendrix. Ethan, this is Tyler.”
“Hi,” Tyler said, sounding uncertain. He stared at Ethan, then glanced away, before looking back.
“I was telling Tyler about how you used to ride bikes when you were younger.”
Ethan appreciated the help, even as he resented the need for it. “I was about your age,” he said. “My friend Josh had to ride to help his legs get stronger. We had a lot of fun together. In high school, we started racing competitively.”
Tyler stared at him, wide-eyed. “You grew up here?”
Ethan nodded. “All my life. I come from a big family. I went away to college, but when I graduated, I moved back home.”
“Mom says you have brothers and sisters.”
“Two brothers, three sisters. My sisters are identical triplets.”
“So you can’t tell them apart?”
He smiled. “It was hard when they were younger, but now they’re pretty different.”
“Do they know about me?”
“Not yet, but when I tell them, they’ll want to meet you.”
“Sweet.”
Liz motioned to the sofa. “Why don’t you two sit down and I’ll get some lemonade. We have freshly baked cookies, too.”
“We made the cookies after my cousins got home from school,” Tyler explained, leading the way. “They’re still in school until Friday. Melissa and Abby.” He wrinkled his nose. “They’re okay, you know, for girls.”
“Words that will warm their hearts,” Liz murmured, before she went into the kitchen. The girls were upstairs, out of earshot, thank goodness.
Tyler launched into a detailed description of his last few days of school, his friends in San Francisco and what movies he wanted to see that summer.
“
“Super powers would be a lot of fun,” Ethan told him.
“That one starts in three weeks. Mom always takes me on the first day. We go to the early show, except this one time we went at midnight.” Tyler laughed. “I was still a kid, so I fell asleep. Mom didn’t mind and took me back the next day so I could see what I missed.”
Tyler talked on, the conversation growing easier with every passing minute. Apparently he didn’t stay shy for long. Ethan watched as well as listened, recognizing a few Hendrix family traits in his son.
The subjects themselves were conventional. School, sports, friends, his family. But the latter gave him trouble, seeing as Tyler’s only family was Liz. From what Ethan could tell, she’d been a good mother. Caring, fair and strong when she needed to be. And Tyler had thrived.
He supposed that some part of him should be pleased, but all he felt was deep resentment for what he’d lost. No, he reminded himself. Not lost. What had been stolen from him.
When Tyler ran upstairs to find a favorite video game, Ethan moved into the kitchen. He found Liz there, flipping through a magazine.
“You’re not rejoining us?” he asked, leaning against the door frame.
“I thought I’d give you two time together,” she said. A faint smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “Afraid you’ll miss the cookies?”
Humor as a peace offering, he thought. While the sexual side of him could appreciate the shape of her face, the appeal of her body, the rest of him wasn’t so easily swayed.
“I want more time with him,” he said bluntly.
She closed the magazine and rose. “I wasn’t trying to keep him from you,” she began then shook her head. “Never mind. We’ll have that argument when I have evidence on my side. What did you want to suggest?”
“We have a minor league baseball team in town. They’re playing tomorrow. I want to take him.”
“Sure. What time?”
“The game’s at noon.”
“Okay.”
She was too agreeable, he thought, irritated. He wanted to fight with her, argue. He had too much energy and nowhere to put it. Apparently she could also read his mind.
“I’m not the bad guy,” she elaborated softly. “I wish you’d at least try to see that.”
“You kept me from my son. There’s nothing you can say to make that right. What Tyler and I have lost can never be recovered.”
She stared at him for a long time. “I agree I have responsibility for what happened, but so do you. And until you can admit your part of the blame, you’re going to be so caught up in the past, that you’ll miss the present and what you have now.”
“What do I have? A kid who doesn’t know me?”
“You have a second chance, Ethan. How often does that happen?”
CHAPTER FIVE
LIZ GOT THROUGH THE REST OF the evening and actually managed to sleep through the night, despite the lumpy sofa. She spent the morning answering e-mail and figuring out when she
