I don’t know the answers to either of those questions, but I’m willing to take a chance and find out.
Chapter Seven
Tyler
“Again! Again!” He shouts as he knocks me down on the ground. I chuckle in response as I wrap my arms around his tiny waist and roll onto my knees.
“I’m sure your momma is almost finished with dinner by now. You should probably head inside and wash up,” I pause, remembering that I have no idea what his name is.
“Hey, what’s your name anyway?” I ask as we head toward the house, hand in hand.
“Colt, ike Coton. We ‘ave the same birfday too.” He smiles brightly up at me as my chest tightens. I take a deep breath and release it. Colton already said this little man isn’t his and I believe him, but knowing he has a connection to this little man that I never will hurts. I wonder if Lucy would tell me who the father is or if I know him. Any man that would desert his son is a piece of shit and deserves to be shot.
I pull the sliding glass door open and the smell of Italian spices fills my nostrils. I would know that smell anywhere. Lucy must be making her mother’s spaghetti sauce. Memories of Lucy and I having dinner at the garage, eating from deformed Tupperware containers fill my mind. She would bring me dinner on race nights, making sure I had something in my stomach before hitting the pits.
My mind is brought back to the present by Lucy’s voice coming from the kitchen. “Go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
“That’s my cue. It was nice hanging out with you, Colt. Ask your momma to bring you down to the garage one day. You can help me work on the engines.”
“Weally?” Colt’s blue eyes light with excitement as he hurries toward his mother. “Can I Momma?” Lucy gives me an exasperated look before smiling down at her son.
“We will see, but right now you need to get washed up for dinner. Then it’s off to the bath for you.”
“Aww…” Colt whines as he heads toward the back of the house.
“I’ll just let myself out. Hope you two have a good evening.”
“Aren’t you staying for dinner? You said you hadn’t eaten yet.”
I rub the back of my neck at a loss for words. “If you really don’t mind, I miss the taste of your cooking.”
Her cheeks pink in embarrassment. “It’s nothing to write home about but I remember how much you loved my mom’s spaghetti sauce. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to make any meatballs.”
“Trust me, anything you make is fine. It would have been eating takeout or a microwave dinner for me.”
We both laugh, a comfortable silence settling between us. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, but if you could make sure he isn’t flooding the bathroom, that would be great. He sometimes gets overzealous in his attempt to make all the germs go away.”
“No problem,” I respond before heading in the same direction Colt did a few minutes earlier. I can hear his little voice singing happy birthday come drifting down the hall. It only takes me a few minutes to find him in the bathroom, elbow deep in soapy water.
“Hey, buddy. Your mom sent me to see if I could help.” I pump some soap into my hands and scrub the grime off them.
“Your hands are dirty,” Colt comments as he removes his hands from the sink and reaches for a towel. “Good fing momma told you to wash hands before dinner. We all get sick.” He climbs down off his little stool and waits for me to finish.
He hands me his little towel to dry my hands. “Thanks, Colt.”
“Elcome.” He places the towel back on the rack and reaches his hand out toward mine.
I look at him for a few moments before grasping his hand in mine and we both head back toward the kitchen. “Ut’s your name?” Colt tugs on my arm, causing me to stop.
“I’m Tyler. I work with Colton at the racetrack.”
“Are oo a driver?” He asks, bouncing from foot-to-foot in excitement. I chuckle quietly before bending down so we are eye level with each other.
“Nope, but I help make Colton’s car go really fast.”
“Ats portant.” He looks at me in awe for a moment before dropping my hand and heading into the kitchen. I shake my head in response before following.
Lucy has a small kitchen, but there is enough space for a small table with four chairs. “I sit here. You sit here,” Colt commands as he points to the chair next to his booster seat connected to the table.
“Whatever you say.” I give Lucy a wink before pulling out my chair and having a seat. Instead of climbing into his booster seat, he climbs up into my lap and makes himself comfortable.
“Umm, Colt?” He turns and looks at me, waiting for me to finish my statement. “I don’t think I’ll be able to eat dinner with you in my lap, buddy.”
Colt covers his mouth as he giggles and then wraps his tiny little arms around my neck. I hold my hands out to the side, not knowing if I should hug him back or pull him off me. I look up and see Lucy leaning against one of the kitchen counters, swiping a hand across her cheek.
“You are my ew reind.” Colt pulls back and gives me a bright smile before climbing into his booster chair.
I stare at him in shock before clearing my throat a few times and offering to help Lucy bring dinner to the table. Just like last time she blows me off and I’m forced to sit back down at the table.
I have little experience with kids, but I don’t
