Daddy’s Law by K.C. Crowne

Chapter 24

Theo

Midnight.

My knee bounced restlessly as I reviewed the report I was writing for Jesse on the couch. I wracked my brain for any details my subconscious might have picked up on.

A description of the driver. That fucking license plate number. Anything.

The house was completely still. Ava and Cory had gone to bed hours earlier, quickly muttering good night to one another as their doors closed. I pulled a spare pillow and blanket from the linen closet, throwing it over the couch in a haphazard pile. I’d slept on far worse when I was overseas, so a night or two in my living room wasn’t enough to make me uncomfortable.

What was enough to make me uncomfortable was my earlier conversation with Ava. It was enough to make me squirm in my seat just thinking about it.

Do you ever want him to know? About us?

I shuddered. Why didn’t I answer? I owed her that much. It should have been a simple yes or no, yet I stood there like an idiot, torn between following my heart and following my head.

My gut reaction was to say yes. Of course, I wanted Cory to know about us eventually. I cared about Ava a great deal, maybe even more than I wanted to admit. But now didn’t seem like the time to spring yet another reality-altering revelation on him. It wouldn’t be fair to him. I personally wasn’t sure if I was ready to move on. What if the same was true for my son? What if he had a difficult time accepting my being with someone other than his mother? What if he resented me for it?

I couldn’t do that to him. Not now, not ever.

Ava was good with Cory, though. Excellent, actually. She managed to help him open up in ways I wasn’t able to. She was nurturing and a fantastic listener and supportive of Cory’s passions. They seemed to get along really well, too.

But what about Ava? Did she really want to be with me? Cory and I were a package deal. She wouldn’t get one without the other. But she was young. Women her age rarely thought about settling down so early, and with a man who already had a child, no less. Would Ava want to be a mother-figure to my son? Would she want to be stuck with a partner who was so much older than herself?

I’d be robbing her of the chance to live out her younger years carefree, shackling her to a responsibility that she might not want.

I slumped in my seat, rubbing my palms over my eyes. What a fucking mess. I didn’t even know where we stood now, thanks to my awkward shutdown in the kitchen.

Me and my dumb caveman brain.

I typed what little I could in an email and sent it to Jesse. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

Creak.

I turned to look up at the staircase, spotting my son descending the stairs in the dark. The fifth step from the top always squeaked when weight was put on it. Cory held onto the railing, taking it one step at a time. His hair was a ruffled mess, flat on one side from sleep, and his blue sleep shirt with the Superman logo on the front was covered in wrinkles.

“Hey, buddy. What are you doing up so late?”

“Thirsty,” he mumbled with a yawn. “Can you get me a glass?”

I stood up, closing my laptop and pushing it to the side. “Sure thing.”

Cory waited patiently, taking a seat at the kitchen island while I poured him a tall glass of water. He sipped slowly, cheeks and eyes puffy from sleep.

“Life isn’t like the movies.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Life isn’t like the movies,” he repeated. “Miss Cruise said that the good guys always win, but this is real life. I think she was trying to make me feel better.”

I sat down next to him. “Do you feel better?”

“No. I think I feel worse.”

“How so?”

Cory took another sip of his water, speaking into his glass. “I’m scared.”

I nodded. “Miss Cruise is in very good hands. Uncle Jesse’s helping to move her somewhere safe and—”

“I’m scared for you.”

Of all the things he could have said, that was the last thing I expected to come out of his mouth. “For me? You don’t have to worry about me, buddy.”

Cory frowned, his grip on the glass so tight that his knuckles turned white. “You don’t get it, Dad. Just because you say not to worry doesn’t mean I can. Ever since Mom—” His voice tightened into squeak. “Ever since Mom died, I’ve been…”

I placed a hand on his back, patting him lightly. “Take your time. You know you can tell me anything.”

“I don’t like your job,” he blurted out. “I hate it. Your job is dumb and dangerous, and I don’t understand why you can’t do something else that’s not.”

“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this, Cory?”

“Because—” He set his glass down with a hard thud. “I was trying to be strong. After Mom died, everyone told me to be strong. Uncle Jesse was so worried about you. He said you were trying to take care of me the best you could.”

I frowned, anger licking at the base of my neck. “Of course, buddy. That’s my job. I’d do anything for you.”

“You even took a job with Uncle Jesse even though it was dangerous, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to think I was scared.”

“Cory, you’re supposed to tell me if you’re scared. You’re my son. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

He sobbed, pressing his face against my chest. His whole body shook as he wept, lightly at first, but then the dam broke, and all hell broke loose. “What if you get hurt on the job?” he demanded. “What if these dangerous people after Miss Cruise hurt you or kill you? If you die, then I’ll be all alone—” He choked on a whimper. “I don’t want to be alone, Dad. First it was Mom. And if you…”

I hugged my son close, shushing him gently. “I’m here. I’m here, Cory. I hear you loud and clear.”

“I think about you not coming home sometimes and it hurts my stomach.”

My heart twisted in my chest. “Is this why you haven’t really been talking to me lately?”

He grimaced. “I guess. I didn’t think you noticed.”

I ruffled his hair. “I notice everything.”

“How?”

“It’s a superpower all parents have.”

Cory smiled weakly. “Yeah, alright.”

I took a deep breath and sighed. “So, you don’t like my job, huh?”

“No. It’s dangerous.”

“I agree with you there, but you have to understand that there are very few jobs that I’m qualified for. Uncle Jesse was doing me a huge favor by offering me a position at his company.”

“I know. That’s another reason I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Tell you what, if it’s that big of a deal to you, I’ll look for another job.”

Cory straightened in his seat. “Really?”

I nodded. “It might take me a bit of time to find something, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I have to make sure that Miss Cruise is safe first, but I promise to look. I don’t ever want you to worry about me not coming home. I’ll always be here for you. Always. Do you understand?”

Cory threw his arms around me and hugged me tight. “Thanks, Dad. I love you very much.”

“I love you very much, too, buddy. Now, finish your water and get to bed or else you’ll be really tired in the morning.”

He did as he was told, slowly sipping his water until the glass was empty. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Do you think Miss Cruise is pretty?”

For the second time that evening, the unexpected fell from my boy’s mouth. Kids really said the darnedest things.

“I— Sure. I think Miss Cruise is pretty.”

“She’s really nice.”

“She is.”

Cory squinted at me. “Do you like her?”

“Do you like her?” I asked, oddly defensive.

“Yes. She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I hope you’re learning a lot from her.” Cory continued to stare at me, prompting me to demand, “What?”

“Emilio has a crush on another girl in the program, Stacy.”

“That’s… interesting?”

“You look at Miss Cruise the same way Emilio looks at Stacy.”

I scowled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mm-hmm,” he said, unconvinced.

I cleared my throat and my expression. “Go to bed, buddy. Or else you’re going to be grumpy all day tomorrow.”

He gave me one last hug before disappearing back upstairs. I had a lot to unpack here, but I was glad we finally had the chance to sit down and chat. It all made sense now. The reason he’d been so distant was because he was afraid of losing me. I’d had no idea that my son felt this way. Now that I did, I swore to myself that I’d rectify the problem.

Job hunting would have to wait, however. There was still the issue of Ava and her father. I wasn’t going to abandon her in the middle of a job. I’d see to it that she was in safe hands first. I needed to tackle this one problem at a time.