Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

Luke felt everyone’s gaze, but he kept his focus on Jack. “You remember the lady on the phone?”

“Daddy used to bring me to see her.”

Luke didn’t think his opinion of Sean could sink any lower, but yep, it did. “Did he do that a lot?”

“No. Just sometimes because he knew I didn’t like to go.” Jack sighed, then looked up at Luke. “I heard Daddy fighting with Mommy. He said he was going to take us away, that we would live with the lady like he did. He said if she wanted to see us again, she wouldn’t quit and keep working. Mommy cried.”

“What did your mom say to your dad about that?”

“She told him he couldn’t have us. He got really mad and yelled at her more.”

“Then what happened?” Luke didn’t really want to know, but needed to hear it all the same so he could understand Jack and Sarah even better.

“He left. Mommy wouldn’t let him take us. She said if he did, she’d destroy all the computer stuff.” Jack traced the grain in the wood table. “He was always at Trish’s house. Mommy said Daddy didn’t like her anymore and he was happier with the other lady. She said it was okay because she wanted Daddy to be happy. I guess he did like Trish because he bought her a bunch of sparkly diamonds.” Jack looked up at him, anger flashing in his eyes. “He said we were going shopping, but he didn’t buy me anything. He only bought the lady stuff. He took me to her house to give it to her. She was real happy, but she didn’t want me there, only Daddy. I wanted to go home to Mommy. If you take me shopping, will you buy me something?”

“Sure, buddy. Did your Mom find out about the diamonds?”

“I told her. She was really sad. She doesn’t have any. Daddy gave her something for her computer. I don’t think she liked it. It wasn’t even a fun game or anything.” Jack scrunched his mouth. “You know what?”

“What, Jack?”

“I don’t think Daddy was very nice to her.”

“I don’t think so either.” Margaret came to stand next to Jack and brushed her hand over his head. “I’m very sorry your dad treated your mom that way. It wasn’t right. But you know what?”

“What?”

“Your mom deserves to be happy, too.”

“Luke makes her smile all the time.”

Luke hugged Jack close. “And I’ll never be mean to her,” he promised.

Margaret held her hand out to Jack. “Let’s go find your brother.”

Luke met Margaret’s concerned gaze. “He’s in the library with my dad playing video games.”

Margaret took Jack’s hand. “Jack will show me the way. Why don’t you check on Sarah? She probably needs you right now.”

Luke gave Jack a hug and a kiss on the top of his head and sent him with his grandma. He sat at the table with his brother until Margaret and the boy left the room.

His mother stood, came closer, crossed her arms across her chest, and dropped her voice. “Who takes their child to buy jewelry for their mistress? Who does that? I like Margaret, but her son . . . What kind of man does that?”

“He turned into an even bigger asshole than I imagined. Sarah confessed to Margaret the other day that Sean had been having an affair and embezzling money from the company. That’s probably why he threatened her. In addition to the theft, he’d been passing off her work as his own.” Luke fisted his hands. “If Sean wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him for treating her the way he did.”

Luke worried about how much pain Sarah had locked inside herself. He understood now why she was so cautious and how hard it must have been for her to trust him.

Jason tapped the table to get his attention. “I wonder how much more Jack remembers.”

Luke wished Jack only remembered the good things Sarah told him. No kid, especially one so young, should think about how his father hurt his mother and made her cry. “He’s a smart kid. He was about four when Sean died. I think the affair had been going on for a while.”

“My God.” His mother’s distress was nothing compared to how he felt. “That poor girl has been through so much in her life. Go find her. She could use someone on her side for once.”

No doubt. And Luke wanted to be there for Sarah, to see her through whatever happened next. He knew contacting Trish would open a Pandora’s box of past hurts, but hoped Sarah was ready for it when she’d decided to try to bring the kids together.

It was one thing to know Sean cheated and had a child with another woman, but it was another to hear Jack talk about the reality of what that had been like in the moment for them.

Margaret still looked emotionally drained and utterly disappointed and disillusioned by the revelations she’d learned about Sean. He wondered how she’d take finding out about Jamie.

They’d all agreed to hold off telling her until Trish made contact—if she ever did—and agreed to meet with them.

After all Sean had put Sarah through, maybe this was too much to ask of her. She seemed to have gotten past Sean’s deceit and the hurt he’d caused, but this visit with Margaret and finding out about Jamie had to have opened old wounds.

All Luke wanted to do was make everything all right for Sarah. He wanted to give her everything she’d never had with anyone else. What he’d never had with anyone else.

They had a connection that included a genuine affection and love he’d always wanted and never had with a woman. Just thinking about her made him smile. When she was away from him, he couldn’t wait to see her again.

And when she was unhappy, all he wanted to do was lighten her heart and put the smile right back on her beautiful face.

He wanted to give her everything, but all she wanted was him. And if she gave him a chance, he’d be the best husband and father to her kids she could ever want, because she deserved it.