Authors: Stephanie Bond
21
A
my’s emotions swung from sheer terror to sheer joy to see her twelve-year-old son alive. “Tony!” she shouted, and began running to him.
He started running toward her, too, and they met in the middle. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, raining kisses on his temples. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” he said, but his voice cracked.
She pulled back and gave him a once-over. He was wearing his school uniform of jacket and khaki pants, both rumpled. Instead of a collared shirt, he wore a gray hoodie underneath the jacket. He was as tall as she, with boxy shoulders and long, lean limbs, ending in big hands and feet. His features were handsome and all boy. His light brown hair had been cropped per the school’s rules, but was uncombed. His eyebrows were a few shades darker, to go with the black lashes that set off his blue, blue eyes.
Armstrong eyes.
Now that she was satisfied he wasn’t harmed, the full force of the moment hit her—the moment she’d dreamed about and dreaded all of Tony’s life. She lifted her gaze to Kendall, who stood leaning against his truck, giving them privacy. But his face was a stony mask. Even a stranger could see the boy was a carbon copy of Kendall. Of course he’d known he was Tony’s father the moment he’d set eyes on him.
She turned her attention back to Tony. “Do you know how much trouble you’re in, mister?”
“A fair amount, I figure.”
He had a flair for understatement. “What happened?”
He shrugged.
“I asked you a question.”
His mouth twitched down. “I missed you.”
She gave a little laugh. “Oh, no. You don’t get to use that as an excuse to run away from school and scare the life out of me.”
He reconsidered. “I got bored.
And
I missed you.”
“How did you get here?”
He looked panicked.
“Tony?”
He swallowed, then lifted his chin. “I…hitch-hiked.”
Amy closed her eyes and counted to ten…twice. A thousand bloody headline scenarios raced through her head.
“I was really careful,” he said, his voice belligerent.
She opened her eyes. “You’re grounded for the rest of your life.”
He looked miserable. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”
She exhaled loudly, then pulled him close for another hug. “I’m glad you’re safe.” She pulled back. “And yes, I’m glad to see you. But we’re not finished talking about this yet. I need to call your school, and you, my dear boy, need a bath.” She crinkled her nose.
“Mom, I take showers now.”
“Pardon me,” she said. “You need a shower. Maybe two.”
“Who’s that man?” Tony asked, nodding to Kendall.
She chose her words carefully. She’d learned long ago to answer only the question her child asked and not to elaborate. “His name is Kendall Armstrong.”
“Am I related to him?”
Her breath caught in her chest. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I look like him some, don’t you think?”
Amy nodded, trying to keep her emotions in check. Her son needed facts, not feelings. She tried to keep her voice level. “You look like him some because he’s your father.”
A light flickered in his eyes before his mouth hardened. “Does he know he’s my father?”
“Not until a few minutes ago. He never knew I was pregnant.”
“How could he not know he got you pregnant?” he asked with a sneer.
She gave him a reproving look. “Watch your tone. I know you must have a lot of questions, and I will answer all of them as honestly as I can—after we get you settled in.”
“Okay,” he mumbled.
She looked back to Kendall, who was still planted like a tree. “Are you ready for me to introduce you to your father, or do you want to wait?”
He shrugged. “Now is good, I guess.”
“All right, then, let’s go. Mind your manners.”
“I
know,
Mom.”
It was his way of telling her not to hover, so she fought her instinct to touch or hug him as they walked toward Kendall.
Kendall straightened, his hands by his sides, as if he didn’t know what to expect. Her legs were quaking, so she knew her son must be nervous. But he held himself tall and his eye contact didn’t waver as they approached. Kendall was staring at Tony, his expression as close to fear as she’d ever seen. The impact of the moment wasn’t lost on her. When they stopped in front of him, Kendall didn’t look at her, thank goodness, but she still had to make an effort to keep her voice from shaking.
“Kendall Armstrong, this is Anthony Alton Bradshaw…your son.”
“Tony,” her son said, extending his hand.
Her heart swelled with pride.
Kendall shook the boy’s hand slowly. “Tony. It’s nice to meet you.” Her ears heard the unspoken word
finally
hanging in the air.
Tony took back his hand. “So what am I supposed to call you?” His tone was challenging, his jaw set.
Amy bit her lip to stay out of the first father-son exchange.
Kendall’s expression was cautious. “What do you want to call me?”
Tony’s mouth worked back and forth. “I’ll think about it.”
Kendall nodded. “Fair enough. Your middle name—Alton. My dad’s name was Alton.”
“Is he dead?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But my mother is alive and I know she’d love to meet you. And I have two brothers— Marcus, you met at the other jobsite, and Porter, you’ll meet him, too.”
She could tell by the expression on her son’s face that he was starting to feel overwhelmed. He’d never been around family before.
“All in good time,” she said. “I’m going to take Tony to get washed up.” She looked at Kendall. “I assume it’s okay to put him in a room at the boardinghouse?”
“He could stay at the bunkhouse with the men,” Kendall offered.
She bit down on her cheek.
“Could I?” Tony asked her. “That sounds fun.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “Remember, you’re grounded. For now, you’re staying where I can keep an eye on you.”
He made a sour face.
“We’ll see you later,” she said to Kendall.
“Amy,” he said, “can I speak to you a moment? In private?”
It was her time of reckoning. “Sure.” She pulled her keys out of her coat pocket and handed them to Tony. “Wait for me in my SUV, please.”
He picked up the backpack he’d dropped on the ground and walked to the SUV in the uncoordinated gait of a preteen. He kept looking back, as if to make sure she was okay. She gave him a reassuring smile and waited until he’d closed the door before turning back to Kendall.
She was unprepared for the look of unveiled hostility in his eyes.
“How could you?” he asked, his voice shaking. “How could you not tell me that I have a
son?
”
She’d had more than twelve years to think of a response to that question, but she still didn’t have it down pat. “You didn’t want
me,
Kendall. I assumed that would extend to a baby, as well.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You assumed wrong. I would’ve taken care of you…both of you.”
She noticed the resounding absence of the word
love.
“No way was I going to saddle both of us with a marriage for the sake of a child who would only get torn in half in the process.”
“I deserved to know,” he said, his voice vibrating with anger.
“It was easier for me if you didn’t know,” she volleyed back. Then she darted a look to the SUV— Tony was watching them. She exhaled. “See, you’ve known him for ten minutes and we’re already arguing in front of him.”
Kendall pulled his hand down his face, then crossed his arms. “I want to spend time with him.”
“I don’t know if he can stay,” she admitted. “He was in trouble already—military school was part of his sentence.”
Kendall’s eyes widened. “Sentence? What did he do?”
She pressed her lips together. “He’s not a bank robber. He vandalized a school.”
“That sounds pretty serious to me. Maybe he wouldn’t be a delinquent if he’d been allowed to know his father.”
Her eyes filled with angry tears. “Are you saying I was a bad influence on him?”
“I’m saying a child needs a mother
and
a father! You of all people should know that.”
“Because I’m such a piece of trash? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“You’re putting words in my mouth—”
The sound of a car horn split the air. Amy turned her head to see Tony’s head stuck out the window. “Come on, Mom! I’m starving.”
“I’m coming,” she called with a smile. Then she looked back to Kendall. “I’ll talk to the attorney and let you know.”
“We’ll
both
talk to the attorney.”
So this was how it was going to be. She pressed her lips together, then nodded. “Okay, we’ll both talk to the attorney. Tomorrow.” She turned to walk away, her heart hammering.
“Amy.”
She stopped, then turned back. “What?”
“I want his name changed to Armstrong.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “That will be Tony’s choice to make—not mine…and certainly not yours.”
Kendall’s jaw hardened.
She turned and walked to the SUV, telling herself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Her heart ached. Was it only this morning that Kendall had slipped from her bed after making sweet love to her all night?
It seemed like a lifetime ago.
22
“W
ow,” Nikki said. “You have a son…and Kendall is the father. Now it makes sense why you were warning me about Southern men when I first came to Sweetness.”
Amy lifted her glass for a sip. It was after one in the morning and they were sitting alone in the corner of the front great room under quilts, drinking wine and watching a dying fire. “Don’t worry, Nikki. Porter’s a good guy.”
“Kendall’s a good guy, too.”
“For a woman who wants to live in Sweetness. I didn’t, and I don’t.” She took another sip. “No offense to you.”
“I won’t pretend to know what it was like growing up here. I’m sure you have your reasons for not wanting to live in Sweetness.” Nikki sat forward in her chair. “But how did you keep the baby a secret?”
“I left town before I was showing. I didn’t have family here, and I didn’t stay in touch with anyone.”
“But even I didn’t know you had a son.”
“I didn’t keep Tony a secret from people in Broadway,” Amy said with a laugh. “But when you and I met in yoga class, he was starting to get into trouble, and I didn’t want to dwell on it.”
“So Kendall had no idea you had a child?”
“None. And this wasn’t how I wanted them to meet.”
“So how did Kendall take it?”
“Not well. He’s livid that I didn’t tell him about Tony. And he pretty much blamed me for everything that’s wrong in Tony’s life.”
“He’s in shock, give him some time to digest things. He cares about you, Amy. The man just spent three days in bed with you, for heaven’s sake.”
Amy gave a dry laugh. “Sex was never our problem— Tony is living proof of that.”
“How’s Tony taking the news?”
“Hard to tell. He’s in trouble for leaving school and coming here in the first place, and then this was sprung on him.”
“He’s in shock, too.”
“Maybe. He was asleep before I turned out the light in his room. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
“Did you get a sense of how Kendall and Tony might get along?”
“They were feeling each other out. It’s surreal watching them because they’re so much alike. I guess it can go either way—they could love each other or hate each other.”
“And good or bad, you’ll be in the middle,” Nikki said, reaching for the bottle. “I think you deserve a refill.” As she topped off Amy’s glass, Nikki asked, “Have you thought about things long-term?”
Amy gave a little laugh. “Only that Tony and I won’t be living in Sweetness.”
“Wow,” Porter said. “A son…and Amy is the mother.”
“And you had no idea she was pregnant when she left?” Marcus asked.
Kendall lifted his beer bottle for a drink. It was after one in the morning and they were sitting alone around a fire pit drinking beer. “Not a clue.”
“Now it makes sense why she told you not to contact her,” Porter offered.
“Nothing about it makes sense,” Kendall snapped. “All this time I’ve had a son walking around and I didn’t even know.” He looked at Marcus. “But you knew, didn’t you, big brother?”
“Only for a little while,” Marcus said quietly.
“So that’s why you asked Amy to come back and build the bridge,” Porter said.
Marcus nodded, then tipped up his bottle.
“Did you blackmail her into coming back?” Kendall asked.
“No. She could’ve said no. Actually, she did at first, said she had another commitment.”
Kendall nodded. “I remember her saying something about a project that had fallen through.”
“I think she came back to tell you, Kendall. She was just waiting for the right time.”
“The right time was twelve years ago.”
“Obviously, she felt differently,” Porter said mildly. “Amy’s a good person, Kendall.”
“She’s a thief, remember? She stole my son from me. And now he’s a delinquent.”
“Sounds like a gutsy kid to me,” Marcus said. “To hitchhike all the way from Michigan. Cut Amy some slack, Kendall. She didn’t want you two to meet like this.”
“She obviously cares about you,” Porter said. “The woman just spent three days in bed with you, for chrissake.”
Kendall gave a dry laugh. “Sex was never our problem—Tony is living proof of that.”
“How’s the kid taking the news?”
“Hard to tell. He’s in trouble for leaving school and coming here in the first place, and now this.”
“He’ll be fine,” Porter offered. “He’s an Armstrong.”
“I told Amy I want his name changed, but she said it was up to Tony.”
“It’s cool that she named him after Dad, though,” Porter said.
“Did you get a sense of how Amy and Tony get along?” Marcus asked.
“From what I can see, she’s way too lenient, and he’s way too spoiled.”
“So you’ll be in the middle,” Porter said, reaching into a cooler. “Brother, I think you deserve another beer.” He pulled out a bottle, twisted off the top, and handed it to Kendall. “Have you thought about how things might play out long-term?”
Kendall lifted the bottle to his mouth. “Only that I want my son to live here in Sweetness.”