Slade's Secret Son (3 page)

It took all of Slade’s willpower to not stride into the room and pick up his son. He didn’t want to frighten the
boy. There was no doubt that this was his child. Andy was the exact image of him at that age. But then, he’d never for a moment questioned Lisa’s honesty. Remaining in the doorway, he squatted so that he was at eye level with his child, then said in an easy drawl, “I’m real pleased to be meeting you.”

Andy remained where he was, his head cocked to one side, and continued to study the man.

Lisa held out her hand to her son. “I want you to meet Slade Logan,” she coaxed.

Andy accepted her hand and walked with her toward Slade, stopping a couple of feet in front of him.

“Slade’s a friend.” Lisa saw Slade’s jaw twitch with controlled anger and added, “He’s also your father.”

“Sllaade,” Andy said, as if tasting the feel of the name on his tongue.

“You can call me dad.” Slade wanted to waste no time establishing his true position.

Watching the two of them, Lisa found herself thinking how much alike they were. She’d known Andy resembled his father but until now she’d never realized just how much. And the resemblance wasn’t merely physical, either. Andy’s mannerisms, the way he held himself, the way he faced his father right now, studying him with guarded interest…all of these things combined into a miniature Slade.

Lisa could tell by looking at him that with every fiber of his being, Slade wanted to pick up his son and hug him. Instead he extended his hand and said, “How about a handshake?”

Releasing his hold on his mother’s hand, Andy took another step toward the man and placed his hand in Slade’s.

Slade’s huge hand swallowed up the toddler’s. The desire
to hold on to the boy forever was strong, but Slade made himself release his hold after only a moment.

“Sllaade,” Andy repeated with a smile that indicated he’d decided to accept the man as a friend.

“Dad,” Slade corrected with a crooked grin to let the boy know that he, too, considered them friends.

Andy looked up at his mother as if confused by this double name.

“Dad. You should call him dad,” Lisa responded to the question in her son’s eyes. Silently she prayed that, for her son’s sake, the tenderness she’d seen on Slade’s face would remain untainted by the ghosts that haunted him.

Andy turned back to Slade. “Daa,” he said as if imprinting the name in his memory bank.

A lump the size of Texas formed in Slade’s throat. “Son,” he said around it, and ruffled Andy’s hair. “Think I could have a hug?” he coaxed.

Lisa was stunned by the depth of feeling she read on Slade’s face. She’d never seen this openly loving side of him. He’d been tender with her, kind, generous and thoughtful, but she’d always been aware of the wall he kept between himself and her. For a moment jealousy that her son had been allowed to enter Slade’s heart while she’d always be left on the outside flowed through her. Then pride came to her rescue. She refused to waste emotions on a man who preferred a ghost to a real flesh-and-blood woman. “Give your father a hug,” she encouraged, giving Andy a small nudge toward Slade.

Andy hesitated for a second, then with a crooked grin that matched Slade’s, he opened his arms, approached Slade and wrapped them around Slade’s neck.

Emotions too strong to even categorize pervaded Slade as he wound his arms around his son. Feeling Andy attempting
to wiggle free, Slade forced himself to release the boy.

Satisfied he’d been properly introduced to the stranger and the stranger was not a threat, Andy turned to his mother and held up his arms to her.

“I suppose you want to get dressed and have some breakfast.” Because her shoulder was still too sore to allow her to pick him up, she knelt, wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his neck.

Andy nodded vigorously.

Feeling the need to have some time alone with her son, Lisa rose and, holding her son by the hand, headed to the door. “We’ll just show your father to his room first.”

Slade knew she was trying to get rid of him and wanted to protest, but stopped himself. His relationship with his son was still on shaky ground and he didn’t want to do anything that would evoke anger from Lisa in front of the boy. Picking up both her satchel and his, he said, “I’ll drop your satchel off at your room.”

Relieved he wasn’t going to give her any argument, Lisa nodded toward the next door on the same side of the hall as Andy’s room. “That’s my room,” she said.

Slade dropped her bag just inside, while she paused in the hall.

She nodded toward a door on the other side of the passage. “That’ll be your room.”

Pleased that he would be so close to his son’s room, Slade smiled. “Thanks.” With a final wink toward Andy, he entered his room.

Lisa had finished changing Andy’s diaper and was dressing him when she felt a prickling along her spine. Without turning around, she was certain it was Slade in the doorway watching her. From the first time they’d met,
she’d been acutely aware of his presence. She’d hoped that had faded during the past couple of years. Obviously, it hadn’t.

Andy peered around her. “Da,” he said, confirming what she already knew.

Approaching them, Slade held his arms out toward the boy. “Can I give you a lift downstairs?”

Lisa expected Andy to refuse. He was cautious around strangers. Even more, Slade had an intimidating effect on people. The first time they’d met, he’d gone immediately to the top of her list of men she most wanted to avoid in the future.
I would have been smart to have followed that instinct
, she admonished herself. Then she thought of Andy and retracted that thought. Her son was precious to her and she would never regret having him.

Andy cocked his head and again studied the tall, mountain of a man while his mother finished tying his shoe. When she was done, he slid off of his bed and stood beside her for a long moment, then clearly making up his mind, he held out his arms toward Slade.

Grinning with pleasure, Slade picked up his son.

They were a matched pair, Lisa thought, watching the two of them together. Her pride still stung some, but she was forced to admit that bringing Slade and his son together had been the right thing to do.

L
isa woke groggily. Both she and Slade had caught short naps in the airports and on the flights to Seattle, but she was still recovering from her wound and by the time Andy was settled in to eat his breakfast, exhaustion had forced her to go to her room to lie down. She’d immediately fallen asleep. Now she was being gently shaken awake.

Opening her eyes, she saw Slade. Fear that something had happened to Andy raced through her. “What’s wrong?” she asked, bolting into an upright position. Before she could get to her feet, dizziness forced her to stop and hold her head in her hands.

Slade’s hands closed around her shoulders, adding support. “Are you all right?”

“Head rush,” she replied, furious that her body wasn’t healing as quickly as she wanted it to. Even more disconcerting was the soothing heat his touch was spreading through her. She didn’t want him affecting her that way. She wanted to feel neutral toward him. Giving her shoulders
a small twist to indicate she wanted him to release her, she sucked in a groan of discomfort.

“I was just trying to help,” Slade said impatiently, releasing her and taking a step back.

Lisa berated herself for overreacting, but then she’d never been able to keep herself entirely under control where Slade was concerned. The nausea now subsiding, her original panic returned. “Has something happened to Andy?”

“Andy’s fine,” Slade assured her. Tenderness again softened his feature. “He and I have been getting acquainted. Smart little guy and full of energy.”

Lisa saw the love in Slade’s eyes. Clearly, he’d allowed Andy into his heart and, for her son’s sake, she was glad.

“It’s getting late and I want to go get our marriage license today.”

Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, Lisa saw that it was after two. “I slept half the day?”

“You needed the rest. You’re still recovering from your wound.”

“Where’s Andy?”

“He’s taking his nap.” Slade backed up further so that he could lean against the wall. “He’s very devoted to you. A couple of times every hour he insisted on coming in and checking on you.”

Her son’s concern caused a motherly warmth to spread through her and she was forced to admit that deep inside she’d been worried that Slade had such a powerful presence, Andy might become so enamored of him, he would forget about her when Slade was present. “He is a very caring child,” she said with pride.

“You’ve done well by him.” Slade straightened with purpose. “And now it’s my turn to do right by him.
While he’s napping, we’re going to go get our marriage license. Your mother is making you a sandwich you can eat on the way.”

Lisa’s jaw firmed. “I am not going to marry you. That is not why I brought you into this.”

“We are going to get married. It’s the right thing to do for Andy’s sake. And I’m not taking no for an answer. I want the boy to have my name and to know that I wanted to be his father in every sense of the word, including the legal one.”

Lisa scowled. “You don’t want me for your wife. You made that very clear.”

“It’s not personal. I don’t want any woman for a wife.”

“That’s supposed to appease me?”

“If you don’t let me marry you, Andy might always think that I didn’t really want him. I don’t want him to have any doubts about the bond I feel toward him.”

“I’ll explain that it was my choice.”

“And then there’s the legal system,” Slade persisted. “If anything happens to you, the courts might look at it differently. You and I both know that you can’t count on a judge to always do the right thing. If we never marry, a court could rule against my getting custody. And, if the court feels that your mother and aunt can’t care for him properly, Andy could even end up in the foster care system.”

Lisa had to concede that there was a small chance things could turn out as he predicted, a very small chance but a possibility nonetheless, and that thought sent a chill of fear through her.

“We were good together,” Slade continued. “We have the same tastes, a lot of the same interests, and we both know how to please each other physically. I’d say
we probably have more going for us than a lot of couples who marry.”

Lisa reluctantly admitted to herself that his arguments were valid. Still, she was uneasy. He was asking her to go back to the way they had been before. Well, not exactly. This time she was forewarned. She would know better than to give her heart to him. “All right, I’ll marry you for Andy’s sake. But if the marriage doesn’t work out, I want your word that you’ll give me a divorce and not fight me for custody.”

“I’ll want joint custody.”

“I don’t want him bounced back and forth between us. I want primary custody and I get to set the conditions.”

Slade recognized the determined look on her face. If he wanted her to marry him, he was going to have to make concessions. “I want your word that you’ll be fair.”

It hurt that he didn’t trust her, but then, she hadn’t exactly demonstrated an unquestionable trust in him, either. “You have my word.”

“And you have my word.”

“Then give me a few minutes to pull myself together.” She looked down at the outfit she’d been wearing for two days now and wrinkled her nose. “I need to shower and put on fresh clothes.”

Following Slade’s exit, Lisa stood for a long moment frowning at the closed door. She told herself that she should be pleased he was being so “civilized” about this matter. But then that’s what she should have expected. Slade Logan was a man in total control of himself…A practical man who had a firm conviction of what was right and what was wrong, of what his duty was, and he
had the ability to act on those principles without allowing his emotions to interfere with reason.

Lisa had finished showering and just returned to her room to dress when a knock sounded on her door, immediately followed by the entry of her aunt and her mother.

“Ester and I have been discussing your situation and we’re not sure marrying Slade Logan is the right thing to do,” Helen blurted, the moment the door was closed.

“We’ve done fine on our own,” Ester added.

“I’m doing this to assure Andy’s future in case something happens to me,” Lisa explained. She looked to her mother. “You’re fifty-three. You’ll be seventy-three before Andy is even twenty-one.” She didn’t even point out that Ester would be into her eighties.

“We just aren’t certain you should be tying yourself to a man for the sake of a child,” Helen said worriedly.

“I’m not
tying
myself to him. I have his word that if the marriage doesn’t suit me, we’ll get a divorce and I’ll have primary custody of Andy without a fight.”

“Do you have that in writing?” Ester demanded.

“I have Slade’s word.”

“I think you should get it in writing,” Helen encouraged.

Lisa understood their concern and if she’d been dealing with any man other than Slade Logan she would have insisted on having the agreement in writing, as well, but in that moment she realized how fully she trusted him. “Like I said before, Slade is a man of honor. If I doubted that, I would never have gone to him. His word is his bond.”

Ester pursed her lips into a displeased pout and Lisa braced herself. That look meant her aunt was preparing
an all-out assault to get what she wanted. Glancing at her mother, she saw the same expression on Helen’s face.

Then, abruptly, Ester shrugged, the pout disappeared and was replaced by her “I have the solution” look. Heading out the door, she said over her shoulder, “If that’s true, he won’t mind putting it in writing.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Helen followed her sister.

“Leave Slade alone,” Lisa called after them, but even as she issued the order, she knew it was falling on deaf ears. Quickly dressing, she raced downstairs. She found Slade in the kitchen with her mother and aunt. He was sitting at the table writing out something on a piece of paper. “This isn’t necessary,” Lisa said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“If it puts your mother’s and your aunt’s minds at ease then it is,” Slade returned, continuing to write as he spoke.

Lisa gave the two older women an angry, impatient look. “I really can’t believe you did this.”

Ester regarded her with self-righteous dignity. “I watch those court shows on television all the time and this is just the sort of thing the judge advises all the defendants to do.”

“Slade and I are nothing like the people you see on those shows,” Lisa snapped, her embarrassment building.

“I’ll bet that’s what some of those people thought before they ended up there,” Ester returned.

Lisa gave her aunt a “you’re impossible” glance, then turned her attention to Slade. “I am truly sorry about this. I told them that you were a man of your word.” Again she gave her mother and aunt an angry glare. “In fact, I’ve told them that several times.”

Slade scrawled his signature at the bottom of the paper,
then looked up at her. “The fact that you didn’t come to me when you found out you were pregnant probably has a lot to do with their distrust. I’ve written out this paper to prove to them that I would never intentionally cause you or our son any grief or harm.”

Behind his polite demeanor, she caught the edge of reprimand in his voice and bristled. “I did what I thought was right. I’ve never claimed to be perfect.” Her gaze turned on her mother and aunt. “And now I realize that was a mistake, so I’m correcting it.” Her gaze shifted back to Slade. “And I don’t need you chiding me for my original decision. It was based solely on your attitude toward marriage.” Her attention went back to her mother and aunt. “And my current decision is based on concern for my son. I’m doing what I believe has to be done to insure Andy’s future.”

All three of them regarded her indulgently, then, picking up the paper Slade had just signed, Helen said, “I’ll put this in a safe place,” and left the room with Ester following close behind.

Slade rose from the table. “Are you ready?”

Lisa nodded stiffly.

“You don’t have to look as if you’re going to the dentist to have a root canal,” he muttered as they left the house and walked to her car.

Lisa made no response but a little voice warned that a root canal would be like a walk in the park compared to the pain she would experience if she ever allowed the feelings she’d had for Slade to again breathe life.

A while later Lisa was as taut as a bowstring as she and Slade walked back to her car. Getting the marriage license had been incredibly easy…no blood tests, no identification. And they’d left with the document in hand.
In three days it would be valid and they could be married by any priest, rabbi or recognized minister of any denomination, or by any state judge.

All during the process, Lisa had observed Slade. He’d been stiff, almost cardboardlike, making it clear to her that while he may be willing to go through the motions, for him this marriage was simply a legal means to achieve his ends. She was certain that as soon as Andy’s name had been changed and Slade’s position as Andy’s father affirmed, he’d want out of their marriage. Pride bubbled within her. “After we go through the ceremony, just because we have a piece of paper that says we’re married doesn’t mean I’m going to jump back into your bed.”

Slade gave her an impatient look. “Once we go through that ceremony, we will be married and I intend for that marriage to be a long and lasting one.”

Lisa’s jaw firmed with resolve. “I’m not sharing a bed with a ghost. I did it once. I’m not doing it again.”

Slade caught her by the arm and brought her to a halt. “We’ve got a son to raise. He needs both a mother and a father, preferably under the same roof. I want your promise that you’ll at least give our marriage a chance.”

His touch was like a match igniting a fire deep within her. Rage that she was still so attracted to him spread through her. “Before I make any promises, I want your promise that you’ll try to finally bury Claudette and let me into your heart.” When Slade made no response, she glared at him. “I hope you and your ghost have a happy life, but don’t plan on me sharing it.”

His jaw twitched, then as if the words were being ripped from him, he said, “I can’t go through that kind of loss again. Once was enough.”

So that was it! He clung to Claudette because he was
afraid to love again. Lisa studied the resolute line of his jaw. She would never be able to break through the barrier he’d created around his heart. She’d tried once and ended up getting hurt. There was no doubt in her mind the same thing would happen again. “Once was enough for me, too,” she muttered under her breath. Jerking free from his hold, she headed across the street. Hearing a car’s engine start up, she glanced to her left and saw a black sedan pull out of a parking space. She picked up her pace to get out of its lane.

Slade hung back, deciding to let the car pass before he crossed. He couldn’t blame Lisa for wanting more than he was willing to give, but he wasn’t ready to abandon the idea of them making a life together. He enjoyed her company and he wanted to be an everyday part of his son’s life.

A sudden prickling, the kind he always experienced when something wasn’t right, jerked his attention to the oncoming vehicle. It was speeding up and heading directly toward Lisa. Reaching her on the run, he caught her by the waist and carried her with him through the space between her car and the one behind it. The sound of metal impacting metal filled the air as they tumbled to the ground unbalanced by Slade’s rescue.

“Ouch.” Lisa groaned when her body impacted with the hard earth, sending a jolt of pain through her.

“Sorry,” Slade apologized, quickly getting to his feet in time to see the sedan speeding away.

Lisa shifted into a sitting position. “What was that all about?”

Slade moved to where he could get a look at the damage done to the side of her car. “Someone just tried to run you down.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “Run
me
down?”

“Sure looked that way.” He headed back to her. “Stay down.”

Lisa’s first instinct was to disobey, to prove to him that she could take care of herself. Then she thought of Andy and remained where she was.