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I rubbed mine down my jeans to make certain there wasn’t any grease on it before accepting his gesture. “I am, sir.”
“Sir? Hell, boy. I’m not that old. Frank Wilson, but you can call me Frank. This is Carrie, my wife. It’s been a pleasure being able to help out, although we both wish it was under much better circumstances.”
“Yeah, me too. I appreciate what you’ve done.”
He nodded and I didn’t sense any trepidation in them, just curiosity, which I could handle.
“I made some lemonade. I thought maybe…” Carrie started, shaking her head. “I wasn’t certain how you wanted to handle this. Your attorney was very strict about the meeting. I mean, I know what must happen, but I just…”
“It’s okay, Carrie. I’ll take it slow and easy, and I’d love some lemonade. Oh, and Mr. Jones ain’t my attorney. He’s a little stuffed shirt if you ask me.”
They both laughed. “You hit the nail on the head,” Frank said.
The woman’s face brightened. It took very special people to step up to the plate the way they had. For that, I’d be eternally grateful.
“Why don’t you come inside in about five minutes?” Carrie suggested. “And don’t forget that little friend you’re carrying.”
“Sounds good.” I took a few seconds to glance at the location. It was obvious they’d lived here for years, the house entirely different than the others. There were larger trees that provided shade, a real commodity. “Nice place. I’d like to find a location like this instead of where my brother lives.”
“To tell you the truth, Carrie and I thought your brother’s house was incredible. Maybe we could trade.”
I gave him a look, grinning when he winked. “Careful. I might just take you up on that.”
“We’ve had a lot of good times here. Raised a family but as kids do, they all scattered to the wind. Sadly, Las Vegas isn’t what it used to be.”
“Never been here before.”
“You a gambler?”
“Only in methods of life. Nah, I figured I’ve done enough risky things in my life.”
“Marines?”
“Army.”
“I could tell. You have that air about you. Confidence. Concern. Protectiveness,” Frank said. “You’re gonna need all three plus patience. Lord God above. Patience is the key.”
Laughing, I rubbed my jaw. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So what do you do now, son?”
The last man who’d called me ‘son’ had ended up with a broken jaw, but the way Frank said the word didn’t bother me in the least. “Well, it looks like I just made a career change into advertising.”
“Not your thing, huh?”
“No, sir. I prefer working with my hands.” I wasn’t going to tell him that what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life wasn’t legal.
“An admirable trait. I hope you can find the time to do what you love. I know this is a tremendous change. My only other advice is to maintain strict discipline.”
“In whose life?”
He laughed. “I think you’re smart enough to figure that out. Come on. I think it’s been long enough.”
I followed him toward the house, my heart racing more than it had ever done in combat. I’d faced enemies coming from all sides, no way to escape and felt less fear than at this moment. When he opened the front door, he seemed to sense my hesitation, giving me a comforting smile.
He walked into the foyer, allowing me to close the door behind us. I heard voices and my discomfort level continued to increase. Then I heard footsteps, light ones. Small ones. And for the love of fuck, I almost panicked. When the tiny being appeared in the doorway of another room, I had to keep from running back to the truck. I wasn’t cut out for this. I couldn’t be a fake daddy, not even to my niece.
Stop the bullshit, soldier. This little girl needs you.
