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“Have you called the police?” he asked. His light blue eyes, flecked with gold, were focused on her face.
“Not yet. I was actually about to when you arrived,” she said. “Yesterday, I wasn’t sure what to do, but I decided during the night that it would be the right thing.” She had to do what she could to protect her baby. It would get complicated since the police would call in the MPs because of her father’s status in the Navy, but she’d deal with it. She always did. “That’s why my friend Maureen is here helping with Eddy. I imagined it would take a while, and he might get fussy.”
Her son was getting better about that. The colic of his first few months had abated, and they’d slipped into a good rhythm the past two weeks. Sleep was still elusive, but she was managing. Balancing caring for Eddy, sleeping, and working as a freelance coder meant she didn’t have any unoccupied hours left in the day. Thank goodness for Maureen, who understood the challenges as a single mom herself.
“You trust her?” Cole questioned.
“Of course I do,” Kelsey defended her friend. “Maureen gets it. Her daughter is thirteen, and she’s raised her entirely on her own. Her husband was a Marine who was killed in action when their little girl was only two.” She didn’t need to say more than that, knowing that Cole got the implication. Both women had been left on their own by military men, just in different ways.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said. “I trust your judgment. I’m just on edge since I don’t know who your father’s enemies might be.”
She sighed, defensiveness abating. “Neither do I. He said nothing before disappearing. I’ve been through his apartment looking for clues, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary,” she said, and then took in a breath before broaching the next topic. “I suppose you’ll want to stay close.” As soon as she’d shown him the threatening letter, she’d known that was where they were headed. He’d take what he perceived as his duty to her father seriously.
“I know it’s not ideal considering…”
Considering you left me alone and pregnant?She forced herself to set that aside. Their past, messy as it was, had no place in the current situation.
She chose to ignore the comment. “I suppose if you’re going to be around, you should meet Eddy,” she said. She carefully chose not to sayyour sonto keep a layer between them, since Cole chose not to be a father to the boy.
“Guess so.”
He was as unreadable as ever but there was a catch in his voice that Kelsey didn’t understand. Was he really that afraid of fatherhood and responsibility?
“You don’t have to, I guess, but it would be…difficult to avoid him.” She could see no way to keep them separated.
“No, no, I want to,” he answered quickly, his façade cracking a little. An expression flickered across his face and Kelsey couldn’t tell if it was nerves or excitement. “I’ve been…curious about him.”
She fought off the surprising flicker of hope. Being curious about one’s flesh and blood was normal. It didn’t mean anything.
“I posted some pictures on—”
“I saw them,” he cut her off to say.
So hehadlooked. She didn’t know what to make of that.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you.” She led the way back to the family room where Maureen was pacing the floor with Eddy cocooned against her. Her head was bent over the baby as she murmured to him. “Maureen, I want you to meet Eddy’s father, Cole Williams.”
Maureen turned to face them, tucking Eddy even closer against her, as she eyed Cole. She straightened her back and stared at him a beat, very obviously taking his measure. “About time you came around,” she said instead of a greeting.
Kelsey had met Maureen in a single moms’ support group, so they knew some of each other’s pasts even before they became close friends. Kelsey wasn’t surprised at Maureen’s attitude. They’d had plenty of candid conversations about their feelings of abandonment and what it meant to love military men. In Maureen’s case, her daughter’s father was dead, but Cole had left them by choice and that hadn’t sat well with her friend. Kelsey looked to Cole, awaiting his reaction.
“You’re probably right about that, ma’am,” he said. He kept his eyes on Maureen’s face, almost as if he was scared to look at the baby.
“Being a mom is a tough business,” Maureen said. “Kelsey’s been doing great without you.”
“I have no doubt of that,” he returned evenly.
Time to step in, Kelsey thought. “Cole is here to protect me and Eddy.” Maureen knew that her dad was mixed up in something, and that she needed to call the police. She hadn’t told her the specifics about the note, but her friend wouldn’t be surprised to hear that things had gotten dangerous. “The situation might be worse than I thought. Cole is going to keep us safe.”
“I guess a Navy SEAL is well qualified to do that,” Maureen said, walking toward them. “Sorry about the claws. I just don’t understand how anyone could wait so long before meeting this sweetie pie.” She transferred the sleepy baby to Kelsey and gave the infant a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll go, then. Unless you need me?”
“No, we’ll be fine.” Kelsey settled Eddy against her. “Thanks for being here.”
“Anytime, you know that.” Maureen grabbed her purse from the back of the couch and flipped her long dark hair behind her shoulder. “Call me later for anything. I mean that. And take care of yourselves.”
Maureen went out the door, leaving Kelsey and Cole in an uncomfortable silence. The soft weight of Eddy pressed against her chest brought her some comfort. He was dozing, so Cole still hadn’t seen his face.
“Well, here he is,” she said, adjusting the baby so Cole could finally see his son.
