Free Sworn to Protect by Jo Davis Page B

was supposed to start at his new high school on Monday. So many changes in such a short time.
    Once they were finished at the attorney’s office, Shane steered his godson out, a copy of the will in hand. They met with the expected throng of reporters who, in turn, met with all the police that acted as a barrier between them. Though there would’ve been a few on hand anyway, Shane suspected he had Detective Lacey to thank for the extra show of force from his brethren. Cops protected their own.
    The reporters had been relentless once they figured out who Shane was and that he was now legal guardian to Brad’s son. They were playing up the “working man inherits big” angle, but for the most part had portrayed Shane in a kind light as the bereaved cop who now had to raise his best friend’s son. Surprising, but true.
    Shane just wanted them all to go away. The next big story couldn’t happen soon enough, as long as nobody was left grieving like he and Drew were.
    Once they were safely in Shane’s truck, pulling out of the underground parking garage, he glanced at Drew. “What do you say we go get something to eat?”
    A shrug.
    Shane tried again. “Where do you like to go?”
    “Dad and I never went out to eat much.” The boy wiped his reddened eyes and turned his gaze out the window. “Always said wading through the fans made it too much trouble to go out.”
    “I know.” That struck him as sad, but he didn’t say so. “Well, I
do
like to go out, so I hope that’s okay with you.”
    Another shrug. “That works.”
    He bit back a sigh. At least he’d gotten an actual answer with the shoulder movement this time. “Where to? You pick.”
    The boy gave it some thought. “I like those restaurants along Second Avenue, by the river. Dad never wanted to go down there because it’s so touristy.”
    “Okay. Second Avenue it is. How about the spaghetti place? Or there’s a brewery that has good pub-style food.”
    “Spaghetti,” he said without hesitation.
    Shane smiled. Maybe they could do this. They would be okay. “You got it.”
    Parking was a bit of a pain, but he managed to find a spot in a prepaid lot not far down the street from the restaurant. To coax a smile from Drew, he’d park in Alaska.
    After a short wait, they got seated. Shane was relieved to see that nobody seemed to recognize them. If anyone did, they were left alone.
    The waitress came and took their drink order. That simple question gave him pause. Typically, he’d order a beer, but for some reason that didn’t seem right today. Drew was his responsibility from now on, and he had to set a good example. No alcohol if he was going to drive with his godson in the car afterward, period. He ordered tea, and Drew gave him a funny look as the waitress moved off.
    “Tea? Dude, I’ve never seen you touch a glass of tea.”
    “Well, I’m thirsty.”
    The kid rolled his eyes. “You are so full of crap. When you’re thirsty, you always drink water. You’re trying to be a
parent
now, right? Jesus, get over yourself.”
    Shane blinked at him. “What?”
    “You want a beer, have a beer. Who fuckin’ cares?”
    “Language.” That earned him a snort. “And
I
care, very much. You’re not just visiting me, you’re my kid now.”
    “Don’t remind me,” he shot back sarcastically.
    That stung. “The point is, it’s been a long, rough day for us both, and I don’t feel right about being this wiped out, having a beer at lunch, and then getting behind the wheel. The brew can wait until I get home.”
    “Fine, whatever.”
    “And it would be nice if you could learn some new vocabulary words besides those two.”
    “Christ, you sound like Dad.”
    I’m not your dad, as you’ve pointed out before,
hovered on his tongue. But he squashed the urge to kamikaze their lunch outing by uttering it. Just barely.
    “Then I’m doing my job,” he said instead.
    Suddenly serious, Drew leaned forward, elbows on the table. “What if I just want you