says you have brothers and sisters.â
âTwo brothers, three sisters. My sisters are identical triplets.â
âSo you canât tell them apart?â
He smiled. âIt was hard when they were younger, but now theyâre pretty different.â
âDo they know about me?â
âNot yet, but when I tell them, theyâll want to meet you.â
âSweet.â
Liz motioned to the sofa. âWhy donât you two sit down and Iâll get some lemonade. We have freshly baked cookies, too.â
âWe made the cookies after my cousins got home from school,â Tyler explained, leading the way. âTheyâre still in school until Friday. Melissa and Abby.â He wrinkled his nose. âTheyâre okay, you know, for girls.â
âWords that will warm their hearts,â Liz murmured, before she went into the kitchen. The girls were upstairs, out of earshot, thank goodness.
Tyler launched into a detailed description of his last few days of school, his friends in San Francisco and what movies he wanted to see that summer.
â Action Boy looks so cool,â he mentioned. âHeâs starting middle school, like me. He picks up a special rock from outer space and gets super powers.â
âSuper powers would be a lot of fun,â Ethan told him.
âThat one starts in three weeks. Mom always takes me on the first day. We go to the early show, except this one time we went at midnight.â Tyler laughed. âI was still a kid, so I fell asleep. Mom didnât mind and took me back the next day so I could see what I missed.â
Tyler talked on, the conversation growing easier with every passing minute. Apparently he didnât stay shy forlong. Ethan watched as well as listened, recognizing a few Hendrix family traits in his son.
The subjects themselves were conventional. School, sports, friends, his family. But the latter gave him trouble, seeing as Tylerâs only family was Liz. From what Ethan could tell, sheâd been a good mother. Caring, fair and strong when she needed to be. And Tyler had thrived.
He supposed that some part of him should be pleased, but all he felt was deep resentment for what heâd lost. No, he reminded himself. Not lost. What had been stolen from him.
When Tyler ran upstairs to find a favorite video game, Ethan moved into the kitchen. He found Liz there, flipping through a magazine.
âYouâre not rejoining us?â he asked, leaning against the door frame.
âI thought Iâd give you two time together,â she said. A faint smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. âAfraid youâll miss the cookies?â
Humor as a peace offering, he thought. While the sexual side of him could appreciate the shape of her face, the appeal of her body, the rest of him wasnât so easily swayed.
âI want more time with him,â he said bluntly.
She closed the magazine and rose. âI wasnât trying to keep him from you,â she began then shook her head. âNever mind. Weâll have that argument when I have evidence on my side. What did you want to suggest?â
âWe have a minor league baseball team in town. Theyâre playing tomorrow. I want to take him.â
âSure. What time?â
âThe gameâs at noon.â
âOkay.â
She was too agreeable, he thought, irritated. He wanted to fight with her, argue. He had too much energy and nowhere to put it. Apparently she could also read his mind.
âIâm not the bad guy,â she elaborated softly. âI wish youâd at least try to see that.â
âYou kept me from my son. Thereâs nothing you can say to make that right. What Tyler and I have lost can never be recovered.â
She stared at him for a long time. âI agree I have responsibility for what happened, but so do you. And until you can admit your part of the blame, youâre going to be so caught up in the past,