hold him close. To convince herself he would be all right. She folded her hands in her lap.
Tears surged at the backs of her eyes, tears she didnât know she still had in her. Swallowing hard, she forced them back.
âMom?â
She hadnât known he was still awake. âYes, Ethan?â
âYou donât have to worry. Cord will keep us safe. I know he will.â
Sheâd like to believe that. But after Cordâs comment about this being the least he could do, she couldnât help but wonder if somewhere in his mind he had an idea of what the most might be. And the desire to fulfill it.
Chapter Seven
Cord looked up from the cot where he stretched out, his chest bare. Thick lines of tattoos etched the contours of muscle and marred smooth skin. âCanât sleep?â
Trepidation shot through Melanie. Sheâd spent the last hour listening to the gentle sound of Ethanâs breathing, trying to push Cordâs comment from her mind. But sheâd had about as much luck as she was now having keeping her eyes off his bare chest. âWhat you said before was bothering me.â
âAnd what was that?â He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot.
âI think it would be a good idea to set things straight.â Crossing her arms over her breasts, she leaned back against the doorjamb. She needed the support. âYou canât suddenly step into Ethanâs life and be his father. He has a good life. He doesnâtââ
âNeed me?â Cord rose to his feet. He crossedthe room toward her. The shadows of individual windowpanes scrolled over his bare arms and chest as he walked, morphing and changing the tattoos. âI know. I donât belong near a kid. I donât need you to tell me that.â
âThen what was your comment about? That this was the least you could do?â
âJust that.â He stopped ten feet from her. âIâll never be much of a father, and I donât want him using me as some kind of role model any more than you do. But I can keep my son safe. I can kill Kane if he shows his face. You donât need to thank me for doing the one thing I can. It really is the least I can do. I wish I could do more.â
She bit down on the inside of her lip. Maybe she shouldnât have thanked him for saving his own son. But since sheâd first learned she was pregnant, Ethan had been hers and hers alone. Thinking of him as also being Cordâs son would take getting used to.
She caught herself. She wasnât going to get used to it. Cord wasnât going to be in Ethanâs life long enough. âIâm sorry. But Iâm glad we had this talk. Iâm glad we understand each other.â
âWe do.â
She lowered her lids and rubbed her fingers over her forehead, suddenly so tired she could hardly stay upright. It would be hard to get through these next days holed up in this shell of a condowith Cord, but she could do it as long as she knew that Cord would walk away when it was over. That Ethan would be okay in the long run.
And that sheâd be okay, too.
When she opened her eyes, Cord was staring at her. The intensity of his blue eyes sparked a tremble high in her stomach. âWhat?â
He blew a derisive laugh through his nose and shook his head. âIâve thought about what Iâd say to you for the past ten years.â
She didnât want to hear what he had to say. âCordâ¦â
âI rehearsed it. Honed it. Even though I never planned to actually say any of it.â
âI donât think we should talk about this.â
âWhy not? If Kane hadnât included your name in his invitation, you never would have seen or heard from me. But he did. And I canât pretend youâre not standing here in front of me now.â
âI donât want to hear it. I canât.â She turned, the need to get back into the room with Ethan almost
Patricia Davids, Ruth Axtell Morren