testimony.”
“Okay….”
“They could come after me.”
“Who’s they?”
“I don’t even know!” he exclaimed. “I’ve changed my name—both Cass and I did, to my mom’s family name. And it was years ago. I was just a kid then. But… but….”
“The police know you’re back in New York?”
“Yeah,” he said mournfully. “My mom got in contact with the detective who looked after Sab’s case.”
“Then that’s all you can do,” I said.
I was pretty good at maintaining a calm exterior when I was secretly going crazy inside, but for some strange reason I didn’t feel crazy. I was worried, mostly for him, because he lived in a crack-house apartment building with shitty security and wandered the streets at all hours of the day and night. He’d never taken Harrison out on his own, though, and if that ever happened, I’d reassess my concerns.
I reached out for Zane’s hand, and he let me tug him down onto my lap. Holding him tight, I kissed his neck and waited for him to start to relax.
“What do you want for dinner tonight?” I asked.
“I don’t care.”
“Are you staying for dinner tonight?”
“Yes, please,” he said in a small voice.
“Hey,” I said. “We’re good. I promise. Let me cook for you.”
“I can make a really cool vegan pizza.”
I groaned and dropped my forehead to Zane’s shoulder, making him laugh.
Chapter 8
T HE PIZZA was surprisingly good, even if Zane did bitch about my adding chicken on top of mine. I even let him cut tiny strips off for Harrison to try. It wasn’t quite the same resounding success as the breakfast banana yogurt, and most of it was smeared on his face rather than put into his mouth, but he did eat some of it. Which was something.
I let Zane give Harrison his bath and get him ready for bed while I got the kitchen cleaned up, then fixed Harrison’s bottle and got my computer fired up ready to do some work.
“Can I read to him again?” Zane asked as he emerged from the bedroom with a squeaky-clean, pajama-clad baby.
“Sure,” I said. “Do you want to try giving him his bottle at the same time? He might spit it out, but it’s worth a try….”
Zane nodded, and I showed him how to hold the bottle so the little airflow bit was at the top. He settled back on the couch with the first Harry Potter book, and I turned away, back to my computer, as if this could hide the fact that I was falling in love.
Meg was online. Her icon popped up in my chat window.
Hi , she wrote. Is Zane there? I tried to call him earlier.
Yeah , I replied.
Thought so ;)
He’s reading to Harrison right now. Do you want me to get him to call you?
FUCK. ME.
What?
This I need to see. Turn on your webcam.
Fuck off.
:D
I decided to ignore her and opened my e-mail to start reading through all of the information she’d sent me about the new project. It was difficult, mostly because I was still concentrating on the soft, soothing sounds of Zane’s voice. No one should sound that good saying “Dumbledore.”
He read through to the end of the first chapter, but the telltale signs of Harrison slurping at his bottle stopped long before that. I turned around slowly. The book and the half-empty bottle were on the arm of the sofa, and Harrison was sleeping in Zane’s arms.
“Do you want to take him?” he asked.
“No, I’d wake him up. Are you okay to put him to bed?”
He nodded, although hesitantly, so I followed him through and showed him how I usually settled my baby down. Before he could leave, I tugged him into my arms.
“Your reading voice does things to me,” I said, keeping my voice low.
I felt his lips stretch into a smile against my neck. “Does it?”
“Yes. I might need you to read me a bedtime story of my own.”
“Ellis, it’s, like, seven thirty.”
“Good. I don’t want to go to sleep.”
He let me tug him through to my bed, pin him there, and show him all the reasons why I wanted him to stay.
I was almost asleep
“Okay….”
“They could come after me.”
“Who’s they?”
“I don’t even know!” he exclaimed. “I’ve changed my name—both Cass and I did, to my mom’s family name. And it was years ago. I was just a kid then. But… but….”
“The police know you’re back in New York?”
“Yeah,” he said mournfully. “My mom got in contact with the detective who looked after Sab’s case.”
“Then that’s all you can do,” I said.
I was pretty good at maintaining a calm exterior when I was secretly going crazy inside, but for some strange reason I didn’t feel crazy. I was worried, mostly for him, because he lived in a crack-house apartment building with shitty security and wandered the streets at all hours of the day and night. He’d never taken Harrison out on his own, though, and if that ever happened, I’d reassess my concerns.
I reached out for Zane’s hand, and he let me tug him down onto my lap. Holding him tight, I kissed his neck and waited for him to start to relax.
“What do you want for dinner tonight?” I asked.
“I don’t care.”
“Are you staying for dinner tonight?”
“Yes, please,” he said in a small voice.
“Hey,” I said. “We’re good. I promise. Let me cook for you.”
“I can make a really cool vegan pizza.”
I groaned and dropped my forehead to Zane’s shoulder, making him laugh.
Chapter 8
T HE PIZZA was surprisingly good, even if Zane did bitch about my adding chicken on top of mine. I even let him cut tiny strips off for Harrison to try. It wasn’t quite the same resounding success as the breakfast banana yogurt, and most of it was smeared on his face rather than put into his mouth, but he did eat some of it. Which was something.
I let Zane give Harrison his bath and get him ready for bed while I got the kitchen cleaned up, then fixed Harrison’s bottle and got my computer fired up ready to do some work.
“Can I read to him again?” Zane asked as he emerged from the bedroom with a squeaky-clean, pajama-clad baby.
“Sure,” I said. “Do you want to try giving him his bottle at the same time? He might spit it out, but it’s worth a try….”
Zane nodded, and I showed him how to hold the bottle so the little airflow bit was at the top. He settled back on the couch with the first Harry Potter book, and I turned away, back to my computer, as if this could hide the fact that I was falling in love.
Meg was online. Her icon popped up in my chat window.
Hi , she wrote. Is Zane there? I tried to call him earlier.
Yeah , I replied.
Thought so ;)
He’s reading to Harrison right now. Do you want me to get him to call you?
FUCK. ME.
What?
This I need to see. Turn on your webcam.
Fuck off.
:D
I decided to ignore her and opened my e-mail to start reading through all of the information she’d sent me about the new project. It was difficult, mostly because I was still concentrating on the soft, soothing sounds of Zane’s voice. No one should sound that good saying “Dumbledore.”
He read through to the end of the first chapter, but the telltale signs of Harrison slurping at his bottle stopped long before that. I turned around slowly. The book and the half-empty bottle were on the arm of the sofa, and Harrison was sleeping in Zane’s arms.
“Do you want to take him?” he asked.
“No, I’d wake him up. Are you okay to put him to bed?”
He nodded, although hesitantly, so I followed him through and showed him how I usually settled my baby down. Before he could leave, I tugged him into my arms.
“Your reading voice does things to me,” I said, keeping my voice low.
I felt his lips stretch into a smile against my neck. “Does it?”
“Yes. I might need you to read me a bedtime story of my own.”
“Ellis, it’s, like, seven thirty.”
“Good. I don’t want to go to sleep.”
He let me tug him through to my bed, pin him there, and show him all the reasons why I wanted him to stay.
I was almost asleep
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