bed.”
“Is Billy your friend?”
“My best friend in the world. Besides Daisy.” He rose up onto his knees and leaned forward. “Does that hurt?”
“This?” Quinn pointed at the scar. “Not anymore.”
“Can I touch it?”
“Sure, if you want to.”
Zack scrambled into his lap like he’d been doing it all his life and lifted one tiny finger to trace the line of scar tissue. Quinn desperately fought off the need to crush him in a hug, the effort sending a tremor through his body. He settled for running a tentative hand over the mop of dark hair.
“How did you get hurt?”
“In a car accident.”
Gray eyes, so much like Lanie’s, looked at him seriously. “Is that why you never came to see me before, ‘cause you had an accident?”
Pain worse than any he’d felt in his life streaked through him and his eyes closed in reflex. “No.” He could barely get the words out. “The accident happened before you were born.”
He opened his eyes and looked at his son. “The truth is, I didn’t know about you until yesterday. Zack, if I had known you were here, I never would have stayed away.”
Zack studied him for a moment. “You didn’t know I was borned?”
“No.”
“Are you going to stay here and be my daddy now?”
“I’m going to be your daddy from now on, no matter where we are.”
3“Does that mean I’ll have two dads? ‘Cause Mama said Jared was going to be my daddy.”
How could he answer a question like that when he planned on doing everything in his power to keep Lanie from marrying her fiancé? “Do you like Jared?”
Zack squirmed until he was leaning back with his head on Quinn’s shoulder. “Jared is great.” His mouth gaped in a huge yawn. “He comes over and plays with me, and sometimes he takes me with him to work on sick animals. He says I’m the best helper he’s ever had.”
Quinn let his arms close around the small body and buried his face in Zack’s hair.
“It sounds like he loves you a lot, and you know something? You can never have enough people around who love you.”
“Do you love me?” His eyelids were beginning to droop.
Involuntarily, Quinn’s arms tightened. “More than anything else in the whole world,” he whispered, his voice scratchy.
“Can I call you Dad?”
“I’d like that.”
“Okay.” He snuggled tighter in Quinn’s arms and his eyes drifted shut. “You smell good,” he murmured. Abruptly, his body went limp and relaxed.
Quinn took a deep, shaky breath, not even bothering to hide the tears that coursed down his cheeks. He knew he should take Zack back to bed, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go. Not yet. They had lost too much time already. Time that had scarred Zack as surely as the accident had scarred him. Both of them had a lot of healing to do.
No, he amended, looking down at his son’s face. All three of them had a lot of healing to do. He only wished it could be as easy with Lanie as it was turning out to be with Zack.
But he knew it wouldn’t. Even if Jared Harper weren’t on the scene, she wouldn’t trust him. She had been hurt too badly. Somehow, he was going to have to find a way to make it up to her. A way to convince her she still loved him as much as he did her. And he knew she did. She may have buried it so deep that she’d forgotten, but the kind of love they’d shared didn’t just fade with time. God knows, his hadn’t, no matter how hard he’d tried to kill it.
A movement in the doorway caught his attention and he looked up as Duncan stopped.
“That didn’t take long.” He nodded his head at Zack.
“It’s a start, Dunc. I’m afraid it’s going to take a while before he really believes I won’t leave him again.” He kept his voice low enough not to disturb the child in his arms.
“He will.” Duncan hesitated. “I couldn’t help overhearing part of the conversation.
You did great with him, Quinn.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to hurt him anymore that he already has
“Is Billy your friend?”
“My best friend in the world. Besides Daisy.” He rose up onto his knees and leaned forward. “Does that hurt?”
“This?” Quinn pointed at the scar. “Not anymore.”
“Can I touch it?”
“Sure, if you want to.”
Zack scrambled into his lap like he’d been doing it all his life and lifted one tiny finger to trace the line of scar tissue. Quinn desperately fought off the need to crush him in a hug, the effort sending a tremor through his body. He settled for running a tentative hand over the mop of dark hair.
“How did you get hurt?”
“In a car accident.”
Gray eyes, so much like Lanie’s, looked at him seriously. “Is that why you never came to see me before, ‘cause you had an accident?”
Pain worse than any he’d felt in his life streaked through him and his eyes closed in reflex. “No.” He could barely get the words out. “The accident happened before you were born.”
He opened his eyes and looked at his son. “The truth is, I didn’t know about you until yesterday. Zack, if I had known you were here, I never would have stayed away.”
Zack studied him for a moment. “You didn’t know I was borned?”
“No.”
“Are you going to stay here and be my daddy now?”
“I’m going to be your daddy from now on, no matter where we are.”
3“Does that mean I’ll have two dads? ‘Cause Mama said Jared was going to be my daddy.”
How could he answer a question like that when he planned on doing everything in his power to keep Lanie from marrying her fiancé? “Do you like Jared?”
Zack squirmed until he was leaning back with his head on Quinn’s shoulder. “Jared is great.” His mouth gaped in a huge yawn. “He comes over and plays with me, and sometimes he takes me with him to work on sick animals. He says I’m the best helper he’s ever had.”
Quinn let his arms close around the small body and buried his face in Zack’s hair.
“It sounds like he loves you a lot, and you know something? You can never have enough people around who love you.”
“Do you love me?” His eyelids were beginning to droop.
Involuntarily, Quinn’s arms tightened. “More than anything else in the whole world,” he whispered, his voice scratchy.
“Can I call you Dad?”
“I’d like that.”
“Okay.” He snuggled tighter in Quinn’s arms and his eyes drifted shut. “You smell good,” he murmured. Abruptly, his body went limp and relaxed.
Quinn took a deep, shaky breath, not even bothering to hide the tears that coursed down his cheeks. He knew he should take Zack back to bed, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go. Not yet. They had lost too much time already. Time that had scarred Zack as surely as the accident had scarred him. Both of them had a lot of healing to do.
No, he amended, looking down at his son’s face. All three of them had a lot of healing to do. He only wished it could be as easy with Lanie as it was turning out to be with Zack.
But he knew it wouldn’t. Even if Jared Harper weren’t on the scene, she wouldn’t trust him. She had been hurt too badly. Somehow, he was going to have to find a way to make it up to her. A way to convince her she still loved him as much as he did her. And he knew she did. She may have buried it so deep that she’d forgotten, but the kind of love they’d shared didn’t just fade with time. God knows, his hadn’t, no matter how hard he’d tried to kill it.
A movement in the doorway caught his attention and he looked up as Duncan stopped.
“That didn’t take long.” He nodded his head at Zack.
“It’s a start, Dunc. I’m afraid it’s going to take a while before he really believes I won’t leave him again.” He kept his voice low enough not to disturb the child in his arms.
“He will.” Duncan hesitated. “I couldn’t help overhearing part of the conversation.
You did great with him, Quinn.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to hurt him anymore that he already has
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