Page 30 of Colt
Knox came to me after dinner two days later, while Luca was in the bathroom and Betty was watching TV. His expression was serious, older than his six years.
“I want to meet him,” he said.
I set down the dish I was drying. “Are you sure?”
“He looked sad.” Knox frowned, like he was working through a puzzle. “At the store. He was angry, but he also looked really sad. Like when Luca pretends he’s not upset about something.”
I remembered him saying something similar that first night. My observant boy, seeing what others missed.
“I think…” Knox hesitated. “I think maybe he’s not a bad man. He’s just sad. Maybe if we let him meet us, he won’t be sad anymore.”
I pulled him into a hug. “That’s very kind of you, Knox.”
“Will Luca come too?”
“I don’t know. That’s up to Luca.”
Knox nodded solemnly. “I’ll talk to him.”
?
They came as a package deal. Luca wasn’t happy about it, but he wasn’t about to let Knox face the “mean man” alone. So the following Saturday afternoon, I found myself sitting on Betty’s back porch, watching my sons meet their father for the first time.
Colt arrived alone. He looked different today—softer somehow, the hard edges filed down. He was wearing jeans anda plain gray t-shirt instead of his leather cut, like he was trying to be less intimidating.
When his eyes met mine across the yard, I looked away first, my cheeks heating.
The boys stood on the porch steps watching us.
“Hey.” Colt’s voice was rough. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Hi. I’m Colt.”
“We know.” Luca’s arms were crossed, his stance defensive. “You’re the mean man from the store.”
“That’s me.” Colt didn’t flinch from the accusation. “I was mean. That was wrong of me. I’m really sorry for scaring you and your mama.”
“Why were you so angry?” Knox asked. He’d positioned himself slightly behind Luca, but his eyes were curious rather than afraid.
“Because my feelings were hurt.” Colt crouched down, bringing himself to their level. “A long time ago, someone I trusted lied to me about your mama. I believed them. So when I saw her, I was still really mad about that. I shouldn’t have acted that way.”
“What’d they lie about?” Knox pressed.
“That your mama left me.” Colt’s voice was steady, but I could see his hands trembling slightly. “She didn’t leave. Something happened and she got hurt real bad. She forgot lots of things. She even forgot me.”
Luca’s defensive posture shifted slightly. “Mama has am-nee-sha. She can’t remember before we were born.”
“That’s right. I didn’t know that. I thought she remembered and was just pretending not to.” Colt shook his head. “I was wrong about a lot of things.”
“Are you going to be mean again?” Luca demanded. “Because if you are, I’ll punch you. I did it before.”
“You did.” The corner of Colt’s mouth curved. “You were protecting your mama. That was brave.”
Luca stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, unconsciously mirroring Colt’s usual stance. “I always protect her.”
“I know. That’s… that’s good.” Colt’s voice caught. “That’s exactly what I would have done.”
Luca’s eyes shifted. He looked down at his shoes.
Knox stepped around his brother, moving closer to Colt. “Do you ride a big bike?”
