Page 15 of Forbidden Vow

As if just realizing Raven wasn’t alone, Maria looked up and froze.

“Dios,” Maria mouthed. Yes, the resemblance between father and son could only be described as uncanny.

Without a word, Darius yanked Raven into the suite. She had no choice but to follow to avoid tripping over her feet.

Lexington seemed oblivious that anyone had walked through the door. He dropped the computer, the durable plastic case thudding on the carpeted floor in favor of his muted-colored toy train. The blocky wheels pushed back and forth while her son made choo-choo noises. Raven’s heart melted. She wondered if his father would regard him with the same awe.

Beside her, Darius froze. When she turned her head to look at him, she saw a man rendered speechless, his eyes locked onto her son. He almost looked like he’d faint.

“Lexington Darius Kent,” she called.

The man who’d accused her of betraying their love audibly gasped at hearing her call their son by his full name. Yes, she’d considered other names, but his grandfather had remained persistent, and, like his eldest son, he’d won her over. Though her son had never met his father, she felt somehow sharing his name had connected them across the miles, the pain, and the secrets.

The boy snapped his attention to her, and then to Darius. The most miraculous thing happened. If Raven hadn’t bore witness, she’d have denied it ever happened. Her rambunctious four-year-old threw his arms wide and yelled out.

“Daddy!”

Raven’s mouth dropped open. What the? How did Lexi know his father would be on the other side of the door?

The shock on Darius’s face was priceless and satisfying. But then the huge man wrapped his muscled arms in a protective hug around his son and closed his eyes. The strain on his face cleared as he buried his head in the crook of his elbow.

“Granddad’s letter said you would come,” her son whispered. “I missed you so much, Daddy.”

Tears sprang to Raven’s eyes. Bless you in heaven, Lexington. If she didn’t know better, she’d think tears had collected in Darius’s eyes.

“You told him? About me?” Darius looked up at her, giving her an expression she hadn’t received in years.

Gratefulness.

Raven let go of the fear that churned in her gut and made sure the door was closed and locked. Not wanting to interrupt, she collapsed into a chair, watching father and son roll on the floor.

This side of Darius, animated and relaxed as he made train noises and crawling on the ground, generally being a kid himself, swept her off her feet.

In the past five years, she’d cursed herself for adhering to the NDA she’d signed before starting the Kent assignment. Would she and Darius have been married with a couple of kids if she’d just told him the truth? Lexington had cancer, and she was his nurse, not his lover. Now she realized her dear mentor was trying to return everything she had lost by honoring her vow. She’d probably regret these feelings in the morning, but she couldn’t help the happiness that flowed from her heart. There was no question that Darius loved her little boy-their son-the instant they met. And what did this newfound attachment mean for her?

* * *

Darius

Darius lay on his side, watching his son play, delighting in the musings of a toddler’s antics. Maria had brought them both grilled cheese sandwiches and steamy bowls of tomato soup for dinner before whisking him away for bath time. Lexi made him promise to stay, and Darius’s heart pinged that his son unconsciously feared he would vanish if he looked away.

“Daddy, I have your picture.”

“You do?”

“Yep,” he nodded his head. “Mommy has one too, but she hides it.”

“Do you have a picture of me?”

No, but Darius had studied every detail of his son’s face from the moment he held him in his arms. He had no excuses. His own self-righteous bullshit reflected back at him through the innocent questions of his own flesh. Damn, kids could mess you up.

Shame. Hard and condemning dropped on Darius’s shoulders. When did conversations with four-year-olds become this thought provoking?

“My friend, his dad lets him serve drinks from behind the bar…” What the hell kind of dad did this kid have? “Do you want to do something fun like that with me one day?”

“Yeah,” Darius stammered, choking up. “I want to do everything with you.” Man, he had fucked up so badly. Not only had he hurt Raven; look at what he had done to his kid. As much as Darius lamented differences with his own father, at least his dad had been there for him. He couldn’t imagine how much his son had asked the question, where was his father? Worse yet, Darius now understand Lexi had missed a man who’d never been in his life. Him. Gratitude for his father, renewed and yes, humbling pinged around, like an old computer program dinging, and binging to life in Darius’s chest. Thank God for grandparents.

Lexi absently rolled his train across imaginary tracks. “So, you’re coming home with us?”

He never even considered what it could mean to uproot his son’s life. Separate him from the only home he knew and his friends. He had a lot to learn about being a parent. Was he in school? Did he play sports or an instrument? Darius hadn’t asked Raven any questions; he’d only made demands.

“It’s a possibility,” he said cautiously. Was it wrong that he wanted to give his son every advantage? To see his child in the same rooms where he played and grew to manhood? Tentatively, he asked, “would you want to come home with me?”

Lexi smiled and threw his arms around Darius. “I’m not allowed to go anywhere with another adult unless I ask my mommy.”

Darius stiffened, his heart cracking open in his chest. In a moment, he recognized two things—he was Lexi’s father, but he hadn’t earned the privileges of a dad, and two, we wanted to spend every day of his life correcting his wrongs.