“That’s the spirit.” Ollie ruffled his hair and then bent down to kiss the top of his head. “I’m so glad you’re okay. You had me really worried.”
He’d almost pulled away when Theo’s arms wrapped around his neck. “I’m sorry I made you worry. I thought you might be mad at me.”
Ollie wanted to pull back to see his kid’s face, because he had to be joking, right? But he couldn’t make himself do it. Theo sounded miserable, and Ollie needed this hug. “Why would I be mad?”
Theo sniffled against his chest. “’Cause you said—when we left Anacostia you said you never wanted to see me in a hospital again.”
Oh God. “Theo—” Ollie did pull back now, and he wiped a tear away from his son’s cheek with his thumb. “I said that because I wanted you to be healthy. I’m not mad that you had to come back. It’s not your fault you got stung by a bee, okay? And even if you did something to make it your fault, like, I don’t know, kicking a beehive or something, I would never stay away from the hospital to punish you for it. I love youwaymore than I hate hospitals.”
Theo wiped his eyes and nose with the back of his hand. Ollie tried not to grimace too loudly and handed him a tissue from the tray table. “But I don’t have to stay overnight again, do I?”
“Ty didn’t seem to think so. Let me track down a doctor and we’ll find out for sure.”
Chapter 13
IT WASafter dinnertime when they finally got Theo sprung from the hospital. Ty took a moment to say a silent prayer of thanks that Ollie was driving, becausehisbrain had been experiencing total paralysis for the past three hours.
Ollie had kissed him.
Not, like, a chaste kiss of gratitude or anything either. Well—okay, so the first kiss had kind of felt a little bit likeshut up, but in a good way.
The second one had tasted like the rest of Ty’s life.
But could he have his cake and eat it too? (Put a pin in thatcakethought for later.) When the school year was almost over and Ty’s bereavement leave was almost up and he was expected back in Chicago?
Could he leave and keep Ollie?
Could he keep Ollie and stay in this messed-up town, where people treated him like a delinquent because he couldn’t be the son his father wanted?
And what about Theo? Until today Ty would’ve held out hope that Theo would accept him into this little ready-made family with open arms. Ollie would never put his own wants before Theo’s, and Ty would never want him to, but—
“How come the police are at our house?” Theo asked from the back seat, and Ty’s mind spun off in a totally different direction.
Ollie put the car in Park—the police cruiser was blocking the entrance to the garage—and he and Ty exchanged looks. “I’ll get Theo settled, while you…?”
Ty sighed. Based on probabilities alone, the cops were here for him. “Yeah.”
At least the weather was nice enough that he didn’t have to feel the slightest bit of guilt not inviting them inside.
Ty closed the car door and made his way over to the two uniforms sitting in their squad car. They got out as he approached, and he was surprised to recognize Jake Robinson on the passenger’s side.
The other cop was a fortyish woman he didn’t know. She had her hair pulled back in a severe bun, and her sharp green eyes seemed to bore right into him as she approached. “Tyler Morris?”
Well, at least she wasn’t reaching for her gun. “That’s me.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Jake.”
Jake offered a pained half-smile. “Ty.”
“My name is Sergeant Rosewater. Is there somewhere we can go to talk?”
They’d sent asergeantout here for this? Ty glanced from her to Jake and then back. “Patio’s pretty comfortable this time of year.” Plus it wasn’t located inside his house. Ty didn’t have anything to hide from the police, but he wasn’t taking chances.
Besides, on the patio Ollie and Theo wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop. Ty didn’t have anything to hide from them either, but that didn’t mean the whole scenario wouldn’t be upsetting.
“So,” he said when they had settled into his dad’s conversation set. “What brings you out here, Sergeant?”
“I’d like to take your statement about the incident at the grocery store on Tuesday.”
Oh hell no. Ty schooled his face into neutrality. “The incident? You mean Mrs. Sanford’s heart attack?”
