Food was the last thing on Darcy’s mind; she absently turned her eyes to her menu, but her thoughts were all on the boy sitting next to her. And then he said softly, “I don’t know how to be a son, but I’m willing to try.”
Darcy’s eyes met his as tears rolled down her cheeks. “That’s all we can ask,” Lucien said. His tone seemed gruff, though Darcy suspected it was because his throat was as choked as hers.
Brandon flashed them a smile that was all Lucien. “Sweet.”
Lucien and Darcy walked just behind Brandon in the open-air colonnade on the Bronx Community College campus as Brandon studied the bronzes of famous Americans. Lucien watched his son, the word feeling strange on his tongue. He was a smart kid and had a love of all things old. Maybe one day, his likeness would be here too.
“I think he’s getting more comfortable with us,” Darcy commented, pulling Lucien from his own thoughts.
He reached for her hand and, when she looked up at him, he leaned over and brushed his lips over hers. “I think so too.”
There was wonder in her voice. “He’s our son. We made him.”
Brandon had stopped at the Benjamin Franklin bronze. “Are you okay, Brandon?” Lucien asked.
“I did a report on Benjamin Franklin in school once. He was a cool dude.”
“Maybe you’d like to take a trip to Philadelphia. We could check out the Franklin Institute, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell,” Lucien offered.
Brandon’s eyes lit up. “Could we?”
Lucien felt on top of the world to see the excitement burning in Brandon’s eyes. He’d do anything for this boy. “Absolutely.”
And then Brandon seemed to sober. It was with genuine concern that Lucien asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I shouldn’t take up all of your time.”
“Why not?” Darcy asked.
He looked so very young when he turned his gaze on them. “Because you have a life outside of me.”
“Not by choice. You are our son and we want you in our lives.” Lucien’s voice was gentle but filled with conviction.
“I’m not cramping your style?”
“Never,” Darcy said emphatically.
“I like spending time with you.” Brandon’s words were barely over a whisper.
“The feeling is mutual.”
“I’m not sure about this,” Darcy said to Lucien as they walked up the front steps of St. Agnes.
“It’ll be fun.”
“Fun? I hardly think so.”
As soon as the door opened, the scent of lemon cleaner brought back a wave of memories for Darcy. Brandon was just coming down the stairs with Seth.
“I’ll sign you in and then we’ll get started. Seth is going to play too.”
“I may just watch,” Darcy said.
The grin Brandon gave her was so much like Lucien’s that she felt it hit her right in the center of her chest. “There’s no way you’re just going to watch.” Cocky like his dad too.
Darcy and Lucien had been spending almost every day with Brandon, taking him to museums, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building. It was touristy, which was why Darcy and Lucien were both shocked to learn that Brandon had never seen either the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State building. They went to see a few movies, but today it was Brandon’s pick. Darcy was surprised when he’d invited them to St. Agnes for a zombie-killing marathon. Darcy wasn’t much for video games and certainly not ones that involved killing zombies, but it was his day, so here she was. Lucien, on the other hand, looked excited at the prospect of blowing out the brains of the undead.
Darcy was happy to see that Seth was joining them. He would be moving in with Trace and Ember once the paperwork over guardianship was approved. Darcy and Lucien were in the process of adopting Brandon, but that was going to take some time. It was nice that the boys had each other while the adults navigated through the legal stuff.
They stepped into the media room. It was a drab room with threadbare furniture and scarred floors, but the flatscreen was new. Darcy took a seat and watched as Brandon set up the machine.
“We can all play. I’ll give you a quick rundown of the game and then we’ll get started.”
Darcy crossed her legs and smiled. As if she was going to play.
“Darcy, we’re hungry. Let’s go get something to eat.” There was humor in Lucien’s voice, but Darcy barely registered it because she was in the middle of a herd of dead things.
“After I kill these.”
“You said that a half an hour and two levels ago,”