Saxon's Savior (Protect and Serve #3) - Pandora Pine Page 0,46
to my house.”
Her hand came up to stop me. “Gotcha. Moving on.”
I felt myself blush. I’d talked to my Mom about sex more times than I cared to think about, this was just another chat in a long line. “Then the hospital called. Jesus, what a shock it was to Saxon.” My eyes slipped closed. I could see the devastation in his blue eyes. “He was such a mess when he hung up. I couldn’t let him drive to Newburyport alone.”
“That’s my boy.” Mandy beamed. “When did things start to go wrong?”
“I’m not sure. When we were leaving the hospital, I picked up Lola, since Saxon was holding Sophie. She felt right in my arms. I don’t think I can explain it any better than that. On the way home, I started thinking about my parents. You know, the influence they had over me and my life.” I watched Mandy carefully for her response.
“And?” Mandy wore an empathetic smile.
“How can I possibly be a father when I grew up with an addict for a mother and a father who got up and left when the going got tough?” Fear and panic surged around me just the way it had last night.
“Oh, Dallas. I’m not sure where to start.” She paused, seeming to get her thoughts in order. “You had a lot of good years with your parents, as well as a lot of good years here with David and me. Why do you assume you would pick up the worst traits from your parents, rather than the best?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I just panicked and ran.” Christ, I was just like my biological father. Things had gotten a bit hairy last night and I’d turned and ran like a fucking coward.
“Did Saxon ask you to marry him and be a father to those girls?” She laughed. Her eyes crinkled with amusement.
Mandy’s words stunned me for a few seconds. “No, Saxon didn’t even ask if I wanted to go out with him again.”
“I assume he said as much when the two of you were getting down.” Mandy cringed at her own words. “Saxon doesn’t strike me as the type to chew and screw.”
“No, he isn’t.” I knew damn well if the phone hadn’t rung when it had, I would have returned the favor. There would have been cuddling too.
“Okay, so what’s the problem? You’re not being asked to be a father.” Mandy’s words were harsh, but said with love.
“I like him, Mom. I really like him. I was just starting to come around to the idea of dating this guy, and then his life blows up. Christ, he must hate me.” Sour acid churned in my gut.
“Saxon doesn’t hate you. I think he’s too overwhelmed with everything he’s facing to feel any sort of way, at the moment. I think once he’s had a chance to think things over, he’s going to have some definite feelings on your relationship and what happened last night.”
I knew my mother was right. Saxon must feel like he’d been hit with a sledgehammer. I had felt the same way when my mother died, and I was left here with David and Mandy. “You did so much to help him last night. Seeing you all in the driveway reminded me of the night I came to live here.”
“You knew we’d leap into action to help those girls. That’s the reason you called us, right?”
I nodded. “I knew you’d mobilize the troops here so I could go with Saxon. The social worker was awful, trying to keep him from taking custody of the girls. He might have let her if I hadn’t been there to help.”
Mandy’s eyes turned glassy. “Saxon was pretty shaken up. Ozzy was a Godsend after you left.”
“Ozzy?” What the hell did my brother have to do with anything?
“Sophie wouldn’t let go of him. He told Saxon to bring the girls to the firehouse for his shift today. He promised to show her the fire trucks.”
I should have been the one to offer that option to Saxon. Christ, I really was a fool.
“Ozzy is also going to hold a cooking demonstration.” My mother’s eyes twinkled.
“A what?” Ozzy was going to teach Saxon how to cook? Didn’t he have his own fiancé to coddle?
“He’s going to show Saxon how to cook kid-friendly foods. Remember we did that demonstration at the Christmas Fair last year?”
“Oh, he is, is he?” Jealousy tore at my guts like Freddy Krueger with his bladed glove.