from her.
“Absolutely! So are you going to take him out on a date?” Zoe asked. “I can stay home and hang out with Justin.”
The kitchen door swung open and all conversation stopped when Peter walked onto May’s red-and-white-checked linoleum. He stared at the three of them, and they stared back. Claudia held her breath. Zoe had a tendency to blurt the first thing that came to mind. While it would probably serve him right, it would be terribly unflattering and would probably upset May more than she already was. Not worth it, especially since it would not be conducive to getting through this with her dignity intact.
Claudia wanted to see if Zoe was fuming but found herself locked in a stare-down with Peter, a faint smile on her face. Should she be plotting revenge, or reliving old memories? Taking comfort in what could be with Nate, or wondering what could have been with Peter?
Even that thought was cut off when Justin, followed by her parents, stepped through the door right behind Peter.
****
Peter Drake heard the commotion behind him but couldn’t take his eyes off Claudia Bradley. She was stunning in a soft-looking, short-sleeved black dress that stopped mid thigh and flirted with her enhanced curves. He stood transfixed, seeing the girl he’d fumbled around with in the back seat of his Mustang had morphed into this exquisite woman. She still had the clearest gray eyes he’d ever seen.
Time seemed to stop, and the very air grew still in his sister’s kitchen. So many images skittered across his mind. Laughing with Claudia, tugging on her long braid to tip her head back so he could kiss her, the way the backs of her hands were always so soft when she’d brush them against his cheek.
But then a childish voice said, “Excuse me, sir,” walking past him.
The connection between him and Claudia broke. He looked down to see the child and stared into his own brown eyes. His first urge was to ruffle the dark hair a couple shades lighter than his own. He noticed the missing eyetooth and felt his own adult eyetooth with his tongue.
The sound of someone clearing her throat jerked his gaze up to the woman standing to the boy’s right. Claudia’s mother shook her head and let a small frown take over her face.
He got her message, though it had been a long time since she’d looked at him. Since she’d done any kind of communication with him, silent or otherwise. He’d always been her favorite, and he was surprised she’d even look at him at this point.
“Mona,” he said, trying to still the quiver in his voice. He’d never allowed himself to even look at the pictures May sent him or the ones she carried in her wallet and tried to shove in his face. It wasn’t in his nature to look back once he’d made a decision. He’d stuck with that all these years, but now he feared he might not be able to walk away unscathed or unaffected by this afternoon. Damn May and his father for making this unavoidable.
“It’s a surprise to see you here...Sparky.” Mona placed a protective arm around the boy’s shoulders and pulled him into her side.
Somehow she made his old nickname sound like “jackass,” but he probably deserved no less. And he was very aware she hadn’t called him by name. Now wasn’t the time to introduce himself to his son, not in the middle of the kitchen, with his hands full of grocery bags.
“It’s a surprise to be here, Mrs. Bradley. I...um...should hand these things to...” He couldn’t think of his sister’s name. Ah-ha! “May. I should give these things to May.” With jerky movements, he handed the bags to May and was careful to avoid Claudia’s eyes. There was so much tension in the tiny kitchen it felt like it was going to explode. Should he excuse himself? Did the boy know who he was? Care who he was? He would keep things vague. He didn’t know what the boy had been told, but he didn’t want to make waves. This was the first time he was face to face with him, but he didn’t want to make any promises he couldn’t keep.
And since he’d given away his rights all those years ago, he didn’t want to anger Claudia now by trying to slip in under her radar. In fact, he doubted Mrs. Bradley would let him.
What exactly had he given up all those years ago? And