Blirson, she'd changed her phone number and erased any lingering connections

ther. In her mind, he was probably long married with children,

s favorite story for the hundredth time. Even as the last words

tand. Pulling the blanket up around him, she gave him a

ut his voice was small and wounded

rt, but his way of handling problems could be heavy-handed; he was n

st he'd made a mistake. She stroked his ha

tant it was for a child to understand right from wro

usion. "Then why did everyone

gs isn't what people expect. When you try to protect someone, you might end up hurting someone else instead. Gro

ill don't get it. If you understa

hing, they might try to punish you themselves, and it could be much worse. I needed to prot

right, you should tell me that too. Isn't that how it should be?

t yet clouded his sense of justice. She kissed his forehead and whispered, "You're absol

nodded with all the seriousness a l

en, making breakfast as usual. Meanwhile, Lucas sl

and headed downstairs to track him down. Out on the street, she was greeted by a line of slee

hining chrome and luxury they rarely saw. In the middle of it all, Luc

asses, handing them to an

over the rundown apartment buildings before letting his

and quiet authority struck Allison as od

ked. Wanting nothing to do with whatever was happening, sh

composure. Here, she'd had to learn to shout

from the man and took off ru

ed upstairs. She was just drying her hands after

, setting the breakfast dishes on the t

face-to-face with the same man who

had met plenty of people in her professional life,

so intimidating. Up close, she f

houlders and chiseled features, dressed in a

just regarded her in sil

the doorframe, not budging. "

n?" he asked, h

an? Who's that? I don't k

ed calm, each syllable slow a

eep her voice even. "You've got the wrong place. There's

d the threshold, pausing to take in the neat but modest space, the stack of children's books on the table,

stopped in his tracks, eyes darting between his mother and the stranger settled comfortabl

ble, but right now she looked s

grown-up as he could manage. "Who ar

ached out as if to draw Lucas near, but Lucas

n settled back. "I'm your father,

feared this moment for years. All that time spent keeping Lucas close

at his mother's ghostly face, and fr

harper, almost a warning. "Sorry to disappoint you, but

her Allison nor Lu

looked up at his mom, piecing things together,