Unexpected Arrivals(72)

Susan waved us along as she spoke. “Excuse my manners. Please, come inside. You must be tired from flying. There’s fresh coffee and dessert in the kitchen.”

“Actually, Mom, we got here this morning.”

Oh crap, so this was how he planned to lay things out—just dump it all on the table and then sort out the pieces. It was the same way he put together a puzzle—zero logic or planning. James was not an outside-edge-first kind of guy, and he never looked at the picture on the box. No part of this scenario could go well. If I thought I could hold my breath during the entire revelation, I would, just so I didn’t miss a single word. It was a sadistic kind of anticipation that my husband wouldn’t fare well in.

“This morning? What on earth took you so long to get here?” she asked as she passed mugs and dessert plates around the island in the kitchen.

This was where his plan came to a grinding halt.

I loved my husband, but when it came to matters of the heart, he didn’t take calculated risks—he went all in with everything he had. It was part of what made him such an amazing man and incredible lover—although, I didn’t get the impression Brock and Susan Carpenter were going to be besotted with his admission.

“We had to stop by an attorney’s office.” When James paused, his father’s brow drew in. However, he wasn’t given long to interject before James continued. “And then we went to the playground at the pier. And we had dinner with my son.” He took a sip of coffee as though he’d just told them we had enjoyed a sunset stroll along the shore.

I shouldn’t have worried about missing anything over the sound of my breathing, because nothing was said. The silence was eerie and unnerving. More minutes ticked by with my attention flicking to each person huddled on barstools around the counter. The only one who met my gaze was Susan.

“Oh, Cora.” Her eyes filled with tears, and those two words had me stumped.

“No.” It instantly dawned on me what she’d assumed. “No, no. Susan, this didn’t happen while we were married—or even together. It was while I was in France.”

“That can’t be right. That would make the little boy around four or five years old. Why are we just now finding out about this, James? Who else knows? Brock, did you hear that? We have a grandchild.”

And that was exactly the reaction I expected from her.

“Just calm down, Mom.” James’s tone was far too harsh for his father’s liking.

“Remember whose house you’re in, son.”

If I could have backed my stool away to avoid the line of fire without anyone noticing, I would have. I was close enough to get caught in the crosshairs from where I sat.

“Can everyone relax, please?” My husband pleaded with his parents, not so much with his voice, but his expression. His eyes said far more than his mouth, and thankfully, they both noticed it and stopped.

“Okay, son, we’re listening.” His mom’s voice returned to the mellow tone she’d had when we arrived, before he’d dumped the weight of a tiny human on her unexpectedly.

He proceeded to tell them the events in the order in which they happened for us: the letter, the paternity test, the lawyer, telling me, the flight, meeting with the attorney, the playground, dinner, then here. They listened without so much as a peep, even though I could see the questions forming in his father’s eyes.

“That’s where we’re at. We just met Legend a few hours ago, so it wasn’t that I was keeping anything from you; I didn’t have any information to give. I wasn’t certain if I was even expected to take custody of him or if another family member was going to fight me. It’s all a tad overwhelming.”

“Legend? The boy’s name is Legend?” Susan asked and James nodded in response. “Does he have our last name?”

I was about to lose my composure again. I could only imagine it was the stress of the situation that made a child’s name so humorous—or unfortunate, however I looked at it.

“No, it’s hers. Airy.”

The glint of amusement tugged on her cheeks, which only served to feed my own issue. Both of us snickered, and neither man thought it was the slightest bit funny. Although, I doubted Brock had said the full name in his head.

“My grandson’s name is Legend Airy?” She tried to cover her mouth as the laughter escaped, but she was as unsuccessful as I’d been at the attorney’s office.

Just before James erupted in irritation, his father chuckled and tried to disguise it as a cough.

“Seriously? You guys are laughing at my son.”

“No, baby…just his name,” I choked out the words mid-chortle.

He threw his hands in the air. While I knew he was frustrated, it had completely diffused what was otherwise about to get out of hand quickly.

“When can we meet him?” His dad’s question surprised me, and James, too.

“I’m not sure, Dad. I don’t have a clue how all of this will work. He’s lived here his entire life and just lost his mom. Are we supposed to tear him away and whisk him back to New York because that’s what’s convenient?”

I hadn’t even thought about that. I assumed he would come home with us, but when James put it that way, my own history came rushing to mind. I had desperately wanted to stay with Faith in New York after my parents passed away, and Gwendolyn and Owen had refused to even consider it. Now I wondered if we needed to contemplate staying here, at least for a while, for Legend to get to know us.