RECLAIM MY HEART(57)

“Oh,” she said, as if she’d completely forgotten. She avoided Lucas’s eyes because she knew he was aware that she hadn’t.
“My father stopped by. We’re going to my parents’ for dinner.”
“Really?” Awe painted her son’s tone in bright shades of delight.
“Really?” Lucas’s reply was flat.
She had known Zach would be thrilled to meet his grandparents. And she’d guessed that Lucas wouldn’t relish the idea even though he’d suggested contacting her mom and dad some time ago. She’d been right…?on both counts.
Looking from one to the other, she firmly pronounced, “Really.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Take a left at the light.” Tyne pointed even though Lucas was watching the road and couldn’t possibly have missed seeing the turn.
“I remember. Believe me.”
He’d been testy all afternoon. Visiting her parents wasn’t high on his ‘wanna do’ list. He hadn’t come right out and voiced that opinion, but his temperamental behavior had told her all she needed to know. She shouldn’t have sprung the news on him like she had; everyone wanted the courtesy of being asked rather than being told that plans had been made for them. She’d have to find some way to make it up to him.
“Hey, Mom,” Zach said. “I’ve been thinking. I’d like to get a tat.”
Surprise had Tyne blinking.
When she didn’t respond, he offered, “A tattoo.”
“I know what a tat is, Zach.”
“Not anything huge,” he breezed ahead. “Just something small. A feather maybe, or a—”
“No.”
“No?” he complained. “Just like that? But you didn’t even think about it.”
“I don’t need to think about it. You’re fifteen years old. You don’t need to be marking up your body with—”
“Tyne.” Lucas glanced at her.
Something in Lucas’s black gaze made her pause, but she was too deep into her mother-lecture mode to stop now. “Zach, a tattoo is forever. What if you change your mind later on? And besides that, it’s a well-known fact that employers frown on hiring people with tattoos.”
“But he’s got one,” Zach said the words almost as an accusation. “And he’s got a great job.”
Tyne should have focused on the conversation, but in a flash she was back in that tattoo parlor with Lucas. She had been so damned excited, and she’d thought the idea of matching tattoos had been more romantic than anything on the face of the earth. Lucas had let ateveh Lucas her choose the design. She’d loved the dreamcatcher, a symbol of unity and protection, and Lucas hadn’t hesitated. He would have one put on his arm and she would have a smaller version tattooed on her shoulder blade.
That had been the plan, anyway. Once she’d seen how he’d clenched his jaw against the pain of the buzzing needles, she couldn’t go through with it. But she’d loved his tat. Loved the intricate design, the sacred beads woven into the delicate webbing, the regal feathers trailing down his arm beneath the circle. She remembered tracing her fingers over it every time they made love.
Zach leaned forward. “And besides that, he says you were gonna get one too.”
Tyne gasped. “Lucas! Why would you tell him that?”
Lucas didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I didn’t know it was a secret.”
She sighed in complete exasperation and then sat there trying to decide what to say to her son.
“Look, Zach,” she told him, “can we talk about this later? We have plenty of time to discuss the pros and cons of tattoos.”
Now it was her son’s turn to heave a sigh, but his was filled with frustration. “Whatever.”
“Yeah,” Lucas murmured, “we have enough to worry about tonight.”
Balancing the Black Forest cake on her lap, she softly said, “Dad apologized, Lucas.”
She’d told him this several times already. Lucas tossed her a swift glance.
“Look, I’m nervous enough,” she pleaded. “Your attitude isn’t helping matters. You were the one who suggested we go see them and get it over with, remember?”
A metallic click resounded, and for the third time Zach scooted to the edge of the rear seat and poked his head into the space between the two front bucket seats. “What’d he do?” The question was thick with curiosity. “My grandfather. What’d he do that he needed to apologize for?”
Tyne twisted around, sticking the tip of her thumb into the cake’s creamy frosting. “Zach! Now look what you made me do. If you take that seatbelt off one more time…”
She didn’t have to finish the threat. Zach slid back into the seat, tugged on the belt and secured it across his chest and lap.
Refusing to be put off, Zach repeated, “So what’d he do, Mom?”
Tyne glanced at Lucas, then faced forward, slipping her thumb into her mouth. The buttery frosting melted on her tongue.
How much should she tell her son? She wanted to caution him about what kind of people he was about to meet; it would have been irresponsible of her not to give him at least some warning. But she didn’t want to taint what could very well be an important evening for him. He was meeting his grandparents for the first time. Everyone should have pleasant memories of their parent’s parents, shouldn’t they?
Her father had apologized. He’d expressed his love for her. Said they’d missed her. Wanted back into her life. Maybe…?just maybe they had both changed.