“Just getting them out of the way so Jack doesn’t need to even see them,” Steve replied, and Sofia looked as if it was taking effort to bite her tongue. Coming with her into the house had been an obvious mistake.
“So are you taking the day off, then?” Ben asked her, edging toward the door. “This looks like family business...”
Sofia regarded Ben for a moment, then turned to her father.
“Dad, are you okay to look after him while I’m at work?” she asked. “He won’t be much trouble feeling as badly as he does.”
“Sure. We’ll hang out,” Steve replied. “I’m sorry about that. If I’d known what would happen—”
“I told you about his allergies!” she retorted, then sucked in a breath. “Okay, apology accepted. Just follow my instructions for his food from now on.”
“Scout’s honor.” Steve shot her a grin, and before Sofia could react, a boy came padding into the kitchen.
“Mom?” He had a mop of dark hair and big brown eyes that looked an awful lot like his mother’s. He looked pretty tall for eight, but what did Ben know about these things? The boy paused when he saw Ben. “Hi,” he said shyly.
“Hi,” Ben said.
“Jack, this is one of my old friends, Ben,” she said. “I’ll be working with him for a little while.”
“Oh.” Jack’s lips were on the pale side. He obviously wasn’t feeling great. “Do I have to go to school today?”
“No, you can stay home,” she said. “I’ll call the school and tell them you’re sick.”
“Okay.” Jack paused again. “I’ve got a new joke.”
Sofia smiled and glanced toward Ben. “I told you he loves jokes, right? Okay, Jack. Let’s hear it.”
“What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?” Jack asked, his gaze flickering toward Ben momentarily.
“Pretty much all of it, with your allergies,” Sofia shot back.
“Nope. It’s nacho cheese.”
Ben laughed in spite of himself and shook his head. The kid was funny.
“So, can I watch TV?” Jack asked, turning his attention to his mother.
A smile twitched Sofia’s lips, and he caught the humor that passed between mother and son. Jack was obviously pushing for something here.
“Only because you’re sick and I feel sorry for Grandpa a little bit. As soon as you’re better, the regular TV deal stands.”
“Okay.” Jack smiled. He still looked rather pale.
“Come here.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head. “I love you, sweetie. I’m going back to work now. Call me if you need me, okay?”
Jack hugged her back. “Okay. Bye.” When she released him, he headed into the living room, and the TV turned on.
“Feeling a little tired, myself,” Steve said, glancing between Sofia and Ben. “I’ll see you later.”
Steve headed in the direction his grandson had gone, and on his way out, Ben noted that the older man looked thinner than he remembered. It was a small relief to be left alone with Sofia in the kitchen.
“You’re all strict about TV watching, huh?” Ben said with a small smile.
“Afraid so.” She caught his eye and shrugged. “I’m a far cry from the girl on the back of your motorbike, you know.”
“I know.” He pushed himself to his feet. “I’m a far cry from being the guy on the bike, too.”
“Let me call the school, then we can get going.” She sighed and shook her head. “Might as well get to work.”
A couple of minutes later, they were both in the car, and Ben’s mind was whirling. There was something about Jack...something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He looked like a good kid, and he looked an awful lot like his mother, but the timing was still nagging at him. Was it rude to ask if there was a chance that he was Jack’s father? She would have told him if he’d gotten her pregnant, wouldn’t she?
“Should I even ask this?” he asked, glancing at her uncertainly.
“Probably not,” she joked.
“I’m being serious.” He put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. “He’s eight. You left nine years ago. The timing is...” He trailed off, not finishing.
This was her cue to tell him that no, he was not Jack’s father. This was the place where she was supposed to tell him the story of the guy who came after him. This was the place where he would laugh it off and say something like, “Just making sure!” The silence stretched out, and he glanced toward her uncertainly.
“Sofia?”
She sighed. “I meant to tell you in a better way.”
Ben blinked, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. This wasn’t the reply he actually expected.
“You want to make that a little clearer?” he asked.
“I—” Sofia sucked in a breath. “I wanted to tell you in a different way, but, yes, you’re Jack’s dad.”
Silence fell between them, and the rumble of the motor seemed to grow louder by the second. Ben glanced at her a couple of times, then finally broke the silence.
“So—” His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Wait, so he is mine?”
He pulled a hand through his hair, trying to sort out exactly what he felt, but there was nothing there right now but shock.
“Yes, Benji,” she said after a moment. “Jack is most certainly yours.”
Ben rubbed a hand over his forehead, Sofia’s words sinking in. Jack...was his? He was a dad again? Not really again, exactly. More like he’d been one all along and never been let in on that little detail. This felt more like a bad dream—things coming at him faster than he could entirely make sense of them.
When she used his old nickname—Benji—it reminded him of all those feelings they used to share, and something inside of him suddenly rebelled, and he felt a flood of anger.
It was a feeling, at least. Something besides shock, but the uppermost thought in his mind was, This isn’t fair to Lisa and Mandy. It felt like betraying them after the fact, and it stabbed hard.
“Ben,” he said gruffly.
“Pardon me?” Her voice sounded weak, and when he glanced
