“Ben?” Dakota asked. “Is that his name?”
“Ben,” he confirmed, looking toward the bathroom, worried Ben had bolted for the parking lot after all. “And, yes, it was a really nice trip. I’m glad we went.”
Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, the knot in his chest relaxing when he caught sight of Ben weaving his way back from the bathroom. He smiled, and it must have given him away because Kenzie and Dakota both immediately turned to follow his line of sight.
“Ben,” Dakota murmured, standing up so quickly his chair almost fell over.
Ben smiled at Kenzie, the commotion with Dakota’s chair stealing his gaze, and when he saw Dakota, Ben drew to an immediate stop.
“What are you doing here?” Ben asked.
“These are my kids,” Thomas explained, standing up. “My daughter Kenzie, and my son, Dakota.”
Ben’s jaw went tight, the muscles tighter through his shoulders than they had been in the parking lot. It was instantly clear to Thomas that Ben and Dakota knew each other, but he had no idea how.
“You told me your son is married,” Ben said, voice jerky as he refocused his attention on Thomas’s face.
“He is.”
“Cody,” Ben sighed, using a diminutive of Dakota’s name that he’d never heard before. It sounded familiar, and theneverythingclicked into place.
“This is your Cody?” Thomas balked. “My son is your ex-boyfriend?”
“I didn’t know he was married.” Ben took a step backward, face white as the china on the table. “I wouldn’t have gotten involved if I knew he was married.”
“What?” he sputtered, unsure of what that had to do with anything. If what Ben said was true, it meant that Dakota had cheated on Trent with Ben—and lord knew who else—but it also meant that his son was abusive, and that made him sick to his stomach in a way he’d never have words for. “Dakota, is this true?”
“I’ll go,” Ben said quickly, raising his hands and taking a step backward. “Can I still have your keys or… you know what, I’ll just call a car.”
“Don’t go,” he said, almost a plea. “Please. I…”
“You’re sleeping with…” Dakota looked between them, expression laced with horror. “My dad?”
“Oh.” A soft gasp from Kenzie, balled-up sourdough slice between her fingers. “I see.”
“I’m in love with your dad,” Ben corrected, taking another step toward the door and color returning to his face. “But I’m not sure that matters.”
“It does,” Thomas promised, holding up one finger, begging Ben for a minute to get his head around what was going on. He turned a sharp glare toward his son, jaw tight. “Can I have a word with you? Outside?”
Dakota sighed loudly, righting the fallen chair and snaking his way through the restaurant to the front door. Ben didn’t move, rooted to the spot a few feet away from Kenzie, and Thomas hoped he’d be there when he got back. With one last look, he turned away from Ben and followed his son out of the restaurant, hoping he was strong enough to be the kind of parent he’d always imagined himself to be, when it was what his son clearly needed the most.
CHAPTER27
BEN
Ben didn’t wait.
He apologized to Kenzie, called for a car on his phone, and ran out the back door of the restaurant before Thomas could come after him. He knew it was only a matter of time before Thomas showed up on his doorstep, but he hoped it was long enough to get his thoughts together.
What were the odds that his manipulative and cheating ex-boyfriend would be the son of the first man he ever truly loved?
Clearly, high ones.
It took less time than he expected for Thomas to show up, and since he’d been anticipating the showdown, he hadn’t even bothered to close the front door all the way after he got home. Thomas burst through it in a rush, breathing loudly and searching for him with wide and frantic eyes.
“You left.” Thomas righted himself and straightened his clothes, putting his scratched and abraded knuckles on display. That was when Ben realized two of the buttons on Thomas’s shirt had popped off…or been torn off.
“What happened to you?” He fought his instinct to go to Thomas, instead hesitating a few feet from the front door.
