"And rat out another guy?" Rodney scoffed. "I'm no snitch."
David gave him a wide eyed stare before giggling. "You sound weird."
"Do I?" Rodney slapped him on the shoulder. "And to answer your question, I'm not mad, not exactly."
"I love her." The boy blurted out passionately.
"Of course you do. She's your mom and the most important woman in your life. That is, until you're old enough to start noticing girls."
"Eeww! Girls are gross!" He declared.
"Wait another few years," Rodney advised him dryly. "You will be singing a different tune." He glanced at his watch. "We're running late for supper."
"Your mom is beautiful." David fell into step with him, trying to match his long strides.
"So is yours."
"The guys at my school think she's hot." He ducked his head again. "It's embarrassing."
Laughing, Rodney slung a hand around his shoulders. "That's not a bad thing. I happen to think she's hot too."
David wrinkled his nose. "How come you want me? Is it because of my mom?"
Rodney glanced at him and realized that the question was a very serious one. The wind had picked up and was flapping their jackets. Opening the passenger side, he helped David in and secured his belt.
Rounding the hood, he jumped in and started the engine to get the heat going. He had chosen a masculine jeep for the trip.
"At first." Resting his hands on the wheel, he stared out at the empty space, before turning to look at David. "I would have done anything to be with her. Then when I met you that day at the door and saw the way you were with her, I realized that you would do."
Reaching over, he rubbed David's shoulder. "You're a good kid. And any child who loves his mother the way you do is all right in my book. So, David, are we cool?"
The boy nodded. "I told my mom that I don't care that I did not have a dad, but I lied."
"All right. Why?"
"She would get worried about me not having one around and I did not want her to be sad."
"Now you have one." Rodney told him softly and felt his heart constricting at the sheen of tears in the child's eyes.
Chapter 15
The weeks leading up to the holidays was a frenzy. Not only was there the planning of the wedding which had taken on a life of its own, but there was also the redecorating going on as well. Rodney was going all out and had even decided on a tree house for David that wasn't anything simple.
He had also brought in some people to put in a basketball court, despite her protest that it was too much.
"He loves the game and so do I," he told her, dismissing the argument entirely. "I want him to be comfortable."
"And spoiled."
"I have a feeling that's not at all possible."
But she could not deny her son of any of it. David had gone through life never complaining about anything, taking everything in stride. Now he had someone looking out for him, she was very grateful and worried that Rodney was thinking that she and her son were into him for his money and had said that much to him.
"Are you into me for my money?" he asked her quietly.
"Of course not!"
"Then I have nothing to worry about."
