“In what way, then?”
Bo deflated, slipping down fully onto the couch. “I thought she just took an interest, wanted to be friendly when she asked me about my life. I mean, she told me about herself too.”
The womanwasfixating on Bo. The hairs on the back of Lucky’s neck rose. “Stop scaring me and spit it out.”
“She was interviewing me, then backing up everything I said by talking to others who knew me. Using her Spanish-speaking nurses, when necessary.”
“To what end?”
“What she wants…” Bo averted his gaze. “She wants me… us… to raise her baby.”
What the ever-loving fuck? “Do what?”
Now on a roll, Bo wouldn’t let Lucky get a word in. “She wants what’s best for her child, but knows she’s not in a good place to be a mother, and resents whoever the father is. She’s torn, wanting to do the right thing. If she finds a good parent, or parents, for her baby, she can go on and live her life knowing she gave her child the best start she could. She wants better for her son than the kind of life she’s had.”
Was he saying what Lucky thought he was saying? Lucky held his breath.
Sure, they’d talked about having kids one day, were even trying with Charlotte, but instant fatherhood? Would they even qualify with social services for fostering or adopting? “Bo… I…”
“We’ve talked about having kids. Andro is premature and has heart issues. He might need surgery. It’s not like families will line up to adopt him. Plus, he’s had no prenatal care, so other problems might arise.”
“Andro?” An image flashed into Lucky’s mind of the tiny child in the incubator, of Bo cradling the small body to his chest.
Bo’s face flushed. “Even though she didn’t plan to keep her son, she named him Alejandro, after her grandfather.”
They’d met an Alejandro during their time in Mexico. Who’d idolized Lucky.
Lost his life for Lucky.
Yes, a fine name.
“Anyway.” Bo paused to stroke a finger over one of his dragon statues on the coffee table, one he’d once considered a protector. “I know it’s sudden and all, and at first I thought it was a crazy idea, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is the right thing to do.”
What the ever-loving fuck?
“We want kids, right?” Bo didn’t wait for Lucky to answer. He paced to the sliding glass doors, gazing out while keeping his back to Lucky. “We have a nice home, good jobs, a support base. We could ask Charlotte and Ty if they would help with childcare.
“Of course, we’d already planned on a child, but Charlotte could stop trying for now. We could still have another child later, right? I mean, nobody says we have to stop at one.”
What the hell was Bo suggesting? “Bo, I—”
Bo whirled and threw up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say, that we don’t know this girl, don’t owe her or the baby anything, but I say we do. I mean, if we’d caught these guys years ago, she’d never be in this situation.”
Lucky put himself the path of Bo’s renewed pacing. He’d get the man’s attention this time.
Bo sidestepped him and continued his rant. “The poor kid is getting a bad enough start in life. You and I have spent years trying to make up for poor choices. What if we could give this little guy a chance?” He spun and faced Lucky.
Finally! “Bo—”
“Yeah, I know. We need to look at the big picture. There’ll be doctor bills, he might need surgery, then there’s daycare, clothes, toys, furniture. Of course, we’d already planned on some of that.”
“Bo…”
Bo dropped a bomb. “Lucky, she left the hospital today without telling anybody. Left the baby.”
Holy shit. Alone? She’d left the kid alone?
He visualized the tiny child in the bassinet, separated from the other babies. What chance would he have in the foster system? What would happen if no one adopted him?
