He smacked a hand over his mouth. “Oh snap. You do videos. I watched you make some salmon bites. I’ve been trying to get Mom to try those joints.”
“I’ll have to give her the recipe.”
“That’s what’s up? Well, I gotta go.” He kissed Donna on her cheek. “I’ll text on my way home, Mom.”
Donna stood. “Okay. Be careful.”
“I know, I know.” He looked at me again. “Nice to meet you, Duke.”
Desperate to hold on to the moment, to talk to him a little longer, I said, “Maybe I’ll make it to one of your games.”
“That’s cool.” He grinned. “I could show you some new tricks.”
I smiled. Young Duke was definitely my son. He’d already mastered the art of talking shit. “You don’t want to see me on the court,” I told him.
“Maybe that was true back in the day,” he teased. “Anyway, I’m out.” He ran towards the back of the house.
Donna let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you for not telling him.”
“I didn’t do it for you.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
I thought I’d made some hard decisions before, but this one… After meeting Young Duke and seeing for myself that he was healthy, happy, and loved, I knew I couldn’t rip him away from his life.I have to walk away from my son. “My parents taught me a lot about nature versus nurture.” Ma and Pop loved Tristan and Demi like their own, and I saw the value in being selfless when it came to a child’s best interest. “I don’t know my son, but I already love him. I can see that you love him, too, and he’s well taken care of. I won’t disrupt his life. But I need you to do something for me.”
“What is it?” She was crying in earnest now. “Anything.”
I fought back my own tears. “If he ever asks about me, please tell him that it was not my decision to give him up. If I had known that he was mine, I would’ve fought with everything I had to stay in his life.” Swallowing past a hard lump in my throat, I continued, “Tell him that if he ever needs me, I will be there.”
I walked to the door. I needed air. I needed to get out of that house.
“Duke, wait,” she called. “Please.”
I paused, my hand on the doorknob. But I didn’t turn to face her. “Yes?”
“Thank you so much. I’ll do my very best by him. And I promise to make sure he knows that his father loves him.”
I didn’t respond to that, I just left.
An hour later,I walked into my parents’ house. I didn’t even bother to check if Asa was home. Instead, I took the stairs, two steps at a time, and headed to my bedroom. I had planned to go to Bliss’ house but decided against it. Ma and Pop were out of town, and I knew I’d have some privacy at their place.
I opened the door to my bedroom and froze. “Demi?”
Demi was seated on the bed, her glasses on and her laptop on her lap desk. She stopped typing. “You’re back.”
“You’re here.” I walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. “When did you get here?”
She glanced at her watch. “About two hours ago. I came straight here when Bliss told me you weren’t there.”
“You didn’t have to come.”
“Yes, I did.” She set her computer down. “If anything, I came here to tell your ass off for leaving like that.”
I chuckled. “I deserve that.”
She smacked my shoulder. “What’s going on with you, Duke?”
“Nothing,” I lied. I immediately regretted that decision because she saw right through me.
