Max’s faux levity irked me. “Don’t you want to know what Sid said to me?”
“Not really.”
“He said that changelings always recognize their own,” I said. “He said they always know their kind at first glance. I didn’t realize what that meant when he said it, but I do now.”
Max challenged me with an even stare. “And what does that mean?”
“Kade.”
Max swallowed. “What about him?”
“He’s your own,” I replied. “He’s your son.” I wasn’t sure when the truth hit me. Somehow I woke up knowing it. Things slipped into place after that. All of Max’s worry, all of his yelling … he was protecting his own.
“I … how do you know that?” Max released a relieved sigh, as if an invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Unfortunately, now my excitement at the prospect of a moonlit picnic with Kade was replaced with dread.
“You have the same features,” I said. “Your hair is gray, but you have the same jaw and eyes. Kade never knew his father. He heard stories about him, but he never knew him.
“You were his ‘special uncle’ who showed up out of the blue and spoiled him,” I continued. “You wanted him to work here. You wanted us to lie. You wanted to ease him into things. There had to be a reason. It just took me a little bit of time to figure it out.”
“All of that is true,” Max said. “That doesn’t really explain how you know.”
“Call it intuition if you want,” I said. “That’s not important to me. You want Kade here because he’s your son. Admit it.”
“I already have.”
I rubbed my forehead to ward off the building pressure between my temples. “Why, Max? Why don’t you just tell him the truth?”
“And have him hate me forever?” Tears pooled in Max’s eyes. “I’d rather have him be angry at his surrogate uncle than hate his father for the rest of his life.”
“Why didn’t you tell him the truth when he was a kid?”
“Believe it or not, I have quite a few enemies, Poet,” Max said. “I’ve accrued them through years of monster fighting and turning on my own when necessary. I wanted Kade to have a normal childhood.
“When I found out his mother was pregnant, I did the right thing,” he continued. “She was a one-night-stand from California who was fun for a few hours but would never hold my heart. She knew that and I knew it, too.
“I did what she wanted,” he continued. “She didn’t want me to be a regular presence in Kade’s life because she thought I was irresponsible. So we compromised. I was the loveable family friend who dropped in twice a year and also just happened to bankroll their lifestyle on the sly.
“I was okay with that,” Max said. “I wanted that boy safe.”
“So why bring him here now?”
“Because once his mother died I was the only family he had,” Max replied. “You don’t always get to pick your family, Poet. We do here. That’s a remarkable thing. I wanted to give him a family.”
“This family is based on lies,” I said. “Kade doesn’t want more lies. You have to tell him the truth.”
Max leaned back in his chair, jutting out his chin as he regarded me. “No.”
“Then I’ll do it.” I turned to leave.
“If you tell him, you’re fired.”
My heart flopped painfully. “I guess I’m fired then,” I said. “I’ll pack my things tonight.” I reached for the door handle, my head spinning as the ramifications of what I was doing hit me.
“Dammit, Poet!” Max slammed his hands on his desk. “We both know you’re not fired. Stop being dramatic.”
I swiveled slowly, blinking rapidly to keep back the hot tears that were threatening to spill.
“Oh, don’t you dare cry,” Max warned. “I can’t take it if you cry.”
“You can’t lie to him, Max,” I said. “I won’t lie to him. He deserves more.”
Max sighed, resigned. “How about we compromise?”
Oh, this wouldn’t be good. “What do you have in mind?”
“Kade is still angry with me about the whole monster-hunting thing,” Max said. “Give me a few weeks to make up with him before I tell him.”
“No.”
Max frowned. “No?”
“I won’t lie to him for weeks,” I said. “I … can’t.”
“You two are falling hard for each other, aren’t you? I knew that would happen.”
“I have no idea whether that’s true, Max,” I said. “I know we both want the chance to see what happens. That’s not possible if I’m lying to him.”
“Fine. Give me … one week.”
That seemed a reasonable request for the man who saved me from a life of crime, but … . “I don’t know.”
“Poet, I know you don’t want to lie to Kade,” Max said, choosing his words carefully. “I need a little time. This isn’t something I can just drop on him.”
“You can have one week, Max,” I said. “If you don’t tell him by then, I will.”
“Deal.”
For him maybe. I was a bundle of nerves. “It is a nice night.”
Kade furrowed his brow. “You seem distracted.”
“I … there’s just a lot on my mind.”
“You’re not still beating yourself up about Sid, are you?” Kade pressed.
“I’m just … it’s a lot,” I said. “I’ll probably feel better when we get out of Omaha.”
“I hope so. I don’t like you all pouty.”
“I’m not pouty.”
“You’re the queen of pouty.”
“I can make myself look like I clown in an instant,” I threatened.
Kade held up his hands in mock surrender. “Anything but that!”
I giggled. “You’re cute.”
“So are you.” Kade leaned in to kiss me and I welcomed the distraction. Unfortunately, another distraction appeared in the form of Luke as he bounced over to the blanket and sat next to me.
“How’s it going, kids?”
Kade scowled as he pulled his face from mine. “What are you doing here?”
“You two looked lonely,” Luke replied, shrugging.
“Well, we’re not.”
“But you look it.” Luke was insistent.
“Luke, you need to start running now,” Kade said. “If I catch you, I’m going to beat you.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun!”
“Run now!”
Luke didn’t have to be told twice. He was already on his feet. “This is going to be one heck of a fun summer,” he called over his shoulder as he broke into a jog.
Something told me he was right, even as worry over Max’s secret niggled the back of my mind. I shoved down the worry and turned back to Kade. The night was young, after all.
“So, are you going to kiss me or talk?”
Kade winked. “What do you think?”
I honestly had no idea, but I looked forward to finding out.
Author’s Note
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
If you’re interested in my future works, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or join my mailing list. I do not believe in spam. I only announce new releases or free promotions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents
are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Amanda M. Lee
Books by Amanda M. Lee
Avery Shaw Mysteries
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot off the Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes (February 2016)
Bylines & Skylines (September 2016)
Covenant College Mysteries
Awakening (Book One)
Whispering (Book Two)
Conjuring (Book Three)
Waxing & Waning (Book Four)
Graduating (Book Five)
The Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant (June 2016)
Dark Covenant (July 2016)
Eternal Covenant (August 2016)
The Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant (June 2017)
Desperate Covenant (July 2017)
Everlasting Covenant (August 2017)
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mysteries
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Careful What You Witch For (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Wicked Brew (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Witch Me Luck
Witchy Tales (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fairy Tale)
On a Witch and a Prayer A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
You Only Witch Once (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Life’s a Witch
The Christmas Witch (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Bewitched (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
A Solstice Celebration (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Crimes & Witchdemeanors (Book 8) May 2016
Witch or Treat (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short) July 2016
A Witch in Time (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy) August 2016
Happy Witchgiving (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short) October 2016
The Trouble With Witches (Book 9) November 2016
Merry Witchmas (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short) December 2016
Aisling Grimlock
Grim Tidings (Book One)
Grim Offerings (Book Two)
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion (March 2016)
Grim Expectations (October 2016)
Mystic Caravan
Freaky Days (Book One)
Freaky Lies (August 2016)
Table of Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Author’s Note
Books by Amanda M. Lee