Brendan (The Doherty Mafia Book 4) by Kasey Krane (summer reads TXT) 📗

able to do it and I don’t want to disappoint Davey. He deserves better than a father who doesn’t want to be one.”

Mom watched me closely and then she sighed.

“This is about your dad, isn’t it?” she asked.

I should have known she would figure it out.

Our conversation was interrupted for a bit when Davey came running to us. We went over to the swings and pushed him in it for a while. Then he got bored of that and returned to the sandpit to play with the other kids.

Once he was gone, Mom threaded her arm around mine and pulled me close to her.

“I may not say this often enough, sweetie, but you’re doing a great job of raising your boy. A much better job than I did with you.”

“You did the best you could, Mom.”

She nodded, then looked in Davey’s direction and smiled.

“Your father set a bad example for what you can expect from men. I guess I never had good taste in men because each of them I picked was worse than the previous one.”

She spoke in a soft voice, staring out into the distance. I said nothing because it was true. I had to agree with her. She sure knew how to pick ‘em.

Then she turned to me again.

“But that doesn’t mean all the men in the world are like that, Rosa. You never followed my example in parenting. Why should you follow mine in selecting the man you want to be with?” she asked.

“I don’t want to take the chance, Mom. I don’t want to risk Davey’s life and happiness.”

“But will he ever forgive you when he grows up and digs around for the truth? You know he will. Just like you were so curious as a teenager to find out more about your dad. You would have hated me even more if I kept his identity hidden from you.”

She was right. I hadn’t thought about it that way. I could still remember the frustration I felt at not knowing my father. I wanted to find him. Talk to him. Challenge him.

Would Davey experience those same feelings? It was likely that he would.

It wasn’t going to be very long that I’d be able to keep his paternity hidden. He was going to be his own man one day.

“And how do you know what Brendan wants or how he would react to this information? You won’t know until you tell him. If he pushes you and Davey away, if he rejects the news, then you can move on.”

She had a point with that too.

“I guess I’m just a coward,” I said.

“No, sweetie, you’re just being a protective mother. You love that boy and you will do anything to protect him. But maybe you don’t need to protect him from his father. Maybe you’re wrong about Brendan.”

Mom smiled at me but I couldn’t make myself smile.

Brendan had charmed too many women with his good looks and sex appeal. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

“I’ll think about it,” I told my mom.

At least she would be happy with that answer for now.

We had to cut our time short at the park because I needed to go home and get ready for my shift at the bar. Nina was supposed to come over and watch Davey for the night.

As always, he wasn’t thrilled about it and I wished things were different for us, but they weren’t.

We walked back home together, parting ways with Mom. I told him about all the fun things we could do the next weekend to cheer him up. He asked about Brendan again and I tried to brush away the answer. I just hoped he wouldn’t get too suspicious and hold it against me.

Maybe in a few days he would forget all about it.

We turned the corner to our block and when I looked up, I saw the man again.

The one who was at the bar. The one who had been following me.

Instantly, I pulled Davey close to me, shielding him with my body.

Our block was not as busy at this time of the day when everyone was at work. So even though it was daylight, it suddenly didn’t feel very safe to be there.

“Davey, honey, stay close to Mommy, okay? Hold my hand,” I whispered to him hoarsely, tightening my grip on his hand.

The man strode over to me and grabbed my arm roughly. I cried out in pain but managed not to let go of Davey.

“This is a warning, Rosalie Turner, that we’re watching you,” he growled. Then he looked around carefully, like he expected someone to appear. “Where is he?”

“Who? What are you talking about? You’re scaring my son. Please, just let us go!”

Instead of doing what I begged him to do, he gripped me even harder.

“You should know that we know everything.”

“Know everything about what?” I cried.

Davey was sobbing by now, with tears flooding down his cheeks. He tried to pull me away from the man but he wasn’t going to win that battle no matter how hard he tried.

“You better be prepared to give him up.” Was he talking about Davey? About someone else I knew nothing about?

“Please mister, you have the wrong person. I haven’t been involved in anything. I don’t know anything. I’m not the person you’re looking for,” I cried.

I just wanted Davey to be safe. I just wanted him to be spared—no matter what he wanted to do to me.

The man turned his attention to Davey as his sobs became louder and more like screeches.

I thought he was going to do something to my son so I thrashed around until I was out of his grip. I managed to pick Davey up in my arms and hid his face from the man.

He looked up at me again with heavy eyelids.

“Nope. I have exactly the person I’m looking for,” he said with a smile. Then he turned and walked away from us.

“Mommy! What happened? Mommy?” Davey continued to sob in my