The Surprise Holiday Dad. Jacqueline Diamond

he used for educational games and homework, he carried the police station still wrapped in plastic.

      “You want to build that in the family room?” she asked.

      He clutched it tighter. “I’m saving it till my dad can play with me. On my birthday!”

      Again, the word dad shook her, a reminder of what Wade’s arrival meant: that nothing would ever be the same, that they’d have to work out an arrangement. As for the possibility of losing Reg entirely, Adrienne refused to dwell on that. Because she’d fight this man with everything she had, if it came to that.

      “Okay.” She hadn’t planned any particular activities for Tuesday beyond a special early dinner. Her office hours started at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, so even on Reggie’s birthday, she had to drop him at the sitter’s by 5:30 p.m.

      Wade might not be thrilled about sandwiching his visit between Reggie’s return from school and Adrienne’s departure, but... What was it he’d said? I’d prefer just the two of us.

      Despite the urge to maintain tight control, she recognized that doing so might antagonize the man. Maybe she should allow an unsupervised visit. Surely Wade could be trusted to deliver his son to Mary Beth Ellroy’s house at a reasonable hour.

      Reggie broke into her reflections. “What’s for dinner, Aunt Addie?”

      “Aren’t you stuffed?” She hadn’t kept track of what he’d eaten earlier, though. In his excitement, he might have left most of the food on his plate.

      “I’m hungry.”

      Time to turn back into Mommy, Adrienne thought as she opened the refrigerator. “Lots of sandwiches and veggies, and cake and ice cream for dessert.”

      “Yay!” Her nephew pulled his step stool from under the sink and stood on it to retrieve his favorite plate and cup from a cabinet. Slightly chipped, they belonged to a beloved set that had been in the family for generations.

      Sooner or later everything would belong to Reggie. Unable to have children of her own, Adrienne had taken for granted that he would grow up here, secure in her love and his inheritance.

      A pang twisted through her. I won’t lose him. I can’t.

      She ducked her head, refusing to let Reg see her distress. Tomorrow she and Reg’s father were meeting with the attorney.

      She just hoped Wade Hunter didn’t intend to spring any unpleasant surprises.

      * * *

      AFTER THE AIRINESS of the Cavill house, Daryl’s apartment felt cramped and dark. Wade didn’t mind the worn furniture and nearly bare shelves, which he dusted before putting away the food he’d bought, yet he couldn’t help contrasting the place to Adrienne’s comfortable home.

      When he’d imagined bringing his son to live with him, he’d had a vague idea about them settling into a buddy-type relationship, the way he and Daryl had during his teen years, after Mom had left. The reality of a six-year-old boy was another matter entirely.

      “Sorry about the food situation,” remarked his father. “Working two jobs, I don’t have time to cook.” The oil stains on Daryl’s hands testified to the weekdays he put in as a mechanic at Phil’s Garage, in addition to his duties as apartment manager.

      “You eat mostly fast food?” That might explain his father’s thick waistline and sallow complexion.

      “While you fix three-course meals?”

      “I try out a recipe now and then.” Wade also stocked salad fixings. Still, he was hardly a model of healthy nutrition, he conceded as he arranged boxes of cereal and pasta along with canned food.

      “Those for your kid?”

      “I wasn’t planning to...” He stopped. Bringing Reggie here struck him as a bad idea, or at least an awkward one, yet the boy should meet his grandfather. “Listen, his birthday’s Tuesday. You interested in getting together?”

      Conflicting emotions played across the deep-etched lines of Daryl’s face. “That’s a lot for the kid to take in, considering he’s only just met his father.”

      “So?” Wade wasn’t sure why he pressed the issue, since he didn’t relish introducing his father to Adrienne at this touchy stage of their negotiations. But Reggie was part of two families. He’d been kept away from this side of his heritage too long.

      “That woman drove you out of town.” Daryl’s lip curled.

      “Vicki?” Wade said. “She’s dead.”

      “Yeah, well, I lost my grandson and in a lot of ways my son. Now suddenly I’m supposed to turn into warm, cuddly Grandpa. I’m not sure I have it in me.”

      Wade couldn’t argue. While he used to wish he and his father were closer, Daryl kept his emotional barriers raised. “You didn’t act like it was a big deal when I left.”

      “I’m not saying it was a big deal.” His father opened the fridge and reached for a beer. His fingers curled, and he chose an orange soda instead.

      “Okay. We won’t rush it with Reggie.”

      “How about the old man?” That was Daryl’s way of referring to Grandpa Bruce. “I’m sure he’d love having a great-grandson. You never told him about the boy, did you?”

      “No. You didn’t, either?”

      “I figured it was your call.”

      “He had a low enough opinion of me without adding unwed father to the list.” Although Wade and his grandfather had still been on speaking terms when Wade left Safe Harbor, their relationship had always been tinged with criticism and blame.

      Despite above-average grades, Wade hadn’t been a good enough student to please Grandpa. The truth was, he’d been distracted by the turmoil at home. There’d been his parents’ divorce, his mother’s death and Daryl’s moody nature. Also, some late-night calls to pick up his father when Daryl was too inebriated to get behind the wheel.

      When Bruce heard about one such rescue, he’d accused his grandson of enabling Daryl’s drinking. While that might have been true, a son owed his dad loyalty. Plus, by preventing Daryl from driving under the influence, Wade had kept his only remaining parent out of jail. So when Vicki’s pregnancy had come to light, Wade had assumed Grandpa would see that as yet another example of his weak character.

      Thinking about his grandfather reminded him of Patty’s news. “How come you never mentioned that Grandpa sold Fact Hunter?”

      Moving to the living room, Daryl sank onto the couch. “You guys were on the outs, so why bother?”

      Wade followed him in. “Now that I’m here, he’s sure to find out about my son. I should tell him before he hears it somewhere else.”

      “It’s up to you.”

      “How’s his health?” In his mid-seventies, Bruce Hunter suffered from a bad cough due to years of smoking.

      “Good enough for him to have a girlfriend.” Daryl’s finger tapped the TV remote. “He brings his car into the garage, and she picked him up once.”

      “What’s she like?”

      “Female.” He clicked on the TV and switched channels to watch a football game.

      That ended that discussion. Wade went to fetch the laundry. The conversation had reminded him of how far he’d strayed from his family. Now that he was becoming a father in every sense of the word, it was time to mend fences.

      Whether his grandfather was willing to bury the hatchet, however, remained to be seen.

      Chapter Four

      From the parking lot, Fact Hunter Investigations looked much as Wade remembered it, with a few modest upgrades. In the windows of the second-floor