Take On Me Read online

  Nick frowned. “Thanks. Hopefully Parker will do the same.”

  “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.” The neighbor headed for his house.

  Alex looked around. “What should we do? Call his friends?”

  “Already did.” Nick rubbed his temples. “Went to their houses, too. Checked out the park and the other places around here the kids like to hang out. He’s not in any of his usual spots.”

  “I’m sorry, Nick. About all of it.”

  “Thanks for coming over.” His eyes were bloodshot and the skin around them was red and splotchy. “This entire day has been a nightmare. Since last night. Genevieve came over, and I opened the results. Then I picked up Parker and dropped the news. I really should’ve told him before getting the DNA test.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for that. If the results had gone the other way, you’d have worried him for nothing.”

  “That would’ve been better than this.” Nick pulled on his hair. “What am I supposed to do? Do you think I should call the station? I should know the answer to this, but I can’t think. I’m a mess.”

  Alex put his arm around Nick. “Let’s get you inside, and we’ll figure this out.”

  They went inside, where the house was dim and quiet. Alex grabbed two bottles of water and joined Nick on the couch. “When did he take off?”

  He opened his water and gulped it all down before turning to Alex. “We came home from the prison, where Parker confronted Corrine. He didn’t say anything the whole ride back, then when we got home, he holed himself up in his room. I figured he needed his space, so I gave it to him. When I went to say goodnight, he wasn’t there. I don’t know when he left.”

  “The girls are sleeping?”

  Nick nodded.

  “We’ll find him. Chances are, he’ll come back after he blows off some steam.”

  “Doing what?” Nick’s eyes widened.

  Alex didn’t want to say the things he’d have done if he was in Parker’s place. “Maybe he’s throwing the football with a friend.”

  “I called all of his friends.”

  “Maybe he’s with a friend you don’t know.”

  Nick buried his face in his palms.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to call the precinct? The more eyes, the better.”

  He looked up at Alex. “I probably should. I’ll have to swallow my pride.”

  “Nobody’s going to think less of you. They’ll just want to help.”

  Nick drew in a deep breath and held it before slowly releasing. “Mentally, I know you’re right. My pride is screaming to handle this myself. Everything about this is humiliating. Not knowing he wasn’t mine all this time. Not being able to control my kid—although he’s not really mine. Corrine made sure of that.”

  “Parker’s yours. You both know that. It’s just a matter of you both accepting the news. Adoptive parents are real parents, right? How is this any different? You’ve raised him and you love him like your own. He just has someone else’s genetics.”

  Nick looked at him. “Take it from me, be up front with Zander about this as early as possible. I know you two have questioned how to best handle it, but I can tell you one thing—don’t put it off.”

  Alex’s heart went out to his friend. “You and Parker are tight. You’ll get through this. I know you will.”

  Nick didn’t look so convinced.

  “Trust me on this. I’ve been the difficult teenager, and I’ve seen you two together. You’re going to get through this. I’m not saying it’ll be easy—obviously—but you guys’ll be closer in the end.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Do you want me to call the station?”

  Nick shook his head. “I have an idea. If this doesn’t work, we’ll give them a call.”

  “What’s your idea?”

  “This.” Nick pulled out his phone and started tapping out a text onto the screen.

  Alex scooted over, and Nick held it so he could read the message.

  Nick: I know you need space, but I need to know you’re safe.

  They waited a minute. It wasn’t read.

  Alex lifted a brow.

  Nick started tapping again.

  Nick: If you don’t tell me where you are, I’m going to have to call the station.

  The message showed a read receipt. Parker had read it.

  “Smart thinking.” Alex nodded in approval.

  Dots danced on the screen, showing that Parker was responding. Then a reply came in.

  Parker: Im @ my GFs house.

  Alex gave Nick a double-take. “Parker has a girlfriend?”

  Nick blinked a few times. “That’s news to me, too.”

  Trigger

  Creak…

  Ayla sat up and tried to pull the blindfold off. It was still glued to her hair, and it hurt.

  Creak!

  Her heart pounded. Beads of sweat broke out around her hairline. Her mouth went dry.

  “Go away,” she whispered.

  The footsteps out in the hall were growing closer. That meant he was coming.

  She hated him. If she could make him go away, she would—in a heartbeat. But he was the one with the power to make her go away. Forever.

  Creak!

  Louder, closer.

  Her pulse was loud, she couldn’t hear anything else. Tears welled in her eyes and soaked onto the cloth. She pulled on the blindfold, yanked so hard on her roots. Didn’t care. Just wanted to be able to run away.

  Creak, creak!

  More tears. A lump formed in her throat. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. If she could stay in a ball, maybe he couldn’t hurt her like he had the other times. No more hitting, no more of the other stuff.

  Jiggle, jiggle.

  The doorknob. He was turning it.

  Squeak…

  Now he was opening the door.

  Step, step.

  Her throat closed up.

  “Ayla.” His voice was scratchy. Loud.

  Terrifying.

  “Are you ready to play?”

  Ayla screamed. She yelled so hard it made her throat hurt. Blankets covered her. They twisted around her as she struggled to get away. She hollered all the more, flailing around.

  The blindfold was gone. She was in a bed. In a different house.

  Uncle Alex’s house.

  She was still screaming.

  “Ayla!” That was a lady’s voice.

  She stopped struggling, but the yelling wouldn’t stop.

  Warm arms wrapped around her. A soft flowery smell enveloped her.

  “Ayla, you’re okay. It was just a dream.”

  She stopped yelling. “Auntie Zoey?”

  “Yes, sweetie.” Zoey kissed the top of her head. “You’re safe.”

  The babies were crying. She’d woken the twins. “I’m sorry I woke them.”

  “They’re fine. Are you?”

  Ayla gasped for air. “Yeah.”

  “What was your dream?”

  It was all fading away so fast. “There was a door…”

  “That’s all you remember? Just a door?”

  “Yeah. Can you make the crying stop?”

  “I’ll get the babies.” She rose. “Will you be okay?”

  “Uh-huh.” Ayla took a deep breath. “Where’s Uncle Alex? I want Uncle Alex.”

  “He’s helping Nick. You remember the police captain?” Her auntie picked up one of the babies then the other and came back over.

  Ayla pulled her knees close and wrapped her arms around them. “Yeah.”

  “Nick needed help.”

  “Can Uncle Alex come home?”

  “Let me send him a text. Are you okay to hold one of the babies?”

  Ayla sniffled and yawned. “Sure.”

  Auntie Zoey plopped one of the babies next to Ayla before going over to her bed and picking up her phone. The baby was warm and snuggled against Ayla. She let go of her knees and pulled the baby on her l
ap. “Are you Laney or Zander?”

  The baby cooed and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

  Ayla giggled, finding herself further and further away from the horrible dream. Now she could hardly even remember anything about the door, much less anything else from the dream.

  Auntie Zoey came back over to the bed. “Uncle Alex is on his way. If you’re okay, I’m going to try to get the babies back to sleep.”

  “I’m fine.” She giggled as the baby yanked on more of her hair.

  “Do you want to keep holding Laney while I get Zander to sleep?”

  “Sure.” Ayla tried to loosen Laney’s grip on her hair.

  “Let me know if she gets to be too much.” She went back over to the other bed and sat with Zander.

  Ayla whispered to Laney and finally got her to let go of her hair. Then she scooped the baby into her arms and rocked her. She sang a lullaby and Laney relaxed, though she still reached for Ayla’s hair. It distracted Ayla from the fact that she couldn’t remember how she knew the song. Had her mom sung it to her? Or had she learned it to sing to another baby?

  Before long, Laney relaxed and her grabby fists stopped reaching for her hair.

  The doorknob jiggled.

  Ayla jumped and gasped, her entire body stiffening.

  The profile of a man appeared.

  Her heart pounded so loudly, she feared it would scare Laney.

  It didn’t.

  The man came nearer.

  Ayla’s breath caught in her throat.

  “Ayla?” came a friendly whisper.

  Uncle Alex’s voice. Relief washed through her, and she nearly let go of the baby. She crossed her legs and rested Laney in her lap. “I’m over here, Uncle Alex.”

  He crept over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  Aunt Zoey took baby Laney over to the cribs, and Ayla scooted closer to Uncle Alex. “I had a bad dream.”

  He put his arm around her. “Because of the pictures?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t really remember now.”

  “I’m sorry. I knew showing you those was a bad idea.”

  “It might not have been from that. I really don’t know.” She shuddered.

  “What do you remember?”

  Ayla struggled to recall any detail. “I don’t think I could see anything because of the blindfold, but I remember being scared. Really scared.”

  Uncle Alex held her closer. “The important thing is, you’re safe now. Nobody’s going to hurt you here, and you can stay as long as you need to.”

  She leaned her head against him and reveled in his comfort. “What about my parents? Where are they? Will I have to go back with them if I still don’t remember them?”

  “I don’t know the answers to any of that. The police are looking for them now. That was part of the reason they wanted you to look at those photos.”

  “Even though the house was empty?”

  “They thought you might remember being there with them.”

  Ayla shuddered. “How could I when I had a blindfold glued to me?”

  “It might not have been on the entire time. You might’ve seen something.”

  “Maybe.”

  He yawned. “Are you ready to go back to sleep?”

  She clung to him. “I’m scared.”

  “Do you want me to sit with you until you fall asleep?”

  Ayla didn’t want to go back to sleep, but also didn’t want him to think she was a baby. Not that he seemed to think she was one. It was just that everything she did made her feel that way. If only her memories would surface—but if her nightmare was any indication of the blocked memories, maybe it was for the best.

  She looked up at Uncle Alex. “Would you mind sitting with me for a few minutes?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever you need, sweetie.”

  Ayla snuggled him for a moment before climbing back under the covers. He fixed them around her. It was a small gesture but made her feel cared for. He rubbed her back and whispered a story to her. She fell asleep before it was over.

  Meet

  “You have arrived at your destination,” the GPS said in its robotic voice.

  Nick pulled up to the curb and looked over the house. It was about twice the size of his house with a well-manicured lawn—just like every other house on the street. A black Mercedes and a red Jaguar sat in the driveway.

  He tapped the steering wheel. Was this really Parker’s girlfriend’s house, or had his son given him the wrong address to throw him off?

  There was only one way to find out. Nick climbed out of the car and remote-locked it, not that he probably needed to in this neighborhood. There were far nicer vehicles to break into if someone was looking for something to steal.

  He walked up the driveway, his heart pounding. What if Parker refused to come with him? What if he made a big show about Nick not being his dad? He cleared his throat and kept his feelings off his face, then rang the doorbell.

  A dog barked inside and voices sounded. Nick prepared what to say in case his son wasn’t there. At least he had plenty of experience showing up at people’s homes unannounced in his line of work.

  The door opened, and a man about his age in an expensive bathrobe appeared. “Nick?”

  That was promising. Parker must’ve told him he was on his way over. Nick held out his hand. “Captain Nick Fleshman.”

  The man shook his hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Willis McLay. Come inside.”

  Nick stepped into the entry, and the first thing he noticed was how expensive everything looked. The table by the door probably cost more than his Mustang. He followed Willis down a well-lit hall to a living room, where Parker sat on a couch beside a girl with wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Parker didn’t look at Nick.

  Willis turned to him. “I’m really sorry Parker is over here without your permission.” He glared at the girl. “We didn’t realize Jasmine had company.”

  She scooted closer to Parker and looked away from the two dads.

  Nick nodded. “And I apologize for him coming over uninvited. We’ve had some complicated family matters arise, and he needed space.”

  Willis turned to Jasmine. “Say goodbye to Parker.” He turned back to Nick. “We would love to have you and your family over formally to get to know you. I know my wife Arlene will be sorry she missed you, but she’s still upstairs sleeping. Early morning horse show tomorrow.”

  “Thank you for the invitation, we would enjoy that very much. I’d love for you to meet the rest of my family.”

  They made small talk for a few moments while the kids said their goodbyes, then they walked back to the front door.

  Willis shook Parker’s hand. “Next time you come over, make sure Jasmine lets us know you’re here.”

  Parker swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  Nick and Willis said goodbye, then Parker followed him to the car without a word. Nick started the engine. “That was sufficiently awkward.”

  Parker just shrugged.

  “How long have you been dating Jasmine?”

  Another shrug.

  Nick waited to speak until he pulled into an empty parking lot at a playground. “Parker, I know you’re upset. I get it. I’m upset. Actually, upset doesn’t begin to cover it. I’m heartbroken at the news and furious at your mother. You know me—I hardly ever shed a tear. Yet I haven’t stopped since I found out. This is tearing me apart like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”

  Parker’s expression softened. “I hate her.”

  “Mom?”

  He nodded.

  “Can’t say I feel any differently, but she is your mom. You’ll need to try to forgive her. We both do.”

  “Forgive her? Are you crazy? She doesn’t deserve it! She’s ruined our lives! And she never stops.”

  Nick nodded. “I agree, but forgiveness isn’t about the other person. It’s for us to let go of the negative emotions ourselves.”

  Parker crossed his arms. �
�I’m never forgiving her for this. Ever!”

  “It’ll take time. Believe me, I know.”

  Silence rested between them.

  Nick cleared his throat. “Jasmine seems nice.”

  “Yeah.”

  “When did you two get together?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Jasmine.”

  “Then let’s talk about your mom.” Nick offered him a water bottle.

  “Jasmine and I met in math class. She was sitting with all snobby kids, but when we got paired together, she was actually nice to me. I was having trouble with the equations, and she offered to help me after school. Even though we have nothing in common, we both started liking each other. How’s that for awkward?”

  “What’s awkward about that?”

  Parker gave him a double-take. “Telling my dad about my love life?”

  The corners of Nick’s mouth twitched. Then a warmth spread through him as he realized Parker had called him his dad. “Believe it or not, I’ve been in love a time or two myself.”

  “You have?”

  He held back a chuckle. “I happen to be madly in love with Genevieve right now.”

  Parker’s eyes widened. “You’re in love with her?”

  “Of course. Why do you think I asked her to marry me?”

  He shrugged. “Because we’d make a good family together.”

  “That’s part of it, but I’m deeply in love. She makes me want to sing and dance.”

  “Really?”

  “Why is this so surprising?”

  “I never thought of old people as falling in love. Feeling like this.”

  Nick patted Parker’s back. “Love is a human condition, son. Ever notice how Grandma and Grandpa hold hands and sneak those looks at each other?”

  “Them too?”

  “Amazing, isn’t it? You can still feel like this in fifty years.”

  Parker looked out the window for a moment. “Is it always like this? Or does it wear off after the first time?”

  Nick’s heart sank. “First time?”

  “Falling in love, Dad. I’m definitely not talking about that. Not yet.”

  “Good. Don’t think about that for a long time. A really long time.”

  Parker rolled his eyes.

  “But, yes, falling in love is always magical. The trick is staying in love.”