Page 38 of Lance

A few minutes later he joins me back on the couch. I turned out all the lights except for the one over the wet bar, giving the room a cozy feel. To my surprise, Simon climbs up right next to me on the couch, leaning his head against my arm. “Tonight was sofun.”

My heart lurches for this poor little boy. His mother left him with a father he never knew today. Was he that starved for attention that a few hours of hanging out with a fellow comic book fan was enough to make him forget how messed up thingswere?

“I had fun too,” I tell him and he snuggles closer, his eyes on thescreen.

He’s asleep withinminutes.

* * *

After I’ve transferred a still sleepingSimon into the bed, I immediately grab my phone to call Nia, dying to tell her everything that happenedtoday.

“Hey,” she says as soon as the call connects. “You still with your brother? I was about to send out a search party for you. Is he super mador—”

“Nia,” I interrupt. “You are not going to believethis.”

“Ooh,” she says hopefully. “Sounds likedrama.”

“Drama is an understatement.” I tell her the entire story in a rush and she gasps in all the rightplaces.

“You. Are. Joking,” she says when I’vefinished.

“No I’m not! I’m sitting in the hotel room right now while the kid is sleeping in Lance’sbed.”

“I can’t believethis!”

“Iknow!”

“And Lance justleft?”

“He was freaking out,” I tell her, feeling strangely defensive. “I think he justpanicked.”

“Well, he’s going to have to snap out of it real fast if he’s going to be a dad to this kid. God. Lance Foster. Someone’s dad.” She pauses. “How do you feel aboutthat?”

“I think I’m too shocked to feel much of anything,” I tell her. “And too sad for this little boy to care too much about Lance, to tell you thetruth.”

“How’s he holding up? I cannot evenimagine.”

I peek into the bedroom. Simon is still and quiet beneath the big white duvet. “He’s doing surprisingly well,” I tell her. “I mean, he was definitely freaked at first but he seemed happy enough to color and watch someCaptain Americawithme.”

She snorts. “Why am I not surprised you have a lot in common with a six-year-old?”

“Shut up. I’ll have you know he’s a very mature six.” I blow out a breath. “Honestly, I don’t think his life was too stable before this. He seems to be pretty good at rolling with thepunches.”

“Poor kid,” shemurmurs.

“So give me the legal angle,” I tell her. “How does this all playout?”

“I’m not sure. Custody law isn’t really my area.” She’s quiet for a moment and I can just see her twisting her nose ring hoop the way she does when she’s working on a problem. “The lawyer will probably tell him to call protective services.” I remember how adamant Layla had been to avoid that. “Just to cover all the bases,” Nia went on. “If a DNA test shows Lance is the father, and he’s willing to take him, I’m sure they’ll allow that. At least while they look for the mother. But he would probably need to file for custody for anything long-term.”

“I don’t think he’s thinking about long-term,” I tell her. “Honestly, I think he’s praying that some guardian angel drops down to take this out of hishands.”

“And are you that angel?” she askspointedly.

“What do youmean?”

“Well, you came to the rescue tonight so he could go be the rock star. Is it a one-time thing or are you planning on becoming his own personal Mary Poppins? Youarelooking for ajob.”

I don’t tell her that I’ve been thinking along those same lines all night. If you set aside the profound sadness I felt for the kid, I’d actually had a lot of fun hanging out with Simon. And Nia is right, Iamlooking for a job. If I happen to find one that also lets me spend a lot of time withLance…