Page 1 of An Unexpected Turn
ONE
JAKE
“Mikey, come on. Let’s go,” I told my son after I tapped on his door. I’d never thought I’d have to tiptoe around my own kid, but fourteen-year-olds changed moods every damn hour. At least, mine did.
“Mike. Mikey is a little kid’s name.” I caught his audibly defiant sigh as he heaved the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.
I stifled a laugh. The crack in his changing voice made the badass attitude he was trying to pull off fall short. If he spotted my amusement, it would only make his already shitty disposition that much worse.
“Okay,Mike. You need some breakfast in you before school. I can whip up some eggs for us if you want.”
“I’ll just pour some cereal,” he muttered before pushing past me and shuffling down the stairs.
My sweet kid had turned into an ornery teenager, but I couldn’t blame him. I’d be every bit as pissed off as he was if I had to start high school in a new town with a father he’d only known as a weekend dad for most of his life.
It wasn’t that I’d never wanted more than that. I did, and God knew I’d tried. I’d spent most of my son’s life fighting with his mother for more time with him after our divorce. Eileen wasn’t a bad parent, but she often used our son to take her anger out on me. The one thing I never wanted was for Mikey to be in the middle of a savage custody battle, so I made the most of the time I did have with my son and kept current on all the child support payments to keep our relationship as amicable as possible.
When Eileen found a husband last year, things changed. I was able to take Mikey for long weekends and vacations without any resistance because his mother was too busy enjoying her new marriage to use our son against me anymore. Then, said new husband found a job across the country, and bringing Mikey with them wasn’t “convenient at the moment.” My son had told me about the disdain he had for his stepfather more than once, so moving in with me was his preferred option anyway.
Mikey had dealt with a lot of upheaval over the past few months—especially for someone his age. He had to leave the house he’d grown up in and the friends he’d known all his life, attending high school with strangers now. Five years ago, coming to live with me might have been an easier transition, but now it was just all-around miserable for him.
He’d moved in with me in early August. Since he was only five when his mother and I split up, he’d never entered this school system after prekindergarten. The one friend he’d had in our neighborhood moved away a few years ago, so he was starting his freshman year of high school as the brand-new kid in school and in town.
My kid oozed resentment and frustration, and all I could do was listen and guide him the best that I could. He wasn’t the only one struggling through a new routine. I’d always wanted my son with me, but getting used to being a full-time parent to a now-troubled kid was no cakewalk.
I prayed the growing pains we both had would subside quickly—or at least eventually.
“I’ll drive you this week,” I said after we climbed into my truck. “The bus starts—”
“Monday, got it.” He buckled his seat belt, another huff falling from his lips as he slumped in his seat.
“Look,” I started and shifted to face him. “Mikey—Michael. Whatever your name is today.”
I spied his lip twitch, and a tiny bit of relief slipped through me.
“I know this is tough. Visiting me here is different from living here. And it may be hard at first, but give it a chance.”
“I know, Dad. It’s just—” He shook his head, his gaze drifting out the window. “Nothing like being dumped by your own mother before you start high school.”
“She didn’t dump you.” I hoped I sounded convincing, especially since my assessment of her move wasn’t much different from my son’s. She had the right to be happy and marry whomever she wanted, but it all happened so fast I couldn’t blame my kid for having whiplash. “Things are changing for her right now, and she thought it would be easier for you if you stayed with me.”
“Easier forher. Now, I’m stuck, and you’re stuckwithme.”
“I’m not stuck.” I reached across the console and squeezed the back of his neck until he swiveled his head in my direction. “I’ve always wanted more time with you, and I’m glad you’re living with me. I’m with you every step of the way, and I don’t feel even the least bit stuck with you. All right?”
He nodded, a tiny smile curving one side of his mouth. I shared his nerves, but meant every single word. I’d do whatever I needed to make sure he was happy here. I didn’t quite know what that was yet, but the slight attitude shift from this morning to now gave me a sliver of hope I was heading in the right direction.
“It’s a lot bigger than my old school was.”
“You’ll get used to it. Try to remember the important stuff from the tour we took last month. Like the huge courtyard next to the cafeteria.”
I smiled, but he didn’t glance back at me.
“This is the same school you went to all those years ago?” he asked as we pulled into the parking lot.
“All those years ago?” I barked out a laugh.
“Well, you went here in the nineteen hundreds, right?”
