Page 156 of Broken
Ethan looked from her to Prescott. “Is Jack your special friend?”
“What’s a special friend?” Prescott asked.
“My mommy had a special friend. Mr. Man.”
That’s probably the father of Sally’s baby.“What made him special?”
“Mommy let him stay with us, but I didn’t like him.”
“Because he scared you?” Jacqueline asked.
“Uh-huh, but I like Jack. She’s nice to me, she gives me sugar, and she doesn’t make scary faces.”
“I like you a lot, Ethan, and I will never, ever make a scary face,” she said. “I don’t like them either. And I’m so happy you like Loki because I think you’re his favorite person.”
He grinned. “Really?”
“He always runs to you first and he likes playing with you best.”
“He doesn’t share.”
Jacqueline smiled. “I can help with that. I’m happy to be here with you and Uncle Prescott. Can I give you a hug?”
“Uh-huh.”
She folded her arms around him and gave him a gentle hug. “I hope you have a fun day at school.” Then, her gaze fell on Prescott. “Can I give you a hug goodbye too?”
He folded her into his arms and held her there, then kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you later.” Unable to resist, he dropped a light kiss on her lips.
On the way to his office, he called his mom, put the call on speaker.
His mom answered. “Hey, Scotty, Dad and I were just talking about you. How’ve things been?”
“The parental learning curve is steep,” he said, and she laughed. “I’ve got Ethan with me and we’re headed to school and work.”
“Hey, Ethan,” his dad said. “It’s Nana and Papa!”
“Hi,” Ethan called from the back seat. “I have a new puppy! It’s Jack’s, but she says he likes me best!”
“You got him a dog?” his mom asked.
“Not exactly,” Prescott replied. “I’m taking the boat out tomorrow. Can you join us?”
“We’ve got something,” his mom replied, “but we’ll shift it to Sunday.”
“That’s great. I know Ethan would love to see you guys.” He paused for a second. “I’ve recently reconnected with someone, and she’ll be with us.”
“Great,” his dad replied.
“We look forward to meeting her,” his mom added. “Why don’t I put together a picnic?”
“You don’t have to—”
“I have to run to the market anyway,” his mom said. “What about nuggets?”
From the back seat, Ethan exclaimed, “I love chicken nuggets!”
“Nuggets are fine.” Prescott pulled into the daycare parking lot. “Gotta run. See you tomorrow.”
