Page 47 of Broken
Conversation came easily, and Prescott was grateful to his family for being so welcoming of his sister and her son. He wasn’t sure how his mom would react, but she wasn’t fazed in the least. Her response had been, “Your first dad had a girlfriend before we met and he didn’t know she was pregnant. Your sister seems like a lovely woman who’s got a hard job raising a child on her own. That could have been me, if I hadn’t met your second dad.”
He adored his mom. She was rock solid and kind to everyone she met. He wondered how his parents would feel if they knew the truth about their sons. Both were trained assassins who took out the worst of the worst with no regret.
“This food is super good,” Sally said. “Where is Jericho Road?”
“It’s in Alexandria,” Addison answered. “It’s owned by a close friend of ours and it’s our go-to place for ribs and fries.”
“Yummy fries,” Ethan added.
Prescott was never around children, so he was interested in getting to know his young nephew. “Ethan, what are you learning in daycare?”
“Counting and letters. We do story time and we play outside. And we have nappy time.” He scrunched up his nose. “I don’t like nappy time.”
“Why not?” Prescott asked.
“I want to play!” He giggled.
Prescott and his sister didn’t look anything alike. She had an olive complexion with shoulder-length dark, brown hair and deep brown eyes. Ethan was fairer with light brown eyes and wavy hair that touched his shoulders.
Prescott was happy to be in a position to help, just like he did for everyone in his family.
Years ago, when his brother’s life had gone off the rails, he’d made Hawk his top priority. Whatever it took to help get him back on track. And he would do the same for his sister.
After dinner, Prescott made a pot of coffee, and everyone moved to the sunroom. Sally grabbed a tote bag and sat on the floor with Ethan. Together, they started building a small racetrack and unearthed some plastic trucks.
“You come prepared,” Prescott said.
Sally smiled. “If I don’t, Ethan will find your pots and pans, a large metal spoon, and he’ll make a lot of noise.”
Prescott’s mom and dad laughed.
“That sounds like you, Prescott,” his mom said.
“I did that?” he asked.
“All the time,” his dad replied, “but I changed out the metal spoon for a plastic one.”
“What about me?” Hawk asked.
“You liked building blocks, you loved airplanes, and you stole one of Kerri’s dolls. She became your constant companion for a while.”
Addison laughed. “That does not surprise me… at all.”
“I was just practicing for you, babe,” Hawk said.
“I hate to run,” Addison said, “but I need to swing by the mall, real quick, and grab a few things.”
“Why don’t you order online?” Prescott asked.
“It’s wedding stuff from the bridal store,” she said. “I’ll be back in thirty, forty max.”
Hawk had been sitting on the floor, playing with Ethan. “I’ll go.”
“Oh, no!” Ethan said. “Stay and play wif me, pleeeeease.” Then, he looked at his Mom. “Is he my uncle too?”
“I sure am, buddy,” Hawk said. “I’m your uncle Nicky.”
Ethan handed Hawk a truck. “Here.”
