Barbara McMahon - Adopted - Family in a Million

Only when she felt the sweep of disappointment did she realize how much she had hoped to see him again.

She sat on the bench they’d shared last week and watched Danny play. The usual group of children were here. She waved at a couple of mothers she knew but didn’t walk over to talk with them. Maybe Zack would still show up.

It was getting close to lunchtime. She hoped Danny wouldn’t put up a fuss to return home. She had some chores to do and wanted to call one of her friends and discuss dinner one night next week. Laura had a son a year older than Danny. The two boys loved to play together.

She glanced around as a sixth sense kicked in. Zack was crossing the grass, a white bag held in one hand. His gaze was focused on her as he cut the distance swiftly. No sign of a limp today.

“Hi,” he said when he was close.

“Hi.” Susan felt fluttery inside. She had hoped to see him, but now that he was here, she felt positively shy. That was so not like her.

He lifted the bag a couple of inches. “I took a chance and brought coffee. If you don’t want any, that’s okay. I even brought some apple juice for Danny.”

“I’d love a cup of coffee. I’ve only had one so far today and sitting here in the sun was making me sleepy.”

He nodded and sat beside her. In seconds she was sipping the heavenly brew.

“I brought cream in case,” he said, rummaging around in the bag.

“No, I like it black.”

“Me, too.” He lifted a bottle of apple juice and a straw, setting them on the bench between them.

Susan was touched he’d thought to bring something for Danny.

“Thank you.” She caught Danny’s attention and waved him over. He ran all the way.

“Hi,” Zack said.

“Hi. Did you come to watch me play?” he asked.

Zack smiled and nodded. “I sure did.”

“Zack brought you some apple juice,” Susan said, opening the bottle and removing the wrapper from the straw.

“I love apple juice!” Danny exclaimed. He drank almost half the bottle and then stopped, gasping for breath.

“You don’t need to drink it all in one go,” his mother commented wryly. “What do you say?”

“Thank you for my apple juice,” he said to Zack. Then he turned and ran back to the swings.

“Does he ever get tired?” Zack asked.

“Oh, yeah. After lunch he’ll sleep for about two hours. Then be raring to go until bedtime. I’m glad you came today. I have a lead on a sublet, if you’re still interested.”

“I am. I spent the better part of this week looking.”

Susan reached into the backpack and pulled out the note with the information about the small apartment not too far from a subway stop. She handed it to Zack. She wished it had been closer to this neighborhood. It would take some effort to come to the park from that place.

He read the information she’d jotted down then reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He extracted another business card, then put her note in its place. Taking a pen, he wrote a phone number and handed her the card.

“I also bought a cell phone this week. Here’s my number. Just in case.”

“In case of what?” she asked, taking the card.

He shrugged. “You find another place available, or just want to talk.”

She wondered if he was lonely. Though she couldn’t imagine any woman would resist long if he showed some interest.

Including her.

“Thanks.” She hesitated a moment. “I can give you our number if you like.”

Zack nodded and in a moment had her number on the same paper as the sublet information.

“What did you do all week?” she asked.

“Worked on the physical therapy on my shoulder and hip. Hurts like crazy. They didn’t tell me that when I started. Just some discomfort they said. Ha, I’d like to see them try it.” He rotated his shoulder and grimaced. “Then I called about vacancies. Everything was taken by the time I called.”

“You aren’t trying to get back in shape in a week, are you?”

“Hey, no pain, no gain. Besides, I’ve been working on this since last November. “

“You need to follow instructions exactly for maximum recovery,” she murmured.

“You a nurse?” He glanced at her. His dark eyes held amusement.

She grinned. It was fun to banter with him. “Better, I’m a mom. I know things. Didn’t your mother tell you not to argue back?”

His look became pensive and he looked across the playground to where Danny and his friends were climbing the bars. “I don’t remember my mother,” he said.

“Oh.” Susan was stricken. She couldn’t have known he had lost his mother early. “I’m sorry,” she said. She couldn’t imagine her mother not being a part of her life, even though she lived in Florida.

He shrugged. “Things happen.”

She longed to ask some questions, but didn’t want to pry. If he wanted her to know more, he’d tell her.

Seeking a safe topic, she remembered the sublet. “My friend said the apartment will be sublet fully furnished. They want less than six months. They’re taking a long tour of Europe, but not so long to tie up the place for a year. I thought it might work out.”

“The way places get rented around here, I’ll call this afternoon.”

Susan sipped her coffee, feeling happier than she had in a long time. The day was beautiful, a cloudless blue sky, just enough breeze to keep the temperature from climbing uncomfortably high. She was watching her son have a great time. And sitting beside one of the most gorgeous men on the planet. She even caught a glimpse of some other mothers staring, and then talking among themselves. She resisted the urge to glance at Zack. Did he feel awkward being the only male around? No, wait, there were two fathers with their children playing Frisbee on the grass. But Zack wasn’t with a child.

He took the last drink from his coffee and put the cup in the bag.

“I thought about seeing the sights, showing myself New York so to speak. Would you and your son like to go to the zoo with me tomorrow? I’ve seen nothing but sand and more sand in the last few years. It occurs to me that kind of outing would be more fun with a child along who would really be captivated by the animals.”

Susan drew in a breath, surprised at the strong inclination to accept on the spot. She’d love to spend more time with him. Yet—she wasn’t sure she was ready to date. She’d tried it twice and hated both outings. Was this a date? She didn’t know the man, but they would be in a public place. How dangerous could going to the zoo be? Danny loved the zoo. They’d gone twice last summer.

“Let me check my calendar when I get home,” she said, stalling. She wanted to think this through before making a decision. “It is fun to visit the exhibits with a little boy who’s fascinated by everything. He’s a bundle of energy and won’t settle for a sedate pace.”

“I checked—the zoo opens at nine, so I thought an early start to see as much as we can. I warn you, I may not have the stamina to last all day.”

“Sounds like fun. I’ll let you know. Thanks for inviting us to join you. Danny loves animals.”

Zack nodded. He had asked. It was up to her. His gaze was drawn again to his son. The wonder was hard to accept. When Danny’s laughter rang out, Zack wanted to scoop him up and hug him. He could watch this child for hours, fascinated to know he and Alesia had produced such a darling boy.

Anger simmered at his former lover for keeping this miracle from him. He would have dropped everything to return to the States if she’d only told him. Now he’d missed the opportunity to be a part of his life.

When Danny got in line for the large, curved slide, he was hidden from view for a few moments. Zack glanced back to Susan. She was not what he expected. Instead of being a nebulous figure, she was a pretty woman with soft looking honey-gold hair and grave gray eyes. She wasn’t tall, reaching only to his shoulder. She kept her eyes on Danny, watching out for him, ready to spring to the rescue if needed.