Brett's Little Headaches(39)

Roll your eyes at me all you want, but you know that shit can happen. See you later.”

I’d called this kid a few days ago and asked him to meet me. I hadn’t given him much information only that I needed to talk to him about her.

I needed to get this shit over and done once and for all so that I could give her the damn ring I’ve been schlepping around for the last couple of weeks.

I wanted all three of them to be mine completely and after today, I will make that shit happen. I was prepared to do whatever the fuck it takes to do that shit, well, short of a couple things that I find repulsive.

It was kind of anticlimactic meeting him. It turns out he was just a regular looking kid, who if I didn’t know who he was, I wouldn’t have noticed.

He was quiet for one, nothing at all like what I envisioned my fiery girl going for.

“Mr. Cantone?”

“Jonathan?” He reached his hand out to shake and I took it. It was funny, but seeing him put me at ease. All the angst and worry I’d been carrying around with me for the last couple of weeks, just seemed stupid as fuck now.

He fixed the glasses on his face and I felt like a heel. Not that he was bad looking, he wasn’t, but he just looked so, young. She would’ve eaten him alive.

I was suddenly feeling very fucking good indeed, and was in a hurry to be done with it and get back to my girl and our boys.

I took a seat across from him at the little table in the food court where he’d asked to meet.

“Like I told you on the phone, this is about Laurie Payne.” The poor kid swallowed and looked around like he thought the Feds were going to come get him.

“Relax kid, no one’s here to get you. I just want to know what your intentions are where Laurie and the kids are concerned.”

Again he swallowed and looked nervous as hell. “What does she want me to do sir?”

“Have you spoken to her since the boys were born, have you seen them?”

“No sir, but I didn’t know what, that is...I didn’t think that she would want me to see them after the way I ran.

I didn’t mean to leave her holding the bag like that I hope she knows that. But my friends said I could go to jail for a long time. My mom even said back then that maybe Laurie would give the baby up for adoption.

I thought that might be best because I didn’t have any way of taking care of them.”

“So you’ve never seen them, never had any interest in seeing them?”

“My friends sometimes see them and tell me how big they’re getting and stuff, but Mr. Cantone, sir, I don’t think I ever wanted to be a dad. My own dad wasn’t very nice if you know what I mean, and I never wanted to be like him ya know, so...”

“So if she got married and her husband wanted to adopt the boys you’d be okay with that?”

“Well, do you know the guy, you said you work for him right? If he’s nice I guess I wouldn’t mind. If he’s going to be good to her and the boys, give them a better life, I guess. I can’t do anything for them and that’s for sure; and Laurie’s a nice girl. I’m sorry I messed up her life.”

Damn, I was actually starting to feel sorry for this kid. “I don’t think she sees it that way, she loves those boys.”

“You still didn’t answer me, is he nice?”

“And if he isn’t? If I tell you that he’s a mean old bastard that will treat them very poorly, but he’s loaded, what then?” He actually puffed up his chest and folded his fist.

“Then I’d have to do something. Maybe her dad would help her, he’s a cop.” I think he was ready to get out the chair and go to battle.

“Are you in love with her?” Can you imagine the fuckery that was going on inside me while I waited for his answer? I’m so fucked in the head I was jealous of whether or not he was in love with my woman.

“No sir, we were just kids playing around. We were friends more than anything else.” As usual I made a judgment based on what was in front of my eyes, and my gut.

“What is it that you want to do with your life Jonathan?” I unbuttoned my suit jacket and relaxed back in my seat.

And that’s how I ended up spending the next two hours hearing this kid’s life story, getting him to sign his kids over to me and cutting him a check for a quarter of a million dollars to start the bike shop he’d always dreamt of owning.

The check wasn’t payment, I would never have done such a thing, and surprisingly the kid that had ran out on his pregnant...pal, was not looking to get paid.

No, the money was because he had a need, and because what I was getting in return was worth more than any sum I could’ve given him.