Serenity (Inevitable #5)(131)

He snuck out of the house using one of the numerous side exits, the overwhelming heat of the day momentarily sucking the air out of his lungs. He walked around the block, staying out of sight, then used the Uber app on his phone to summon a car. After dismissing their last nanny, Matthew had set up accounts for both Casey and Hayley with the car service so that they would never have to worry about getting a ride when they needed one.

While he was waiting for his ride, Casey texted Maribel, telling her that he was going to Blake's house after practice and that she didn't need to pick him up after all. He was glad that he'd found a shady spot to stand while waiting for his ride, since the temperature was now in the high nineties, and wished he had taken the time to grab a bottle of water.

Fortunately, the car arrived right on schedule to pick him up, and if the driver thought it a bit odd that his passenger was a fourteen year old boy he didn't offer up a comment. Casey drummed his fingers on the seat impatiently as they encountered several pockets of traffic on the drive to the airport, and fidgeted as the minutes continued to count down until his father's flight was due to arrive in.

The Uber driver left him off at the terminal where Matthew's flight would be landing, and Casey dashed off to wait for him in the arrivals area, hoping that it was the correct spot. It had been awhile, probably close to two years, since he had accompanied his mother and sister here to the airport to pick up Matthew, and while the waiting area looked mostly familiar, he wasn't entirely sure. 

But a short time later, Casey breathed a sigh of relief as he spied his father trudging wearily through the terminal. Matthew looked both exhausted and depressed, and Casey now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd done the right thing in coming here this afternoon. Gleefully anticipating his father's reaction to the news he was about to share, Casey practically jogged ahead to meet him.





Despite drinking at least three cups of very strong coffee so far today, Matthew was visibly dragging as he forced himself to keep walking through the airport terminal. He'd left for Dallas three days ago, and kept up a whirlwind schedule for the duration of his trip. He rarely slept well when he traveled on business, usually too wired up to be able to fully relax, and this trip had been no exception. He was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed tonight, even though it meant locking his bedroom door to keep his overly amorous ex out of his room.

Lindsey had continued to throw herself at him shamelessly, despite his stern and downright hostile admonitions that she would be the very last woman in the world he'd ever be attracted to again. And with each pathetic attempt to tempt or seduce him, Lindsey had seemed increasingly desperate, almost panic stricken that her wiles simply weren't working.

He was really going to have to do something about this whole fucked-up situation, and soon - like any day now. He was frustrated as hell with Hayley and her apparent disinterest in anything having to do with the baby she was carrying. He felt like shaking her at times, anything to shock her into action and start facing reality. His daughter seemed blithely unaware of just how much her life was going to change in a few more months, and Matthew's doubts continued to increase about the wisdom of Hayley keeping this baby. He made a mental note to ask his divorce attorney for a referral to an adoption agency, fully intending to steer Hayley more firmly in that direction. It would be the best solution for everyone involved, especially the baby. In fact, he might as well place that call right now while he was thinking about it.

'No time like the present, I always say,' he thought to himself, taking his phone from his jacket pocket and scrolling through the contacts list. But before he could press the number for his attorney, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Dad! Hey, Dad, over here!"

Matthew glanced up in astonishment to see Casey waving at him frantically. Instantly alarmed, because he couldn't fathom why his son would be waiting for him here at the airport if there wasn't some sort of emergency, he hurried over to where Casey was waiting impatiently.

"Hey, buddy," he greeted, pulling his son in close for a hug. "What's going on? Must be something big for you to meet me like this. Is your mother here, too?"

Casey shook his head. "Nope, just me. I, uh, got your flight info from Elena and took Uber here. Mom doesn't know I'm here, she thinks I'm still at baseball practice."

Matthew eyed him warily. "And why aren't you there? Are you in some sort of trouble, Casey?"

"No, nothing like that at all. I swear, Dad. And practice ended early today because it's like a hundred degrees outside. A couple of the guys almost fainted from the heat yesterday, so Coach made us stop before lunchtime."