The Single Undead Moms(99)

The words were spilling out of him, like he’d been rehearsing them for years, patient and slow, but now they were running away with him. I thought back to any of the “big events” in my life and realized how pitifully few crowds he’d had to slip into—my high school graduation, my community-college graduation, my wedding; that was pretty much it. I felt sort of bad for his bored spies.

“Danny, I was there at the hospital on the night you were born.” Max peered around me, trying to get a better look at my son.

“Really?” Danny asked, stepping closer.

Max grinned. “Yeah. I waited in the lobby at the hospital until I heard you crying from all the way down the hall. You were a loud little thing.” He turned to me. “It’s not easy for us to be in hospitals, you know. Too many smells, the least of which is blood. And I think the nurses mistook me for a baby snatcher. But I got to hear my grandson’s first cries. It meant a lot to me, knowing that you had a good life, a nice, safe life. It was more than I could offer you.”

I stared at him for a long time, silent, as all of the questions I wanted to ask, the demands, the insults, everything I’d ever wanted to say to my father in all those years alone, ran through my head.

“I don’t think you can be my grandpa. You’re not old enough,” Danny said softly. I had to wonder what was going on in his little head. He’d only just lost his papa, and now some young guy shows up claiming to be his grandfather? I mentally added a higher total goal for Danny’s potential therapy fund.

Max winked at him. “You’d be surprised, kiddo. And at least I don’t have a bad-guy beard.”

Finn made a displeased noise in his throat.

I straightened my shoulders and asked, “So you’re my father?”

Max looked oddly proud as he said, “I am indeed.”

“OK.” Quick as a snake, I raised my fist and punched him in his handsome, stupid face. He was clearly not expecting the blow and tottered back on his heels, clutching his bleeding nose as he crashed into the door.

“Mom!” Danny cried. “You hit him! You said hitting isn’t OK ever!”

“Well, sometimes it is, under special circumstances,” I told him.

“You should say you’re sorry!” Danny said.

Feeling a pang of hypocritical-mother guilt, I sighed. “I will, later. I promise.”

“Feel better now?” Finn asked as Max groaned and I rubbed my healing knuckles.

I nodded. “Oddly enough, yes. Get any closer, and you’re next.”

Finn seemed disappointed but accepted the threat. “Look, I’ve known your dad since we were both human. We were turned by the same sire around the same time for a—”

“If you say ‘misunderstanding,’ I will poke you in the eye,” I told him. “Why didn’t you come see me before, Max? Why did you wait until now? Do you have any idea how different my life could have been, how different Mom could have been, if you’d just shown up every once in a while?”

“I was trying to respect her wishes. And frankly, she was right. The way I was living my life, it wasn’t safe for you. I did send her money every month, but she just sent it back.”

“And when she died, you didn’t think maybe you should send a note?” I demanded, thinking back to meeting Rob at the loneliest time in my life. Knowing my father might have changed the decisions I’d made. Then again, I might not have had Danny. I cleared my throat. “I really—I could have used a friend then.”

“I was scared,” he admitted. “I didn’t know what your mom had told you about me. And the thought of you rejecting me, I couldn’t stand it. Sure, it was tough seeing you live your life from far away. But at least I could keep up the illusion of being involved. Knowing for sure that you wanted nothing to do with me? It was terrifying. Every time I’d almost talked myself into coming to you, I’d talk myself out of it all over again.”

“And after you and Finn decided that he would turn me into a vampire?” I asked, glaring at my sire.

Finn touched my arm, and I pulled loose from his grasp. “I was afraid that if he approached you right away, you would bolt, so I told him to keep his distance. And his patience ran out, officially, this week when he heard about your father-in-law. He was supposed to give me time to let you get used to the idea. But he jumped the gun.”

“But you knew he was in the Hollow, and you didn’t tell me.”

“You know, I am standing right here,” Max pointed out.

We both whipped our heads toward him, glaring.

Max raised his hands. “Carry on.”