Laughter bubbled up and spilled from Faith’s lips. “How old were they?”
“Nine, seven and four. But I love those boys and their sisters.”
She could hear the affection in his voice. A part of her was envious of the time they had spent with her father. Time that should have been hers. But another part of her was glad he hadn’t spent all those years alone. Faith glanced down at her watch. She had been there for three hours. “Do you still see them?”
“Yes. All the time.”
She wondered if she’d ever get a chance to meet them. “Well, I know you probably have lots of things to do and I don’t want to take up all your time.”
“Faith, I don’t have anything planned that tops seeing you.” Thad seemed to weigh his next words. “How long are you going to be here?”
“A week or two.”
“Oh.” She could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Any chance of you staying longer? I just found you again and I…” He trailed off.
Faith totally understood. “I’ll try. And even if I can’t, I will come back.”
“That’s all I can ask for. Where are you staying?”
She gave him the name of the hotel, her room number and her cell phone number.
“Do you think we can go to dinner sometime next week?”
“I’d like that very much.” She was glad he had suggested they have dinner at a later date because she needed a few days to process everything. Faith stood.
Thad reached for his crutches and followed suit.
They walked to the front door. She turned to face him. “I’m really glad I came.”
“So am I.” He gathered her in his embrace once again and moved back. “I’ll call you so we can set up a time.”
“Okay.” She strolled to her car and got in. She glanced toward the house and saw him waving. She waved back and pulled off.
Her mind went back to his request for her to stay longer. They had so much to catch up on that two weeks wouldn’t even scratch the surface. But she had to pay rent on her town house and the hotel wasn’t cheap. She didn’t want to dip into her savings. However, extending her time would give her more time to learn about his life. And more time with Brandon.
CHAPTER 7
Brandon leaned against the wall of his parents’ game room and waited for Khalil to take his turn at the pool table.
“So, did you ask Mom about what’s going on?” Khalil walked around the table, lined up his shot and sent the ball sailing into a corner pocket.
“No. You know she’s not going to say anything Dad said not to tell. And I know he’s told her.”
“True. At least they’re consistent. Nothing’s changed in thirty-seven years.”
Brandon laughed. Their parents had been together for almost four decades and made no secret that they were each other’s confidante.
“I asked Dad about it and he shut me down cold. Vonnie said he did the same thing to her.”
“Yeah.” The announcement had bugged him all week, since the time his father had made it during the staff meeting. His grip tightened on the stick and he hit the ball so hard three of them went into pockets, including one of his brother’s. He cursed under his breath.
Khalil chuckled. “Thanks, bro.”
Brandon ignored him. Not wanting to spoil his Sunday family dinner, he changed the subject. “I saw part of the gym blocked off when I was there on Thursday. You’re not wasting any time.”
“They’ve started installing the new floor. I really like how it feels. It’s almost better than the actual mats.”
“You could use it for the whole gym.”
“I thought about it, but the cost would be astronomical with all the square footage.”
“Well, Mr. Big Bucks, you can afford it.”
“Maybe, but there’s no sense in throwing away my money. I’d like to remain Mr. Big Bucks,” he added wryly. Khalil had started modeling professionally at sixteen and spent a decade gracing the covers of several magazines. He had been the face of several products, an international spokesperson for fitness and even had cameo appearances in two movies.
As they finished the game, Malcolm and his two brothers-in-law joined them. Brandon and Khalil relinquished the table to Omar and Malcolm.