attorney—speaks to Adrian’s attorneys. Whatever. I just don’t want to upset Miles’s schedule or his life. Thirteen is a hard age.”
“All right. So I can be a family friend for now. Then I can be his aunt. And don’t fret too much about the lawyer thing. It won’t be that way forever. Adrian will come around.”
They spoke for a few minutes more until Gillian heard Ryan’s car out front.
Erin laughed, picking up her bag and heading out with Gillian. “I can’t recall the last time I was so nervous to meet a thirteen-year-old boy. Probably not since I was thirteen.”
She needn’t have worried. He got out of the car at the base of the driveway and the guy pulled away with a wave.
“He hasn’t noticed yet,” Gillian said quietly.
Miles walked up the driveway at a pokey pace until he saw his mother and smiled. Erin warmed at the sight. Further evidence that the boy had a good life.
He sped up a bit and stopped cold when he really caught sight of Erin.
“Come on then, slowpoke. Come and meet Erin. She’s on her way out just now, but I thought you might want to say hello. You know, as one bass player to another.”
Oh. He was a bass player too? Erin had remembered he played in a band, but knowing the kid played bass like she did warmed her heart.
She held her hand out and he shook it nearly off her arm. “Wow. This is so awesome. I never knew Mum had famous friends I’d actually recognize. I love your music. I’m trying to learn ‘Lashed’ right now. Well, we are, my band and me. I. Whatever. Wow. Just wow.”
Gillian, grinning, stepped closer to Miles and put her arm around his waist because he already towered over her. “Easy there, kid, she needs her arm to tote around her baby and her guitar too.”
He laughed, letting go, and Erin so badly wanted to hug him. She settled for another smile. “I’d love to help you work it through sometime. You’ll see me again, I promise.”
“Go on.” Gillian indicated the house with a tip of her chin. “Homework before you even touch your phone or the computer.”
“Aw, Mum!”
“Listen to your mother, Miles. It was my pleasure to meet you. I need to go, anyway. My son has been spending the day with his fathers and they’ll need the rest.”
Miles stammered another greeting and ambled off to the house.
“He walks like Adrian does. That slow lope. Good lord.” She looked back to Gillian. “He’s a beautiful kid. Thank you for this. Can I call you? Perhaps spend some more time with Miles? I mean, obviously I can’t speak for Adrian, but I can speak for myself and I want to know Miles and you too.”
“Yes. They said the results would be back within two weeks, probably sooner. So once Adrian gets his answers I expect this will all begin to move. Thank you for being so understanding about why I didn’t come forward sooner.”
“You can’t own what someone else did. We talked about this already. I learned that one myself. I’ll be speaking to you soon.”
She drove away and headed straight to Adrian’s.
She didn’t bother buzzing him at the gate. Though the siblings had decided to let Adrian lick his wounds for a few days, time was up. She keyed in the code herself and parked, smiling at the sight of one of Rennie’s soccer balls near the side of the house.
She headed straight for the studio, where she found him smoking one of his forbidden French cigarettes, bare feet propped up on a table, a yellow notepad at his right hand and a guitar in his lap.
“Your son plays bass.”
She came in, shoved his legs off the table and sat, tossing her bag to the side.
“What?” He sat forward. “He does what?”
“I figured there’d been enough talking through lawyers. This woman is your son’s mother and she deserves respect and courtesy. Plus I wanted to take her measure myself so I went over there today.”
He blinked. “You lie.”
“No. I’ve just spent three hours with Gillian Forrester. Moreover, I met your son.
“All right. So I can be a family friend for now. Then I can be his aunt. And don’t fret too much about the lawyer thing. It won’t be that way forever. Adrian will come around.”
They spoke for a few minutes more until Gillian heard Ryan’s car out front.
Erin laughed, picking up her bag and heading out with Gillian. “I can’t recall the last time I was so nervous to meet a thirteen-year-old boy. Probably not since I was thirteen.”
She needn’t have worried. He got out of the car at the base of the driveway and the guy pulled away with a wave.
“He hasn’t noticed yet,” Gillian said quietly.
Miles walked up the driveway at a pokey pace until he saw his mother and smiled. Erin warmed at the sight. Further evidence that the boy had a good life.
He sped up a bit and stopped cold when he really caught sight of Erin.
“Come on then, slowpoke. Come and meet Erin. She’s on her way out just now, but I thought you might want to say hello. You know, as one bass player to another.”
Oh. He was a bass player too? Erin had remembered he played in a band, but knowing the kid played bass like she did warmed her heart.
She held her hand out and he shook it nearly off her arm. “Wow. This is so awesome. I never knew Mum had famous friends I’d actually recognize. I love your music. I’m trying to learn ‘Lashed’ right now. Well, we are, my band and me. I. Whatever. Wow. Just wow.”
Gillian, grinning, stepped closer to Miles and put her arm around his waist because he already towered over her. “Easy there, kid, she needs her arm to tote around her baby and her guitar too.”
He laughed, letting go, and Erin so badly wanted to hug him. She settled for another smile. “I’d love to help you work it through sometime. You’ll see me again, I promise.”
“Go on.” Gillian indicated the house with a tip of her chin. “Homework before you even touch your phone or the computer.”
“Aw, Mum!”
“Listen to your mother, Miles. It was my pleasure to meet you. I need to go, anyway. My son has been spending the day with his fathers and they’ll need the rest.”
Miles stammered another greeting and ambled off to the house.
“He walks like Adrian does. That slow lope. Good lord.” She looked back to Gillian. “He’s a beautiful kid. Thank you for this. Can I call you? Perhaps spend some more time with Miles? I mean, obviously I can’t speak for Adrian, but I can speak for myself and I want to know Miles and you too.”
“Yes. They said the results would be back within two weeks, probably sooner. So once Adrian gets his answers I expect this will all begin to move. Thank you for being so understanding about why I didn’t come forward sooner.”
“You can’t own what someone else did. We talked about this already. I learned that one myself. I’ll be speaking to you soon.”
She drove away and headed straight to Adrian’s.
She didn’t bother buzzing him at the gate. Though the siblings had decided to let Adrian lick his wounds for a few days, time was up. She keyed in the code herself and parked, smiling at the sight of one of Rennie’s soccer balls near the side of the house.
She headed straight for the studio, where she found him smoking one of his forbidden French cigarettes, bare feet propped up on a table, a yellow notepad at his right hand and a guitar in his lap.
“Your son plays bass.”
She came in, shoved his legs off the table and sat, tossing her bag to the side.
“What?” He sat forward. “He does what?”
“I figured there’d been enough talking through lawyers. This woman is your son’s mother and she deserves respect and courtesy. Plus I wanted to take her measure myself so I went over there today.”
He blinked. “You lie.”
“No. I’ve just spent three hours with Gillian Forrester. Moreover, I met your son.
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