Adopted: Family in a Million

She wondered if he was lonely. Though she couldn’t imagine any woman would resist long if he showed some interest.

Including her.

“Thanks.” She hesitated a moment. “I can give you our number if you like.”

Zack nodded and in a moment had her number on the same paper as the sublet information.

“What did you do all week?” she asked.

“Worked on the physical therapy on my shoulder and hip. Hurts like crazy. They didn’t tell me that when I started. Just some discomfort they said. Ha, I’d like to see them try it.” He rotated his shoulder and grimaced. “Then I called about vacancies. Everything was taken by the time I called.”

“You aren’t trying to get back in shape in a week, are you?”

“Hey, no pain, no gain. Besides, I’ve been working on this since last November. “

“You need to follow instructions exactly for maximum recovery,” she murmured.

“You a nurse?” He glanced at her. His dark eyes held amusement.

She grinned. It was fun to banter with him. “Better, I’m a mom. I know things. Didn’t your mother tell you not to argue back?”

His look became pensive and he looked across the playground to where Danny and his friends were climbing the bars. “I don’t remember my mother,” he said.

“Oh.” Susan was stricken. She couldn’t have known he had lost his mother early. “I’m sorry,” she said. She couldn’t imagine her mother not being a part of her life, even though she lived in Florida.

He shrugged. “Things happen.”

She longed to ask some questions, but didn’t want to pry. If he wanted her to know more, he’d tell her.

Seeking a safe topic, she remembered the sublet. “My friend said the apartment will be sublet fully furnished. They want less than six months. They’re taking a long tour of Europe, but not so long to tie up the place for a year. I thought it might work out.”

“The way places get rented around here, I’ll call this afternoon.”

Susan sipped her coffee, feeling happier than she had in a long time. The day was beautiful, a cloudless blue sky, just enough breeze to keep the temperature from climbing uncomfortably high. She was watching her son have a great time. And sitting beside one of the most gorgeous men on the planet. She even caught a glimpse of some other mothers staring, and then talking among themselves. She resisted the urge to glance at Zack. Did he feel awkward being the only male around? No, wait, there were two fathers with their children playing Frisbee on the grass. But Zack wasn’t with a child.

He took the last drink from his coffee and put the cup in the bag.

“I thought about seeing the sights, showing myself New York so to speak. Would you and your son like to go to the zoo with me tomorrow? I’ve seen nothing but sand and more sand in the last few years. It occurs to me that kind of outing would be more fun with a child along who would really be captivated by the animals.”

Susan drew in a breath, surprised at the strong inclination to accept on the spot. She’d love to spend more time with him. Yet—she wasn’t sure she was ready to date. She’d tried it twice and hated both outings. Was this a date? She didn’t know the man, but they would be in a public place. How dangerous could going to the zoo be? Danny loved the zoo. They’d gone twice last summer.

“Let me check my calendar when I get home,” she said, stalling. She wanted to think this through before making a decision. “It is fun to visit the exhibits with a little boy who’s fascinated by everything. He’s a bundle of energy and won’t settle for a sedate pace.”

“I checked—the zoo opens at nine, so I thought an early start to see as much as we can. I warn you, I may not have the stamina to last all day.”

“Sounds like fun. I’ll let you know. Thanks for inviting us to join you. Danny loves animals.”

Zack nodded. He had asked. It was up to her. His gaze was drawn again to his son. The wonder was hard to accept. When Danny’s laughter rang out, Zack wanted to scoop him up and hug him. He could watch this child for hours, fascinated to know he and Alesia had produced such a darling boy.

Anger simmered at his former lover for keeping this miracle from him. He would have dropped everything to return to the States if she’d only told him. Now he’d missed the opportunity to be a part of his life.

When Danny got in line for the large, curved slide, he was hidden from view for a few moments. Zack glanced back to Susan. She was not what he expected. Instead of being a nebulous figure, she was a pretty woman with soft looking honey-gold hair and grave gray eyes. She wasn’t tall, reaching only to his shoulder. She kept her eyes on Danny, watching out for him, ready to spring to the rescue if needed.

She obviously loved him. That was one lucky little boy. Zack wondered how his own life might have been different if his parents had lived. If they had expressed the love he could see shining so clearly in Susan’s expression.

Looking back at the little boy, Zack watched every move, every expression that crossed his son’s face. Soon Zack would be healed and returning to the Middle East—or another project in a foreign land. For a few weeks he might get the chance to know Danny. He wished for him a better childhood than he had experienced.

“How long is your leave?” Susan asked.

“I have at least two more months.” Two months to regain his strength and range of motion in his shoulder. He would do all the exercises the PT insisted upon. And walk the entire island of Manhattan every day if it meant full recovery. He didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t pass the company physical. Look for a new kind of work, he supposed.

“Wow, I love it when I get two weeks off in a row,” Susan said.

“Yeah, vacation is far different from medical leave. When I had time off before, I’d visit different European countries.”

“We’ll be lucky to get to Europe once before Danny leaves home,” she said wistfully.

“Who watches Danny when you’re at work?” he asked. “I assume you work normal business hours.” Careful, he warned himself. You shouldn’t know anything about her. She needs to tell you herself or you’ll give away the fact a detective investigated her.

“It’s nine-to-five most of the time. Sometimes if something big is going on, I’ll be on call for weekends or late night sessions. I do get three weeks vacation, but depending on what’s going on in the world, I might not get it all at once,” Susan said.

“Does Danny go to a child care center?” Zack racked his brain for what limited knowledge he had about children. Some of the men who rotated into the field for the chance to make extra money had families. He’d listened to their tales of woe regarding children and child care while their wives worked. Most of the time he’d wandered away, seeking time alone. He hadn’t related before.

“There is a lovely retired schoolteacher who lives in our building and watches him for me. It works out perfectly. She needs a bit of extra money to supplement her retirement pay. Danny gets to stay in our apartment with his own toys and books. She takes him for walks here in nice weather. I was so lucky to connect with her.”

“Is it hard to get good child care?” Zack asked. There was so much he didn’t know about this family. His foster mothers had all stayed at home to be there for the children. How did a single working parent manage?

“The hard part is leaving him for so many hours. I wish I could work nights and be home with him during the day. He’s growing so fast. Edith gives me a report each day—how he liked preschool, when he napped, what he had for lunch, if any little friends from the neighborhood came to play. Things like that. It makes me feel more a part of his daily activities. But I miss the actual being there.”

Zack nodded. He hadn’t planned to get involved with Danny and his adoptive mother. But now that the opening had been made, Zack was intrigued with the mother of his child. He liked being with her. Would she consider expanding her circle of friends to let him in? He’d made the first step by inviting them to the zoo. He hoped Susan would accept. If not, he’d take one day at a time. He’d already attained more than he ever expected regarding his son.

Susan softly closed the door to Danny’s room. He was already asleep. Amazing how he could go from full speed to instant sleep. She felt tired enough to fall in bed herself, but still had some cleaning to do and another load of laundry. She’d dust and vacuum the living room to give Danny a chance to wake up if he were going to. Then she’d quickly run the last basket of clothes to the laundry area. Danny would stay asleep all night and she’d only be gone a few moments. She normally took him with her, but this weekend would prove to be different. If she were going to spend the day at the zoo tomorrow, she needed to get a load done tonight. When he’d been younger, she had never left Danny alone, even to dash down to the laundry room. Now she felt better about leaving him for a few minutes. She carried a baby monitor that would alert her if he awoke before she returned. It wasn’t ideal, but working single parents made do.

As she tidied the living room, she thought about Zack Morgan. How involved did she want to get with the man? He was only in New York to recover from injuries. Once he was fit again, he’d return to the Middle East and she’d likely never see him again.

It wasn’t as if she were planning a long-term friendship. But he was at loose ends and she had not been so intrigued with a man since her husband. What harm could it do to go to the zoo? Danny would love it.

And she’d love to spend the day with Zack.

Guess that meant she’d decided to accept the invitation to the zoo. Danny would be thrilled when she told him. And it would be more fun for her to see it with another adult. Not that she didn’t delight in her child. But sometimes she just wanted adult conversation.

When she returned from the laundry room, she’d call Zack and let him know they’d be happy to join him. Glancing at Tom’s picture, she almost apologized. “It’s not a date,” she explained. “Just an outing with Danny. He seems nice.” She wasn’t telling her husband how she’d felt a surprising attraction to Zack. She wasn’t interested in remarrying. How could she when Tom had been the love of her life? They had made such grand plans—all dust now that he was gone. She couldn’t risk that kind of heartache again. Love made a person hostage to all the bad things that could happen.

“He’s just a new acquaintance.” Was she trying to convince herself or Tom?

“Maybe he’ll become a friend. But he’s only here for a short time. Once his convalescence is up, he’ll move on and I’ll probably never see him again.” The thought disappointed her.

As Susan was inserting her key into the lock upon her return from the laundry room, she heard the phone ringing. She rushed to answer it hoping it hadn’t wakened Danny.