Read Inked for Free Online Page B

features of the little boy’s face where the exact same features Brody saw every morning when he looked in the mirror. Just one look at the small boy who wore airplane pajamas and sucked his thumb was all it took for Brody to know he was looking into the eyes of his son.

Chapter 3
     
    “What the fuck, Avery?” Brody roared.
    Lowering her arms, Avery used the palm of her hands to cover her son’s ear. “Please don’t swear in front of Parker.”
    Parker, my son’s name is Parker? Brody stood motionless, stunned by the realization that this boy—his son—was the reason she’d never returned his calls, but why? Why hadn’t Avery told him she was pregnant, and why would she want to keep him away from his son for so long? These and a million other questions came to mind, causing Brody to stumble backwards into the wall. The hair, the lips, the eyes... there was no doubt in his mind that he was staring into the face of his son, but he had to ask the question that was at the forefront of his mind. “Is he mine?”
    “Can we talk about this later? I have to put Parker back to bed.”
    “You’re fucking kidding me, right? Do you honestly expect me to just walk away?”
    “Would you please stop swearing in front of him?”
    The door to apartment 10B creaked open and a silver haired lady peeked around the corner. “Is everything alright out here, dear?”
    “Yes, Mrs. Mitchell. My friend was just leaving,” Avery assured her.
    “Like hell I am. I’m not leaving until you give me some answers.”
    Avery looked from the silver haired woman to Brody and scowled at him before returning her attention back to her elderly neighbor. “Everything is fine, Dottie. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
    Mrs. Mitchell acknowledged Avery with a polite nod and quietly disappeared back into her apartment.
    Brody looked down at the boy who was hugging his mother’s leg. The child looked frightened. He tilted his head back and rested it against the wall, willing himself to calm down. Don’t scare him more than he already is, you idiot. When he’d regained his composure enough to speak calmly, he opened his eyes and repeated his question. “Is the boy mine or not, Avery?”
    Avery held Parker closer, hugging him tightly against her leg. The truth was finally out in the open and it felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. The only thing left to do was to speak one simple word, the truth. “Yes.”
    It took every ounce of Brody’s self control to stop him from completely losing it, but knowing that yelling would only frighten his son more, he kept his emotions in check. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me that I had a son?
    “Can we please talk about this later?” Avery implored. “Parker’s sick and I have to put him back to bed.”
    “He’s sick?” Brody asked, his attention suddenly focused solely on the boy. “What’s wrong with him?”
    “He’s coming down with a cold.”
    “Should we take him to a doctor or something?”
    “He should be fine once I give him some Advil and put him back to bed, which is why I have to go. Call me tomorrow and we’ll talk then. I promise.”
    “Avery, please don’t ask me to go, not now.”
    She watched as a multitude of emotions flashed across his face: Anger, confusion, frustration, and above all else, concern. Was Brody really that worried that Parker had come down with a case of the sniffles? Of course he was. It was a parent’s natural instinct to be concerned when their child was sick. How could she possibly ask him to leave, and did she even have the right to ask him to leave now that he knew the truth?
    “Fine,” Avery sighed. She was too tired to fight a battle that she had absolutely no chance of winning. There’s nothing she could say that would convince Brody to leave. “Just promise to keep your voice down. If Parker wakes up again I’ll never get him back to sleep.”
    Brody nodded his agreement. Trepidation washed over him like a tidal