Slade's Secret Son Read Online Free PDF Page A

shoulders, adding support. “Are you all right?”
    “Head rush,” she replied, furious that her body wasn’t healing as quickly as she wanted it to. Even more disconcerting was the soothing heat his touch was spreading through her. She didn’t want him affecting her that way. She wanted to feel neutral toward him. Giving her shouldersa small twist to indicate she wanted him to release her, she sucked in a groan of discomfort.
    “I was just trying to help,” Slade said impatiently, releasing her and taking a step back.
    Lisa berated herself for overreacting, but then she’d never been able to keep herself entirely under control where Slade was concerned. The nausea now subsiding, her original panic returned. “Has something happened to Andy?”
    “Andy’s fine,” Slade assured her. Tenderness again softened his feature. “He and I have been getting acquainted. Smart little guy and full of energy.”
    Lisa saw the love in Slade’s eyes. Clearly, he’d allowed Andy into his heart and, for her son’s sake, she was glad.
    “It’s getting late and I want to go get our marriage license today.”
    Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, Lisa saw that it was after two. “I slept half the day?”
    “You needed the rest. You’re still recovering from your wound.”
    “Where’s Andy?”
    “He’s taking his nap.” Slade backed up further so that he could lean against the wall. “He’s very devoted to you. A couple of times every hour he insisted on coming in and checking on you.”
    Her son’s concern caused a motherly warmth to spread through her and she was forced to admit that deep inside she’d been worried that Slade had such a powerful presence, Andy might become so enamored of him, he would forget about her when Slade was present. “He is a very caring child,” she said with pride.
    “You’ve done well by him.” Slade straightened with purpose. “And now it’s my turn to do right by him.While he’s napping, we’re going to go get our marriage license. Your mother is making you a sandwich you can eat on the way.”
    Lisa’s jaw firmed. “I am not going to marry you. That is not why I brought you into this.”
    “We are going to get married. It’s the right thing to do for Andy’s sake. And I’m not taking no for an answer. I want the boy to have my name and to know that I wanted to be his father in every sense of the word, including the legal one.”
    Lisa scowled. “You don’t want me for your wife. You made that very clear.”
    “It’s not personal. I don’t want any woman for a wife.”
    “That’s supposed to appease me?”
    “If you don’t let me marry you, Andy might always think that I didn’t really want him. I don’t want him to have any doubts about the bond I feel toward him.”
    “I’ll explain that it was my choice.”
    “And then there’s the legal system,” Slade persisted. “If anything happens to you, the courts might look at it differently. You and I both know that you can’t count on a judge to always do the right thing. If we never marry, a court could rule against my getting custody. And, if the court feels that your mother and aunt can’t care for him properly, Andy could even end up in the foster care system.”
    Lisa had to concede that there was a small chance things could turn out as he predicted, a very small chance but a possibility nonetheless, and that thought sent a chill of fear through her.
    “We were good together,” Slade continued. “We have the same tastes, a lot of the same interests, and we both know how to please each other physically. I’d saywe probably have more going for us than a lot of couples who marry.”
    Lisa reluctantly admitted to herself that his arguments were valid. Still, she was uneasy. He was asking her to go back to the way they had been before. Well, not exactly. This time she was forewarned. She would know better than to give her heart to him. “All right, I’ll marry you for Andy’s sake. But if the