Carter flashed another smile. “And she didn’t need to know. Kinda like in the movies. Anyway, she was pregnant and didn’t want to get in the way. She said if you wanted to be with her, you’d come back.”
The smile faded. “When you didn’t, she decided not to put your name on the birth certificate. But she told me. You know, when I was older.”
Felicia could hear the words and understand their meaning. But absorbing them was more difficult than she would have thought. Gideon had a son. Even without Carter’s story, she could see the physical similarities.
“Where is she now?” she asked, afraid she already knew the answer.
“She died,” Carter said simply. “A year ago. My best friend’s parents said they’d be my foster parents, so that worked out. I lived with them. Only now they’re getting a divorce and moving out of state. Neither of them wanted to take me, so it was find my dad or go into the foster system.”
He sounded confident, Felicia thought. But she saw the telltale tremble in the corner of his mouth.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Thirteen. But I know stuff. I’m not a kid.”
“In many cultures you would be considered an adult male by now,” she said. “Usually there are rituals to mark the passage from one stage of life to another. Here we consider adulthood to start at age eighteen, although it isn’t difficult to become an emancipated minor.”
Carter stared at her. “Okay,” he said slowly. “You’re agreeing I’m not a kid?”
“Not exactly. How did you find Gideon?”
“That was easy.” He picked up the backpack at his feet and opened it. “I had his picture and his name. Once I knew about the divorce and having to find a new place to live, I went online and did some research. I’m good at computers and stuff.”
“Obviously,” Felicia said as she took the picture. It showed a younger version of Gideon with his arms around a pretty brunette. She was smiling with that “in love” glow Felicia had seen in other women but never in her own eyes. She passed the picture to him.
Gideon took it, then nodded slowly. “It’s Ellie.”
She knew there was no point in confirming the relationship. Carter was obviously related to Gideon. Not that he was prepared to take on a child, she thought. There had to be a next step and she had no idea what it was.
It was nearly eight on a Sunday night. She’d planned to go home and sleep for at least twelve hours. Maybe longer. But what about Carter?
Mayor Marsha walked up and smiled at Carter. “Hello, young man. I’m Mayor Marsha and you’re Gideon’s son.” She held out her hand.
“Carter,” the teen said, shaking hands with her. “How did you know I was here?”
“I know everything, Carter. After you’ve been here a while, you’ll accept that.” She looked between him and Gideon. “I see the resemblance. Based on your wide-eyed expression, Gideon, I take it you didn’t know about Carter.”
“No,” Gideon said. “I didn’t.”
“Then you have a lot to take in.” The mayor turned to her. “You’re exhausted, dear. This has been quite the weekend. But successful. Your first festival went extremely well.” She turned back to Carter. “I admire your initiative. However, I’m sure you’re aware there are consequences for your actions.”
Carter sighed. “I didn’t want to go into the foster care system. You hear stories, you know?”
“I do know. But there are also laws, and you’re still a minor. Plus, leaving a note for your guardians isn’t going to reassure them.”
“How did you know I left a note?”
She smiled. “Didn’t you?”
Carter nodded. “I’m not a kid.”
“You’re a teenager, which is worse. Believe me, I know.” She patted him on the arm. “You need a place to stay for the night.”
“I have my dad.”
“It’s not that simple. Here’s what I propose. You’ll spend tonight with a foster family. I’ll let your guardians know that you’re safe. In the morning, we’ll go see a judge I know. With no father’s name on your birth certificate, we’ll need to confirm the relationship with a DNA sample.”
“Like in the movies?” Carter sounded impressed.
“Exactly like that. You’ll get a cheek swab. It’s all very high-tech. While the tests are being run, we’ll get your father approved as a foster parent. We can figure out the rest as we go.”
Carter slung his backpack over his shoulder. His expression turned wary. “I’d rather stay with him now.”
Felicia understood that the thought of going to a strange place was frightening. Even if Carter had done it by choice, he didn’t know anyone, nor could he believe everything was going to work out.
She thought about offering herself as a foster parent but knew she would have to go through the approval process, just like Gideon. And that couldn’t happen on a Sunday night.
“You’re not to worry,” the mayor said gently. “I think you’ll like these foster parents. Pia and Raoul Moreno have three children of their own. Peter, their oldest, was in foster care and they adopted him. Raoul used to be a football player. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)
Susan Mallery's books
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- Just One Kiss
- Chasing Perfect (Fool's Gold #1)
- Almost Perfect (Fool's Gold #2)
- Sister of the Bride (Fool's Gold #2.5)
- Finding Perfect (Fool's Gold #3)
- Only Mine (Fool's Gold #4)
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