The boy scrunched his nose. “I’ll try them.” He didn’t want to start off on a bad foot.
Luke ordered a plate for his grandson. “Trust me on this, you will love them…. It would really be easier for me if you had a name.”
“After I try the fries.” He said with a smug grin.
“Emily, darlin’ want to help me out here.” He tried to give the boy a guilty look as he appealed to Emily.
“This is a game between Spencer’s. I would be remiss to interfere.” Emily laughed. She wasn’t trying to make things harder for Luke. However, it was her best way of telling if her son really trusted Luke. Once he offered his real name, Luke was in, for life.
“Fine.” Luke rolled his eyes in defeat. “Let’s get down to business. I need to know everything in order to protect the nameless wonder.” Luke hated admitting he rather enjoyed the game.
“Where do you need me to start?” She had no idea how far back to go. She didn’t really want to give Luke the details of her relationship with Lucky.
“I need to know about when the Cowboy was with you. You can leave out the kid’s conception, but I need to know how he acted, what he said, and why he left.” Luke said as he took a seat on the edge of his desk. “I need to know what was going through his head when he took off.”
Emily looked at her son. “Can we start someplace else.” She didn’t want him to hear what his father had been through. “It isn’t G rated, Luke.”
Luke winced against the pain. He knew it was bad. At least he could protect his grandson from hearing. “Hey, Silent one…. Why don’t you go sit at the bar and have your cheese fries. Keep an eye on Claude for me.”
“Silent one? You can do better than that, Gramps.” The kid said with a grin. “Already trying to get rid of me?” He collected his bag full of toys before he left the room. “Of course you stayed with me longer than my daddy did. Everybody tries to get rid of me eventually.”
“Hey, you know better than that.” Emily her son.
“Whatever.” He shot back before leaving the room.
“He could write a book on how to make me feel guilty.” Emily sighed. “I don’t really believe he is four. I was so innocent and polite at that age.”
Luke squeezed Emily’s shoulder. “It is the lifestyle. Lucky was the same way at the boy’s age. He just wants to keep the two of you from being hurt. He is trying to be good.”
Emily smiled. “I don’t want him to worry about things like that.” She said softly. “I guess that is why we came here. I didn’t know where else to go. I haven’t talked to Jason since….” Emily stopped as she cleared her throat. She had a hard time believing her brother and Elizabeth could have done that to her, to Lucky. “Are they happy?”
Luke smiled slightly. “They don’t really come in here, however, from what I hear, yes.” Luke admitted. “But apparently my son had enough sense not to go to her for comfort.” Luke couldn’t describe the pain he felt, knowing that his Lucky hadn’t come to him. Luke always imagined that if Lucky were ever really in trouble, he would find his father.
“He was too hurt, Luke.” Emily said sensing Luke’s thoughts. “He wanted to be well for you. He didn’t want to see how much pain he was in.”
“What did he think? I wouldn’t love him? I wouldn’t help him?” Luke interrupted with anguished questions. “I would have given my life for him, without hesitation I would have given anything for him. I still would.”
“I know.” Emily wished she knew how to ease his pain. “He didn’t come looking for me. He didn’t even know I was in Paris. Alan and Monica sent me there after Juan came. They wanted to get me away from him. From what I hear, their instincts weren’t too bad about him. Anyway, I was in a café people watching and I saw him. A couple of days later he showed up in my room. I don’t know how he found me. He just appeared.”
Luke weak smile showed a glint of pride as he poured Emily a glass of water. “He is a Spencer. Spencers’ can find anything.”
“I hope you are right, Luke.” Emily said as she sipped her water. “He was so gun shy, so hurt… The entire time he was around I was afraid he would bolt. He constantly looked over his shoulder, and never really relaxed. I never pushed him to talk, but little by little he told me his story. God, how he survived that, I will never know.” Emily sighed. “I didn’t know how to help him. I wanted to bring him home. He just wanted somebody to hold on to. The morning after we made love, he was gone. No note, no goodbye, not a single scrap of evidence to prove he was ever there. Honestly, I thought I was imagining it, until the morning sickness started.
“When I came home for Christmas, it became obvious that I couldn’t stay in PC. I couldn’t go back to school either. Exclusive boarding/prep schools don’t really accept knocked up students. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do. I couldn’t get rid of my child, Lucky’s child. I went back to Paris and lived hand to mouth for a while, until I lucked into a job modeling maternity clothes.
“I thought about coming back after he was born. It seemed like I should have family around. By then I didn’t know how to explain everything. Then Jason and Liz threw their engagement party. I don’t know why the idea of them bothers me so much. I slept with him. I had his child, but I was never his girlfriend. It isn’t like I was innocent in all of this. But I still feel like they betrayed him. Does that make any sense?”
“A little. Yet, it was time for them to get on with their lives. Liz needed somebody to fill the void Lucky left. Jason needed somebody to fill the emptiness he experienced when Carly married AJ, then Sonny. I thought they were a rebound relationship, at first. But who am I to judge?”
Emily smiled. “You never minded judging anybody before.”
Luke laughed. “Do you have any idea where Lucky might be? Do the threats give any clues?” For the first time in almost six years Luke had some connection to his family. He had no intention of letting it slip away.
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