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“They’re in the shed, but I know nothing.” I smirked as they ran off to cause trouble.
Now that the boys had a good number of years in the Army under their belts and we’d selected the new members for Blackstone, we were well on our way for the new generation of Shadows operations. My father would have been so proud of what we’d done here. Shadows was so much more now than he could ever have imagined.
The new team members had arrived last month, and everyone seemed to have settled in and found their own rhythm with one another. They trained hard, under Cole’s direction, and I had no doubt he would have them ready for their first mission. Frank had mentioned something about another snatch and grab. Apparently, it was the California governor. Nothing had made headlines yet, and we planned on keeping it that way. We were officially on standby, and the boys had used nearly every moment of it to prepare. Nearly…
“Cole?”
“Yes, sir?” He immediately gave me his attention.
“Can I see you in my office?”
“Of course.” Mark smiled up at him then turned away, and I knew something big was up. I didn’t say anything as we headed toward my office.
“Where’s all your stuff?” Cole asked and looked back at me with a perplexed expression.
“Son, I took this office over when my father passed away. Everything that happens in this house runs through here first. Now that you’re the new team leader and are ready to take over the house duties, it’s only right that you have this office.”
“Dad, you don’t need to do this. I’m fine next to Doc Roberts.”
“I know you are, but a leader needs room to think, plan, and needs a space that’s just his.” I smiled and knew Cole was excited in spite of his resistance to my giving it up. “You can paint, change the furniture, whatever. It’s yours. I just need to pull those off the wall,” I pointed to his and Mark’s guns that were a gift from my father, “then—”
“Can they stay there?” he cut in. “Please? They mean so much to me.”
“Of course, they can.” I beamed with pride. “It’s your office now. You do what you wish.”
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, Dad.” He smiled over at me and began to walk around the room.
I watched as my son began to plan the office he wanted. I looked down at my team’s picture in the box next to my feet and remembered how excited we’d been to start the next chapter of our lives, too. We held up a sign that read Team Blackstone First Generation. The first night that Cole’s team gathered at the house, we took the same picture only with the words Second Generation.
“You should know,” I pulled back the curtain by the radiator, “he spends a lot of time in here.” Scoot yawned and gave me a glare at the sudden invasion. “He’s a jerk for being such a baby.”
“He is,” Cole rubbed his furry head, and in answer Scoot swatted him, “but I think we can be roommates.”
“You say that now…” I dripped with sarcasm and left the little crap to sleep. He should be living in Doc’s office, but that didn’t happen.
“He’s a Blackstone cat. We’ll adapt.”
I remembered when it was Cole’s turn to come up with a team name, and he’d asked if he could keep Blackstone. He explained that he didn’t have anyone like his mother and her bracelet who could influence a name quite like she’d done for me. I was incredibly happy that he wanted to keep it. He said it would always remind him of his mother and me.
“Maybe you can keep this wall clear for, you know, baby pictures someday.” I winked, but a part of me was curious if Cole would ever want to get married. His mother and I would support him in any decision he made, but a father needed to know where his son’s head was at times.
“Babies?” He looked at me and shook his head. “I think I’d need a wife first.”
“You see the new girl workin’ at Zacks?”
“I’m not opposed to marriage, Dad, but I love what I do. If it’s meant for me to fall in love, then it’ll happen, I guess, but to be honest, I have no idea what I’d even want in a woman.”
“Fair enough.” I nodded and thought how smart that answer was. “Just don’t shut the world out too much. Time can pass quickly when you’re not paying attention.”
“I think if there’s someone out there for me, she’ll let me know.”
I chuckled. “I don’t doubt that. I just want to make sure you get what I have.” I dropped the subject, not wanting to push too hard.
“I can only hope I’d be so lucky.” He looked at the photo of our wedding day and pulled it out of the box. He set it on the table. “This needs to stay here.”
God, I loved my son.
“Cole?” Mark popped his head in the doorway and gave me a polite but devious smile. “T-minus thirty seconds.”