He wanted a long, uninterrupted stretch of just him and Jamie. No Sam, no drama, just him and his baby duck.

"That kid," Tommy said once they were done gossiping. They had made their way to the porch, only to find that Parker was gone, having been shown to her new accommodation so she could settle, and Jamie was sitting with the girls, the three of them using chalk to draw around their hands. "He's a good one."

"I know," Stryker said, his eyes falling over his boy. For the first time in a long time, he saw him from an outsider's point of view, rather than that of his...