Unto Us the Time Has Come Read Online Free Page A

would start on the second.”
    No travel. Unlike for Jordan, that was not a con for him. It was a selling point. He suspected that Research and Development managers didn’t have to be hands-on, putting out fires nearly as much as he did now either. He could actually be more available for the kids. Maybe see them every weekend and get to all their shows and stuff. Maybe more than that , said a little voice in his head.
    “Can you e-mail me the specs and I’ll let you know tomorrow?”
    “Absolutely. I’m sorry to interrupt your holiday.”
    “I appreciate you thinking of me for this. I’ll get back to you in the morning. Ciao , Jordan.” He hung up and pocketed his phone, turning back to the kids.
    “Soup’s on!” The eggs were cooked to death and the bacon was a little crispy, but he’d have eaten it if everything was ash.
    “Are you going to get a job as a chef?” He sat at his place on the table, smiling as Micah put the plate in front of him.
    “Nope. I’m going to be a singer.”
    “I’m going to work in a toy store like Daddy so I can get to play with all the toys.”
    “Oh, do you like toys, baby girl?” He pretended surprise while he wondered when Micah had made the decision about being a singer.
    “Uh-huh. Daddy says it’s a good job and it pays better than just being a… a… shifty artist.”
    “Shiftless,” Micah corrected.
    “Shiftless.” Sarah ate a bite of egg. “He makes coffee too.”
    Pain lanced through him at that. Kenn was a stunning artist. He hadn’t been discovered yet, but he would be one day and they were going to celebrate…. “Your dad is an amazing artist.” He couldn’t just let it lie. “His paintings are beautiful and full of emotion.” He looked at both kids, making sure they both heard him.
    They both looked at him like he was crazy.
    “He is a very good artist,” Chris insisted. “The best.”
    Sarah nodded. “I have a picture in my bedroom.”
    “Do you? What is it a picture of?” He blinked, feeling suddenly close to tears. This whole thing was fucked up and had been ever since Kenn had walked out on him. Why hadn’t he stopped Kenn when he’d realized it wasn’t a bluff? He was too fucking stubborn for his own good.
    “It’s you, Da! So that you’re always there for me.”
    Micah nodded. “I have one too, ’cause we all miss you and stuff.”
    Chris swallowed hard. Then again. Fuck, he was going to lose it. He honestly was.
    “Did I do the eggs okay, Da?” Micah asked.
    He nodded, swallowed again, and forced himself to take another mouthful. “They’re great, Mic. Thanks for cooking.”
    “You’re welcome. Are we going to put the tree up today? Dad told me where everything was. He drew me a map of the attic even.”
    Kenn should have been here, damn it, not drawing maps for Micah and working himself to death. Kenn would be here at Christmas, though. And Chris could make sure it was the best fucking Christmas they’d had to date.
    “That’s great, Micah. We’ll spend the whole day making the house turn into a Christmas wonderland.”
    “Yeah? Rock on.”
    “Rock on!” Sarah’s little voice made him grin.
    He chuckled, their faces cheering him up immensely. He nodded. “Rock on, dudes.”
    That made the kids laugh, and he felt a weight begin to lift—a weight that had been there for far longer than he’d known.
    He dug into the rest of breakfast with more enthusiasm. It was time to get his family back.

Chapter Five
     
    C HRIST , WHAT a shitty day. Two days before Christmas and…. Kenn closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and called the kids from the coffee shop. The place was closed and he was just doing his clean-up duties.
    It was Chris who answered. “Hello?”
    “Hey. It’s just me. I… I just wanted to talk to the kids and give you this number if you need to get hold of me.”
    “Hey. I’m sorry, they’re in bed. It’s pretty late, Kenn.”
    He was holding it together by the skin of his teeth. “Okay. Well, if