Closer: Bay City Paranormal Investigation, Book 4

friends were gathered in the office with Joanne. Nothing had happened. Relieved, they’d held a private celebration in bed that night.
“Where are the boys?” Bo asked, frowning. “I don’t see them.”
Sam shaded his eyes with his hands and turned in a slow circle. “They’re over there,” he said, spotting Sean’s tousled golden brown head and Adrian’s sleeker, darker one in front of a plaque on the north wall. “They’re reading one of the plaques.”
Bo blew out a breath. “Come on, let’s go get them. I don’t like them wandering off like that.”
Sam swallowed a frustrated sigh as he followed Bo across the grass. He hadn’t been terribly enthused about taking Bo’s sons here during their weekend visit, mostly because he’d known Bo would be nervous every time they were out of sight for more than a few seconds. Why, he thought irritably, were they even here if Bo was that worried about their safety?
Of course, he knew the answer to that question. The kids had overheard them discussing the fort, and the idea of bloodstained steps and haunted weapons bunker had captured their fertile young imaginations. They’d begged to go. And Bo, as usual when his children were persistent enough, had caved.
Not that it wasn’t safe here. It was. Bo wouldn’t have agreed if he hadn’t known in his heart that there was no danger here anymore. Neither would Sam, for that matter. But seeing Bo so tense and jumpy over the boys was getting on Sam’s nerves.
“Boys, what did I tell you about wandering off?” Bo admonished as he and Sam approached the children. “You need to stay with Sam and me.”
“Yessir.” Sean, the youngest at eight years old, turned and flashed a gap-toothed grin. His hazel eyes shone with excitement. “Dad, can we go see the bloodstains now?”
“I don’t care about the stupid bloodstains.” Adrian gave Bo an unreadable look over his shoulder. “You said we could go see the weapons bunker first. You promised. ”
“You don’t get to be boss just ’cause you’re the oldest,” Sean shot back. He grabbed Bo’s T-shirt in both small hands and started bouncing up and down. “I wanna see the bloodstains, c’mon. Pleasepleaseplease?”
With a strained smile, Bo raked a hand through the boy’s hair. “In a little while. I did promise Adrian we’d go see the weapons bunker first.”
Adrian turned back to the plaque, looking smug. Sean scowled. “How come we always have to do what he wants?”
Bo pretended not to hear. Sam knew better. He knew Bo tended to favor Adrian these days, and he knew why .
Adrian was far more sensitive and perceptive than most eleven year olds. Learning his father was gay and in a relationship with a man had been a huge blow to him. While Sean had shrugged the whole thing off and cautiously accepted Sam as a friend and occasional video game opponent, Adrian had become even more quiet and withdrawn than usual. He’d never overtly rejected Sam— in fact, he barely acknowledged Sam’s presence most of the time—but the big, dark eyes so like his father’s simmered with wounded rage every time he glanced Sam’s way, and Sam knew Bo saw it.
Hurt and angry, Adrian was systematically distancing himself from his father. Bo, in a desperate attempt to keep from losing his son’s love, bent over backward to try and make Adrian happy. The despair behind Bo’s smile every time it didn’t work broke Sam’s heart.
An idea came to Sam, and he acted on it before he could change his mind. “Hey, Bo, why don’t I take Sean over to see the bloodstains while you and Adrian go to the weapons bunker?”
Sean whooped, let go of Bo and scampered to Sam’s side. “Cool! Dad, can I? Sam can tell me the story about the headless soldier again. I like how he tells it.”
Sam caught Bo’s eye. They grinned at each other, the worried crease vanishing from between Bo’s brows for the first time since Janine had brought the boys over the previous night. The way Sean hung on Sam’s every word during his tales of the fort’s apparitions was adorable.
“All right.” Bo laughed when Sean whooped again, drawing amused looks from the people around them. “You be good and mind Sam, okay?”
“Sure.” He launched himself at Bo, flinging his arms around Bo’s middle. “Love you, Dad.”
Bo’s throat worked. He wrapped his arms around Sean and hugged him close. “I love you too, son.”
Sean let go of Bo and ran back to Sam. “Let’s go!” He grabbed Sam’s hand