“Do you like it here, Christian?” Thomas asked.
The boy looked him in the eye and said, “It’s nice. I’m very happy here.”
Thomas tilted his head. “Are youreally?”
The boy tilted his as well, studying Thomas’s expression for a long moment. “No?”
“Is that a question?” Thomas asked.
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say,” Christian finally admitted.
Fascinating. “I imagine this place isn’t a lot of fun.”
The boy shrugged tiny shoulders. “It’s clean. Nobody beats me or touches me where they’re not supposed to. I wish people would stop touching my stuff, though.”
Thomas’s stomach churned at the casual comment. How much had the child endured that he would make a statement like that offhand? “People touched you where they weren’t supposed to?”
The look the boy gave him sent a shiver down his spine. “Only once.”
The malice in those two words was the very reason people like this boy needed Thomas and his program. “I am looking to adopt a boy just like you.”
The boy’s brows knitted together. “No offense, mister, but you don’t look much older than me.”
Thomas grinned. “I’m older than I look.” When the boy shrugged again, Thomas said, “I have this big old house and nobody to share it with. I want to fill it with kids just like you. But there are rules. A lot of them. But it’s very clean and nobody will touch you without your permission. Ever. I can’t promise that when you have brothers they won’t mess with your stuff. But you’ll be my first. My eldest. You’ll look out for them. How does that sound?”
“What do I have to do for it?” he asked suspiciously.
“Just abide by my rules.”
He seemed to think on it for a long moment before giving a singular nod. “Yeah, I guess I can do that.”
“There is one more thing. In order for you to come with me, we’ll have to give you a new name. Would that be alright?”
“Okay.”
“What name would you like?” Thomas asked.
“What name wouldyoulike?” the boy countered.
Thomas could have pushed the issue, tried to make the boy choose a new name for himself, but it seemed a ridiculous hill to die on given the battles he was sure would come as he aged. “Me? I’ve always liked the name Atticus.”
Again, the boy tilted his head the way Thomas had. “Atticus? Why?”
“Because Atticus Finch fromTo Kill a Mockingbirdwas my favorite book character.”
“Why?”
Thomas chuckled. “Because he believed in personal responsibility and in doing what was right. Because he was brave in the face of opposition. Because he didn’t need to throw his weight around and get violent or defend himself against people who talked badly about him. He let his actions speak for themselves. But mostly, I guess he’s my favorite character because he was a good father and my father… My father wasn’t.”
Thomas hadn’t really meant to get that deep with his answer, but the boy looked him in the eye, nodding. “It’s a good name. I like it. I don’t know if I can be all those things.”
“You don’t have to be all of those things. You just have to live a life where you leave the world better than you found it,” Thomas said.
“Okay.”
Allen entered the room, looking between the two of them. “Are you ready to go, Atticus?”
Of course, he’d been eavesdropping.
