Joey flashed him a shy smile, and after exchanging goodbyes with the other boys, walked outside with Evan. Jacks, Henry and David ran into kitchen, leaving the grown-ups alone.
“Nice boy. He looks like he’ll be a big guy like you.”
Vinnie chuckled, rubbing his chest. The obvious pride in his son sent a pang of longing through Carter, but whether it was for Jacks or for himself, he had no idea.
“He’s already eating us out of the fridge every week.”
“I’ll bet. Jacks is finally starting to come into his appetite, but it’s been slow in getting to this point.”
“Was he born premature?”
His protective hackles raised, Carter observed Vinnie; there was nothing but genuine warmth and interest in the man’s dark eyes.
Carter hedged, a bit reluctant to open up. “I didn’t start taking care of him until about three years ago, and our mother didn’t leave me with much in the way of information. Are you a doctor?”
“Me?” Vinnie laughed again, pulling off his cap and smoothing his hand over the top of his bald head. “Nah, I’m a service technician for one of the cable companies. But my wife is a labor and delivery nurse, so she’s seen it all.”
“Got it. Well, I got him therapy, and it’s only been recently that Jacks has come out of his shell and begun to verbalize and make friends. He’s a little delayed in speech and other milestones, but I’m excited to see what he’s got in store. He’s progressing by leaps and bounds recently, and I think having good friends really helped.”
Fitting the cap back securely on his head, Vinnie eyed Jacks who’d come back into the living room with the other two boys. “Looks like you’re doing fine. My wife says they’ve done amazing things in the last few years. If you ever want to talk to her, give me a call.” A horn beeped. “Oops, gotta go. Nice to meetcha.”
Surprisingly light on his feet for a man his size, Vinnie ran to the door. “Thanks, you two. Terry said she’ll call you, Michelle.” Carter wondered if he played football.
The house seemed eerily quiet without Vinnie’s larger-than-life presence, and Carter became aware that the day was getting away from him. He needed to get Jacks home where he could sit down and introduce him to Reed.
“Okay, Jacks, now you’re not the first to leave. Go get your stuff, okay?”
With a shrug, Jacks ran up the steps and returned a few minutes later with his own backpack slung over his shoulder. He took his jacket from Michelle, and Carter listened with pride as he said his thank-yous without prompting.
“Thank you for having me. I had a lot of fun.”
Her face soft, Michelle gave Jacks a hug. “You’re welcome, honey. You can visit anytime.”
Jacks zipped himself up, and after saying goodbye to the other boys, spoke over his shoulder to Carter, “I’m ready. Are we gonna have pizza like always?”
Reed had remained silent throughout, and after thanking Michelle and Evan, followed him and Jacks out of the house. Only then did Jacks notice Reed and pointed.
“Who’s that?”
Did he not remember Reed from last night?
“Reed was with me last night when I came over. Remember? He’s my friend.”
“Hi, Jacks. It was so late I figured I’d wait until the morning to introduce myself. I’m Reed, a friend of your brother.” Reed gave Jacks his easy, wide-open smile, but it seemed Jacks was having none of it.
“Oh.” No return hello or smile.
They continued to walk down the block, the light wind stirring up scents of fresh earth and green grass. Spring was firmly entrenched, and Carter couldn’t be happier.
“Is he coming home with us?” Jacks moved closer to Carter and sneaked a peek at Reed as they turned the corner to their house. “I though you said we had stuff to do. I did all my homework already.” He shuffled along, his steps growing slower.
The one thing Carter hadn’t anticipated was Jacks’s resistance to Reed; who wouldn’t love Reed? Maybe Jacks needed to get back to the familiarity of his own house, where he felt more comfortable. They could sit and talk, and Jacks would warm up to Reed.
“Yes, he is. I figured we could all hang out, and you could get to know each other better. Then maybe Reed could stay for pizza night.”
Sunday had always been pizza night, and Carter knew how much Jacks liked routine and loved pizza night. Including Reed in on their evening would show Jacks how special Reed had become in his life.
“Why?” They mounted the steps to the limestone, and Carter unlocked the front door. When they entered, Jacks dropped his backpack on the little chair sitting off to the side. “It’s always only been me and you.”
