Nodding, I watch his retreating form disappear down a hallway, leaving me with Emma. I try not to let my unease show. She’s been nothing but kind all evening, but I didn’t exactly have the best mother figure.
Looking around the living room, my eyes zero in on the photo I saw earlier. Studying the boys when they were teens, I smile at the picture. They look like babies instead of the giant tattooed men I know. It’s easy to pick Atlas out of the bunch. His face still has the same scowl I saw most days when I first started.
“It’s my favorite picture.” Emma’s voice interrupts my thoughts. She stands next to me, looking at the photo.
Trying to calm my racing heart, I look back at the photo. “They look so young, but still like trouble,” I attempt a joke.
“Oh, they were trouble. Every single one of them, but I wouldn’t have had them any other way. The best thing I ever did in my life was take them in.”
Noticing it’s just the five of them in a lot of the pictures, I almost ask where her husband is, but think better. She must sense my question because she gives me a knowing look.
“My husband didn’t appreciate that I couldn’t have kids, so he found a new family.”
“I don’t understand.”
“They came to me as teenagers,” she simply explains, leaving me to read between the lines. That’s why they call her Emma instead of Mom sometimes.
They were foster kids themselves. I never would have guessed it about them. My heart breaks a bit for each of them. Kash, Rhett, Seth and Atlas are all such great guys, it makes me wonder how she came to end up with all four of them.
“I should thank you, ya know?”
“For what?” I almost dread the answer.
“You make him smile. Atlas can be...” She trails off, lookingat the photo as if she’s trying to find the word. “Complicated,” she settles on.
That’s an understatement. Atlas is the very definition of complicated. He was so hot and cold when we first met. A scowl was always aimed at me, and he was rude, but now he seems boiling, and I don’t know how to wrap my head around that. He’s kind to Noah and took care of me, so I don’t know which side of Atlas is real.
“He was the last one to join us, and boy was he something. Furious, withdrawn, and didn’t want anything to do with any of us.” She shakes her head as if lost in memory. “But I knew that one day when he found someone, he’d love them so hard they’d never doubt it. He has a big heart; it’s just been heavily guarded.”
“We barely know each other. I don’t think that’s the case with us,” I stammer lamely. She can’t mean Atlas loves me, right? That’d be insane. We’ve only known each other for a month or two, and he’s been angry for most of it.
After staying silent for a moment, she continues, “Atlas doesn’t talk much, and he smiles even less. The way he looks at you speaks volumes, so just remember that the next time he opens his big mouth and sticks his foot in, because he will.”
Not knowing what to say, I simply nod.
“Are you ready to go, Cora?” Atlas asks from behind us. I don’t know how long he’s been standing there or how much he heard, but he has my jacket in his hand.
“Yeah. Let me just grab Noah.” I take my jacket, quickly shrugging it over my shoulders. Turning to Emma, I smile. “Dinner was delicious. I appreciate you cooking for us. My energy is still coming back.”
“It was a pleasure to have you. After all, I owe you one.” She leans in and hugs me tightly. “It’s not every day a stranger pays for all of your junk food.”
Surprise courses through me. That’s why she looked so familiar. She was the woman in front of me the night Noah got sick, and Atlasyelled at me. I was on my last leg that night and just wanted to go home.
Atlas looks from me to Emma. “That was you?”
“You knew about that?” I ask him, looking at Emma, though the question is for Atlas.
“Oh yeah. I told him all about it when he came over that night.” Moving over to him, she puts her arms around his waist and hugs him. “He was having a pity party, so I canceled it when I reminded him that other people go through shit too.”
Atlas looks sheepishly at the ground, then kisses the top of Emma’s head. “Thanks again for dinner, Emma. We’ve gotta get Noah home. School night and all.”
Nodding numbly, I lean down to grab Noah, but Atlas puts his hand on my arm. “What are you doing?”
“I can carry Noah out if you get the door,”
Shaking his head, Atlas leans down and scoops up Noah’s sleeping form as if he weighs nothing. “Come on, Firefly, it’s late. The car should be warm by now,” he says, walking toward the door.
Picking my jaw off the floor, I follow closely behind them, opening the door so he can go through with Noah. The car is already running. He must have come out to warm it up while I was talking to Emma. Watching him on the porch for a moment, he opens the back door and gently sits Noah down.
