“The social worker wants to meet you at the temporary foster home.She’s a friend of your sister’s.The kids know her and will be comfortable there until you’re situated,” Isaacs calls out, walking toward us.“I'll give you the address.”
She hesitates, then adds, “They’ll do a full home check and family court hearing before any permanent arrangements.For now, the kids are in temporary placement under the guardianship paperwork.Until then, one mistake, and the kids could end up in the system.”
Not set in stone.Which means someone, or something, could still fuck this up for the kids.
“Fine,” I say.“We’ll make it stick.”
* * *
The foster home is in a nicer part of town that boasts perfectly cut lawns and white picket fences.It's the kind of place Calla would have loved; the kind of life she built for herself and her family.
We park in the driveway, and I take a deep breath before walking to the front door.Through the window, I can see movement inside.Small figures that must be the kids.
My hand hovers over the doorbell.Once I ring it, everything changes.I become responsible for five children who just lost everything.I become the guardian who has to explain why their parents aren't coming home.
"You've got this, brother," Tempest says beside me.
I press the bell.
Footsteps approach from inside, and then the door swings open.A middle-aged woman with kind eyes and flour on her apron smiles at us.
"Mr.Blackwood?I'm Mrs.Lyndsay, the emergency foster parent.Please, come in."
She leads us into a living room where five children sit clustered together on a couch.They range in age from the teenager down to the smallest, who is four.Their faces are red from crying, and they look lost in a way that makes my chest tight.
"Kids," Mrs.Lyndsay says gently.“Your Uncle Hades is here.He's here to take care of you now."
The youngest, Lily, a little girl with Calla's dark hair and wide brown eyes, looks up at me.Her bottom lip trembles.She’s only four and already lost so much.
"Uncle Hades?"she whispers.
I drop to one knee in front of her, trying to make myself less intimidating."Hey, sweetheart.You remember me?"
She nods slowly."You came to my birthday party.You brought me the pretty bracelet."
"That's right."My voice comes out rougher than I intended."Can I have a hug?"
She launches herself into my arms without hesitation, her small body shaking with sobs."I want Mama," she cries against my neck."I want my Mama!"
Over her head, I see the other four children watching us.Waiting for answers I don't know how to give.
"I know you do, baby girl," I murmur, holding her close."I know."
The front door opens again, and I hear voices in the hallway.Female voices, one of them sharp with authority, the other...
My breath catches in my throat.
Evangeline steps into the living room, and the room tilts, like I’ve been sucker-punched.She's more beautiful than I remembered, all golden hair and soft curves, but there are shadows under her green eyes that weren't there a year ago.She's dressed conservatively in dark slacks and a sweater, every inch the proper fiancée of a financial consultant.
Behind her is a man I recognize from the pictures Calla used to show me.Ethan.Tall, clean-cut, and wearing a suit that probably cost more than most people make in a month.He looks exactly like the kind of man Evangeline deserves.Safe.Stable.Everything I'm not.
Our eyes meet across the room, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.It's been over a year since I've seen her, over a year since I made the mistake of thinking there might be something between us.One night at Calla's birthday party, one dance that lasted too long, one moment where I thought maybe...
But she chose him.She chose safety over whatever heat burned between us, and I can't blame her for that.My world is violence and chaos.Hers is dinner parties and charity galas.
"Evangeline," I say, my voice carefully neutral.
"Hades."She steps further into the room, and I catch the scent of her perfume.Something light and floral that makes me think of spring mornings and everything I can't have.
