“Good. This case is dismissed.” The judge quickly stuffed his papers into the folder and stood, obviously ready to be done with us. The three of us let out a collective sigh of relief. “I’m certain we can now put this matter behind us. I hope the three of you have a peaceful rest of your day.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” James said quickly. As we shuffled out of the room, I looked at James, whose grin was wide and relieved. Billy clapped a hand on his shoulder, his own relief evident on his face.
“Hey, James. How about we celebrate tonight?” Billy asked, already thinking ahead to the evening’s plans. “I was thinking this calls for pizza and ice cream floats.”
“Two nights in a row?” I scoffed. The king of forcing us to eat healthy was on a roll with the junk food. Henry was going to be beside himself when he heard the good news.
James nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, sir. That sounds perfect.”
Billy’s grin was just as broad as James’s. “Good. Let’s go home.”
That evening, Billy’s kitchen was alive with action, thanks to the dinner arriving at our doorstep courtesy of Anson, Carson, Danny, and Blake. The brothers agreed with Billy that tonight called for a pizza party to welcome James into the family. Billy maneuvered through the room, grudgingly slicing the ready-made pizza while Henry sat at the kitchen table, talking Anson’s ear off about his latest spaceship design.
At the sink, James diligently cleaned a fresh salad mix, adding a semblance of health to dinner.
I walked over and patted his shoulder, saying, “You did good today, kid.”
A blush spread across his face and he responded softly, “Thanks, Michael.”
The night progressed comfortably, the aroma of pizza lingering as we laughed and talked over dinner. The normalcy of clearing tables and washing dishes, duties divided between Billy and me, and Henry and James, felt comforting despite the unusual dinner.
We were forging an unconventional family dynamic.
Post-dinner found everyone sprawled across the living room, the hum of a quiet movie playing as James fought off sleep on the couch. Billy, leaving for the kitchen, returned with a tray carrying icy root beer floats, a sweet and fizzy contrast to our savory meal.
He passed around the floats, including one for himself. He sank onto the couch next to James, resting an arm around the dozing boy. Our silence wasn't empty; it overflowed with contentment and a sense of growing familial warmth.
Eventually, the brothers excused themselves so we could send the boys to bed. They promised they’d be back that weekend to help us start converting Billy’s place from a fixer-upper into a family home. While I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up my place, there was no denying Billy’s had great bones, and there was more space. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before we were packing up and combining our lives completely.
EPILOGUE
BILLY
A month had passedsince we’d seen or heard from Jack and Celine Davis. While I wanted to hold onto my anger that they’d been able to turn their back on their flesh and blood, I couldn’t. James was a part of us, and he was where he belonged. There’d been a bit of an adjustment period when we’d all moved into my house without the creature comforts of Michael’s place, but slowly and surely we were transforming my fixer-upper into a real home.
Ourhome.
"Hand me that box of books, would you?" Michael asked, pointing toward a hefty cardboard box near the door. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and there was a smear of dust on his cheek that made him look younger, somehow more carefree than usual.
Maybe it wasn’t the dust at all. Maybe he looked younger because he’d finally quit carrying around every mistake he’d made in his life, preferring to focus on the things he’d done right.
"Sure thing," I said, and hefted the box over to him.
We were silent for a while, working side by side. I focused on adjusting the shelves to accommodate Henry's numerous dinosaur figurines while Michael was organizing the books in alphabetical order on the newly erected bookshelf.
When the room was finished, we both stood back to admire our work. It felt satisfying, a tangible result of our efforts. A warm sense of accomplishment filled me as I thought about how all three of us would be living under the same roof again.
"You think Henry will like it?" I asked, glancing sideways at Michael. There was an undercurrent of anxiety in my voice that I couldn't quite shake off.
"I think he'll love it," Michael answered, offering a reassuring smile. “Speaking of, when is your mom bringing the boys home?”
I tensed, not certain how he’d take the news of where the boys were this morning. Mom was in her element with two grandsons to spoil, and after breakfast she’d taken them to one of her friends’ farms.
“What’s that look for?” Michael gripped my chin tightly when I glanced away. “What have you done, Billy?”
“I haven’t done anything.” It wasn’t a lie. My only crime was not being able to tell my mom no, and I was confident Michael wouldn’t have fared any better. Through the open window, I heard the crunch of tires on the gravel drive. I glanced out to see a cloud of dust billowing around the car. “My mom said the boys really like the chickens out at her place, and Mrs. Lewis had chicks for free.”
“Billy…”
