She tuts, full of older-sister judgement. “I said… Teddy’s getting along well with Olivia, huh?”
My jaw tightens, teeth grinding before I can stop it. Because yeah, she’s right, and that’s exactly what I don’t want to admit out loud. He doesn’t talk much, but fuck… when he does, her name comes up without fail.Liv read this to me. Liv said it’s tomorrow. Liv pinky promised.
He trusts her. Hell, helikesher. He’s invested.
And if I’m being honest with myself, so am I. For his sake, of course.
Which is exactly what scares the shit out of me. Because what happens when this all ends? When she leaves? This was never meant to be permanent—just something temporary while I sort myself out. But that’s proven harder than I thought. Getting better shifts has been a nightmare. I’ve had to swap hours more than once already, and I can feel the tension building every time I walk past Gary Faulkner’s office.
Gary is our station’s PAC Commander, also known as thePolice Area Command. He ranks just above Brad and I, overseeing everything before we relay it to our team. So, basically the big boss. Gary hasn’t said anything yet, but the look is there. I’m not the only one with a kid. I’m not special. And yet, Olivia’s here. Making it easier. Making Teddy smile. Makingmethink about shit I shouldn’t.
“Yeah.” I keep it vague, scratching at the edge of the notepad in front of me. “He is.”
Sandra doesn’t let the silence go. “This is different. You know it. She might be the thing that’s been missing.”
I shut that thought down fast. “Always jumping to conclusions. You’ll never learn.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t learn.” Her sigh fills the line. “Teddy will need a motherly figure in his life.”
“He’ll be perfectly fine with just me.”
“No,” she pushes. “He needs you for one reason, Sebastian, but he’ll need a mother for more. Someone to nurture him, to balance him.”
Her words land in my chest like a stone. I press the heel of my hand against my sternum, trying to breathe around it. She doesn’t mean to cut me with her words, but she does. Because she’s right. I hate that she’s right. She always fucking is.
My mind flashes back, uninvited, to the day Teddy’s mother left. Just a backpack on my doorstep and a promise she never kept. I can still hear his cries—high, broken, desperate—for awoman who never looked back. She hasn’t called once since. Not for his birthdays. No check-ins. Good riddance then. If you can abandon your child, then you sure as fuck shouldn’t be in his life. Yet, it doesn’t stop me from remembering the sound of his voice calling her name, over and over, until it broke him. Until it broke me.
Sandra hums down the line. “You don’t have to do it alone, Sebastian. You’ve done enough alone.”
“We’re fine, Sandra.He’sfine.”
“You’ll be a lot better with Olivia around for a while, I reckon.”
“She’s not staying forever,” I mutter, then add quickly, “Anyway, is Andrew still doing weekend jobs? I’ve been thinking about repainting the back pergola. Reckon he’d be up for it?”
“Uh… sure,” she says before humming all too knowingly. “Funny how quick you are to change the subject whenever her name comes up.”
“Don’t start.” She’s needling me on purpose, and she knows it.
“I’m not starting. Just observing,” she says, smug enough I can picture the tilt of her head. “You’ve had plenty of sitters, Sebastian. Never once have you called me sounding like this.”
I drag a hand down my face, forcing a slow exhale through my nose. “Like what?”
“Like you’re fighting yourself. It’s almost entertaining.” Her laugh is the kind only an older sister can perfect. “Don’t try too hard, or people will think you actually like her.”
“Christ, Sandra.” My chair scrapes as I lean back, spine locking into the kind of posture that says I’m done. “You’re being absurd. She’s Teddy’s babysitter. Stop trying to make this something it’s not.”
Movement flashes in my peripheral vision. Reynolds drifts past the open office door, eyebrows climbing halfway to his hairline after clearly catching the tail end of that sentence. I swat a hand through the air like I’m batting away a fly. He chucklesunder his breath, muttering something about “babysitter, huh?” before disappearing down the hall.
“Mm,” Sandra hums again. “Defensive much?”
I rub at the ache between my eyes, biting back the urge to snap. “I’m not defensive. I’m tired. There’s a difference.”
“Mm.”
“Goodbye, Sandra.” I hang up before she can pester me further, leaving her words sitting heavy in the quiet. I stare at the reports in front of me, but none of the numbers or names sink in.
By some miracle, or maybe sheer determination not to get chewed out again, I finish the day’s jobs ahead of schedule. I leave everything signed off, organised, and even typed up my end-of-month inventory without a single typo. Gary stares at me like I’ve grown a second head and, in the most Gary way possible, tells me I’ve “earned the right to fuck off early.”
