Well, that went easier than expected. Do I trust her? Hell no. Do I have a choice? Hell no to that, too.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I own a business, and I earn a substantial amount of money. I’m educated, and I’ve never harmed a human being, unless it’s some guy’s asshole… consensually, of course. God, I’m going to miss sex. Still, my arms are wrapped around myself as I stand in the kitchen while the social services worker interviews Braeden during a surprise home visit. I knew it was coming, but they don’t warn you when, so you aren’t prepared, which makes sense, I guess. Most of his answers are ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ but at least he’s responsive.
The woman’s name is Colleen, and she’s young, or she appears that way. She wears huge glasses, turning her dark brown eyes almost anime-like. Her red hair is kept in a short, choppy cut. She seems sweet and likable, which helps Braeden to trust her.
She’s already talked to my co-workers, inspected my home, checked my paperwork, and made sure I’ve set him up in school, with a pediatrician and a therapist.
I shouldn’t have anything to worry about, but you never know. Honestly, my very own mother could be detrimental to the process, but if she’s caused problems for me, I haven’t heard anything about it.
Braeden and I had a nice lunch and fun at the movies yesterday. He’s a bit more open and looks a little brighter, but I’m sure grief comes and goes in waves.
Good thing we were home today when the surprise visit happened. The sooner we get this done, the sooner both of us can move on with our lives and build this new relationship.
When Colleen wraps it up, she stands and gathers her papers. “I think I have all that I need for now.”
“So, is everything okay?”
She gives me a kind smile. “I don’t have any suggestions for you because you seem to have everything in order. That’s going to be helpful. Other than that, I cannot tell you how things will or won’t go.”
I can’t think of a damn thing that will prevent this guardianship from going through. In Louisiana, they call it a tutorship.
I walk her to the front door and shake her hand. “Thanks,” I say.
After she leaves, I walk back to the kitchen, expecting to find Braeden, but he’s not there. I find him lying on the sofa, curled up, not looking at his phone or watching TV. Fuck. I hope he hasn’t had a setback. So, I do the only thing I can think of to make him feel better.
“Come on.”
He rolls onto his back and looks at me. “Where are we going?”
“Come on,” I say again. “It’s a surprise.”
It’s a surprise to me, too. God, what the hell am I thinking?
Three hours later, we’re back home with a truckload of pet supplies and a small tuxedo kitten named Cicero that has the vocal cords of an opera singer.
But Braeden hasn’t stopped smiling, so I call that a success.
Chapter 13
Seth
“Harrison,pleasewatchyourbrother and sister for a moment. I’m going next door to invite our neighbor to the park with us.”
“Okay,” he says, not looking up from playingMinecraft. Sawyer is playing with him, while Emily is pushing around some cars on the floor next to her brothers so they should be fine for a few minutes.
I slip on a pair of shoes by the front door and head over to Calvin’s place.
We’ve texted back and forth for the past week, and he seems to be doing okay. No freakouts since that first time he came knocking on my door. That tells me he’ll be fine with Braeden. I also told him about the social worker’s visit. I explained to her that I didn’t know Calvin well, but he always seemed to be a good person. I left out the part about Calvin building totems out of toys at the crack of dawn, in his underwear. That wouldn’t go over well.
I knock on his door, and he’s quick to answer it. As soon as the door opens, I’m surrounded by his scent. It’s spicy with a hint of amber. It’s bold like him. His hair is still wet, and it’s tousled. I always hate how good he looks, wearing a simple white T-shirt that fits snugly across his broad, muscular chest, paired with jeans with strategically placed rips. What is it about a man dressed so casually and barefoot? He has no right to be that hot, and I shouldn’t be looking at him that way in the first place.
As soon as he sees me, he steps outside and comes at me with purpose, a gleam in his eye, and his trademark smirk, which probably gets most men all hot and bothered.
Calvin crowds into my personal space, hovering over me.
“Back, you beast. Don’t you know about personal boundaries?”
“Nope. What are those?”
