28
Reyes
Later that week, after taking Harris to school, I stayed in the living room, hoping Jake could get a few more hours of sleep. We had been having some long nights with Harrison and neither of us was sleeping well because of it. Harris was scared for Wyatt and couldn’t understand why we couldn’t go visit him yet. We’d tried to explain that Charleston was over an hour away and that visiting hours were limited, but to a troubled seven-year-old, none of that mattered. We continued to remind him this was only temporary and that he would be back with Wyatt soon, but his exhaustion and heavy emotions each night had made it impossible to reason with him. Lady had been the only thing that seemed to comfort him, lying on the bed and licking his tears away, but even with her help, it had still taken me a while to coax him back to sleep each night.
I couldn’t blame him. All the changes must have made it feel as if his world was falling apart all over again. I debated keeping him out of school for a few days to help him adjust, but Linda – the social worker – insisted we keep his routine as normal as possible to help him through it. Being next door to his teacher proved to be a bit of a miracle. Carter had reassured us that he would be keeping a close eye on Harrison at school, but so far, he seemed to be doing okay, and he spent most of his free time with his best friend, Tim. So it seemed it was just at night that he struggled the most.
Shortly after nine in the morning, Jake came stumbling out of the bedroom wearing nothing more than a pair of red boxer briefs. He looked adorable with fading pink crease lines across his cheeks and rumpled hair. He gave me a sleepy smile and wandered over to the couch, reaching for the blanket before lying down with his head in my lap. He didn’t say a single word as he settled in.
I chuckled. “Morning, sunshine,” I teased.
His only response was a huge yawn.
“If you’re still tired, why’d you get up?” I asked. “Did you have another bad dream?” He hadn’t had any since I’d moved in, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t woken up from one now.
He shook his head. “No. I just wanted to see if you were still here since you didn’t come back to bed.”
“I was trying to let you sleep,” I replied.
“Mmm.” He yawned again. “Next time just come back to bed. I think I sleep better with you,” he admitted.
Warmth spread through me, making me drape an arm across his broad chest.
After a few minutes of silence, Jake asked, “Did you get a hold of Wyatt?”
I nodded. “They talked before I took him to school. He felt better afterward.”
“Good. Poor kid. Hopefully he sleeps better tonight. I’m not sure I can handle another night of that.”
Guilt washed over me, making me flinch and tear my eyes away. Most of the time Jake didn’t seem to mind Harrison, but sometimes, it seemed as though he wished he hadn’t agreed to take him in.
“Hey, I know what you’re thinking, and don’t. I didn’t mean it like that,” he said quickly. When I didn’t respond, Jake sat up next to me. “I’m serious, Rey. I’m just really fucking tired right now, and I say stupid shit when I’m tired.”
There was only raw honesty in his gorgeous blue eyes when I looked at him. “You just seem like you regret taking him in sometimes,” I said.
“It’s not that at all. I don’t mind having him here, he’s a good kid.”
“Then what is it?”
“I just feel kinda helpless, you know. I don’t know how to act around him like you do,” he admitted.
I chuckled. “You don’t need toact,babe. Just be yourself. He already likes you. Which reminds me, when you get a chance, go look at the picture he drew while eating breakfast.”
Jake glanced at the table but didn’t move.
I didn’t want to spoil it, but I also wanted him to know. “It’s you and him playing soccer. He did that all on his own.”
Jake smiled, reaching for my hand and threading our fingers together.
“You know, he was right last night,” I said.
“What?”
I swallowed hard, afraid to put my fear out into the universe. “About what might happen with Wyatt.”
We’d found out yesterday Wyatt had a somewhat rare stomach disease that was making it difficult for him to process foods. The good news was that the treatment seemed to be helping, and Wyatt might not have to stay the full month. The downside was that it also meant a future of strict diets and medications for him. Combine that with his age, and it didn’t sound too promising that he’d be able to continue fostering Harrison.
Jake studied me while searching for his reply. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, okay? Let’s just take it one day at a time for now and hope for the best. Isn’t that what you keep telling Harris?”
