And he didn’t even have any idea about the worst of it yet.
I was scared of very little.
But I was terrified of losing him.
It was only a matter of time before the Bureau would release its findings to the public. I knew I needed to tell him before that happened, but I just…
How was I supposed to tell this sweet boy that they had found nine sets of human remains under the dirt he’d grown up walking on?
How was I supposed to tell him what the forensic medical examiner had found when examining his mother’s skull?
I shook those thoughts away for now, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and leading us out into the early afternoon air.
I would figure it out later.
“I think we should go over,” I told him, steering him left on the sidewalk. He stayed close as we walked the half-block overto the small family-owned bakery we’d made a habit of visiting after his therapy appointments.
The bell over the bakery door chimed when we stepped inside, welcoming us in. It was never overly busy this time of day, which is one of the reasons I liked bringing Elior here.
The display case gleamed under yellow lights, rows of pastries ready to be eaten.
Elior’s eyes brightened at the familiar scene.
We joined the short line near the counter. The elderly couple in front of us was debating how many muffins would be consideredtoo many, which seemed to fascinate Elior more than it should have. He watched them quietly with a small smile.
When it was almost our turn, he inched closer, then gently nudged my arm with his elbow.
I glanced down at him. “What’s up?”
He didn’t look at me at first. His fingers twisted together in front of him. “Can you… can you order for me?” he asked softly. “Please.”
“Of course,” I said immediately, no hesitation. “You don’t have to ask.”
That earned me a tiny exhale, like he’d been holding his breath. He leaned just a little more into my side, letting me be the barrier between him and the world.
When we reached the counter, the woman behind it smiled at us. “What can I get for you today?”
I glanced at Elior. He was already looking at the donuts, eyes lingering on the ones with chocolate glaze and rainbow sprinkles.
“Just a black coffee for me, and two donuts for him. One chocolate glazed, one strawberry.”
Elior’s head snapped up. “The strawberry has the sprinkles,” he said quietly, like he was clarifying something important.
The cashier laughed. “It does. Good choice.”
I felt Elior relax another notch at that—at being heard, at being indulged. When I handed over my card, he rocked faintly on his heels, a barely-there bounce that made my chest squeeze from its cuteness.
We stepped aside while they worked on our order.
Elior took the bag when it was handed to him, clutching it carefully with both hands as if it were a precious treasure.
“Thank you,” he said, voice small but polite.
“Anytime, sweetheart,” the woman replied without thinking.
Elior flushed, ducking his head. Grabbing my coffee from the counter, I put my hand on his back, ready to get to our car outside.
We were halfway to the door when it happened.
