His eyes widen immediately. “Is he my age? What’s his name?”
“His name is Lev, and he’s nine.”
“Cool. I’ll have someone to play with!” His excitement becomes contagious, and a smile pulls at my mouth.
“You will.” I open the door and lead them inside. “But Lev sometimes plays a little differently than other kids.”
Milo looks curious, his features bunching up. “How?”
I glance over at Sloane, who nods.
“Do you know what autism is?”
He shakes his head.
“It means Lev’s brain works a bit different. Sometimes he likes to be by himself because too much noise or too many people can be a lot. Other times, he’s happy to play hide-and-seek or build things, but he usually likes quiet activities like reading or puzzles more than rough games.”
Milo squints. “Well…” He shrugs. “He sounds cool.”
I chuckle. “I think so too.”
“Hopefully he likes me.”
“I’m sure he will.”
Inside the house, the staff begins appearing. I texted Katya to let her know we will have Milo here with us from now us. She appears, stepping forward first, with about ten others on the cleaning staff. Milo takes them all in, completely unfazed.
“Hi,” he says brightly. “I’m Milo.”
Katya laughs. “Oh, I’ve heard all about you. Welcome home.”
“Thanks.”
“Come,” I say. “Let me introduce you to Lev.”
“He’s in the den,” Katya tells me.
We move out of the foyer, and I already know what we’ll find before we even reach the doorway. Lev is curled into the cornerof the couch with his headphones on and a book open in front of him, completely absorbed in whatever world he’s inside.
When we step into the room, he senses the movement and glances up. His eyes move across the three of us. First me, then Sloane, then Milo. He removes his headphones carefully and sets them down.
“Hi.” Milo steps forward with that same fearless energy he’s had since we picked him up. “I’m Milo.”
“Hi,” Lev whispers.
A brief silence settles as the two boys study each other before Milo suddenly reaches into his backpack.
“Do you want to see my Legos?”
I already know the answer before Lev does. He loves Legos.
The second Lev nods, Milo breaks into a grin. “Okay.”
He strolls over, drops his backpack onto the floor, and pulls out a bag packed with pieces, dumping them across the rug in a bright, colorful pile.
Sloane starts to step forward immediately. “Milo, I don’t know if you should do that.”
I stop her with a hand on her arm. “Let them be.”
