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“You said that Ainsley is telling the school, Chris—Mr. Sheridan.”
“That’s what they were doing, him and Clarke, and I wanted to stay. I got on the bus, then I wanted to go back, but I was scared. How stupid is that?”
Oh God. I hugged my boy even tighter, as if by doing that I could make the demons vanish. So much counseling, so much pain when Briggs had demanded custody, so much pain when he’d hurt me in front of Fox, and then, with us uprooting everything, losing the old house, all of our money gone. I’d have been surprised if Fox could handle what he’d seen today.
“It’s not stupid, and you know that, Fox.” I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “You’re entitled to feel these things.”
“I don’t want to; I want to be a good friend and help.”
“You couldn’t have done anything,” I reminded him. “If Ainsley and Clarke have taken this to a teacher, then that is the best thing.”
“Ainsley’s really upset,” Fox continued, his voice shaky. “He wants to come out. He’s scared his dad will kill him.”
I didn’t know if that was teenage exaggeration, or whether that was true. Before Briggs, before seeing how he’d turned on me, I would have never thought someone had so much anger and hate in them.
“The school should know what to do. They can help him, and if you’re worried, we can visit the sheriff, or call Chris.”
Fox looked up at me, his eyes filled with more questions than I had answers. “But what if it makes things worse?”
I sighed, knowing these situations were delicate. “Sometimes, telling someone is the only way to make things better. Ainsley’s brave for wanting to speak up. And it’s not just about his wrist, right? There are other things?”
“Yeah,” Fox said. He was so quiet, torn between what he wanted to say and what he could say.
“Fox, I want you to trust me and tell me anything. But if Ainsley is in danger, then I will escalate this. You understand that, right? I want to keep your secrets, I want to be the person you talk to, but if Ainsley is in danger…”
Fox nodded. “He hasn't said he's unsafe, just that his dad is always really mean to his mom, yells a lot.”
“Okay. Is it like…”
“What Dad did to you? The moments when I was scared, and you got between us?” He tipped his chin and our eyes locked, and I hated what Fox had seen—hated he’d been scared for even a moment of his young life. I nodded. “Ainsley said he doesn’t feel scared, but then, he hasn’t told his dad about who he is.”
“It’s not okay for him. It’s important that he tells someone who can help. You did good by getting him to go to a teacher.”
“What if Mr. Sheridan messes it up?”
“He won’t.”
Fox nodded, relieved, but still red-eyed. “I just want him to be okay.”
I pulled him into a hug. “I know, buddy.” He went quiet, and I gave him one last squeeze. “Are you hungry? I have cupcakes, and I could make a hot chocolate with all your favorite toppings.”
He gave me a watery smile, and then leaned his head on my chest and hugged me back.
“I love you, Dad.”
“Love you too.”
I entered the kitchen, and he followed me, shedding his outdoor clothes as he came, but he hadn't finished talking.
“Why do some people have to hate others?” Fox’s question caught me off guard, his young voice filled with confusion and pain, and fuck, I wish I had an answer. But then Fox continued. “And why did Papa stop loving you?”
I wanted to snap that Briggs had never loved me, but that wouldn’t be fair because I’d loved him for a long time before all the lies had been exposed, and I suppose it was possible he’d loved me back at some point.
“Sometimes people hurt each other because they’re dealing with their own problems, their own pain. It’s not right, it’s not an excuse, but it happens.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “As for your papa, I don’t know if it was about falling out of love. He had his struggles, his own issues that made him act the way he did.”
Fox stared down, fidgeting with a napkin. “But why did he have to hurt you? Why didn’t he want to fight for us?”
“That’s something I’ve asked myself a lot,” I admitted. “But we can’t always understand why people do what they do.” I pulled out the bag of tiny marshmallows and sprinkled some onto the hot chocolate, then placed that and the cupcake in front of Fox. It was telling that he didn’t immediately fall on the sugary confections like a hyena on a fresh kill.
