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“Not. Helping.”
Thomas chuckled and sat next to Cody. She left them to their important work while she retreated to the kitchen and started on the dishes from lunch. When she put away the last glass, her gaze fell on the photo of Michael. She paused, looking up at him.
I know our life wasn’t perfect. But in the end, we were there for each other. I love you. I miss you. And I hope that, wherever you are, you can be happy for me.
For the first time, she thought he might just be. He might even approve of the changes in the household. Cody laughed from the other room, mixed with Thomas’s deep chuckle. Brianna hugged her arms to her chest and smiled up at Michael.
Yeah, he just might be happy about this after all.
…
Thomas handed Cody the transformed truck. “Here you go.”
“I knew you could do it.” Cody grabbed the truck and took off for the stairs at high speed. “Thank you, Thomas!”
“You’re welcome,” he called, but Cody was already gone, calling Katelyn’s name at the top of his lungs. Shaking his head, he rose to his feet, wiping his hands on his pants.
Zach came down the stairs with a scowl. “You’re here again? Aren’t you going back to California yet?”
“As you can see, I am not gone yet.” Thomas picked up the instructions and folded them. “How are you?”
“I was fine.” He looked Thomas up and down, his upper lip curled. “Not so much now.”
Thomas took a deep breath. This again. He couldn’t let this go on. “It doesn’t have to be like this, Zach. We don’t have to be enemies.”
Brianna leaned out of the kitchen. “Thomas, we need sauce for dinner. Could you run to the store and—” She froze. “Oh. Zach. Hey.”
Zach sneered. “Yeah, go get some sauce. And don’t come back.”
“Zach, knock it off.” Brianna scowled. “I’ve had enough of your—”
“If you think you’re going to chase me off, you’re wrong,” Thomas said.
Brianna shot him an incredulous look, opened her mouth, then caught his eye and closed it again. Trust me, he pleaded silently. After a moment, she nodded subtly and looked away. She’d give him a chance, at least. A chance to smooth the ground between himself and Zach.
Now he just hoped he wouldn’t screw it up.
If he could show her he was trustworthy enough to be with her kids, then hopefully she would say yes to him tomorrow when he laid his heart bare. Hopefully she wouldn’t laugh in his face and walk away like everyone else had in his life. He’d lived in plenty of houses over the years, but for the first time in his life…he’d found a home.
Now he just needed to be accepted into it.
Thomas returned his gaze to Zach. “You can be as nasty as you like. I’m not going anywhere. So I think you and I need to figure out what we’re going to do about that.”
“I’ll tell you what you can do. You can shove it up your—”
“Swear jar,” Cody said from the head of the stairs. He sat on the top step, hugging Optimus to his chest. “I think Thomas should move in. Then he can help me work on Optimus whenever we want.”
Zach paled. “Move in? He’s not moving in, is he? He’d better not be or I’m leaving. I’m leaving right now.”
Thomas ignored the sting of the boy’s words. “Where would you go? You’re thirteen. You might be able to stay with a friend for a few days but what happens once his parents find out your mother’s looking for you and she’s frantic and terrified? Because that’s what you’d be doing. Frightening your mother for no good reason.”
Zach snarled and looked away. “If it gets rid of you…”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“I don’t know!” Zach exploded, then sank down and sat on the bottom step. He buried his face in his hands. “I don’t know.”
Thomas let out the breath he’d been holding. He’d cracked the tough-guy shell and got down to the boy hidden underneath. That’s who he needed to talk to. “Brianna, I’m going to head out to the store. Zach is going with me, if you don’t mind.”
