Page 194 of Reeves

After she leaves, I rinse our plates and set them in the rack, watching the water bead and run. I stand in the doorway for a minute, looking out at the quiet street.

It’s not what he did that lingers.

It’s that he did it without asking me to change anything.

I tap my fingers against the side of my mug, the ceramic warm under my hand. We said we’d tell Benjy after Reeves was back for good.

He’s back. And it's time.

I reach for my phone and open the calendar, my thumb hovering for a second before I tap into tomorrow evening and block it off.

A quiet dinner here, just the three of us, seems like the right way to do it. I'll have to run it by Reeves, of course, but I have no reason to believe he won't agree.

Benjy’s going to have questions. He always does. He’ll want to understand how it works, what it means, whether anything changes.

The truth is simple.

I glance toward the hallway, like I might hear him even though I know he’s not here.

I lock my phone and set it on the counter. The idea excites me and scares the shit out of me at the same time.

A shadow movesacross the wall, and I glance toward the front just as Reeves’s truck pulls into the driveway. I step out onto the porch.

Benjy is out of the truck before the engine cuts, his shoes hitting the ground hard as he takes off.

“Mom! We built the whole floor part today!” He circles me at full speed, words tumbling over each other. “And we saw a huge snake but Reeves said it was just a garden snake so we let it go. And I hammered six nails by myself.”

“Six whole nails?” I turn as he darts past me.

“I gotta check if my lizard house still has the rocks I put on top!” His voice fades as he disappears around the side of the house.

Reeves shuts the truck door and walks up at an easier pace, dust still clinging to his jeans.

“He helped dig all the post holes,” he says. “Kid’s got stamina.”

“Did you feed him actual food or just marshmallows and gummy bears?”

“Both.” A corner of his mouth lifts. “Turkey sandwich first.”

“Do you have a minute?” I nod toward the patio. “Nothing serious.”

“Yeah.”

We move to the chairs, both of us angled toward the yard where Benjy is already crouched under the treehouse, stacking rocks with careful precision.

I watch him for a second, then look back at Reeves.

“I think it’s time to tell him.”

Reeves doesn’t answer right away. His gaze stays on Benjy, tracking him as he shifts another rock into place.

When he looks back at me, his expression is steady.

“If you think he’s ready, I’m ready.”

No hesitation. No questions. No push.

“He’s been asking more lately,” I say. “About why you’re here so much and why you bought a house here.”