I blow out a breath. The fact that this is a completely normal conversation between brothers.
"Alright." Ace shifts beneath me. "Well, we're grabbing Wyatt from school and taking him for dinner. You coming?"
"I'm fully aware you're picking my son up, Ace," Hunter says dryly, pulling out his phone.
"I got Romeo calling in a bit. We're digging into Graves. Reckon we've narrowed down the guy who killed Gianna's brother to three possible locations. We're going to assess whether we make the hit yet or not."
Ace nods. Business. Just like that. A beat of silence where the room holds something heavier than either of them shows, and then it passes.
"Keep me updated," Ace says, standing and pulling me up with him. "We've got ice cream to eat. Lock up when you're done hiding here."
Hunter flips him off without looking up from his phone.
Wyatt spots Ace's truck before we've even pulled up to the curb, and he comes barrelling out of the school gates like a tiny human cannonball.
"Uncle Ace! Uncle Ace! Uncle Ace!"
Ace catches him mid-launch, swinging him up with one arm like he weighs nothing.
"Alright, little man. Easy. You're gonna take us both out."
"I drew a picture of Penny today." Wyatt shoves a crumpled piece of paper into Ace's face. "Mrs. Delgado said it was really good. She said the ears were very realistic."
Ace studies the drawing with a level of seriousness that makes my chest ache. It's a brown blob with two triangles on top and what might be legs. Or tentacles.
"That's exactly what she looks like," Ace says. "You nailed it."
Wyatt beams. Then he notices me and goes shy for about three seconds before curiosity wins.
“Wyatt, this is Harper.” Ace introduces me.
Wyatt smiles. "Hi, Harper."
"Hi, Wyatt." I crouch down to his level. "Can I see the drawing?"
He holds it out proudly. I take it, and I study it with the same seriousness Ace just did, because this kid deserves that.
"This is incredible. I love the tail."
"That's her leg."
"I love the leg."
He grins. Ace is watching me with an expression I'm not brave enough to look at for too long.
We take Wyatt to Rosie's Diner because, according to him, it has the best chicken tenders in the entire world, and also the ketchup comes in a bottle shaped like a tomato, which is apparently a critical factor.
He sits across from us in the booth, swinging his legs because they don't reach the floor, chattering nonstop about his day. His teacher said he was the best reader in the class. His friend Lucas brought a lizard to school in his pocket, and it escaped during math. He wants to be just like his daddy on the ranch.
"Uncle Ace, can I have a milkshake?"
"What kind?"
"Chocolate."
"Done."
"And fries?"
