Page 126 of Road to Redemption

I’d never seen Dom as willing to sacrifice her peace and quiet as she was when Abi or Caleb wanted her attention. And Leo had hardly gotten off her feet since the kids had arrived, constantly playing or running around to grab things for them.

Caleb needed a bit less hands-on attention than Abi did, but in the full-swing of his teenage hormones, his mood was far more variable. Still, I could tell that having some safe adults who he could speak to candidly did a lot for his mental state. The sharp, icy attitude he’d worn last night thawed a bit more for every hour he was in Dom’s mansion.

Most of all, having them here gave me a chance to see exactly why these kids were so special to Spencer. And as fucked up as the circumstances were, being all together almost felt like having a normal family.

I hadn’t realized how much I wanted that, but now that I had it, I could feel a bit of my own inner child healing too.

As I loaded the last plate, Spencer finally hung up with the guidance counselor, resting her head on the counter with a sigh. “You really should have let me do that.”

“And you should really learn how to accept help.” I smirked, pulling off the gloves. “A thank you would be nice, though.”

“Thank you, Bunny,” she muttered sheepishly.

I walked over to the counter, leaning across to grab her hand. “How’re things going with Caleb?”

“Ya know… icy,” she sighed. “He doesn’t want to take any accountability for breaking his promise last night. He’s probably worried about the position he’s put Abi in, and probably hurt by whatever Bill said to him during that fight. And if I had to guess, it’s a lot easier to vent that frustration onto me rather than him right now.”

She shrugged, “I guess I get it, in some sense. And I don’t want to push him too hard on it right now. He’s a good kid, and he gets pushed so hard in every other part of his life. It hasn’t even been twelve hours. But at some point, I need him to talk about it. We can’t just live in this limbo forever…”

Her gaze grew distant, but I gave her hand a squeeze, hoping it might ground her. “It’s all going to be okay.”

“I know,” she frowned. But in the silence that followed, I wasn’t sure she really believed that.

I let the silence lie for a moment, listening instead to the chatter drifting in from the kitchen. And as another wave of laughter rippled from Caleb and Dom, I had an idea.

“If you want to get Caleb talking… he seems pretty comfy with Dom.”

Spencer raised an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?”

“Well, maybe if you give him the chance to chat with her away from prying ears, he might open up a little more. Maybe she can try talking some sense into him so that he takes it a bit easier on you.”

And maybe a break will help you undo the knot in your stomach that you refuse to acknowledge.

“I mean, I feel like I’ve given him plenty of space.” She shrugged. “I’m in here right now, aren’t I? But I can’t stay holed up in my room all day hoping he’ll warm up to a chat. You know how teenagers are — it’s like he can sense my presence through the walls. If I breathe too loud, it pisses him off.”

“More space, then.” I smiled, pulling her hands closer to my lips as I looked up at her with pleading eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Spencer scoffed, “That’s such a leading question! Of course I trust you.”

“Then let me take care of it,” I grinned.

“Mmmmm….” she narrowed her eyes suspiciously as I kissed her hands. “What are you planning, Bunny?”

68

KIERA

Leaning against the garage door later that night, I waited for Leo and Spencer to rejoin me. I’d told them to throw on their best Greaser fits and meet me by the door in the living room.

Spencer appeared first in loose blue jeans, her leather jacket thrown over her shoulder. A sleeveless, navy shirt showed off her muscular, tatted arms. Her hair was slicked back, still allowing the lush waves to shine even under the product.

And then there was Leo. In black jeans and a tight white tshirt, her leather jacket — a black one she must have had buried in her closet — covered her muscles. Something for me to peel off her later.

My mouth watered at the thought of both of them.

Clearly, they were thinking about me too. Their eyes traveled down my body to the black sailor-collared dress I’d found in the back of my closet. I’d worn it as a Halloween costume years ago, refusing to be some cutesy 1950s girl and instead opting for a goth version.

When Leo and Spencer had raided Gabe’s apartment for my stuff, I didn’t think they’d grab everything. But I had yet to search for an item that I couldn’t find in their loot.