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“Well, you sure follow me around like one, Alexander.” Clambering to his feet, Matthew reaches down to tug me up by my wrist. I let him before snatching my arm back like it burns, cringing at the way he says my full name.

“Don’t call me that,” I mutter, dropping my gaze, and his eyes widen like saucers.

“You don’t like your name?”

I shake my head. Reminds me too much of Aunt Pearl yelling at me.

“Is that why everyone calls you Alex?”

With a shrug, I wipe my nose, not really caring for that name either. It’s better than Alexander, though.

Matthew hums, rocking back and forth. “How bout I call you Xed? Like from Power Rangers?”

Glancing up at him, I shrug again because I’ve never seen that show. “I guess.”

I’m not very talkative.

He doesn’t seem to mind, though, only smiles before taking off with a whistle.

He’s so...happy. And nice. Kinda wanna be around him for just a bit longer.

So we continue this little game of me repeating everything he does all the way to his house, which is ten times bigger than mine but looks messier. There are bikes on the front lawn, squirt guns, and a basketball hoop. It looks fun—funner than Aunt Pearl’s dumb flower bushes.

“Do you live at my house, too?” Matt asks with a laugh when I follow him up a stone walkway to the porch, and I give another shrug.

An odd look crosses his face, something I can’t figure out, before he grins and opens the front door.

When I follow him in, he leads us up to his room and shows me his video games, unbothered by my presence or smell.

So I decide right then and there that I’ll just do it all again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

Until he gets sick of me.

“What’s that look for?”

Blinking out of the memory, I find Matty watching me, his eyes soft as he rocks Hannah in his arms. My throat tightens, emotion clawing its way up and making it hard to breathe.

“Fatherhood suits you,” I murmur. “That’s all.”

He slows his rocking slightly, his brows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?”

I glance away, moving to my side of the bed as I feel my face heat. “You’ve always taken care of the people you love, Matt. For as long as I’ve known you.”

Silence stretches between us, but I don’t dare look back to see his expression. Instead, I slip beneath the covers we’ve been sharing for months, turning my face into the pillow to hide.

“I’ve got an early class,” I add softly, mostly to fill the space.

He doesn’t respond, but the soft creak of the rocker fills the room, lulling me into a fragile kind of calm. As I close my eyes, his steady, soothing movements mix with the occasional sound of Hannah’s soft fussing, and I let the rhythm guide me into sleep.

Chapter eighteen

Words cannot describe how much I missed this little girl.

Thirteen months have passed since I’ve seen her face in person, and as she chatters contentedly in the seat next to me, I study her features. It’s wild how much she’s changed.

She’s a little taller now, which is no surprise because Matty’s a giant.

Two of her front teeth are missing, endearingly sweet when she grins. There’s also a scar under her chin from learning to ride a bike without training wheels.