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Then Matt moves, sliding an arm around me and kissing the top of my head. “That’s a fucked-up dream.”
“Language,” Melissa says from her corner.
“Why are you so worried about Ross?” Evan asked.
I sniffle-laugh. “Have you met our father? What sort of question is that?”
“She’s right,” Matt says, startling me. “Growing up with Jasper as his only parent, what chance would Ross have to turn out right? But Tay…” He sighs. “That doesn’t mean he can be saved. You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” No, but… “Yeah, I get it.”
“We’ll pick Ross up.” Matt draws me completely into his arms. “So there’s still tomorrow, Evan, if you need us to run any errands.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I only want to keep you safe,” he whispers back, “to protect your heart. But who am I to stand in the way of kindness?”
Says the kindest man I know. And that heart he speaks of… it’s all his. Has been, from the start.
Chapter Eleven
Matt
Fucking Ross. Taking over my girl’s dreams, scaring her. Yeah, I know it’s not voodoo. He isn’t doing this. Octavia’s mind is.
Still. Ross is a goddamn bully, and I got this thing against bullies. They’re psychopaths. They’re incurable. Fucking unforgivable. All the tearjerker stories you can tell me about Ross’s father, about his bad childhood and the reasons why, I can’t forget he hurt my girl.
But it looks like I’ll have to push my anger to the backburner for now. After all, we’re only gonna pick Ross up, drive him home, and be on our way. No forgiving and no bonding will take place, not if I have anything to say about it.
End Octavia’s nightmares and get home. That’s the plan.
Meanwhile, though, I check on Evan, and take Melissa to some neighbor friends of hers to play. I leave her there and drive on.
To the police station in the next town over.
Evan says he’ll move away, but hasn’t said when, or where he’s thinking of going, so I need to ask some questions about Jasper.
And okay, also about Ross.
I park my pickup on the street and march into the station, not sure who to ask, and itching to call Octavia, and then my kids, to make sure everyone’s okay.
They are, I tell myself.
Take a breath. Do what you came here to do. Then go.
I walk into the front office determined to be quick. Just fire off a few questions, tell someone my concerns, maybe, if possible,
see about getting a restraining order where Evan is concerned, and see if the cops could keep an eye on Jasper’s Garage, make sure he isn’t mistreating his other employees.
Or his son.
No, not going there. This is just Octavia’s weird nightmare fears rubbing off on me. I mean, I love my girl, but pregnancy hormones… yeah, not going there. Fucking alien things.
Right.
A super-serious-looking cop is sitting behind a computer screen at a desk as I enter, and I make a beeline for him. I’m opening my mouth to ask who I should talk to, when someone calls out my name.
“Matt? Matt Hansen?”
