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“Shit. Sorry, I thought I had a while before anyone woke up.” She swiped at her eyes.
“I can leave you alone if you’d rather. I just didn’t want you to be cold.” I wrapped the blanket over her shoulders.
“You can stay.” She touched the swing beside her. “You’re a good man, Harrison.”
I shrugged. “No better than anyone else. I just try to treat people the way I’d like to be treated. Thank you, though.”
“But in a world full of those who are only out for themselves, that’s rare. I’ve known too many people who try to get what they can out of others. I’ve known many nice people too, and that’s great, but you’re kind. That makes it more a part of who you really are and not just something you do.”
Warmth settled into my bones like a hug from someone who held on tight and didn’t let go. “Wow…thank you. I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything.” She patted my leg. “I’m glad Zander met you. He’s…happy, settled in a way I’ve never seen him.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with me. It’s all him—who he is and his hard work paying off.”
“Yes and no.” She looked at me and smiled. “He’s special. I always knew that. From the moment he started walking and talking, he was this ball of energy, with the biggest heart. Even when he didn’t believe it, I knew he would put a lot of good into the world. Zander is kind…just like you. He wants to help people and be there for them. He tries to take care of me and Molly even though it’s not his responsibility. Zander fights for the underdog and can’t understand people who hurt others but don’t care enough to stop.”
She was silent for a moment, and I wondered if she was talking about Zander’s father.
“He’s also deathly afraid of being hurt—something that’s happened too much in his life—and he struggles to trust people. Those two things are likely very much my fault.”
“No,” I told her, but she was already shaking her head.
“Yes. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I’m working my way through that. I accepted behavior I shouldn’t have, which affected my children. I’m their mom. My biggest job in this world is to protect them, and I didn’t always do that. Not on purpose, but that doesn’t change the result. I keep doing it too. At some point you’d think I’d learn my lesson.” She wiped a stray tear. “But I’m done with that now, and I’m trying to be stronger. This wasn’t supposed to be about me, just…just that whoever loves Zander, I hope they’re patient with him. I hope they see how incredible he is, how much he loves, even when he’s scared and running.”
I do, I wanted to tell her, but I held myself back. That was between Zander and me. “I’m sure they will. It’s impossible not to see how incredible he is.”
She turned to me and gave me a sad smile. “It is, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
She wiped her face some more, and we sat there, swinging but not speaking. I liked his mother a lot. She’d clearly been through hard times and hadn’t always made the best choices, but that didn’t mean she was a bad person. She was the exact opposite—someone who maybe loved too big and accepted being hurt because of it.
I didn’t know how long we sat there before the door opened and Zander came out. He looked adorable, sleep rumpled in flannel pajamas, his hair a mess. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “I couldn’t sleep and came outside. Harrison was kind enough to bring me a blanket and keep me company.”
His gaze tracked back and forth between the two of us, not accusingly, but curious. “Okay,” he answered, then looked at me. “We always make French toast Thanksgiving morning. I’m the absolute best at making it.”
“He’s not wrong,” Ashley replied.
“Do I get to witness this amazingness of yours?” I asked.
Zander gave me my favorite smile, the one that was real, and I knew he felt down to the marrow of his bones. “Even better. You get to help.”
“There’s nothing I can think of that I would enjoy more.”
I stood, held my hand out for Ashley, and helped her to her feet.
* * *
We made a mess of the kitchen cooking breakfast. Molly came out not long after we started, saying she smelled her brother’s French toast.
The four of us ate together, his sister offering to do the dishes afterward.
“Take advantage of that. It doesn’t happen often,” Ashley teased.
Molly chuckled before biting it back, proving again that she was upset with her mother.
Zander and I didn’t really have any time just the two of us. After breakfast and the dishes, everyone sat around the table for a while, talking, before going our separate ways to get ready. We turned on some music—Nirvana, who I’d always loved.
