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Tony frowned, but she raised her hand when he started to speak to cut off what she was certain was going to be a lecture.
“I know it was stupid.”
“And dangerous,” he added, proving she’d been right about the lecture. “If we hadn’t found you when we did, Jess…”
She hadn’t had time to consider that since waking up. She was sort of sorry she’d gotten so much mind-clearing sleep because when she was numb with exhaustion, she didn’t have the brain capacity to face just how bad a decision she’d made. “I shouldn’t have done it. I…I was tired and scared, and I did the wrong thing.”
Rhys took her hand in his, squeezing it comfortingly, and the first thing she registered was how soft his touch was, how gentle, how kindhewas. “People in desperate situations do desperate things. Promise us the next time you find yourself in such a position, you won’t sit outside in a parked car. Knock on the damn door.”
Jess gave him a wry grin. “I’m kind of hoping there isn’t a next time.”
“Me too,” he said, his tone full of compassion.
“So it’s settled,” Tony said, rising and taking her empty plate while leaving the bowl. “You and Jasper are staying here tonight. Now finish your soup.”
“I don’t remember us settling anything,” she said, though she wasn’t about to continue the fight. The idea of staying in this warm, safe house with the promise of lasagna and a soft bed, and Tony and Rhys sleeping down the hall, was something she’d be a fool to resist. For one night, she’d give herself a break from reality.
Tomorrow, she’d venture back out into the cold, cruel world.
Tonight…she was taking the gift they were offering.
“Mommy!” she heard Jasper cry out.
She rose quickly, Tony and Rhys leading the way to the guest room. She gasped when she stepped inside one of the most beautiful bedrooms she’d ever seen. It was painted a pale dove gray and boasted tall ceilings with recessed lighting, and a huge bed with a thick, soft-looking duvet that had her itching to touch it. “This is yourguestroom?”
She didn’t mean to ask the question aloud, but this bedroom was bigger than the entire shitty apartment she’d been evicted from.
She’d thought the building looked big from the outside, but it felt even larger inside.
“Yeah,” Tony replied, stepping next to her. “Rhys and I renovated the top two floors when we bought the building. I have a fairly large family, so it’s nice to have a room for them when they come to stay. My sister Layla, and her partners, Miguel and Finn, stay here when they come up from Baltimore for a visit.”
Partners? Jess wondered what that meant, but it felt rude to ask.
Jasper was sitting up on the bed, rubbing his eyes, slowly shaking off his drowsiness. The large king-size bed seemed to swallow him. “Mommy?”
“I’m right here, buddy.” She sank down next to him on the mattress, almost groaning aloud at how comfortable the bed felt. “Did you have a good nap?”
He nodded, then filled her in on his day’s activities, which included everything from pancakes to coloring, to watching his favorite Disney movie,Up, to sleeping in the biggest bed he’d ever seen.
“And, Mommy, look,” he said, pointing at the wall directly opposite the bed. “They have a movie screen in their bedroom!”
She would have laughed at Jasper’s amazement if she hadn’t been so taken aback by the big-screen TV occupying most of the wall. She’d been raised by a single mother who, when sober, worked two crappy jobs that gave them just enough money to exist in the “barely scraping by” column. She’d never seen true wealth up close and personal, but it seemed pretty clear neither Tony nor Rhys were hurting in the financial department.
In addition to the huge bed and television, the room had a large armoire, a desk and office chair, a double-doored closet, and an open door that revealed an equally impressive bathroom.
“Guess what, Jasper?” Tony said.
Jasper bounced on the bed, fully awake. “What?”
“You and your mommy are staying here tonight. In this room.”
Jasper’s eyes widened. “We are?! Can I take a bath?”
Tony’s eyebrows rose. “A bath? Wow. Never met a boy who voluntarily offered to bathe. My cousin’s kids act like they’re being asked to shovel manure anytime someone tells them to take a bath.”
“What’s manure?” Jasper asked.
“Animal poop,” Tony replied, the response wildly hilarious to Jasper, who giggled with glee.
