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She smiles sadly at him. “I don’t blame you. I don’t have much, but I have a little bit maybe because I’ve known her for so long, and I know how devastated she was when she lost your father.” He looks pale again, but my mom keeps going. “But I told her that if she leaves Elliot and gets herself together, we can talk. Until then, she’s agreed the girls are not safe there, and she knows where they are. She knows we’ll take good care of them.”
My heart is racing, but I’m in complete awe of my mother. I shouldn’t have doubted her, but I’m amazed that in the few hours Zach and I were sleeping, my mother handled everything. “Now, we won’t be their official guardians, obviously. It’s all verbal agreements, but I know your mother pretty well, and I don’t think she’s going to make this difficult.”
Zach nods. “She’s probably relieved.”
My mom reaches out and places her hand on Zach’s that’s resting on the table. “She knows they weren’t safe. I think she wants the best for you kids, even though she’s done a poor job of achieving that.”
My dad grunts, and I know there are things he wants to say but keeps his mouth shut.
“Now.” That’s my mom’s serious tone, and I focus on her again. “You boys can stay in the camper, but if it gets too cold at night or too cramped, you can always come here. The couch won’t fit both of you, but we have an air mattress. We can figure it out. You’re both to still go to school every single day. And Zach?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“If you want to get a job, we can’t and won’t stop you. But it would be better for us if you helped out here instead.”
Zach isn’t dumb. He knows, although my parents will always take the extra help, this is more for him and his not having to work while still juggling school. Still, he smiles and nods. “I can do that. I’ll do my fair share, I promise.”
My dad pats him on the shoulder. “We have no doubt about that, whatsoever, kid. We just want you to finish school.”
“I will,” he promises. “And I’ll help with the girls. You won’t have to do anything, I promise.”
My mom holds up one hand and stops his rambling, thank fuck. “Stop that. Those girls are little angels compared to what I’m used to.”
“I feel like I should be offended,” I say, and my mom laughs.
“Zachary, we’re here to help. You need to let us.”
He nods his head but looks unsure, and I know he’s held onto way too much responsibility throughout his eighteen years. But I hope he’ll hear what they are saying. They’ll help, and so will I.
He’s not alone.
We do the dishes and help clean up after lunch. Then we head outside to play with the kids for a bit. Zach spends some extra time with Mary, making sure she’s okay before we head back to the camper.
When we walk inside, Zach flops down on the bed, looking tired and worn out. I hate this for him. I know he’s worried. I know it all still feels up in the air, but I also trust my parents.
My mom wouldn’t bullshit us, not even to protect us. That woman only knows how to tell the truth, and if she doesn’t think his mother will be a problem, then she’s probably right.
I drop down on the floor in front of him and take his shoes off, tossing them behind me. His hand smooths over my hair, and I lean against his thigh, the denim still cold from outside.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“But for how long?” His voice is strained, but neither of us move. I rest against his thigh, and he strokes my hair.
“For as long as you need. My parents wouldn’t offer to take care of the girls if they weren’t totally up for it. My mom is right, compared to me and my brothers, those girls are angels.”
“I can’t ask them to do this.”
“You didn’t.” I shift so I can look up at him, and his hand falls to my shoulder.
“Adam—”
“No,” I stop him because I know what he’s going to say. “You didn’t. You never ask for help, but you need it now. Let them help you. Please. Let us all help you.”
His hand moves up and sweeps over my cheek and he huffs. “You know I love you, right?”
I smile because I do. We’ve always loved each other. “You know I’m completely and totally in love with you too, right?”
His eyes shine, wet and tired. “You are?”
