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Brian was very aware he had his own anxieties about fitting in. Obviously, she’d picked up on them. “He said ‘hey’, which is better than nothing. Parker is very easy to get along with, even though he’s a former SEAL.” He said the word like it was a disease and Sage grinned. That was what he wanted to see. “Severn is scary smart. Ruby has always been cool. Brock is like the frat brother that goes to all the parties. And Gabbie is interesting. I still don’t get their fascination with the bitchy women, though. She and Bear go at it every day.”
“The housewives?” Sage laughed, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t watch them either, but if it will help you fit in at work…”
Brian grimaced, giving her a narrow-eyed look. “They’re watching some kind of tropical island series. I’m not even sure what. Not sure I want to get invested.”
“Well, up to you. Might be a change fromHow It’s Made.”
Brian grinned. “I think Adam has seen all of them. I mean, heknowsall of them.”
“He’s been watching shows like that since he was a baby. And loving them. I turned them on one day for him to fall asleep to, and it never happened,” she laughed. “I don’t mind, really.”
He didn’t either, but he hoped Adam had enough of a grip on pop culture to help him fit in later. “Maybe we’ll play some games, later.”
Even though he was supposed to be doing up a report on a case… Brian had realized that once he left the office, work thoughts stopped, and home thoughts took over. He’d become wrapped up in the Harrisons’ life, and he didn’t hate it. Quite the reverse. He loved being with them. Yes, he’d moved in under exigent circumstances, but that amorphous danger took a back seat to enjoying his time with them. It wasn’t how an investigator should think or be, but it was.
When he had Adam with him, he scanned the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary, but it had been quiet. And he always carried, now, at his waist and his concealed leg holster. Adam was surprisingly aware, as well. He looked around and was curious, asking questions about the area and things he saw people doing. The kid had a brain like a sponge and Brian enjoyed the challenge of keeping that sponge busy.
“I’ll go out and throw the ball around with him. If it’s not too muddy.”
“Be careful. I was out there this morning with Diamond, and it was a little sloppy.”
Yeah, if the ground was bad, he could have issues. Brian let himself out the back doors, stepping onto the concrete patio. Adam was throwing the ball down the yard and Diamond was retrieving it, the flag of her tail waving in the wind. Brian could see from where he was standing that Diamond had found mud. Sage would be pissed if they didn’t wipe her feet off before they went in.
Adam’s tennis shoes weren’t doing much better. Brian pointed it out to the boy.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “And I was supposed to keep these nice.”
“Today might not be the day to test your mom, buddy,” Brian warned, and Adam looked at him.
“What happened?” the boy asked, drawing close.
“It’s not my place to say. Your mom will talk to you in a bit about it, okay?”
“Yeah,” Adam grimaced, picked up the ball Diamond had dropped and tossed it down the yard. “Must be something about my father.”
Brian moved to one of the chairs of the patio set and sat down. “Kind of,” he agreed, “but it’s not an emergency.”
Adam trudged toward him, his russet-colored hair blowing in the wind that had picked up. He dropped into the chair opposite Brian, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I don’t like him coming around.”
“I get that.”
“I mean, Mom is just getting back to the way she used to be before, laughing and happy. I mean, we were happy in Wyoming, after he left, but she’s been way more relaxed and excited out here. Even more so since you started dating her.” The boy tossed him a grin. “And I think you’ve been happier, too.”
“I won’t argue that,” Brian said. And he couldn’t. He felt more elevated with them, and more enthusiastic for the future than he could remember in years.
“Well, just so you know,” Adam, said, turning to him fully, “you have my permission to marry my mom.”
Brian blinked, then rocked back in his chair. Had the kid heard his thoughts? “Damn, Adam, you don’t say stuff like that to an old man like me.” He pounded his chest and grimaced like he was having heart trouble.
Adam giggled, the worry easing from his expression. “Oh, whatever. But seriously. I know you probably didn’t ever see yourself getting a dysfunctional family like ours,” he said, but Brian held up a hand.
“Now, stop right there. Just because your relationship is different doesn’t mean it’s dysfunctional. It works for you guys and that’s all that matters. And I’m happy to be a part of your little family, right now. As for the future,” he said carefully, “we’ll have to take it a day at a time. Your mom may get tired of me slowing her down or having to go to the hospital for a new surgery every couple of years. I’m not a perfect marriage prospect, buddy. I’ll always be disabled, which can be a challenge to a new relationship.”
Adam waved a hand. “I don’t think that matters to her. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I’ve never seen her look at anyone like that before. So…”
Brian let the sentence hang. “We’ll see,” he said eventually. “I’m getting hungry. Let’s go see what your mom has planned for dinner. Do you have homework?”
Adam shook his head. “Not for regular school. I’m in the middle of a white paper by Dr. John Hirsh, on recombinant DNA safety procedures the federal government has handed down. It’s interesting.”
