Page 103 of Rescued
Salem shrugs. “Sure. Sounds fun. As long as Arlo plays too.”
“We’ll all play.”
Clapping again, Nora giggles. “This is the best day ever.”
My heart swells. I hope she keeps feeling that way. I hope she and Salem both enjoy being here. I hope they feel at home and that they can heal and grow here.
Two hours later, everyone but Nora has been covered in whipped cream at least once, to her absolute delight.
Jasper got hit the hardest. Also to Nora’s absolute delight. And Luca’s too, honestly.
Our living room is full of the sounds of laughter and joy, and for a second I let myself take it all in. I never thought my life would turn out quite like this. Sitting in Jasper’s living room—my living room too, I guess—with almost all of my favorite people around me feels like a dream I don’t have to wake up from.
And for once in my fucked-up life, I feel like maybe I don’t have to. Maybe everything will work out. Maybe the hard part is behind us, and now it’s just… this. Game nights and the kids laughing and Jasper smiling at me every so often, like my very existence has filled a hole in his life.
I sure fucking hope so. The kids deserve that. And damn, I think maybe I do too.
Chapter 26
Jasper
Thekidsarequietas we drive across town to Hunter’s house. Nora has her nose in Arlo’s phone, watching some YouTube video. Apparently, kids like to watch videos of other kids playing with toys. Who knew? Certainly not me.
Every time I glance up at Salem, though, he’s taking in his surroundings.
The hypervigilance feels like a trauma thing to me, and it makes me happy to know that we have therapy appointments scheduled for both kids next week.
I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to grow up in a situation like theirs.
My childhood was largely normal. My dad was never around, but I never felt like I was missing anything, not in any real way. I had Mom and her parents, but they both died when I was young. Sarah hadn’t even been born yet. I barely remember them, more vague impressions than anything else.
We had money. Enough to get by and then some. I never worried about my next meal or school clothes or anything. It was a picture-perfect life. Until Sarah died. Then Mom withdrew. Stopped talking to me. Did the bare minimum for my care.
There’s something aboutknowingyour own mother blames you for your sister’s death. Sarah was the light of her life. Mine too. I loved her to pieces. And when she died, part of me died too. I wasn’t the same person anymore. Mom wasn’t either. I didn’t expect her to kick me out the day I turned eighteen, but I also can’t say I really planned on sticking around either.
It was too hard. The memories were eating me alive, and Mom had barely spoken to me since we put Sarah in the ground.
Decorating ornaments with Arlo, Austin, and Luca was the first time I’ve done something that felt like family in a long time. Being invited to Austin’s parents house for dinner too.
Austin and I aren’t that type of friends. Or maybe we are, and I just didn’t see it that way. But then, the man I loved had to go and end up being best friends with Luca.
Couldn’t get away from the found family of it all then.
Guess it was training me. For this.
I glance up at Salem again, watching him as he looks intently out his window, his eyes darting from it to Nora’s and back to his.
Sighing, I reach across the center seat and take Arlo’s hand. He turns to me with a smile. He looks sleepy today. We spent a lot of the night talking, though, so it makes sense. He’s not usuallyone to take naps, and all the sleeping we did yesterday got him all messed up.
I bring his hand to my lips and press a kiss to his knuckles.
“Are you guys excited about seeing the animals?” I ask, looking in the rearview mirror again.
“Yes!” Nora practically shouts. “I’m gonna ask to ride the horses.”
Salem huffs. “Me too, I guess.”
He guesses? I share a look with Arlo. When we talked to Salem and Nora about coming out here, he seemed so excited. Maybe a little nervous, but mostly excited about the possibility of seeing the animals. I’m not sure what changed between then and now.
