Page 81 of Rescued
“I’ve gotta go,” he says with a sigh. “I’ll text you.”
I open my eyes, then grin at him. “Okay. Thank you.”
He shakes his head with a laugh. “My pleasure, baby boy. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
I wouldn’t trade the smile he gives me at those words for anything. Leaning over, he gives me one more soft kiss before he leaves the room.
Blinking at the ceiling with a stupid smile on my face, my heart nearly explodes. I can’t believe I get to have this—have Jasper. It’s like all my dreams are coming true. Well, almost.
All we need to do is pass the home visit, and everything will be perfect.
Ipushopenthedoor to the diner, smiling to myself when Theo calls out, telling me to find a seat and he’ll be right with me.
We’ve only texted a little bit since I’ve been home. I think he’s wanted to come visit but isn’t really sure if he’s allowed to.
If I’m gonna be stuck at home all the time, I’m gonna need him to get a lot more comfortable with it. I’ll be damned if I sitaround for weeks by myself. I don’t know Hunter all that well, but I’ll get to know him. I need to.
Apparently, this is really happening. I’m really putting down roots here. I’m building my family. A home. Terrifying.
Slipping into the booth that Jasper always sits at, I wait for Theo. He’s not long, and when he rounds the corner, a genuine smile lights up his face.
“Arlo.”
Theo seems like the kind of person who doesn’t have enough people who are nice to him, so I grin back at him. “Hey, Theo.”
“You look a lot better,” he says when he gets to the booth.
“Yeah, I feel a lot better. Still some soreness and shit, but a lot better than I was.”
There are only a few people in the diner right now. No surprise, since it’s always pretty dead at this time of day. I picked this time for a reason. After taking a quick look around to make sure everyone is good, Theo slides into the booth. “I’m glad you’re doing better. I told you so.”
I scrunch my eyebrows together. “You… told me so?”
He nods, eyes lighting up. “Yeah. I told you to talk to Jasper and that he would surprise you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You did.”
“I also told you that I’d tell you again face-to-face when you woke up.”
My throat goes tight, and I lean forward in my seat, lowering my voice. “Thank you. I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to talk to him without you.”
Theo’s lips curve into a smile. “I don’t believe that.”
A chill races down my spine. The idea of not having Jasper is… awful. I could have lost my life and lost him too. “At any rate, I owe you a lot.”
Shaking his head, he sits back in his seat. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re friends, right? Friends are there for each other. How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay, I think. Stressing about the kids again. Our home visit is tomorrow, but Jasper passed his background check, so that’s a win. Not that I thought he wouldn’t.”
“Is he excited about getting the kids?”
That makes me pause. “I, um… I’m not sure, actually.”
Fuck, I hope so. Although I guess acceptance is about all I can hope for, given how willing he was to take us in. Even if it’s something he has to learn to love, it’s better than the alternative.
“I bet he is,” Theo says, not aware of my miniature freakout. “Did you come to eat… or?”
