“He looks exactly like you!” April gushed in disbelief. “Look at that gorgeous long hair. The girls are going to go crazy for that when he gets older.”
I smiled proudly, and William discreetly placed his hand on mine from where he sat next to me on the couch. We’d spent time establishing a friendship since the day Lorenzo had dropped me off two weeks ago. William was now a member of the Weston pack, and Austin had taken him down to the local Council to sign the papers and make it official. William felt truly remorseful about what had happened, and maybe that’s why he went out of his way to show kindness.
“What the shit?” Denver said, walking closer to the TV and then pointing. “I think you need to give them a call and talk about what they have him wearing.”
“What the hell’s wrong with it?” Lexi spat out. “He looks adorable.”
Denver shook his head and plopped down in a chair. “Spider-Man? No, not cool. He’s the urban Tarzan with tights. If you want to put the kid in something cool, then you buy him a Batman shirt.”
A pillow soared across the room and hit Denver in the head.
“I think you need to hit him with something harder,” Jericho suggested. “Maizy, where’s your wand?”
She lifted her head from her coloring book where she sat on the floor. “I’m too big for a wand. That’s for babies.”
Lexi frowned a little. As much as she loved Maizy, she hated to hear comments like that—telltale signs her baby sister was growing up. It served as a reminder that she would one day grow old and die, long before Lexi. Each time Maizy outgrew her clothes or a toy, Lexi sulked. Her mother had raised two children already, so she didn’t seem as saddened by watching a child grow up. But she was also a mother who’d lost her son and valued how precious life was.
Reno stood in front of April and held out his hands. “Come on, princess. Time to go.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t. It’s foggy out there.”
He bent down and took her hands, pulling her up. “If my girl wants to go to the bookstore, then that’s where we’re going. Grab your bag and let’s head out before it rains or some shit.”
“What about the e-reader?” Trevor complained. “I thought you were going to get rid of all those paperbacks and go electronic.”
She strolled by him and scrambled up his hair as she walked behind him. “Don’t act like you don’t want to go with us.”
He twisted his mouth and looked up at her from his chair. “Well, I do like the smell of old books.” Trevor reluctantly stood up. “Got room on that bike for three?”
Reno chuckled. “I’ll hook a red wagon to the back, and we’ll pull you.”
Denver laughed uncontrollably when the visual hit him.
Trevor wandered into the hall and I heard a jingle of keys. “I’ll drive. Hurry up, April!” he shouted at the stairs. “Nobody is going to notice what you look like, so you better not be in there putting on makeup.”
I leaned against William and smiled at the television. Lakota was singing a song his mother had prompted him to sing.
“He has your voice,” William remarked.
It wasn’t a secret I loved to sing, and I wondered what other traits of mine would pass on to my son.
I stole a glance at Izzy and Jericho. His hand was flat on her stomach, and she had her fingers laced over his. Their lovers’ eyes were lost to each other. That’s how it was supposed to be. Love. Companionship. Family. Lakota had been a curse under my father’s roof, and he would have been mistreated had he been allowed to stay. Watching him with all that courage made me more certain that I’d made the right decision. I was a part of that beautiful boy’s life, and what an honor it was to be able to share it with someone else.
Wheeler strolled in looking like a dangerous outlaw. He tossed a notepad in my lap. “Three more orders.”
“What for?”
“Sounds like two of them were to refinish some old furniture; the other was repairing a rocking chair.”
The day after my return, I began receiving calls at the house to do odd jobs. I didn’t know who had arranged for these clients, but somehow word was out that I had skills with restoring antique furniture.
“I’ll take the rocking chair, but let me get back with the other two. I need to see exactly what they want done.”
“If they’re willing to pay, who cares?”
I stood up and straightened my brown skirt. “It matters if they want me to strip off old varnish. Those are harsh chemicals to work with.”
“So? It’s not as if you’ll get a human disease like cancer.” He folded his arms and gave me a stern look.
I walked around the sofa and placed the notepad on a table. “We’ll see.”
Wheeler strolled up and leaned in close. “You’ve been acting real funny. Don’t you want a job?”
Izzy snatched my wrist and gave him a flat smile. “Girl time,” she said to Wheeler. “Ivy, I need to ask you something about the rocking chair I want for the baby.”