“And I think telling TGG about what happened was the smart thing to do. It’s a small enough town that people will hear about what went down, and this way it’s not a skeleton in your closet.” They’d just come from TGG, where Evan was accepted as an apprentice for five hours each week, even after his confession. It was a start, and it was something that Evan was excited about and proud of.
“I know, Dad. I get it.” He pushed the earbuds back in and looked out the window, leaving Caden to indulge in his painful thoughts until he felt as if he were drowning.
Two hours later, they pulled up in front of Caden’s parents’ house. The one-story rambler was nestled between two similar homes on a quiet residential street. He climbed from the car, remembering the night he’d brought Evan home for the first time. He remembered his mother’s hand covering her mouth, her eyes filled with tears, as she reached for the sleeping baby. Now, as he walked up the front stoop with Evan beside him, he remembered how difficult it had been to hand him over—even to his own mother. In those few short hours between Caty placing Evan in his hands and Caden arriving at his parents’ home, Evan had already become his world.
“Leave your skateboard on the porch,” Caden said out of habit before they walked inside.
In a few short years, Evan would be off to college, and before he and Bella broke up, Caden had allowed himself to think of a future with her. He’d imagined lazy weekend mornings in bed and evening walks holding hands. He’d pictured them visiting Evan in college the way his parents had visited him, and one day, being the grandparents waiting on the stoop for Evan and—he hoped—his wife to hand them their first grandchild. And now sadness burrowed deep inside him.
“Hey there, bucko.” Caden’s father, Steven, was a burly man with thick arms and a belly that could use a little less of Caden’s mother’s home cooking. Steven embraced Evan and smiled over his shoulder at Caden. Caden had called his father Wednesday and filled him in on everything that had happened.
“Hi, Grandpa.” Evan pulled out of his grandfather’s arms, but before he could escape to follow the aroma of fresh-baked bread toward the kitchen, Steven ruffled his hair. Evan reached up to do the same to him and laughed when his grandfather playfully swatted his hand.
“Go say hi to Grandma.” His father held Caden’s gaze for a beat before embracing him.
Caden closed his eyes and reveled in the comfort of his father’s arms. He’d always been Caden’s rock, his sounding board.
“He’s giving you a run for your money, isn’t he?” Steven searched his son’s eyes and furrowed his brow. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m good, Pop,” he lied.
Steven slung an arm around his shoulder and guided him toward the kitchen. “I’m not sure I’m buying that, but come say hello to your mother.”
What his father really meant was, Let’s see if your mother believes you. Caden felt as transparent as Saran Wrap.
They found his mother pulling a hot loaf of bread from the oven. She smiled as they entered the cozy kitchen. Amber Grant was tall and thin, with auburn hair and hazel eyes that could stop a clock. Baking was a weekly ritual, and because of that, the house always smelled warm and inviting.
“Caden. You didn’t tell me that Evan grew an inch.” She set the pan on the top of the stove and took off her oven mitts. Her hazel eyes roved over Caden’s face before she patted his cheek. “You okay, honey?”
“Fine, Ma. It’s good to see you.” Caden embraced her. “Did Ev grow? I guess since I see him all the time, I didn’t notice.” Par for the course these days, but I’m working on that.
“Oh, honey.” She swatted the air. “There was one summer when you grew five inches and your father didn’t notice until I mentioned it. I think it’s a man thing. You men have busy minds or something.”
Or something.
“Dad, Austin wants to meet me by the school. Do you mind if I skateboard over?” Evan asked. “I think we’re gonna hang out with everyone for the day, but I can be back by dinner.”
“Don’t you want to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa?” Caden asked.
“Let him go, honey. We’ll catch up over dinner. Besides, I’m sure his friends are excited to see him.” His mother sliced a piece of bread and wrapped it in a napkin. “Here, Ev. Take this so you’re not hungry.”
“Thanks, Grandma. Okay, Dad?”
“Sure.” For a fleeting second, worry passed through Caden. He knew these boys, and he trusted Evan. Caden took his phone from his pocket and handed it to Evan. “Just call here if you need me. Be back by six, and behave.”
Evan rolled his eyes. “I know.”
Caden’s mother sliced the bread and brought it to the table.
“Sit down, honey. Would you like some tea?” she asked.
“Sure.” He wasn’t the least bit hungry.
His father scrubbed his face with his hand and leaned back in his chair with a loud sigh. “So, parenthood is getting dicey.” Steven had spent thirty years running the construction division of Eastern Pipeline, a company that ran underground piping for commercial buildings. He worked hours outside in the freezing cold and sweltering heat, and when Caden was growing up, he had no patience for laziness, procrastination, or disrespectful behavior. Laziness has no place in a father’s world, and one day you’ll be a father, so get off your butt and get working—on his homework, in the yard; what he was doing didn’t matter. It was the message that mattered, and not only had Caden heard it loud and clear, he’d lived by it.
“You could say dicey. I might use a different word.”
“Caden, is there anything else that’s happened since the break-in? Has Evan admitted to being involved in any of it?” His mother nibbled on a piece of bread, her thin brows knitted together.
“No. He came clean, and there haven’t been any new developments. He’s about a hundred times calmer since all this came out, and without his phone, he’s out of the loop from all that stuff. He also blocked the kids who were involved from his online activities.” Thank goodness.
“What did you hear about the other kids?” Steven asked.
“They admitted to what they did. All of it, and surprisingly, they didn’t try to implicate Evan. But they did admit that they thought if he helped them, I’d look the other way to protect him from getting in trouble with the law.”
His father crossed his thick arms over his chest and looked down his nose at Caden.
“Pop, I took Evan straight to the station once I heard everything he had to say. I wouldn’t have looked the other way.”
His father nodded. “Good, because kids don’t learn a thing if they’re not held accountable for their actions. But then again, I hope you didn’t come down on him too hard with this, because he did snitch, and that takes balls.”
“Steven,” Caden’s mother snapped.
“Sorry. That takes…Aw heck, Amber, that’s the only thing that fits.” His father covered his mother’s hand with his and squeezed.