I’d lose my mind if I had to prepare for Archer Evans to walk through my front door for another thirty minutes.
So what if my house wasn’t cute and perfectly decorated or brand new? The trim I’d painted white a couple years ago was chipped and dusty because who the hell had time to scrub baseboards on a regular basis?
There were marks on the wall next to the kitchen table where Gavin tapped his pencil when he was doing his homework. Last week, I’d toldhim he needed to wash them off, but as soon as we had one conversation about it, it was forgotten.
The couch—a hand-me-down leather sectional from the neighbors across the street—was new to us but still worn on the arms, and the recliner end that faced the TV had a few small cracks from sitting in the sun underneath their front window for ten years.
My hands were trembling as I tried to wrench my hair into submission. How stupid this was. He was just a man. It didn’t matter that he made more money than I could ever comprehend in my entire lifetime or had the body of a god—he was still just a man.
I blew out a short breath. A man who’d made mistakes. He had flaws. And if he walked into our house and saidanythingabout the size or the decor, I’d have no choice but to punch him in the balls.
I rolled my hand into a fist and tried to imagine it. No, no punching. The angle was wrong.
Leaning in the corner next to the couch was Gavin’s bat.
That would work.
I groaned, wiping a hand over my mouth.
God, did I have time to scrub the baseboards before he got there?
“You’ve got those crazy eyes,” Gavin said, gesturing at my face with a dubious expression. “Who is this new babysitter again?”
My legs went a little rubbery, and I managed to sink onto the corner of the couch. “About that ...”
The slow, intentional words caught his attention. “Mom?”
“Why don’t you take a seat, bud.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“No. I promise.” His little face was still pinched with worry, and I forced a smile. “So, I’m not exactly sure who your babysitter is, but I know who’s bringing her over.”
His eyes widened. “You’re leaving me with a stranger? What if they’re mean? Or ... even worse, irresponsible!”
My smile spread. “Is that worse than being mean?”
“You tell me—you’re the one leaving your kid with someone you don’t know.”
I ruffled his hair. “You’re right, irresponsible would be bad. But that’s not what this is about.”
“Okay. Who’s dropping her off?”
When had I swallowed a cup of sand? I tried to clear my throat, but my voice came out all raspy. “Remember when you saw a picture of the shelter in that article about Archer Evans’s car accident?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he’s been volunteering at the shelter because the judge told him he has to do that in order to make amends for what happened.”
Gavin’s mouth fell open. “Youmethim?”
I nodded.
Color crept up his freckled cheeks, his eyes flickering while he waffled between excitement and awe and confusion. “What’s ... what’s he like?”
There it was. The reason why I hadn’t told him.
Shining in his eyes was hope.