I laughed as she drew a long breath after that little speech. “It’s nice to see you again too, Sarah. I told you we would get here as soon as Maria was well enough to travel, and here we are.”
She danced away from me, shouting, “Maria, look, they have puppies. Momma Rosy had them the day we got here, and they opened their eyes today, and we get to hold them soon.” She took Maria’s hand and dragged her over to a box sitting on the front stoop.
Maria oohed and ahhed over the puppies while keeping Petey from climbing into the box. He stumbled and fell over, and Momma Rosy attacked, licking his face as he tried to cover up. Her tail was wagging, and her belly dragged from just giving birth to those puppies, but she was delighted to have Petey under her tongue. He giggled and laughed trying to push her off so he could get up. Sarah took pity on him and went to help him get up. His hair was standing up, and he had dirty smudges all over his back and butt, but the smile on his face was priceless.
Mike Hughes, the foster father, came out of the house and picked Petey up, setting him on the top step of the porch. “Go find Tamara and tell her Maria is here, please, Petey.”
“Ok, Mike.” He scrambled up. Going to the screen door, he pulled it open, and you could hear his feet thumping down the hallway. The screen door slammed behind him as he yelled for Tamara.
Sarah stepped forward and shook Mike’s hand. I walked over to Maria and guided her over to the men.
“Maria, this is Mr. Hughes.”
“Mike, please,” he said. Crouching down in front of her, he offered her his hand. “Hi, Maria, I’ve heard a lot about you from Sarah and Petey. They sure have missed you.”
She looked at his hand but didn’t move to take it. Sticking her chin out, she put both hands on her hips and challenged him. “If you hurt Sarah or Petey, I will fight you. They are just little kids, and they make mistakes, so you got to take it out on someone, I’m right here.” She stuck her hip out like she had done to me that day at the fair. Her lower lip was trembling, and she braced herself to receive a blow.
Mike waited patiently for her to look at him before he said, “We don’t solve problems here by hitting. We do have rules, and we expect you to be kind to each other. We discuss what behavior is wrong and also the best way to correct it. Then we can talk about a punishment such as no TV or extra chores. Do you understand, Maria?”
“He’s right, Maria,” Sarah said from behind Mike. “Since we been here, no one has hit us or pinched us either.”
The little girl seemed to be thinking it over before she said, “If Sarah says you are telling the truth then I’ll believe her. But I will protect them if you decide to change the rules.”
I bit back a smile at how fierce she looked defending her family, and I could see Mike was fighting it too. Tamara had come out on the porch with Petey, and she had caught the tail end of the conversation.
“The rules are simple, Maria: violence of any kind is not allowed, and we decide punishments together as a family. You and Sarah will be sharing a room while you’re here with us, and Petey will be right across the hall.”
Tamara looked at us. “I just made some potato salad this morning, and Mike was going to fire up the grill for some hotdogs, so please join us for lunch.”
I looked at Sonny, and he nodded his head in agreement, so I followed Tamara into the house. After lunch, we sat on the porch with dessert, watching the kids play on the lawn.
I started to gather up the dishes, but Tamara stopped me. “Please, I’ll do that; you say your goodbyes to the children.”
“Thank you for letting us stay for lunch, it was nice to meet you,” I said.
She acknowledged me with a smile and said, “You’re welcome.”
I went down the steps to Sarah and Petey, who each hugged me. Maria hung back, and I knew she was still afraid to trust the Hugheses. Squatting down in front of her, I took her hand and put a small phone in it.
“I talked to Mike and Tamara, and I asked them if it was ok to give you this. There is no texting or internet, but if you need us for anything all you have to do is call.”
She looked at the phone and then at me, and before I could move, she launched herself at me, and we went rolling on the grass.
Petey must have thought we were playing because he jumped in and with a shriek of laughter Sarah piled on. I couldn’t help it, I laughed and hugged and tickled them ‘til we all just laid back on the grass, gasping for breath and holding hands. A shadow blocked out my view of the sun, and Sonny’s face came into focus.
“I don’t know which one is supposed to be the child and which one is supposed to be the adult,” he said, offering me a hand up. With ease, he lifted me to my feet and wrapped an arm around my waist.
Sarah ran up to Sonny and opened her arms for a hug, and I nudged him to accept it. He let go of me and scooped the child into his arms, holding her above his head as she laughed. He lowered her down, and she wrapped her skinny arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He clumsily patted her back and set her down.
Petey was next; he grabbed Sonny around the leg and squeezed, then let go and went to Sarah, who put her arm around his shoulder.
Maria didn’t approach him; she was looking down, scuffing the toe of her sneaker in the dirt. She was gripping the phone I’d given her tightly in one hand and had shoved the other in her pocket. When Sonny crouched down in front of her, she looked up, squared her shoulders, and said, “I haven’t done so great a job looking after them, but I promise no one’s gonna hurt them while I’m around.”
Sonny replied, “I think you’ve done an excellent job watching out for those two. You made sure they had food and clothes and kept Momma from being mean to them, and that’s why I can leave today knowing they have you to take care of them ‘til we can make a permanent home for the three of you.”
“All of us?” she asked.
“Yes, Maria, all of you. Where one of you goes, all of you go, ‘til you’re old enough to go to college.”
She smiled and held out her hand. He took it, and she shook and said, “Deal!” Then, she moved over and stood on the other side of Petey, putting her arm around his shoulder too.
The last thing I saw as we drove off was the three of them standing together in the yard. I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture then settled in for the trip home.
Twenty-Three
I turned the radio on to a country station, and it played softly in the cab of the truck.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but there is no fucking way those kids are getting split up. I just hope I don’t screw them up more than they already are.”
“All those kids want is a place to feel safe. Momma and her crew were constantly moving, and nothing was permanent. They never knew from day to day where they would be. Add in the mental and physical abuse, and it’s a wonder they trust us as much as they do, Sonny.”
“When I talked to Andy, the club’s attorney, he told me if the DNA comes back a match and we can prove that Kelsey is dead, I shouldn’t have a problem getting custody of Petey. I haven’t had the time to research any of the things we took from Momma’s house or even look at the flash drive I found.”
“Has Andy found out anything about Father John at St. Joseph’s orphanage?” she asked.
“He sent the PI up there the day after I got the intel. He’s been searching records and talking to sources who might have known Kelsey. He’s supposed to check in tomorrow, so I’m thinking we should have some answers pretty fucking soon.”
She laughed, “I’m going to get a swear jar started at the house. You’ve got to stop dropping F-bombs around the kids. With the way you curse, you should have one of their college tuitions paid for within a year or two.”
“Damn, see what I mean? I’m going to make them worse. They will start school and be swearing like sai
lors. Shit, I’m fucked.”
She reached over and took my hand, lacing our fingers together. “Listen up, tough guy. If you go into this with an attitude like that, they will pick up on it, and it will color the way they interact with you. You’re the alpha in this pack, and they are the betas, although Sarah could be an omega. Regardless, they take the cue from you, and as the alpha you have control. You have to show them you mean business and they will fall in line. Mike Hughes did that today, very calmly, and Maria fed right into it.”
“We did the same thing in the service, basically. There is a hierarchy, and everyone adheres to it. I can work with that.”
She smiled. “I have no doubt, Sonny. There will be good days and bad days, but I know you can get through this. You just have to remember you’re not alone. All of us will help in any way we can.”
“I know it’s going to be a challenge. I don’t know a damn thing about little boys, even less about girls. What if I fuck up and make it worse for them? What the hell was I thinking, thinking I could do this?”
“Calm down, Sonny. Pulling your hair out isn’t going to help. There isn’t a parent in the world that hasn’t had misgivings about guiding a child to adulthood. But at the very, very least, these three will have that parent. They won’t be passed from home to home ‘til they age out of the system and then try to make a go of life on their own. You can do this, Sonny!”
We turned off the highway and into Gia’s development. I pulled the truck into the driveway and shifted into park. Breech and Jiji were sitting on the porch with coffee cups. Gia dropped down in a chair next to Jiji, and I straddled a hardback next to Breech.
Jiji asked, “Do either of you want coffee? The pot’s fresh.”
Gia jumped up. “I’ll get it.”
Breech held up his cup. “Can you heat this, please, Gia?”
She took the cup as she passed him. “What about you, Jiji?”
“No, this is fine, thanks, Gia.” She disappeared inside with Breech’s mug, and I heard her footsteps moving away.
Breech snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Sonny.”
“What the fuck, Breech?”
“I was talking, and you were too busy drooling over your girl’s ass to listen. We started going through the stuff we found at the house. Nothing really popped yet, but we’re still digging. Father John has been reassigned, and we’re still trying to track him down. Mother Superior was able to tell us that a woman named Kelsey Simmons surrendered a boy she called Petey to the orphanage. She said she had no contact with the boy’s father and produced paperwork that said she had sole custody. Once she left him there, she never returned.”
“You were able to track her to when she left Petey, but what about afterward? Do you know where she went or what happened to her? Sarah said that Father John said she was dead.”
Gia had returned and set a mug of coffee in front of me. I gave her waist a squeeze, and she bumped me with her hip but continued to hand Breech his mug, then joined Jiji in the swing with her own cup.
“Nah, man, she was definitely alive after she left Petey. From the intel we got, she and her boyfriend and another couple lived in a trailer for a while. I think they were cooking meth and when it got too hot in the area, they packed up and moved on. Our guy tracked them to the Carolinas, and then they went north for a few months. Once they sold their product, they headed west and wound up in Texas. That’s when she got sick, and the other three kicked her to the curb. She died in a hospital outside Galveston from sepsis. I’m sorry, man.”
“Don’t be, Breech. I was nothing to her but a pit stop on her way to her next fix. She tried to clean up when she got pregnant, but she just couldn’t handle life, and she chose to live it in a fog. I still can’t figure out why she took him with her. She was not a maternal person, and I can’t figure out her angle for taking him.”
“I don’t know, man, once we got confirmation of her death and obtained a copy of the death certificate we dropped that part of the investigation and went back to trying to locate Momma and her crew. Dukes thinks she’s probably replaced the kids by now and that could be the way we find her,” Breech finished.
Jiji snorted when Breech mentioned Momma. “That woman deserves to be bitch slapped, and I hope I’m around to see it happen.”
Gia laughed, “Get in line, girlfriend. Since the boys won’t hit a woman, that leaves us to make sure she gets what’s coming to her.”
“Bloodthirsty wenches,” Breech commented.
“I haven’t had a chance to crack that flash drive I found. I’ll get on it in the morning and see if it has anything worth investigating on it,” I informed them.
“When Lani and I went to the Hugheses’ yesterday, the kids were so excited that Maria was coming home today,” Jiji stated.
“You should have seen her, Jiji,” Gia said. “She was so fierce standing up to Mike. She told him, ‘I’m watching you, and if you hurt them, you have to deal with me.’”
“Those kids have seen a lot for how young they are, but they have also forged a bond that will never be broken. I absolutely think they should stay together as a unit, and I think Sonny can handle it,” Jiji said.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jiji—and if you repeat this, either of you, I will kick your ass and deny it to my last breath—but I’m scared shitless that I’m going to fuck it up for them. What the hell do I know about being a parent or how to take care of children? Not a fucking thing and these kids deserve someone who does.” I got up and started pacing. “What the fuck was I thinking?”
Breech shifted in his chair so he could watch me while I paced. “Listen, bro, if you could command men in battle and make them respect you, you can make a home for those kids. It’s the same principle, just with little people.”
“Says the man with no kids,” I retorted.
He smiled wide. “Nope, just an ornery cat and my girl. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have faith that you, my man, can do this.”
“You just have to have the last word, don’t you, bro?”
“Yup, so suck it up, and let’s go inside and watch a movie.”
Twenty-Four
Cuddled against Sonny watching the movie, I passed the popcorn bucket to Jiji. The guys had, of course, chosen the latest Vin Diesel movie, so Jiji and I made ourselves comfortable while cars revved and stuff blew up.
When the movie ended, I helped Jiji clean up then went outside to where Sonny was sitting on the porch. He pulled me down into his lap, and we sat for a while in silence. He was rubbing my back absently, obviously deep in thought. His fingers tangled in my hair and he tilted my head back. He started kissing my neck, his lips traveling up from my ear across my cheek ‘til his found my mouth. He nibbled on my bottom lip ‘til I opened for him and his tongue plundered my mouth. By the time he stopped, we were both breathing hard, and his cock was hard as stone against my bottom.
I giggled. “So since you’re going to be a dad soon, we have to get used to make-out sessions where the kids can’t see.” I felt him smile against my hair.
“Um, that would be a no. The bedroom is a no-fly zone. The kids will have their own room and mine is off-limits. Period.”
I had to laugh; I couldn’t help it, he looked so put-out. “There will be some adjustments you will have to make, but it will work out, you just have to give it time.”
“How did you get so wise, babe?” he asked.
“I’m not wise, just life experiences. I’ve lived in a bunch of different homes growing up in the foster system, and I know what it’s like to be those kids.”
He stood with me in his arms and walked to the steps of the porch. He walked down then turned and put me on my feet on the top stair so I was level with his face. Pulling me forward, he kissed me before breaking off and looking into my eyes.
“I’m going to need your help, and I know I’m asking a lot since we have only been dating a few weeks.”
“No worries, Sonny; even if we broke up tomorrow, I would still be here for those kids and you.”
“Babe, I didn’t get to tell you today, but Dana has decided not to leave. The two of you work so well together I was hoping you would both want to continue that.”
I smiled. “That’s great news, Sonny! I’d love that. She’s a dream to work with, and I was really worried about being able to do it all myself once she left.”
He was stroking his beard, so I knew he wasn’t done. “Dana told me the reason she was leaving was to help her daughter take care of her two grandchildren. I found out that her son-in-law died and her daughter is now a widow. She was a stay-at-home mom and can’t make it without her husband’s salary.”
“Holy shit, Sonny, that’s crazy. So now what? Why is she staying and not going to help her daughter?”
“Because her daughter Stella has decided to come here instead. I offered her a job as my housekeeper.”
A slow smile spread across my face. “See, I knew it; I knew you would figure it out. That’s a wonderful idea. If she’s anything like Dana, the kids will love her, and it helps you take care of all the things you don’t know how to do, like cook and clean.”
“I need your help, Gia. I found a house and want you to take a look at it with me. It’s big enough for all of us and close enough to town for the kids to get to school. It even has a converted garage that they turned into an apartment, so Dana’s daughter and her kids have a place to stay.”
“It sounds perfect, Sonny; of course I’ll take a look at it with you. When do you want to go?”
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