Avery nodded, and I stood up. When I walked by her toward the older man’s office, Avery surprised me by reaching out and taking my hand.
“I meant it, Carter.” I looked down into grateful eyes. “I really am grateful you came.”
“Avery.” I bent in half and kissed her wrist gently. “I would go through Hell for you if you needed me to. I might be a jackass and say the wrong thing, but I’m always going to be here for you.”
Her eyes flashed, and I couldn’t quite figure out what the emotion was before it vanished. “You can take me out to dinner, but you better make it good. I like steak and ice cream.” I was already nodding in agreement, and then she opened her mouth and made my fuckin’ day. “And back rubs. You’ll have to give me back rubs, too.”
Even in the middle of the devastating day we were both about to share, Avery made it better without trying.
When I left the principal’s office ten minutes later, she had vanished, which was probably for the best. Both Ciara and her mother were bawling their eyes out, and Ciara was headed home no doubt for cuddles with her mom.
“Thank you,” Ciara stopped in front of me to stay. “For listening to me and making me feel like an adult.”
Her mother, Sarah Moore, sobbed behind her and then guided her away with a hand on her shoulder. Only turning back to say, “I’ll call you if she tells me anything else.”
I nodded, and they walked out the door.
“This is going to be one giant clusterfuck.” Mr. Jameson, the principal, said from my side. “Lucas Zucker’s a good kid, but his mother ... is a piece of work. She has been ever since the day she hit puberty.”
I snorted in response. If anyone knew the history of all the residents in Birch, it was him. He’d taught more than half of us, and he’d been principal for the last fifteen years at least.
“Bria Keller is going to take his case,” I told him. “She’ll make sure he’s taken care of.”
Mr. Jameson crossed his arms over his chest. “You must not know Avery James as well as you think you do. She was already on the phone with the head of the Department of Health and Human Services before you got here, getting emergency approval to house him.”
I had nothing, absolutely nothing to say to that. Avery wouldn’t have a clue how to take care of a sixth grader. At least, not one who’d been abused and treated like he had. She wouldn’t know how to deal with that anxiety, or stress, or the late nights.
“Shit,” I muttered. While we stood there waiting, my mind went back to California. To the reason I’d left for college in the first place. “That sounds like the Avery I know, alright.”
Avery James, even a freshman in high school, was a force to be reckoned with. Her pull was so strong that when I got offered a scholarship to USC to play football with LJ, I took it.
Her list of rules, the same ones I lived my life by now, were the reason I was still alive. If I’d only been able to force LJ to follow them too, he might be alive. Those rules—they kept me safe, and the least I could do for Avery would be to pay it back.
Knowing her and her rules, there was no doubt in my mind that she’d do it or try, at least. Becoming a foster parent wasn’t easy. I already had my phone out and in my hand to call when Avery came back into the office, with Lucas at her side. I put it away before I could dial.
Lucas, with wide eyes and an unconscious flinch in his step, stepped into the room as though he were about to endure torture.
Fuck.
Avery wouldn’t let that boy go to anyone else. Hell, I took one look at him and even I wanted to wrap him in a fucking blanket and keep him safe.
“You’re not in any trouble Lucas,” her soft voice filled the air. “Why don’t you go take a seat in Mr. Jameson’s office and we’ll be right there.”
With a frightened nod, Lucas scurried away like his ass was on fire.
“He reminds me of my son,” Mr. Jameson piped up. “Minus the fear of every adult in his life, of course. But those eyes ... So young and yet, so old at the same time.” He sighed deeply. “Bria’s here. We should get this underway.”
He walked into his office, but I held back, and I reached out to stop Avery from going in just yet. Bria walked in, a massive bag on her shoulder, and a worried look on her face.
“Are we sure?” She looked at both me and Avery, and shook her head. “God, I could just kill Karen Zucker.” Bria hugged Avery. “My boss said you’re gonna try to get approval for emergency licensing. It’s a process, Avery. Especially for a single woman.”
“I know,” she stubbornly said. “It’ll happen.”
“Actually,” I interrupted them, drawing both women’s attention. “I’m already certified as a foster parent. It’s one of the things I did in California and applied for here, just in case. Give your boss a call and give them my information. He can be placed with me.”
Bria nodded, pulling out her own notebook to take my information.
“You’re sure?” Avery stared up at me with stars in her eyes.
“Yeah.”
After meeting with Lucas, and hearing exactly what his mother did to him. Both Bria and I agreed that he couldn’t go home to her. Instead, he’d spend one night with social services while the paperwork got arranged.
“Lucas,” I held his hand back after Bria stepped out of the office. “I need to have a few words with you, if you’re okay with that.”
Not once, during the entire meeting, had the boy cried. He hadn’t processed exactly what was going to happen. At least, not yet.
“Tonight, or tomorrow morning. Maybe even tomorrow night, what’s happening here is going to hit you. And it’s going to hurt.” I sat down on the floor with him and he slid down with his back against the wall. “It’s going to burn so bad that you want to hurt everything and everyone around you. But I’d like it if you were staying with me when it happened.”
His eyes widened, and he didn’t say anything for a long minute.
“You’re the cop that came to Miss James’ class last week and made her blush.” He stared at me, hard. I didn’t know what to say to that. I had expected questions about how I knew, or why I would want him to stay with me.
“Yes,” I told him. “I am.”
Lucas eyed me up and down before nodding sharply. “Okay.”
“Just like that,” I laughed lightly, trying to make him smile. Although I knew he might not smile again for a long time. “You’re fine with it, because I made her blush.”
“You love her. And if you’re smart enough to love her, like I do, then you’re smart enough to know what you’re talking about.”
I didn’t bother correcting him. I didn’t love Avery, but if the kid thought I did, then he wouldn’t fight staying with me and that made my life a lot easier.
“I’m going to have Miss Keller get your things from your house, okay?”
Lucas leaned over to my shoulder and lowered his voice. “Actually, her name’s Mrs. Malone, Officer Malone. I overheard Nurse Keller and Miss James talking about it one day. She didn’t ever divorce your brother.”
I knew that. I just didn’t think anyone else did.