“This is surreal,” I mutter, glancing over at Hollis, who’s sitting on the bench beside me.
He flashes me a cheesy grin. “Right?”
Sebban and Zella both giggle as they chase each other around the park. There are other kids, but ours are the loudest.
“I can’t wait until they let me keep her all the time.” I can’t wipe the smile off my face. “She’s so damn adorable and sweet.”
“Sebban will like having a kid who’s close to his age to play with.” He checks his phone for the twentieth time since we sat down.
“Waiting on a call?”
He sighs heavily. “Yeah. Roan.”
I don’t probe him and just enjoy watching our kids play.
“Roan thinks you’re fucking my sister,” Hollis blurts out, his tone cooling.
Snapping my head his way, I frown. “I’m not fucking Penny.”
“Hmph.”
“But if I was, it’d be her choice, not yours.”
His jaw clenches. “She’s still a kid.”
“Penny is more mature than both of us combined,” I grumble. “And I haven’t had sex with her.”
“You admit, though, to seeing her?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, man. She’s my girl.”
“Penny’s not some girl you can fuck around with. She’s not wired like everyone else.” He frowns, rubbing at the back of his neck. “When she was little, my parents thought she was autistic.”
I perk up, eager for any peek into her past. “How so?”
“She just had certain quirks. Sounds bothered her. New people bothered her. Changes in routine bothered her. She was socially behind Char and me, along with everyone her own age.”
“Now?”
“Penny’s intelligent. She adapts well. I think it’s a self-preservation thing. The girl still says inappropriate things all the time, but I think that’s just part of her personality. When she thinks she’s being cornered, it’s like she does and says exactly what she thinks is required of her, not necessarily what comes natural.” He smiles and waves at Sebban, who’s trying to get his attention as he goes down the slide. “My point is, Penny is different. She doesn’t need someone to fuck around with her and then leave. I don’t think she’s wired for a casual relationship. My sister is loyal to a fault. Doesn’t see things in gray. Just black or white. So if she thinks you’re together, then you are. If you’re in it for a piece of ass and will drop her when you get bored…”
“I won’t,” I tell him with a fierce growl. “I know Penny is special. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. I’m drawn to her. I want to hold and protect her—to uncover the parts of her she keeps hidden from everyone. I’d never hurt her. I’ll admit, I’m out of my depth with her. She clams up and withdraws, which can be maddening at times, but I know for a girl like her, I have to put in the hard work because the rewards will be that much sweeter.” I chuckle. “Like her smile or her laugh. Do you know how fucking hard that is to earn?”
“It’s my duty to whip your ass if you hurt her,” he says, barely containing his grin, “but we both know Penny can hold her own.”
“Penny doesn’t need a hero,” I agree. “She’s armed with a sharp tongue and more sass than I’ll ever know what to do with.”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “Keep her safe.”
“I will,” I vow.
After our talk, the air isn’t so tense. Hollis’s phone buzzes. As soon as he reads the text, he leaps from the bench, hollering in excitement.
“What is it?” I arch a brow at him.
He plops back down, flashing me the cheesiest grin filled with hope and excitement. “We didn’t want to tell anyone until we knew for sure because we didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up.” He laughs, shaking his head as though he can’t believe it. “We’re going to have a baby.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “What?”
He sobers up some, his blue eyes seeming distant, reminding me so much of his sister. “You remember Wes?”
“You can’t exactly forget a pervert like that.” I grit my teeth. “I hope he enjoys prison. They don’t take well to pedos like him.”
“He knocked up a girl named Leslie late last spring. She’s a sophomore now. After seeing a counselor, she made the decision with her parents to give the baby up for adoption. I only found this out because one of the other responders I work with is friends with Leslie’s mom. Anyway, she got us in touch with the family. Leslie is in no way prepared to be a mother and is suffering from the psychological effects of what happened with Wes. She thinks the baby will do better with parents who are capable of taking care of the child.”
“What about Wes? Does he get rights?”
“He could probably fight it, though hard to do in prison. But, lucky for us, he signed away his rights because he’s apparently in denial the baby is his.” Hollis sighs. “For weeks we’ve been waiting on this paperwork. Just in time, too. She’ll pop that baby out next month if she goes that far.”
I scrub my palm over my face. “Wow. Wes’s baby, huh?”
“Roan’s and my baby,” he corrects. “The baby will be ours.”
“Right on,” I say with a nod. “Congrats, man. This is exciting. You’re outgrowing that garage apartment, though.”
He smirks. “We looked at three different houses this week. Roan wanted the fixer-upper because it’s bigger, but with us having small children, that might not be the best idea.”
“I’m sure Jace would be glad to help his son out. He works for that construction company now.” I shrug. “Just an idea.”
“One that Roan is warming to,” Hollis admits with a chuckle. “He really wants that house. It might be what he and his dad need to finally patch things up between them.”
“Whatever you guys decide on, it’ll be great. I’m proud of you two. Grown-ups and shit. Who would have predicted we’d be here?”
“Certainly not me,” he says with a groan. “You guys were such assholes to me.” He smirks. “And because of me, most of you Hoodlums are finding love.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I tease, playfully punching his arm. “You ready to get these kids high on sugar?”
“It’s what daddies do.” He laughs and then hollers at the kids. “Who wants ice cream?”
Those squeals of delight will never get old.
And pretty soon, we’ll have more to add to the bunch.
Penny
“You sure this is it?” Jace asks, peering through the windshield at the nice two-story home.
“God,” I groan. “You’re so fucking old. You act like you’ve never heard of the internet, pet.”
“I’m just sayin’ if we’re going to be rolling up on some dude in the suburbs, it better be his damn house. I don’t need a neighborhood watch granny calling the cops on us and it be wasted on the wrong house.”
“You’re grumpy.” I turn and lift a brow at him. “You can sit in the car if you want.”