Page 108 of The Guy in the Alley

She smiled. “You’re not only sharing a workload, sweetie. You’re sharing your dreams. You’re making them come true together. Our family is growing for the first time. I, for one, can’t wait to meet Trace’s parents. Or his ma, at least. I hear his old man is much like you two.”

I chuckled and dipped my chin. I’d only spent approximately an hour or two with Kell and Teresa, but they were good people. They’d flown in over a weekend just to adopt Pippen. And the way things had gone down had left no room for me to be a nervous wreck. They’d been understaffed at the bar, so I had left one job to start another. But zero complaints from me. Now that I was contributing everywhere and pulling my weight, the overtime meant both Trace and I could start saving. Every dollar counted.

We wanted those two weeks in Florida every year.

We wanted presents under the tree every Christmas.

We wanted everyone to get food at the soup kitchen.

We wanted date nights with beefs, hot dogs, and steak.

We wanted Alvin to continue making progress.

As if sensing I was thinking about him, Trace glanced over at me and smiled.

Alvin was clinging to his back, testing the waters. Literally.

I smiled back.

EPILOGUE

A YEAR LATER

Ben O’Cleary

By the time we made it back to Ma’s old place at four in the morning, Alvin was nonverbal and refused to let me go.

I held him to me as we walked up the stairs, and I dug my keys out.

“Don’t feel bad even for a second, son.” I pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “We’ll get there. Remember what Rose said—baby steps. And you’ve taken so many baby steps this year.”

He nodded jerkily but said nothing.

Honestly, at this point, I was sure he was mostly angry. He loved his room at our place, but his mind just wasn’t ready to spend the whole night there.

Trace and I had learned his new signs. When he got huffy and frustrated around midnight, his determination to stay was battling against old fears and anxiety. He wanted to move now. He spent every day with us. He had new routines he loved. More fucking fish. More social interactions. Then when darkness fell…

I unlocked the door and let him enter first.

The apartment was almost empty. We kept the couch in the living room. Most of the time, Alvin didn’t mind sleeping here alone. I’d hesitated about two months ago when Ma had moved permanently, and Alvin had been the one to remind me that he was actually nineteen. So fine. But when I worked nights and was on call anyway, I didn’t mind staying out here with him. Like tonight.

I’d cleared it with my boss, so it was all good.

Alvin wordlessly got ready for bed, and I promised I’d stay close.

Tonight wasn’t one of those nights he could be alone. He’d had a pretty bad anxiety attack toward the end, though we suspected that had more to do with our upcoming road trip to Florida.

Too many new things at once naturally came with a setback or two. We were prepared for that.

While Alvin brushed his teeth, I texted Trace.

Youre probably asleep but I wanted to say we made it. Ill see you in a few hours. Love you.

My shift was over in two hours, and I didn’t foresee anyone calling. Most calls came in between midnight and three AM.

I yawned and went into Alvin’s room. He didn’t have much left here either, except his bed and his computer.

I flicked on the light on his nightstand and folded down the covers. Then I cracked open the window. It was hot in here.

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