Page 80 of Rent Free

Quincy rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

“How was your first night?” Hollis asked as Quincy disappeared inside.

“Good,” I answered. “Mostly. I was gone for the majority of it, but he seems to have done pretty well. Slept through the night as far as I can tell”

“Pee?” Forest asked.

I thought he wanted to touch the pink flowers, so I put him down to do that, and went back to looking at the camera just as Hollis started talking again.

“Slept through the night.” She laughed. “Gah, I wonder what that feels like?’

A stream of wetness hitting the dirt sounded, and I looked over to see Forest’s shorts and diaper down around his ankles.

“See, told you it was a good spot,” Quincy said as he came out with a bright pink sippy cup and the half-eaten bag of donuts.

He also had some suspicious white powder around his mouth that let me know he’d snuck a few before bringing the bag out.

“I’ll bring more,” I said. “I need to do a grocery run after this anyway.”

“Bring me something from Pie Hard and we’ll call it square,” he teased.

I didn’t bother denying him.

He and I both knew I’d be going by there one way or another.

After a tip of my hat, I handed the drink over to Forest, and waited until we were in the truck before I gave him the donuts.

“Do me a favor and try not to make a mess, buddy,” I called.

He tried.

I could tell he did.

But by the time we arrived at the police station, he was covered.

I could only laugh as I caught him up in my arms and headed inside with him.

“Who ya got there, Carter?”

I looked over at the receptionist, who was new enough that I couldn’t remember her name, and smiled, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “This is Forest.”

“Hi, Forest!” she started to stand, but I waved her off and headed for my dad’s office.

I heard my mother before I saw her and stopped just in time to keep her from barreling into me.

“That fu…” she trailed off when she saw Forest in my arms. “Well hello there, handsome.”

I rolled my eyes.

My mom was a hardass.

Until it came to her grandkids.

Around the station, Mom was known as The Wall.

Mom didn’t give. Didn’t break.

She was there, always standing, unbreakable.

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