Page 49 of Keepsake

I did like I was told, relaxing my hand over his arm but still holding on to him. I knew my eyes were full of tears. I just couldn’t help it.

This was huge.

“How was the appointment?” he asked, opening his palm to me, giving me the truck.

“It was ok. She says he’s developing well.”

“That’s good news.”

I nodded, taking the truck. Both of them watched me as I took it in my palm, uncertain of what to do.

I didn’t like rejection, even if it was by a three-year-old. I wanted him to like me, I desperately did.

“I can do the truck’s noise for you,” Alvaro offered.

I turned to him with a smile. What a goofy thing to say. But he did it.

“Vroom, vroom…” he said, like warming up the car.

I bit back a laugh and put the truck on the floor. Alvaro kept going with the soundtrack as I moved to Lachlan’s little toes, bumping into his foot a little. As I made a pass over his foot, Alvaro screeched.

“What’s that?” I wanted to know.

“You’re going off-road.” He bumped his elbow into me. “Keep going.”

I chuckled and moved to pass over Lachlan’s foot, my eyes on him when he opened the smallest of the smiles.

I gasped again, my hand letting go of the truck.

“You’re the worst at this game,” Alvaro complained.

Tsking, he took over, now running over the other foot and then Lachlan’s leg. The boy giggled more, and I watched with one hand shaking over my chest.

“Now, come on, I bet you need a bath,” Alvaro said to Lachlan.

The boy didn’t complain when his uncle took him in his arms and stood up. I was frozen in place, my hand holding to my heart before it escaped.

I was still lost in thought when I heard the sigh over my head. “You did good today.”

And it was so fast, I almost missed it. But before he left with Lachlan, he kissed my hair.

Throwingthebudgetonthe table, I pinched my nose with a heavy sigh. “I liked it better when I wasn’t the boss.”

“They have money,” Dustin argued, putting his feet on top of the table and reclining. “Electrical damage takes a toll. They know the drill.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved my hand away.

He was right on both accounts. It didn’t matter how much the renovations cost, we were talking about people with deep pockets here. Cost didn’t matter to them. Time, on the other hand, did.

“Hate dealing with bullshit,” I said. “Being out there is easier.” I nodded to the workers milling around and doing their jobs while we stayed inside an improvised office dealing with documents and unhappy clients that knew nothing about what made an old building like this up to code.

“Knock- knock?”

My eyes flew from Dustin to the doorless space and found Logan there. She was wearing skintight leggings, a t-shirt, a jacket, and a hardhat.

She never looked so casual.

The changes were noticeable now. At first she was dressing like she was going to the office every day, even if picking up after Lachlan was all she did. Now she wore leggings. Her hair wasn’t so tight to her skull.

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