Page 36 of My Darling Mayhem

I could hear Cruz talking from the hall, going on and on about his latest car track, which he used to launch his Hot Wheels. I knew what was about to come next.

Suddenly, there was a thumping sound, and Cruz ran into the living room, his arms overloaded with orange tracks.

“We’re going to build a racecar track, Mom! Archer said he used to play with these when he was a kid.”

Archer moved around Cruz, helping him take the tracks and link them together. The room filled with the sounds of cars flying down the tracks and my son laughing so hard that he nearly fell backward. An uninhibited smile stretched across my face, and I looked over and saw one on Archer’s face, too. Cruz’s laugh was infectious; any time he giggled, it was like a dopamine hit.

I let them play for another ten minutes while I made Cruz’s lunch for tomorrow, and then I moved to the chair across from where they were playing.

“Cruz, it’s time for you to brush your teeth.” He’d already bathed right after dinner, so he only had one step left. I usually read him a bedtime story, but we’d done that too when I needed a distraction from Archer finally returning.

Cruz ignored me, pushing his car along the track before finally sighing and looking up at Archer. “How come Kane doesn’t live with you? Is it because he’s at your mom and dad’s?”

Archer slowly moved, collecting little toy cars. “Kane lives with a family right now…they’re helping until he can live with me permanently.”

Cruz tilted his head. “Why doesn’t he go live with his mom and dad?”

“Well, it’s like you…how you live with your mom. Kane’s mom passed away shortly after he was born.”

I felt like my breathing was too loud. One wrong move, and he’d stop sharing free little details about his life.

“So his dad is bad like mine?”

Archer gave my son a soft smile. “Kane and I share the same dad…and he’s bad. It’s important to me that Kane doesn’t go live with him. I want to keep him safe and ensure no one ever hurts him.”

With another sigh, Cruz dumped his cars into a little plastic tub he kept in the living room. “You’re a good dad.”

Archer winced as if someone had just splashed water on his face. His lashes fluttered as he cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his neck. “Just a decent big brother.”

“But you’d make a good dad too. I bet Kane thinks so.”

I moved to help intervene and stop the flow of conversation, especially because Archer’s jaw was tense, like he’d just been asked to chew on a pile of rocks. My son had struck a chord somewhere in him, and part of me wanted to let him sit with whatever it was because parenting did that to you. It was like a splash of cold water in the face all the time, and kids were blunt.

“Okay, bedtime. Say goodnight to Archer.”

I expected Cruz to wave, but he walked forward and threw his arms around Archer’s neck, clinging to him tightly. “Thank you for playing with me.”

Archer raised his hand to Cruz’s back and patted while glancing at me.

My breath had seemingly got trapped in my lungs, so I turned around and cleared my throat.

“Come on, buddy.”

“I’ll just head home and see you tomorrow, Wren.” Archer stood behind me while Cruz darted around me and grabbed my hand.

I should have said goodbye or said I’d see him later, but instead, I peeked over my shoulder. “I actually need to talk to you about the fence if you wouldn’t mind waiting.”

Walking toward Cruz’s bedroom, I ignored the beating in my chest as well as whatever expression Archer might have had on his face.

TEN

WREN

It didn’t matterthat my neighbor was sitting in my living room, waiting for me to return.

At least, that’s what I kept saying to myself repeatedly after kissing Cruz’s forehead while putting him to bed. I had crept down the hall on my tiptoes to see if Archer was still there. He was standing in front of my fridge, inspecting all the postcards that littered the surface.

Slinking back toward my room, I quickly tugged my oversized cardigan off and threw it on the chair in the corner of my room. I wore a thin tank top with spaghetti straps, showing my tan shoulders and white bra. My gaze slid over to my closet.

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