Page 22 of Scooter's Endgame
“Hey buddy, you okay?” I ask as quietly as I can so as not to freak him out any more than he already is.
He whips his head around in my direction, and he spots me sitting on the sofa. “Uncle Beckett,” he cries, rushing over to me.
He crawls up on the seat beside me, then into my lap, latching on tight. I can feel the child’s heart beating like a snare drum in his chest. “Hey now, it’s all right. You’re safe. I need you to calm your breathing for me, okay, bud?
He nods his head where it rests in the crook of my neck. “I was so scared when I woke up and it was dark. I called Mama, but she didn’t come. And then I couldn’t find her.” Luke’s voice hitches.
“You’re safe here. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you or your mama. She was tired so I sent her to get some sleep while I sat watch to make sure everything is okay.”
“Where did Mama go? I can’t find her.”
“She’s right down the hall, bud. Did you check her room?”
He shakes his head. “No, I don’t know where it is.”
His words are a testament to how out of it Luke is. The cottage may be spacious for what it is, but it isn’t big. Getting a secure grip on him, I get to my feet, easily lifting him with me. “Come on, let me show you where she is so you can see Mama’s okay. Yeah?”
Again, he simply nods. Without a sound, I open Kathleen’s bedroom door, praying she isn’t awake and weirded out by me letting myself in. Thankfully, she’s passed out, sleeping so hard she’s snoring softly.
The light from the short hallway illuminates the room enough to satisfy Luke that it’s his mother, and that she’s safe. I can feel a puff of air on my neck as he sighs. Closing the door, I return to the living room with Luke in my arms.
“Wanna watch a movie for a bit until you’re sleepy again?”
“Yes, please.”
“What do you want to watch? Anything in particular?”
“Can we please watch Charlie Brown?
I’m surprised at his choice. I mean,Ican remember watching it with my grandmother after my parents died and I went to live with her. It was our rainy weekend favorite pastime.
“Sure we can, but we’re going to have to keep it down so we don’t wake your mama. Deal?”
“Deal.” Giving me a grin that’s more like his usual self, Luke curls up at my side and rests his head on my thigh.
Yep, you can bet your last dollar I’m going to do my level best to make moments like this a regular thing in my life.
11
KATHLEEN
I come awake slowly, the room dark and still around me.
I lay listening for any sound beyond the bedroom door but can’t hear a single thing. Rolling over, I check my phone for the time and find I’ve slept for hours. I’m surprised Luke hasn’t been in to complain he’s hungry. At the thought, my own stomach grumbles.
Now that I think about it, we haven’t eaten since dinner last night. Makes the fact that Luke’s not been in even stranger. Getting up, I go take care of business, then go in search of my son. The sight that greets me as I come into the living room stops me in my tracks.
Warmth spreads through my chest at the sight of my sweet boy curled up on his side sleeping with his head on Beckett’s thigh. For his part, Beckett’s hand rests on Luke’s back, his head resting on the backrest of the sofa, fast asleep.
The TV is playing softly in the background, empty cereal bowls littering the coffee table. I have no idea where they found the cereal, but now I know why Luke didn’t come to wake me for food. It doesn’t really matter where it came from, I’m just grateful to the man for taking care of my boy while I slept.
With action, Beckett has shown me he’s a man of his word, and that he can be relied on. It’s a strange feeling, knowing that I can ask for help and he’d be willing to give it. I’ve never had that in my life; I could only ever rely on myself.
My mother lived in her own world of alcohol and gambling, never caring whether there was food or electricity at home for her young daughter. In fact, I’d go so far as to say she didn’t even remember I existed for large chunks of time. So I learned to take care of myself.
Beckett challenges all the things I believed to be true by showing me things can be different.
Leaving the two of them to sleep, I silently go about collecting their dishes and washing them in my beautiful new kitchen. Leaving them to drain, I take a seat at the kitchen counter to browse options for food. I’m starving, and I’m sure the guys will be when they eventually wake up. Deciding to splurge, I place a takeout order for delivery.
