Page 107 of Can't Get Over You
“Yeah, of course.” Jude handed the phone to the boy.
“Is he still bleeding?” Cody asked. “Is he dead?”
“No, he’s not. He’s sleeping. Come on. I’ll show you.” Wyatt flipped the camera around and showed the rows of metal kennels at his rehab center. “See this guy? That’s a rabbit.”
“What happened to him?” Cody asked.
“He got into a fight with a cat, but he’s okay. See him nibbling those carrots?”
Cody nodded.
“And this guy?” Wyatt moved along. “That’s a cougar. He got sick.”
“Is he going to die?”
“Nope. We got him all fixed up. He should be going home in a few days.”
Jude had heard about that. Someone had poisoned the mountain lion.Glad he’s okay.
“And this is the coyote.” The animal was pacing in its small cage. “See that? He’s fine.”
“He’s not bleeding.”
“No, he’s not. He’s healthy and strong. We’ll release him as soon as his tongue’s healed.” The camera flipped back around. “I didn’t know you’d overheard my conversation, or I would’ve explained the situation. I’m sorry about that. Now, we’ve got to be at the park at seven in the morning. We should all get some sleep.”
Cody nodded, rubbing his eyes. “Good night, Uncle Wyatt.”
“‘Night, bud.”
Hearing Cody call his dad “Grampa” and his brothers “Uncle” really got to him. Maybe it was the idea of bringing this lost, lonely boy into his family. Giving him stability he’d never had.
In his mind’s eye, he could see the five of them in a circle, arms around each other, the boy in the center. Protected. Safe.
Loved.
And it made him think about what Finlay said about six-year-old Jude. Maybe, in some way, he was healing himself through Cody.
After the call disconnected, Jude got up, ready to put the boy to bed. He smiled when Finlay breezed into the living room, looking fresh and pretty, not giving away a hint she’d just been railed in the hallway of his dad’s bar.
She handed Cody a tumbler. “Here’s some warm milk. It’ll help you get to sleep.”
The boy just stared at her for a moment. “You look pretty.”
“Well, thank you.” She pressed a kiss to the boy’s cheek. “That’s a very nice thing to hear.”
And right then, with Cody sandwiched between them, he got it. A magical Christmas wasn’t lights and stockings hung on the mantel.It’s us.
Together.
As a family.
What they had was special,and if she doubted him for even a second, then it was on him. He wasn’t letting her know how serious he was about her. He had to crack himself wide open to banish any doubt she had about his intentions.
“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” Funny how, at the start of all this, he’d warned Finlay not to get too attached. He’d told her this was dangerous.And look at me now.He was the one at risk for a broken heart.
When he got upstairs, he placed the tumbler on the nightstand, settled Cody in bed, and tucked him under the covers. Jude sat on the edge of the mattress. “You have a good time with your uncles tonight?” Man, he was grateful for his brothers. They’d embraced this boy like he’d always been part of the family.
“Uncle Wyatt brought Nerf guns, and we ran around the house, shooting each other. It was fun. And then, he counted how long I could hold my breath in the bathtub, and he made a fort with sheets and blankets, and then, we ate popcorn and read books.”
