Page 20 of Winning You
Lucas felt like he was going to die. Friday was such a long way away. But he could make it work. He could find his patience and something to distract him. “Okay. Let’s have a sleepover.”
“Can we have a blanket nest? Like, I don’t know. I feel like it’ll be easier to talk inside of a nest.”
“Whatever you want.” He held out his arms, and Gage gave him an awkward, over-the-console hug before letting him go. And that was that. Lucas swiped his cane from between his feet and tapped the curb with the tip once it was open. He got out, grabbed his bag, then oriented himself toward the front of his building.
He could hear the car behind him, waiting—Gage always waited to make sure he didn’t get turned in the wrong direction. It was simultaneously annoying and sweet because Lucas could and did get turned around all the time, but he had a system.
Still, Gage was the only person in his life right now who could get away with hovering.
Luckily, it was an easy night, and the moment his fingers found the door handle, he heard Gage pull away from the curb, and he went inside, letting the door swing hard behind him.
And then there was something else. A different kind of noise. Wheels on tile, hurtling toward him. And tiny footsteps that weren’t like normal footsteps.
“Hi!”
He froze before he recognized the tiny voice. “I forgot your name,” he said, turning toward the commotion heading his way.
Something hard smacked into his knee, and this time, he didn’t hear Frankie running after her. He set his cane against the wall and dropped to a crouch before reaching out. His fingers touched something unfamiliar. It was metal…hollow, so aluminum? Rubber handles and a small body all but strapped to it.
Her walker, he realized. He’d used one when he was very little to help him with his balance because it had been absolute garbage until he was nearly six. He touched the top of her head and felt loose curls. She was very tiny, but he knew she had cerebral palsy, so he didn’t want to assume.
“I’m Lucas.”
“Okay.”
“What’s your name? And where is your…” Shit. Did Frankie call himself dad? He said the situation was complicated.
“Elodie!” Ah. There he was. His cinnamon-spiced voice and his heavy footsteps. Lucas didn’t have time to straighten before he felt the presence of the other man, and he was pretty sure Frankie had knelt down behind the little girl.
“Got away from you again?” Lucas asked. “Is this thing a walker or a race car?”
“I haff a car in my room!” Elodie shouted.
Lucas snorted as Frankie groaned. “She’s going to tear up the Indy 500, I swear to god.” He grunted, and Lucas heard joints popping as the man stood up, so he followed and felt behind him for his cane. “We were just checking the mail, and she took off. I didn’t notice until she was gone.”
“This thing is loud as fuck, bro. You might want to get your hearing checked.”
Frankie just sighed and didn’t rise to the bait, which Lucas hated. He didn’t want to be the mean one. He wanted it lobbied back at him. “You might be right.”
“Uhg, stop being reasonable.” He felt around him with his cane to make sure he wasn’t about to step on her walker or her small toes and then began to head for the door that led to his hallway.
“Whassat?”
“His cane, Bugs.”
“Why is it?”
“He’s blind like you. He uses it to help him walk.”
“Why is it?”
Lucas turned and paused. He should walk away. This was not his business. His only business was hating this man for being a dick. But his heart was soft and too big for his chest. “Do you have a cane?”
“I haff…this.”
“He can’t see, Bugs. You have to tell him.”
“This, um…it walks.”
