Page 105 of You're so Bad

“Well, my dear boy, it’s a long story involving a water aerobics instructor. Why don’t you come with me, and we’ll find you some dismal but clean clothes to wear, then get that shoulder squared away so you can wash.”

He goes with her willingly enough, because that’s the power of Constance. I defy anyone not to trust her if she orders them to.

I go back to the couch, back toher, and Bertie gives a yip of objection. Shauna pats his belly with her foot before pulling me closer and draping her legs over mine.

“You didn’t need to do that, Tiger.” I place a hand over her thigh, but I’m well aware that it’s not a big house, and Constance is just a hallway away. If she doesn’t approve…

I don’t want to disappoint her, is all. I don’t want her to look at me differently.

“I think we can trust him,” I continue, “but—”

“This is how he’ll become the kind of person who’s worthy of trust.” She turns slightly, her lips close enough for me to claim them if I had a mind to. “Isn’t that how you became a person who’s worthy of trust? It changed things for you, when Burke and the others accepted you as one of them. Maybe it’s time for us to pay it forward.”

“You’ve taken ownership of my bullshit,” I say, tracing my hand along her leg. “I shouldn’t like that.”

“Feel free to.” She kisses the side of my face, and I close my eyes, feeling a ball of emotion jammed in my throat. Because hot damn…

I know I haven’t done anything to deserve this. Then again, maybe Reese feels the same way. Maybe we get more than we deserve sometimes, to make up for all the times we got less.

“Besides,” she adds, “you said Mrs. Ruiz told you he’s a good kid. And Bertie likes him. Bertie’s an excellent judge of character.”

“I see what you did there.”

There’s the sound of footsteps from the hall, and Constance emerges alone. Her eyes take in everything, same as I knew they would, but Shauna doesn’t move her legs and I don’t move my hand.

“It’s about time,” she says, propping a hand on her hip. “You really tried to make me sweat with all this will they or won’t they mumbo jumbo, didn’t you?”

Relieved laughter rumbles out of me, and Shauna laughs too.

Then I shift her legs and get up, because Constance deserves to hear this part face to face. I walk over to her, holding her gaze, then say, “I’m not good enough for her, we both know that. But I’m going to do my best to make up for it. I’m going to treat her right and walk on the straight and narrow.”

She’s laughing as she pulls me into a hug. “If you walk on it all the time, we won’t have any more fun.”

“So, I’ll do it most of the time,” I say with a grin as she pulls away.

Reese shows up in a pair of tweed pants, a polo shirt with white buttons and a sour look on his face. “I look like someone’s grandfather.”

“Someone’s shitty grandfather,” Shauna pipes up from the couch.

And I feel lucky, so damn lucky, that I just know the other shoe is going to drop. Or maybe a couple of concrete blocks, right on my chest. But I’m going to live like it won’t, because I’m sick of living in fear.

Been there, done that, lost the damn T-shirt.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Shauna

“Stop, stop.”

I stir, woken by the sound of someone’s voice. I groan, because it has to be the middle of the night. It’s pitch-black in my room, and sleep’s still making my eyelids heavy.

It takes me a minute to remember that Leonard’s in bed beside me.

Last night, Reese fell asleep on the couch in my grandfather’s clothes. We all agreed we shouldn’t move him, and Leonard said he didn’t feel right about leaving us alone with him in the house. Obviously, I can defend myself against a kid who’s maybe a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet, but I didn’t fight him on it. Besides, I don’t think he’s ready to be separated from Reese.

So he stayed with me in my bedroom.

But now…he’s thrashing. Saying that word over and over again. Something clogs my throat, and I remember the way he went downstairs last weekend, spending most of the night on the too-small couch. He’s made comments about not being able to sleep…

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