“Sorry, Ms. Brooke,” he mumbles as he stares intently at his feet.
“Apology accepted.” I try to keep my voice even, though a big part of me wants to laugh. Growing up with two younger brothers and a hoard of boy cousins, I’ve heard a lot worse in my time. But this is a lesson he needs to learn, so I don’t brush it under the carpet. “You can help me carry these into the back room.” I pass him the new paint and brush supplies I brought with me, watching as he sulks away with his head bowed and shoulders slumped in defeat.
“That boy.” Tony shakes his head, and I lose it. I have to cover my mouth as the laughter bubbles out, and it’s not long before Tony is doing the same. We finally get ourselves under control, just in time because the door swings open, and a very happy Jared comes running in. I feel my tense muscles relax as I see his smiling face.
“Ms. Brooke!” he shouts when he sees me. “Guess where I went today!” he calls out again, bouncing on his toes in front of me.
“I don’t know.” I pretend to think about it. “Did you go to school?”
“Nope!”
“Well, you’re looking pretty excited so it must be ... the dentist?”
“No!” He giggles, and the sound is like music to my ears. “I saw my mommy!”
“You did?” I look over his head to Awilda, the counselor that was with him during the visit. She gives me a warm smile and nods. It’s her way of telling me it went well. We’ll get a full rundown on how it went later, but for now, that’s all I need to know.
“I can’t wait to hear all about it. Come on, you can tell me everything while we do some painting. Sound good?” He takes off for the studio that’s set up in the back room, leaving me with a huge smile on my face and my chest feeling full of contentment.
My life is wildly different from how it was just a few short months ago, and there’s not a single part of it I would change.
CHAPTER TWENTY
BROOKE
The small bus is full of chattering kids, the noise level making it virtually impossible to hear what Awilda is saying from the seat beside me. To say the boys are a little over excited would be a gross understatement. They’re on a day trip to visit the Team Donavan training track and I, of course, couldn’t say no to tagging along when there’s a very real chance I’ll get to see Tucker there. It doesn’t matter that we woke up together a few hours ago; I’ll take any chance I can get to be near him.
“Okay, kids!” Tony shouts, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. “Remember the rules. One!” he calls out, holding up a finger to which there is a collective groan that reverberates around the bus. “You do not wander off on your own. We arrive as a group. We stay as a group. We leave as a group.” The boys all join in on that last part; obviously this isn’t the first time they’ve heard this.
“Two!” He continues. “We will be polite and courteous at all times. And last but not least, my favorite rule.” He draws in a deep breath before he holds up a third finger. Everyone joins in as he bellows out, “WE ALL HAVE FUN!”
I can’t help but look around, hoping to catch sight of Tucker as we pile off the bus, but the parking area is empty. The kids have all been here before, so I follow them as they filter through to the front doors and find the room where they can leave behind their coats and bags. I’m surprised at how comfortable they all are here, but I probably shouldn’t be.
The day passes quickly, the boys each getting a turn at riding around the track in some of the test cars. Tuck finally joined us, just before we came downstairs for some lunch. He greeted me with an entirely inappropriate kiss, garnering a round of ‘ewwws’ and ‘that’s gross’ and even a couple of cheers from the kids. Not even getting razzed by them could keep the huge smile from my face.
Now, the boys are finishing up the pizza that Colton brought down, and Tucker is under the hood of one of the cars showing Calvin and Jared something on the engine.
“Uh, excuse me, Tucker.” Zander appears at the side of the car, interrupting right as he is about to answer whatever question it is Calvin has just asked. The smile I’ve been wearing slips from my face at the panic I can hear lacing his tone. I get a look at his face, and the way he’s trying so hard to keep his expression blank has a chill racing down my spine. Tension radiates from every inch of his large frame. “Can you come up to the office real quick?” he asks, but I think all the adults realize he’s not leaving room for Tuck to say no. Both Tony and Awilda look at me, confusion etched into their features.
“What’s going on?”
There’s a commotion from outside the doors, and before anyone can do anything, a furious looking Colton Donavan comes storming in.
“Tony, get the kids back to the bus,” he all but growls as everyone stares at him in a stunned silence. “Now,” he adds when nobody moves right away.
“Tucker—” He stops speaking and draws in a long, deep breath. “Tuck, I need you to listen. Stay calm, and don’t say a word. We'll fix this, okay?” My eyes bounce between Colton and Zander who is now standing to the side with his hands on his head. He looks like he’s straining to hold himself back from losing his
