Chapter 13
Jasper
I wake with a gasp, the steady sound of Arlo’s heart monitor quickly reminding me of where I am. The lingering effects of my dream—a dream where I was installing a pool in my backyard—remind me of something else. Something fucking important.
The kids.
How could I have forgotten about the kids? I carefully untangle my fingers from Arlo’s, then stand. Pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, I breathe him in. “I’ll be back, baby boy. I gotta figure something out with your babies. I’ll take care of them until you can. I promise.”
Reluctantly, I slip out of the room and head to the nurses’ station.
“Hey, do you need something?” Mark asks. He’s been the nurse taking care of Arlo. He’s been amazing with him.
“Yeah. Did he have his phone on him when they brought him in?”
I should already know this, but everything was all fucked up, and I didn’t really know what in the hell was going on. Outside of worrying about Arlo, my brain is basically nonexistent.
“Uh…” Mark glances around, then recognition lights up his face. “Yeah, he did. It was in the pocket of his jeans. It’s dead, but maybe it just needs charged.”
He pulls it out of a bin and hands it to me.
“Thank you.”
Making my way back into Arlo’s room, I sit down on the chair next to his hospital bed and plug his phone into my charger.
Instead of nursing my hurt feelings, I should have asked more questions about the kids because I don’t even know where to start.
And knowing where to start will be almost impossible if I can’t get into Arlo’s phone.
Within a couple of minutes, the screen powers on.
I breathe a sigh of relief. One worry down, at any rate.
As soon as it’s powered up, I swipe up to unlock it. Fuck. What’s his password?
Tapping the phone against my palm, I think on it. I can’t remember any time he’s told me the passcode, and I don’t recall seeing him enter it.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Taking my own phone out, I shoot off a text to Luca and Austin.
Me
Do either of you know Arlo’s passcode for his phone?
Luca
Why are you going through his phone? Is he awake?
Me
He’s not awake, no. And I’m trying to take care of something for him.
Luca
I don’t know. I’m sorry.
Austin
Me neither. Keep us updated, though.
Me
Will do.
With a sigh, I stare at Arlo’s phone.
I try his birthday. Nope.
I wonder… I type in mine. The screen unlocks, and my heart slams against my ribs. Fuck. His passcode is my birthday?
“My sweet baby boy.” I brush my fingers over the back of his hand, letting the warmth of his skin soothe me for a second. “What am I gonna do? I don’t know how to get ahold of your caseworker.”
The sound of footsteps catches my attention, and I glance over to find a teary-eyed Theo standing in the doorway of Arlo’s room.
“Hi,” he croaks out. “Is he…” His throat bobs as he swallows. “Okay?”
“I hope.”
Theo makes his way across the room, then nods toward the hospital bed. “Do you think I can sit beside him?”
I nod, my throat threatening to close up. Arlo has so many people who love him, and that makes my heart full. It’s all I want for him. Well, and for him to wake up. I really want that too.
“Yeah.” I stand up, pointing to my chair. “Do you want to sit here?”
Theo shakes his head. “No, I wouldn’t want to take your spot.”
“He told you about the kids.”
Theo’s eyes find mine. “And he told you too, it seems.”
My throat aches. “He did. I need to…” Arlo trusted Theo.
For some reason, over Luca and Austin, Arlo trusted Theo.
I’m not sure why, but right now it feels like a sign.
“He’s supposed to be picking them up in—” I glance down at Arlo’s phone.
“Fuck. Three hours. I need to figure out how to get ahold of the caseworker. Or maybe even Salem.”
Theo’s eyebrows pull together. “Do you think he can handle hearing about his big brother being hurt?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, really. But I think he’s gonna be more hurt if his big brother doesn’t show up for him.” I incline my head toward Arlo. “Can you sit with him while I make some calls?”
He nods. “Of course.”
“Will you…” I’m not too proud to admit that my eyes burn and my voice cracks as I try to push the next words out. “Would you talk to him? I don’t want him to think I left him alone.”
Theo searches my face for a second, then slowly walks around the hospital bed, sinking into my seat.
I watch with tears blurring my vision as he carefully lifts Arlo’s hand.
Leaning closer to the hospital bed, he whispers just loud enough for me to barely make out the words, “See, I told you he might surprise you. I can’t wait for you to wake up so I can tell you to your face. ”
I take a step backward and then another, watching the two of them as I get closer to the door.
“When you get the kids, you’ll have to bring them to the farm. Hunter can teach them how to ride horses. We don’t want kids, but I think we’d be cool as fuck uncles.”
Fuck. Okay. I gotta get out of here. Can’t deal with that, or I’m gonna break down into hysterics.
“And then we can show them the babies. I surprised Hunter with more goats the day after you came—”
I rush out of the room, barely keeping it together.
When I’m safely tucked away in an empty family room, I unlock Arlo’s phone. Sinking to the floor, I search through his recent calls.
His last one was to Salem.
One hour before we got the call to respond to the fire.
I’m looking through the rest to see if there are any names with Tennessee area codes that I don’t recognize when the phone rings in my hands.
I startle, nearly dropping it.
Salem’s name flashes across the screen, along with a photo of him. He has deep brown eyes, and he looks so much like his big brother that it makes me smile despite everything.
I don’t want him to go ignored, so I swipe to answer the call.
“Arlo! I’m so excited to see you. I can’t wait.”
He sounds so young and so excited. His accent is even deeper than Arlo’s. All twang and adorable as hell. It’s the pure happiness in his tone that gets to me, though. Goddammit. My throat goes so tight I can barely force myself to speak.
“Salem,” I say, cutting off his excited rambling.
“Uh… You’re not Arlo.”
I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “No. I’m not Arlo. I’m Jasper.”
“Jasper… Arlo told me about you. Are you coming with him today? Are you guys on your way?”
Arlo told him about me… Despite everything, that makes my chest warm.
“I—” Fuck, what am I supposed to say?
Salem inhales a slow, deep breath. And then another. It takes me a second to realize he’s doing a breathing exercise. “Arlo’s not coming, is he? I don’t get it. He said he was. He promised. Why couldn’t he even tell me himself?”
My heart cracks right down the middle. How many times do you have to be let down by the adults in your life to feel like being let down is inevitable? Even after my mom basically cast me to the side, blaming me for Sarah’s death—which, okay, was my fault—I didn’t lose faith in adults.
I just worked hard to make sure I was a good one.
“Arlo’s in the hospital.”
There’s silence on the line. “Is he okay?”
“I think so. He’s asleep right now. His house caught on fire, and he suffered some smoke inhalation.”
Salem does the breathing thing again. “You saved him, though, right? Arlo told me about you. Said you were a firefighter.”
I squeeze my eyes closed. “We got him out. He’s just… asleep right now.”
“Asleep? What does that even mean?”
“He breathed in too much smoke, and he has some burns. They’re letting him sleep so his throat can heal some.”
Salem makes a small, choked-off sound. “How long will he be asleep? I want to talk to him.”
Tears burn my eyes. “I’m not sure yet. Hopefully he’ll be able to wake up soon, but…”
“He can’t get me and Nora today,” Salem finishes for me. “Or probably anytime soon, right?”
“Do you know your caseworker’s name?” I ask instead of answering.
“Maryanne.”
Maryanne. “I’m gonna call Maryanne as soon as we get off the phone, okay? I’m gonna figure something out.”
Salem snorts a humorless laugh. “It took Arlo almost a year to save up for that house. By the time he finds another, I’ll basically be eighteen, and what’s the point? Guess he could just get Nora.”
The resignation in his voice hurts my heart. So I do something really fucking stupid. I make him a promise I’m not sure I can keep.
“Can I tell you something? It’s maybe not appropriate to talk about to a teenager I don’t even know, but… I just want to be real with you.”
“Sure. Too many adults aren’t real with me. I’m not a dumb kid, y’know. I can handle shit.”
I nearly laugh at that.
“I love your brother. I want to build a life with him, and that life includes you and Nora. I’m going to call Maryanne, okay? And I’m gonna figure something out so I can get you all home and together where you belong.”
For a long minute, Salem is quiet. “What do you mean? Like you want us to come live with you or something?”
My heart thumps. “If you all want to. I haven’t even talked to Arlo about any of this yet, so maybe he’ll shut me down anyway. But I want to. For him and for you two.”
“What about you?” Salem asks quietly. “No offense, but I don’t wanna be another burden on some shitty, self-obsessed grown-up who wants brownie points for being a good person.”
Did I think my life would turn out this way? No. Was I even aware I wanted this for my life? Absolutely not. But it doesn’t change my answer.
“Yesterday, while Arlo was getting everything ready at home to come get you two, I was researching pools. Above ground vs. below ground. The merits of having a saltwater pool vs. chlorine. I was looking at deck designs.”
Salem snorts. “Good for you. Not sure what that has to do with anything.”
My lips curve into a smile. “I was researching it for you. Well, you and Nora. Arlo told me you like swimming. That when you guys were little, he’d take you to the community pool.”
“When he could afford it, yeah. It was five bucks to get in. He thought I didn’t know he had to pay, but I did. So, wait… you were—”
“I was researching pools to install at my house for you and Nora, yes. Because I want my house to be yours too, eventually. Because one day I’m going to marry your brother. Now I just might need to move the timeline up. For getting you all moved in, I mean.”
Salem doesn’t speak. He’s quiet for so long that I’m sure I’ve fucked up somehow.
“I understand being upset about shitty-ass grown-ups letting you down. I have no intention of doing that. It might happen, though, because I’m only human, and everyone makes mistakes.
But I want Arlo. And I want you. And I want Nora.
And I know you don’t know me, and you have no reason to trust that, but I’ll prove it to you. One day.”
“My last foster dad told me I was a brat and hard to deal with.”
I chuckle. “Are you trying to warn me off?”
“Maybe.”
“Wanna know a secret?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“I’m a firefighter. I like… walk into burning buildings. On purpose. A bratty teenager isn’t gonna scare me off.”
Salem laughs at that. “We’ll see, I guess. What are you gonna do?”
“I’m gonna call Maryanne and figure out what I even can do. But I promise, as soon as I know more, I’ll call you, okay?”
“Okay,” Salem whispers. “When Arlo wakes up, will you tell him I love him?”
My heart squeezes to the point of pain. “Of course. I know he’ll want to call you as soon as he can, though. Just hang in there, okay? I’m gonna figure something out. You three have been away from each other long enough.”