Theo
S unlight warmed the inside of the car, and the low, gentle hum of music filtered from the speakers. Trees and houses were a blur of vibrant color as we passed—fall was quickly approaching, and the saturation was the last remnant of summer before everything turned gold.
I drummed my fingers against the leather steering wheel, risking a glance toward Scout. I’d had the car for a few weeks and she hadn’t said anything about it, but it was clear enough she didn’t like it.
And the snacks were a hit. She stockpiled them all in the theater room for gaming, and it made me feel ten-feet tall knowing she was eating it all.
But the real kicker was last night she let me hangout in the room with her.
It was just for half an hour while she watched some YouTube video with a guy explaining the new updates of Dropzone.
It all went over my head. I’d played it a few times with Trinity and Brynne over the years, but I wasn’t as into that world as they were.
But Scout was letting me in, which meant I’d learn everything I could about that stupid game if it meant getting closer to my daughter.
Right now, though, all our progress felt lost because she was clinging to the door, her face nearly pressed against the window like she could escape through the glass. I knew she hated how fast the car went, so I was going under the speed limit.
Like, dangerously under the speed limit.
Every time she heard the engine turn over or felt the lurch of the car as I sped up, she’d suck in a sharp breath, and her knuckles would turn white around the seatbelt.
And I understood why—losing her mother in a car accident probably caused some lifelong car trauma, but if I went any slower, a fucking turtle would beat us home.
Roughly, I cleared my throat. “So, how was school?”
It had been about a month, and she hadn’t mentioned any friends.
I probably could’ve asked Brynne, but that would mean talking to her, and after our last conversation and the accidental message on Pulse, I didn’t think she was too keen on that.
She still hadn’t said anything about that message, so maybe she hadn’t seen it.
“My boss gave me the go-ahead for the lighthouse,” I said. I didn’t know why I was even talking. It wasn’t like she cared.
But her eyes flicked to me before sliding back to the windshield. She shifted in the chair, her hand tightening in the seatbelt again.
“That’s cool,” she said quietly.
“He put me in charge of the Cedar Ridge office.”
“Why would there be an office here?” she asked, and I huffed out a disbelieving laugh.
“There shouldn't be. But because I live here and he can’t afford to lose me, he created a branch and put me in charge of it. Which…” I sighed. “It’s cool. It’s a good thing.”
I still couldn’t believe it. Honestly, this project felt both too big and not big enough.
I’d worked on multimillion dollar projects all over the world.
I worked with celebrities, royalty, billionaires—the most rich and influential people in the world, and now I was being asked to work on a small town lighthouse?
Yet the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I was. It would be a new challenge, something I’d never done before, and a part of me was looking forward to something new. Which was hilarious, considering the last four months of my life had been nothing but new .
But something about this, about working on such a historic, important landmark in my hometown, didn’t feel new, but felt like something else. Like something I was supposed to do.
“What do you think?” I asked before I could stop myself.
The question seemed to take her by surprise because her brows tightened, and her lips pursed together. I half expected her to ignore the question, to pretend like I hadn’t spoken at all. But then she lifted a shoulder in a casual, effortless shrug and said, “It’s cool, I guess.“
My lips twitched into a hidden smile. We drove in silence for a few more minutes, but it didn’t feel tense like it usually did. Maybe things hadn’t totally gone backward—maybe we really were turning a new leaf.
“Oh, my god.” She sat up, and every single fiber in my body went on high alert.
“What? What is it?” I frantically scanned the road, expecting something to jump out or to see a murderer chopping up a body.
“Bunnies!”
I blinked, my gaze catching on a rundown truck on the side of the road. Scrawled on a scrap piece of cardboard were three words: Bunnies 4 Sale .
I’d never heard that voice from her before. Never heard her so excited or animated. I’d never seen her eyes light up like that.
Without thought, I pulled over and shifted the car into park. As soon as I did, reality must’ve hit her like a freight train, and her entire body went stiff.
“What are you doing?” she asked quietly, her gaze on the cage housing the baby rabbits.
“You want one?”
Massive blue eyes turned toward me. “Really?”
I shrugged, the image of casual, but inside I was actually starting to freak out.
Why had I done this? It was stupid . I didn’t like animals in my space.
I didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a rabbit, and let’s be fucking real, I was definitely going to be the one taking care of it because I knew Scout wouldn’t.
Not that I blamed her—what twelve-year-old wanted to clean up rabbit shit every day?
But the hope in her eyes made me push away everything and slide out of the car. Dipping my head down, I grinned at her. “You coming?”
She scrambled to unbuckle her seatbelt and leapt out of the car. The old man sat on the tailgate of his truck, one half of his overalls undone and a stain on his wrinkled shirt. All he was missing was a piece of hay sticking out of his mouth to be the perfect stereotypical image of a farmer.
“Hey, there,” he said, his voice low and rumbling.
“Hey.” I stepped under the small tent he’d erected over the back of his truck. As I got closer to the cage, the pungent scent of animal hit me, sharp and sour, and I dug the heels of my designer shoes into the dirt, forcing myself to stay put. “We saw you had some rabbits.”
“I do. Name’s Kenny.” He stuck his hand out and gave me a smile. He was missing a tooth.
“Theo.” I pressed my palm against his, giving him a firm shake. “And this is my—this is Scout.”
“I take it you’re the one who wants the bunny?” he said to her. The corner of her mouth twitched as she shot me a glance.
“Actually, it was him. He loves bunnies. Can’t get enough of them. His sheets even have bunnies on them.”
My mouth opened, then closed. “I—I?—”
Kenny chuckled. “I should’ve known.” His eyes dragged down my body, judging every inch of my expensive clothing. I needed to start wearing fucking jeans when I left the house. “You look like the type.”
“He even eats what they eat. Nothing but lettuce.”
“Oh, they’ll be best friends, then.”
She nodded her agreement. I just stared at her. When did this turn into bully Theo time?
“How much are they?” I asked, already reaching for my wallet.
“I don’t know,” he grumbled. “Give me ten.”
“Ten dollars?” I clarified, and he dipped his chin in a nod.
“Ten?” Scout repeated. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
She gasped like we’d just stumbled upon buried treasure.
“Which do you think is his favorite one?” the man asked, giving me a wink like we were in on some secret.
Scout hesitated, her shoes dragging along the dirt as she moved closer to the large cage.
Spilled hay covered the ground, overflowing from the cage. The rabbits zoomed back and forth, momentarily freezing every time they heard a noise, then taking off like a bullet once more. They were skittish, but adorable. They were every color—white, tan, brown. All adorable, I had to admit.
They jumped over each other, their ears flopping and noses twitching. They were all so energetic. I didn’t know how Scout—how I —would keep up with one.
“I like that one,” she said softly, pointing at a little brown and white fluff ball curled up in the corner of the cage, half hidden under a mound of hay.
She held herself totally still, her voice low and gentle in a way I’d never heard.
It wasn’t the same quiet tone she usually spoke in—it was something else.
Gentle, like she was afraid of scaring the bunny.
“She’s our shyest girl,” Kenny said, groaning as he slid off the tailgate onto the ground. He waddled to the cage and opened the back, keeping his body close so no one could escape.
Scout’s eyes were bright, the sunlight reflecting off them like sparkling Caribbean waters. She rolled her lips between her teeth, gaze fixated on where Kenny scooped the little bunny into his palm. It was small, almost fitting completely in it, but it overflowed slightly.
“Hold your hands out,” he murmured, and Scout hurried to obey. I watched as he set the small rabbit in her cupped hands, and her throat bobbed as she brought it to her chest, cradling it gently.
He smiled as he watched her, then turned toward me. “Ten bucks,” I said, holding the money out. He flicked his fingers dismissively.
“Keep it.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he just glanced at Scout again, quietly repeating, “Keep it.”
With an awkward goodbye, we made our way back to the car. She held it close to her chest as she sank into her seat, making sure not to jostle it too much. I tried not to close her door too hard, or my own, and when we were both settled, I turned to look at her.
“She’s adorable,” I said, watching the bunny’s nose twitch as she sniffed at Scout’s hoodie. “What do you think you’ll name her?”
Scout tilted her head to the side, her finger gently trailing down the rabbit’s back. “Larry,” she whispered.
“What?” I laughed. “ Larry ?”
She nodded, a soft smile spreading across her face. “She looks like a Larry, don’t you think?”
I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.
“Yeah,” I said, keeping more of my laughter at bay. “Looks exactly like a Larry.”
“Does this town have a pet store?” she asked, and I dipped my chin in a nod. “We need to get her—” She paused, looking at me. “What do we get her?”
“I don’t know.” Panic welled in my chest. God, this might’ve been a mistake.
“I’ll Google it.”
“I’ll call Ronan. He goes to the pet store for his cat, I think.”
“It says we need a cage, and a litter box, and food, and hay, and?—”
“Okay,” I said, shifting the car into drive. I was already feeling overwhelmed, and by the panicked sound of her voice, she was too. “We’ll get everything. Whatever Larry needs, she’ll get, alright? Don’t stress.”
I turned the car around, heading back toward town. Silence fell over the car for a few minutes, the only sound the bunny’s quiet whines. Then Scout cleared her throat, and I glanced at her.
“Thanks, Theo. I…thank you.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as I looked back out the windshield at Cedar Ridge.