Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 84344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“Am I going back to the people?” he comes right out and asks us. “Are they mad?”
“One,” I say, walking to sit beside him on the bed. “I don’t think they are mad. I think they are worried. They just want you safe.” His little legs just swing nervously. “What if I were to tell you that you don’t have to go back to Mr. and Mrs. Pinto?” He looks at me, not saying anything. “And if I were to ask you if you wanted to come home with us?” He looks at me and then looks at Alex.
“You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to,” Alex says. “We were hoping that you would want to, but if you don’t, we can look at someplace else.”
“Can I still do hockey?” he asks, and we both nod. “Is there a bed at your house?”
“There is a bed,” I say.
“With blankets?” I swallow down the lump.
“With blankets and pillows,” Alex confirms to him as she blinks tears away. “And we have some food also.”
“Is Mac going to be there?” he asks, and I can’t help but smile and nod my head. “Okay,” he says softly, and if only he knew what that meant to us. If only I could pull him to me and hug him. But I’m afraid to scare him off, afraid that it’ll push him away and then he won’t want to come with us. “I’m a bit hungry,” he shares, looking at us, and we just stare at each other. “But I don’t need to eat.”
“Oh, honey,” Alex says, putting her arm around his shoulder. “We can have whatever you want to eat, and you will get to meet my mom and dad.”
“Is your dad coming, too?” He looks at me, and I nod.
The knock on the door makes all of us look up. “Are you ready to go?” Julia smiles, and Maddox jumps off the bed.
“I’m going to their house,” he tells Julia, “and I won’t leave.”
She squats down in front of him. “You promise?” He just nods his head.
“Let’s go see their house, then,” Julia says to him. He looks over at Alex and me, waiting for us. I get up and hold out my hand for Alex, and she slides her fingers through mine as she gets off the bed.
Maddox walks in front of us with Julia. When we get outside, Julia tosses me the keys to my father’s car, and I don’t even know how they made this happen, but I don’t know why I’m surprised. We get into the car, and we drive home, none of us saying anything.
I park in the driveway and look in the back at Maddox as he stares at the house. “Welcome home, buddy,” I say, getting out of the driver’s side and opening the door in the back for him.
Alex and Julia wait on their side for us, and when I walk around the car toward them, I feel him slip his hand into mine. I almost stop walking to look down at it, but I don’t want him to pull back from me. I open the front door, and I can hear voices; when we walk in, my parents are there with Max and Allison. “Hi,” I greet, smiling at them, and they look at us with tears in their eyes. Mac comes to us with her tail wagging even more when she sees Maddox beside me. She comes over and sniffs his feet. She starts to lick his hand, and he lets her.
My mother’s eyes and nose are as red as Allison’s. “Maddox, you know my dad, Justin, and that’s my mom, Caroline.” I point at my mom, who comes over and squats down in front of him. Mac sits next to him, not moving from between us.
“Hi there,” she says to him with a huge smile and tears. “You remind me of this guy.” She points at me. “When he was your age.” She gets up and walks over to my father, who takes her in his arms as she cries into his shoulder. The memories of what we went through for sure going through her mind.
“And this,” Alex says, walking to Max. “Is my dad, Max, and that’s my mom, Allison.”
“Hey, buddy,” Max says to him, smiling, and Allison just waves nervously.
“This is our home,” I say. “This is the kitchen and the living room.”
“His room is ready,” Allison says. I just look over at her, and she just rolls her eyes, trying not to cry but fails when she turns not to show us.
“Shall we go see your room?” Julia asks, turning to walk up the stairs. “You know I used to sleep here sometimes,” she tells Maddox. “I think you’re gonna like it here.”
“If you start singing,” Alex says from behind us, making me laugh.