Don't Promise (Don't 3)

“I don’t get it.”

“I asked Savannah to find out what I would have to do to get legal guardianship of Hunter. To adopt him. And she got all the paperwork together. I haven’t started it yet, but she says I meet the criteria. I can apply to be his guardian.”

“Just like that?” I asked, stupefied by every word coming out of his mouth.

“Just like that.” He grinned. “And it might help that she knows some people and I happen to have millions of dollars to speed the lawyer part along.”

I didn’t know whether to be sick or happy. Cry or laugh. The information packet fell from my fingers and hit the floor. I stepped over them and walked down the hall.

“Wait, where are you going, Jules?”

“I have a class in the middle of a spelling lesson.”

“Should we tell Hunter together tonight?”

I spun on my heels. “We? You’ve done this much on your own. What we is there, Hawk?” I knew they were coming, but I thought if I walked away fast enough, I could keep him from seeing the tears as they fell.

“Are you pissed at me?”

“This isn’t the time to talk about it.” The bell was about to ring for recess and in a few minutes, the hall would be littered with screaming children who had forty minutes to get the wiggles out.

“I showed up to tell you what I thought was some pretty damn incredible news, and you’re crying.”

My chest literally hurt. It felt as if my heart was breaking. I thought when Hunter was adopted, I would be the one taking him home. I never thought about this happening. That Hawk would swoop in and take him.

I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t form thoughts or sentences. I spun away from him and marched to class.

27

Kane

What the fuck? I stood in the empty school hallway like an asshole. She was pissed. Livid. Devastated. I didn’t know what the fuck it was. Not what I was expecting.

I barged through the door to the field and waited outside. This conversation wasn’t over. Far from it.

I knew what Hunter needed. And I had the resources to give it to him. If he needed tutors or a swim coach. If he wanted to take fucking piano lessons or hell, give soccer a try. I could do all of that and a lot more.

The kid needed stability and I wasn’t the poster child for that, but I was getting ready to be. I’d be the best damn father on the planet.

I hadn’t filled out the first application yet, but I had never been more certain. More resolute.

What did shake me was Julie’s reaction.

I sat on the bench and thought about yesterday. The whole damn time I’d been at this school. Didn’t she know I was in this? Who helped her when the kid went missing? Who made sure he was included in club every day? Who gave him the Sharks winning game ball?

I did. Because I was ready to move mountains for him.

I looked up and saw the back of her sweater through the window. She was far away, but I could see her writing on the dry erase board. A second later, the bell rang and the kids darted from the class and ran outside.

Fuck. I forgot about recess.

It might be my chance to talk to her. I dodged the little minions and raced to her room.

She was sitting at her desk, her head buried in her hands.

“Jules.”

She looked up.