Double Bossed

I tiptoed along the hall, careful not to let my heels touch. Just as I was going out the door to the playground, Hawk walked in.

“Hey, baby.”

I grinned. “What are you doing here?”

He held up a folder. “I couldn’t wait.”

“Wait for what?”

I could see the excitement on his face.

“I thought it would take longer. I mean, it is going to take a long time. I know that. But I thought it would be longer before I had the information.”

“Hawk, slow down. What are you talking about?”

He handed the file to me. I flipped open the cover.

I read the title of the document. My eyes darted to his. “What is this?”

“It’s for Hunter.”

I closed my eyes and reached out so I didn’t fall. My knees suddenly forgot how to hold me up.

“Whoa.” Hawk steadied my arm. “You ok?”

“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

Hawk

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.