Colson (The Henchmen MC 20)

I held back a smile at the way the kid bolted out of his chair, shoulders hunching forward.

"Are you kidding me right now?" she asked. "Get in that house, take a shower, and get ready for school."

"I didn't sleep."

"Yeah, that's going to suck, huh?" the mom shot back, voice fierce. "Go," she added, pointing toward her door.

Jacob's jaw got tight, but he moved inside to follow her orders.

"He was trying to sneak out?" she asked. With her son out of sight, her shoulder slumped, exhaustion and defeat weighing on her.

"Sometime around one a.m.," I told her, nodding.

"Oh, that little shit. Sorry, are you one of those parents who doesn't call their kids little shits even when they are being little shits? Because I am one of those who does. Obviously. I'm Eva, by the way," she said, moving closer, offering me her hand. "I probably should have introduced myself before now."

"Colson. And my daughter informed me that I was supposed to be the one to introduce myself first."

"It's annoying when they are right, isn't it?" she asked, letting out a small laugh.

"Apparently, the day they turn twelve, they know everything."

"Oh, twelve. Those were the days," Eva said, sighing wistfully.

"How old is Jacob?"

"Just turned fourteen. So, obviously, he is a full-grown man who doesn't need a mother anymore," she told me, rolling her eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to sit up with him."

"Don't mention it. If Jelena was sneaking out, I would hope someone would stop her for me."

"Jelena. Pretty. I promise if I ever see her sneaking out, I will stop her. Though I'm sure she's a good kid."

"I'm sure Jacob is too," I assured her, sensing her defeat, not wanting to pile on by telling her about her son's mouth. Kids could be assholes at times. You had to give them a little slack.

"He calls me dude," she told me, brows scrunching together. "Not Mom or even Ma. Dude. Freaking dude," she repeated, reaching up to scrub a hand across her tired eyes. "I am going to go be a bad mom and force some coffee down my child's throat, so he doesn't fall asleep in math and get me a call from the principal. Thanks again, Colson. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry you lost sleep over him."

"Don't mention it," I assured her, waving a hand.

"And, you know, if you need a cup of sugar or any of that neighborly stuff, feel free to knock on my door. Though, come to think of it, I am probably out of sugar at the moment," she said, giving me a grimace. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," I agreed, returning her smile before she ducked into her home.

With a sigh, I stood up, going into my own place, finding my daughter making her way down the stairs in a royal purple robe—a gift from her uncle—her eyes still blinking at the morning light.

"Did you just get home?" she asked, looking around the empty living room.

"No. I was just sitting out on the porch. You'll be happy to know I finally met the neighbor."

"Yeah?" she asked, moving into the kitchen, knowing the routine. I always made breakfast. It didn't matter how early our day was, I took a couple minutes to throw eggs in a pan for her, butter some toast. I wanted her to start her day right. Even if I was coming off a rough overnight shift. "What are they like?"

"Well, the son has an attitude and was trying to sneak out last night. The mom was nice. Funny."

"Oh, she was, was she?" Jelly asked, eyes getting bright. "Was she pretty?" she asked, making me turn back to her.

"That's a strange question, baby girl."

"Not really. It's a normal question. Was she?"

"Yeah, she was pretty." Beautiful, really. "But that is beside the point."

To that, Jelly shrugged. But I knew her well enough to know that something was going on in her little head, her eyes bright.

She really was growing up, I realized as I looked at her while whisking some eggs in a bowl.

As much as I wanted to forever see her as a chubby little girl with giant eyes, there was no denying she had sprouted up a lot over the past year and a half, getting tall and lanky, her body and face thinning out. She was looking more and more like her mother every passing day. The same heart-shaped face, the same perfect skin, the same eyes. I didn't see much of myself in her at all. Maybe I could claim her ears. But that was about it. Otherwise, she was the mirror image of the girl who had walked out of both of our lives soon after Jelly was born.

That said, I liked to think she had more of me personality-wise. She was a good kid who was rational and level-headed at least sixty-percent of the time. She applied herself in school. She was patient and kind.