“Sweetheart, I’m losing my ever-loving mind with wild guesses,” I told her, trying to sound as patient as possible. “Tell me what’s wrong, and we’ll fix it together.”
She made a hiccupping sound around another sob, and she wiped fruitlessly at her cheeks. I wanted to lift her out of the car so I could hold her or something, but I had a feeling she was more comfortable right there.
“We got a letter today,” she wept. “We’re losing the financial aid for Teddy’s after-school care group and his speech therapy. They’ve decided he doesn’t need it.”
I blinked.
They fucking what?
I was relieved it was nothing more serious—involving death or their relationship—at the same time as I was stunned because…because that was fucking serious. How in the fresh hell could they cut the aid? Teddy needed help after school. He couldn’t be alone—not for more than brief moments while someone went to the store or shit like that.
First things first. “He’ll still be in the same school, right?” I had to make sure. “It’s only the after-school care group?”
She whimpered and nodded.
Okay. Okay. That was something, at least. Because Teddy’s school was amazing. Amazing classes, small and very customized, amazing teachers, amazing counselors.
Losing the after-school care group sucked more than I could describe, but we could make it work. Same with speech therapy. The latter, we’d almost seen coming. Teddy’s speech and language skills had developed remarkably the past couple of years, and I believed we could keep up the good work. We had the tools, so to speak.
Was it stupid to cut the aid? Oh, fuck yeah, because to stay on track, the work had to continue. Teddy couldn’t be treated like a headache, in that you stopped taking your damn ibuprofen once the pain was gone. He was a lifelong commitment.
“Hey—listen to me, Soph. We’ll figure this out.” I reached for one of her hands and kissed the top of it. “Between you, Dylan, me, and the Quad, we’ll find a schedule that works. Okay?”
She did her best to stop crying, not really there yet, and reached to open the glovebox. “I love you, Sebastian. I appreciate everything you’re saying, but I can’t even imagine myself mentioning this to Teddy.” She sniffled and retrieved a pack of tissues. “This is so much more than him having a place to spend a few hours after school until we get off work. It’s the whole environment.” She paused to blow her nose, and I glanced over to where Teddy was inspecting the graffiti on a bench. Happy and oblivious. “And as much as he adores being with you, with all of us, he needs his social interaction with his peers, with his friends.”
She was right.
I released a breath and stood up with a low groan. My knees popped as if I weren’t young and cool anymore.
“Did you just stand up with an old man’s grunt?” Soph croaked.
I eyed her and felt my mouth twitch. “Go back to crying and not being able to get out of your car, princess. I’m only a few years older than you.”
That made her laugh and cry at the same time.
“Oh God, I’m such a mess.” She sniffled and wiped at her face again. “Deep breaths. I’m gonna get my shit together and tell Dylan tonight, and then… Ugh. One way or another, I’ll find the money to pay for the care group out of pocket.”
I winced. I was pretty sure that was around four hundred bucks a month.
“There’s nothing wrong with a compromise,” I reasoned. “And it’s not you. It’s all of us. We’re in this together, all right?”
She smiled gently and grabbed my hand. “Please take this the right way, Sebastian, but you already do so much. So, so much. You’re invaluable to both Dylan and me—and don’t get me started on Teddy. But when it comes to money, it’s my—” She stopped herself and took a breath. “Our. The bastard made me promise to always include him. It’s our responsibility to pay for things for our son.”
Fine, sure, what-the-fuck-ever, I didn’t care. I understood where she was coming from, but I didn’t care.
“Listen,” I said. “I do what I want with my money. Yeah? Would it be cool for you and Dylan to take for granted that I’d help? Of course not. But I decide how I spend my paycheck, and if I want to spend some of it on Teddy, I will.”
She shook her head but couldn’t hold a scowl even if her life depended on it. Not with me.
“You’re adorable, I’ll give you that.” She sniffled and buckled her seat belt. “Could you holler at Teddy for me? I’m gonna head home and get started on dinner. Blake can help me out of the car.”
I grinned faintly. “Then send him my way.”
“Like I’d forget! I want y’all to get married and have a bunch of puppies together. He’s so cute whenever he hears your name.”