A New Enemy (Enemies 1)

“Anytime. And don’t forget, you still owe me a rematch,” I told her pointedly. The girl was insanely good at this zombie game we played.

She grinned a little at that and promised she’d be back soon.

As she walked away, I leaned toward Dominic. “How are we on Serena and her brother?”

“They’ve reopened the case since the mother left,” he replied quietly, only for me to hear. “Their aunt’s supposedly moving in this fall to help out, but with the dad blowing his paycheck on booze, I’m not sure it’s enough.”

Goddammit.

Working at the Quad was as rewarding as it was disheartening. Too many children suffered at home.

I needed a pick-me-up sometimes, and luckily for me, I was about to get one. I checked my watch. Ten minutes or so.

“Baaaas-tiaaaaan!”

The grin on my face was instant. After washing the soap off my hands, I asked Gabe to cover for me. We were almost done with the dishes anyway. Then I wiped my hands and ducked out of the kitchen.

Absolutely nothing in this world compared to seeing Teddy running toward me, a happy smile on his face, blue eyes lit up with excitement, and his dark, wavy hair bouncing with each waddling step.

He was getting better. Stronger. More agile.

It was hard to believe he was turning twelve in a few months.

Teddy was the reason we wanted to raise more money, and giving up wasn’t an option for me. Children with special needs shouldn’t be turned away just because it was expensive to accommodate for them. In Teddy’s case, Down syndrome. In order to expand, we had to secure a safe area for them, including a staff member with the right credentials.

“I see you!” he shouted.

“I see you too!” I chuckled and met him halfway. Pulling him in for a tight hug, I looked over his head and spotted Soph entering too. She was as beautiful as ever, but yeah, the pregnancy was wearing on her. “Are we having a sleepover tonight, little man?” I dropped my gaze to Teddy and combed back his hair. He needed a haircut.

“Yeah, Momma said yes,” he replied.

Good. It’d been a while. It used to be three or four nights a week, but ever since Sophia got pregnant, she’d been working fewer late shifts at the hospital. Which was good because she needed the rest. On the other hand, money was tight. Really fucking tight.

“Hey.” Sophia joined us with a tired smile and a hand resting on her growing belly. It was poking out from her open denim jacket. “You look good, beach cowboy.”

I shook my head in amusement, then leaned down and kissed her quickly. “Don’t give me shit. You’re not off to work, are you?”

“No—thankfully.” She stifled a yawn and threaded her fingers through Teddy’s hair. “Dylan’s working late, so I thought I’d go to bed early.”

I was glad to hear it. Except for the part about Dylan working late. He always was. And I’d worry if he weren’t insanely hooked on Sophia—and Teddy, for that matter. One might say I was a bit overprotective of my best friend and her son, but no one could fucking blame me. They’d been dealt one shitty hand after another. Dylan was a fantastic guy, though.

“Are you gonna tell Bastian the good news?” she asked Teddy.

I looked down at him, curious.

He scrunched his nose. “I got a sticker from Doctor Karen?”

Soph laughed softly. “No—well, yes, that too.” She flicked her gaze briefly to me. “Doctor’s appointment went well, by the way.” Great news. “I mean about your uncle, sweetie.”

“Oh, yeeeaah!” Teddy’s eyes lit up again, and he tugged at my hand. “Uncle Blake is coming, Bastian!”

That was interesting. “Wow, that’s exciting.” I’d only met the other one, David, a veterinarian who’d married his high school sweetheart and left Georgia for Tennessee, where he now lived on a big ranch with his wife and a whopping eight children.

Blake was… Well, I’d heard stories about him.

Teddy was fucking nuts about the guy too.

Grumble.

“He’s flying in tomorrow,” Soph provided. “In fact, I’m hoping you can join us for dinner. Dylan could use some support on the Washington side.”

Not that shit again. It wouldn’t be the first time someone from Sophia’s family tried to convince her to return to Georgia.

“Count me in,” I said. “Why don’t we do it at my place?” Restaurants had no regular slot in our budgets, and the apartment she shared with Dylan was small. Not that long ago, I had been her neighbor. It was how we’d met, fifteen years ago.

“Are you sure?” she responded hesitantly. “You’re gonna wanna escape if there’s drama.”

“No, I’m gonna wanna be around so I can shut it down,” I corrected. “We’ll do it at the house. I just cleaned the grill yesterday.”

“Okay. I guess it could get interesting,” she chuckled tentatively. “We can discuss the details tomorrow.” She changed the topic next. “I saw your bike on the way in. Do you want me to come by and pick him up when you close?”