little adventure of the day?” He weaved his fingers through Jayden’s soft locks, and the boy nodded furiously. “Good. Get in the car, and I’ll grab your beanie. It’s freezing out here.” He spied Adeline at the door and wanted to hear how the first night had been.
He watched Jayden run to the car and greet Darius.
Darius grinned back. “Hey, buddy.”
Gray turned toward the house and trailed up the steps to Adeline. “Morning.”
“Good morning, hon.” Adeline smiled and extended Jayden’s beanie and mittens. “Everything’s gone well so far. He was a little quiet at first when you left, but after I spent most of our dinner talking about you, he felt better.”
Gray’s forehead creased. “Talking about me?”
She nodded slightly. “He has some abandonment issues—understandably. He reasoned to himself that this shelter was still better than the ones in Philadelphia. I sensed he was trying to see the silver lining in case you didn’t return.”
Ouch. That shit was gonna burn for a long time. Not the part where Jayden felt that way, but that Gray had to drop him off here and leave after every visit. It was gonna take time for Jayden to trust that Gray would always come back.
“He’s a sweet kid,” Adeline murmured. “And you’re wonderful for him, hon. Don’t doubt that.”
Gray tried to put a smile on his face. “I just hope the state will see that one day too.”
Adeline hummed and hugged herself, shivering a bit. The winds were picking up. “At least Washington is a progressive state. They’re pretty flexible these days, and the requirements aren’t too strict anymore. I don’t think you will have that many problems. It’ll just take time.”
“Really?” It was insane how quickly his pulse skyrocketed. He’d thought it was going to be virtually impossible to adopt.
“Oh yeah.” Adeline smiled curiously. “This is what you really want, right? You want to be his parent?”
Heat bled across Gray’s cheeks, because the feeling was still weird and crazy. Plus, he was talking to his best friend’s mother about it. “Yes,” he managed to say.
“Then we’ll make that happen,” Adeline replied with a nod. “You focus on getting back on your feet, and then we’ll get you approved as a foster parent. It’ll be the easiest route for you. And don’t worry about any outsiders. I have a great working relationship with the two social workers who handle the cases of any children coming through these doors.” She paused, hesitating. “His biological parents are dead, right?”
“I think so—I’m not a hundred percent, though.” Gray knew that would be the biggest obstacle. “I’m not sure if Jayden knows either. His brother left with him…”
Adeline nodded in understanding. “I’ll figure it out. It won’t take much digging.”
Yeah, the woman was definitely getting flowers today. And by flowers, Gray meant things he could donate to the shelter. It was the kind of present Adeline always preferred.
“Thank you—and…thank you for not telling Mom just how serious I am about Jayden yet.”
She chuckled and patted his arm. “That’s your story to tell, but I’m sure she’ll be happy once she’s gone through the ten stages of worry.” She nodded at the parking lot. “I think someone’s impatient to leave.”
Gray looked toward the car and smirked when he saw Jayden waving for him to come.
“We’ll be back this afternoon,” he said.
“Sounds good. You boys have fun.”
The risk of running into someone Gray knew at Target at this hour was close to nil; however, running into a former classmate’s mother was practically a given. So Gray yanked up his hood before he entered the big store with Jayden and Darius in tow.
This type of store beat malls any day of the week. Everything you needed in one place, plus more, and then you were done and could go home.
“Hop in, skipper.” Gray grabbed one of the signature red carts and grinned as Jayden lit up and climbed in. “You need clothes.”
“I really don’t,” he huffed.
Perhaps not if you were used to one or two sets of outfits, but those days were over.
Darius was a trooper. He trailed along and didn’t complain, even though it was evident he’d rather be anywhere but there. He spent some time on his phone too. He talked to his parents while Gray helped Jayden find pants, and he texted with someone while Gray tossed underwear, socks, and T-shirts into the cart. Of course, he aimed right at the boy and earned a laugh every time a pair of underwear landed on his head.
Gray was learning to