asking questions about him, and they’re excited for me.”
“They are?” I ask, trailing my eyes back to him.
“They are. So relax,” he says, shaking out my arms. “Benny’s going to have a great time.”
A good half-hour of rock hunting with Leo’s brothers later, Lucy arrives with her husband, Cameron, and their daughter, Katie. Katie is dressed as a princess, tiara and all, and after formally introducing me to her husband, Lucy gets me in a surprisingly tight hug considering her size. She whispers, “Penis gossip,” in my ear, and I laugh, wondering if she even registers that the penis I’d be gossiping about belongs to her brother.
Holden is intrigued by Lucy. Not in the way that he wants her, but he finds her lack of effs given when she speaks fascinating. It was the same reaction I had when we had drinks at the sports bar all those months ago. Leo, Holden, and I sit with Cam and Lucy on the porch while our parents sit out back and the rest of the Prestons get changed into their costumes. Some will be staying here to hand out treats, and others will come with us to go trick-or-treating. “She’s so cute,” I tell Lucy, watching Katie toddle around the yard. Benny is smitten with her, following her around, trying to show her his rocks she has absolutely no interest in.
“She’s a handful,” Lucy says, sitting on her husband’s lap. “But you would know what that’s like,” she adds with a smile. Cameron doesn’t even stop the conversation he’s having with Holden—something about baseball. He merely curls his hand around his wife’s waist, pulling her closer.
Katie trips on the grass and falls to her stomach. Leo stands, ready to save her, but Benny beats him to it, dropping his bucket and rushing to her. “Oopsies,” he says, helping Katie sit first, and then get back onto her wobbly feet. “I got you, princess,” he tells her, and the coo that comes from Lucy and me may as well be one sound.
Then Lucy scoffs. “Sit down, Leelee! You’re such a helicopter parent!”
“I said the same thing!” I laugh out, catching the look Holden gives me. It takes a moment for me to register what it means. It’s only now I realize the nerves and anxiety and fear I’d been drowning in have faded, and I’m… I’m fine.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been worrying about this one night, going through every possible scenario, all of them ending horribly. There was no way I thought I would come out of this alive. But I’m here, smiling and laughing with Leo’s family, and everything is fine.
Good, even.
Another truck pulls up with the same Preston, Gordon & Sons logo on the side as most of the other vehicles here. From what I recall, Brian is Laney’s dad, and Misty is his girlfriend or fiancée—wife, maybe? Misty is in law enforcement here and helped Leo with the process. They have a son named Preston, who is Leo’s godson. I’m pretty sure Preston and Benny are similar in age. We all stand to greet them while Leo shouts over his shoulder, “Dad! They’re here!”
Misty opens the back door, and a moment later, a dark-haired little boy jumps down from the truck. He’s dressed as a police dog, I guess, and holding on to a bright yellow dump truck. “Chaaaase!” Leo sings, moving toward him.
“I thought his name was Preston,” I mumble, more to myself than anyone else.
“You have a dump truck?” Benny asks, going up to Preston. Leo introduces them, and then Preston nods, hugging Katie when her tiny little arms reach for him. “Do you want to play?” Preston asks Benny.
“Can I put my rocks in your truck?”
“Yes!”
“How easy would life be if we, as adults, could make friends like kids do?” Holden says, standing beside me. “Just go up to someone and be like, ‘Yo, wanna play?’ And boom, friends for life.”
“Benny’s never had a friend his age,” I murmur.
“Benny has never had friends, period. He’s surrounded by adults. That’s the problem with where you live.” He shrugs. “Maybe it’ll be different once he gets to school.”
“Maybe.” I watch the three kids play together in the front yard as the sun begins to lower.
“You okay?” Leo asks.
“Look at him,” I say, voice low. “He’s never made friends this easy before. He’s always anxious or scared, and here—it’s like he’s… comfortable.” I look up at Leo for a response,