“Yes, but there’s a chance he’d have dyslexia even if you didn’t. No one understands all the contributing factors. And if he does, you and Lori and Damon and Nick will make sure he gets the best start at handling it. Or any other problem that little boy might have. Nothing like what you dealt with growing up.”
“Charlie will help, too. Yeah.” It was true. That kid was going to be loved and taken care of.
“How are you and Nick doing?”
“Okay, I think.” He hadn’t actually talked to Nick about feelings in the two days since he’d smacked his ass too hard, but that night had ended up with Nick seeming happy. Since then, things had felt easier.
“Well, keep talking. I know it’s not either of your strong suits, but keep trying.”
“I will.” Easy to promise… right now.
“Do you want to set up regular counseling sessions again? Phone or Skype? I know you’re supposedly in hiding, but if a phone call was going to blow your cover, it’s already happened.”
He winced, because there was no denying that. Damon said it was going to be okay. Nick said the cops don’t really care. Petrosian knows. “That would be—” Warmth flooded him at the thought of having Dr. Murphy’s advice at his back. At not having to sit in front of another stranger and say “My sister had my baby” or “I can Find people” or “I used to be Bry” and hope that they could understand and keep a secret. He bit his lip and took a minute before he could say steadily, “That would be great. But— I can’t pay.” His health insurance was left behind with his old name.
“Pay me later, when you can. Let’s plan on it. I’ll call you tonight with schedule options. Hang in there, Brian. I’m really impressed by how far you’ve come.” She rang off, leaving him floating in a moment when the world was suddenly brighter than he’d been prepared for.
He texted Nick eventually, and ten minutes later the beat-up Taurus pulled into a space near him. He headed for the passenger side, but Nick popped out of the driver door and held up the keys. “You up to drive?”
“Okay.” He had to admit, taking the wheel made him feel more equal too. Even if his license was a fake.
“How’d it go? You gonna see her again? I bet Dr. Murphy picked someone decent, huh?”
“Yeah. She had some good ideas.” He still felt vulnerable not hiding his problems. “Fonts and such.”
“I’m glad.” Nick put a warm hand on Brian’s leg and squeezed. “You work so damned hard. I’m blown away by you sometimes.”
The pleasure of hearing that carried Brian through one tricky intersection and out of the center of town. As they headed toward the farm so he could get back to work, Nick said, “Charlie and I are trying to figure how to get better evidence against Sam and McNaught. You want in?”
Yes? No? He really didn’t have a taste for catching crooks, but the fact that Nick asked him? That Charlie wanted him? That was too heady to turn down. “Sure! What do you need?”
“We have to work out the details. It’ll take a bit of finessing, to make it work and stay legal.”
“If it’s like running a con, we might ask Lori. She was always good at being sneaky.”
Nick flashed him a glance. “Hopefully the three of us can manage without her.” After a moment, he said, “Undercover sometimes feels like a con. Does that bother you?”
“Not if you’re catching bad guys. I’m a crappy pretender, though. Damon never let me do the important parts.”
Nick tapped his thigh lightly. “You’re the background guy. An ace in the hole, if we can figure out how to play you.”
Brian didn’t half mind the sound of that. He caught himself humming as he drove. The car really was a lot like the ride-on mower he’d spent so many hours tooling around Marston’s lawns. No sweat. He turned in at Yasmin’s drive with a smooth sweep, faster than he’d dared before, and stopped at the gate with a shower of gravel.
Nick laughed as he jumped out to get the latch. When Brian had passed through and it was securely shut, Nick swung back inside the car. “You’re kinda liking driving, huh?”
“It’s not bad.” Brian took the rest extra slow, since critters might be wandering around. Sure enough, as they pulled into the yard Laddie and Lass came around