Just a Kiss: The Bradfords, Book 5 (14 page)

Her stomach flipped and it wasn’t in a good, Kevin-might-kiss-me way. It was in the oh-shit-what-have-I-gotten-into way. “What do you mean?”

“You’re the best one to be a positive character role model.”

She almost snorted at that. Almost. Instead, she wiped her hand over her mouth. “Positive character model?”

“You were a good influence on me.” He brushed a fingertip along her jaw. “You kept me out of trouble, you made me want to be a better person.”

She swallowed hard.

As far as Kevin knew, she was still a good girl, the perfect person to help him have a positive influence on Drew…and she wasn’t quite ready to tell him any different.

But how could she accept responsibility for Drew’s moral character? Why couldn’t she be in charge of after school snacks?

“Maybe you should go check on him,” Kevin suggested. “He’ll talk to you. He’ll tell you if he’s really okay.”

“I could do that. But maybe we should give him some space.” The kid didn’t need her hovering over him. And she wasn’t sure she’d be very good at hovering anyway.

Dinner had been fine, fun even. But Dooley and Tanner and Matthew had been a part of that. It wouldn’t always be that way. In fact, tomorrow night she was going to be on her own with Drew. That should be interesting.

“Maybe,” Kevin said. “But not too much, right? I mean he can’t go for six months without talking to me.”

“What’s the worst thing that happens? He doesn’t talk. He’s still safe. He’s still getting fed, going to school. Then his mom comes home and things get back to normal. You don’t have to be his best friend.”

But she could tell he wanted to be.

“I want to do more than that, Eve.” Kevin sat back against the couch, letting his head fall back on the cushion behind him. “I’m his
brother
. His only one. Surely I can do better.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, wanting to comfort him. Somehow, some way. Kevin was a great guy, he put all of himself into the things he did. Of course he would want to do that for Drew.

How the little boy could resist wanting to be close to Kevin, to hear him talk and laugh, to spend time with him, was beyond her.

Kevin rolled his head to look at her as she stroked her fingers through his hair from forehead to crown. “He likes you,” he said. “Or at least, he’s more comfortable with you. Maybe if you build a relationship with him, and he sees that you like me and are close to me, that will help him trust me.”

“I don’t mind getting as close to you as you’ll let me,” she said, leaning in. He looked so vulnerable like this. His hands lay relaxed against the cushion next to his thighs, his head rested back, his hair mussed from her fingers. “And I won’t have any trouble showing him that I like you.”

“Just having you here helps,” he said quietly, “I think it helps both of us.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to make this easier on both of you.”

His eyes focused on her mouth and she started to lean in.

“Will you go check on him?” he asked.

She stopped and held back her sigh. “Of course.”

A minute later she knocked on Drew’s bedroom door. “Drew?” She pushed the door open a few inches. “Can I come in for a second?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t sound enthusiastic but he hadn’t said no.

“How’s it going in here?” she asked.

Kevin and the guys had brought everything of Drew’s, including his own bed and bedding. That had to be a little better than sleeping in a strange room and strange bed.

“I’m almost done with my chapter.”

She moved further into the room. Drew’s hair was still damp from his shower and he was in his pajamas and tucked under his navy blue comforter. Like this he looked…not all that intimidating. She didn’t know much about kids, and her interactions with this one in particular were really important, but in the soft light from his bedside lamp, with the big book resting in his lap he looked almost sweet.

“What are you reading?” She stopped by his bed and looked at the thick book with small print and no pictures.

“Harry Potter,” he said, with a grimace.

Her eyebrows went up. “You don’t like Harry Potter?” She’d personally loved it. And this was something they could talk about. Unless he hated it.

“It’s fiction,” he said as if it was complete smut.

“You’re not a big fan of fiction, I take it.” She decided to take a risk and settled down on the side of his bed next to his feet.

He scooted over a little to give her room. “I like comic books,” he said. “Those are fictitious. But I prefer non-fiction to novels.”

Was it just her or was he talking like he was thirty instead of ten? “So you decided to give Harry a try?”

“Mrs. Albert is making us read fiction.” It was clear that he felt this was a huge mistake on her part. “I think it’s dumb. Nonfiction is about stuff that really happened. That’s more important to know about. I’m not going to be casting spells or anything.”

“It’s for entertainment,” Eve said. “Isn’t it fun to imagine doing stuff like that though?”

He shrugged.

Wow, this kid needed to have more fun.

“What I like best about the Harry Potter books is the idea that there are people who are willing to do whatever they have to do to take care of the people they love.” She hadn’t really thought that out before speaking, but it was true.

“But it’s fiction,” Drew grumbled.

“It’s…” She started to say that no, it wasn’t fiction, that there really were people you could count on, who would step up for you when you needed them.

But she couldn’t say that with the absolute certainty a lost and sad child needed to hear.

In her life, the people she’d counted on to always do the right thing had not stood by her when she’d needed them. In fact, her father had been very clear when he’d said that he not only didn’t understand her choices but he did not support them or even acknowledge them. As far as he was concerned, she’d removed herself from his influence and he no longer had any obligation or motivation to be involved in her life.

No motivation.

That was her favorite part.

She did, however, like the
idea
that you could count on people. That even if it meant risk to them, they’d be there beside you until the bitter end.

She swallowed hard and concentrated on Drew. “Your mom is like that,” she finally said.

He was staring down at the book. He shook his head. “My mom is in jail. She’s not even here.”

Ah, a moment of truth. She’d really thought it would take longer to get to something like that. And she’d definitely hoped it would be when Kevin was here to handle it.

“Yes, your mom is in jail, but do you know why?”

“Drunk driving.”

“Yes, but…” She reached over and put her hand in front of the book, causing him to look her. “She pled guilty, she took responsibility, because then the judge would let her go into treatment. She did that for you, Drew. She knew that she had to suck it up and do the right thing or she might never get you back. And even though it’s going to be really tough on her, she’s going to get cleaned up and then be able to come back and be a great mom again.”

“She shouldn’t have had those drinks in the first place.” His words were angry but Eve could see something in his eyes that told her he really wanted to believe what she was saying.

“No, she shouldn’t. But making mistakes doesn’t mean that you don’t care.” A thought came to her. “It’s like with me and pie.”

Drew looked up and Eve knew she had to keep going with the analogy. “I’m not a good cook, especially pies. I mess them up all the time, but I keep trying because someday I want all my hard work to pay off and for someone to say ‘wow, you did a great job with this pie’. I keep making mistakes but not because I don’t care or don’t try my best, but because it’s hard for me. But every mess-up makes me better at it next time.”

“So being my mom is hard?”

Eve felt her heart squeeze. She didn’t really know anything about being a mom except that it looked like a hell of a lot of work. “It’s easier for some people than others. But yeah, being really good at it and doing it perfectly is hard. You know what, though?” she asked giving him a smile, “I’m guessing it’s also like pie in that even when it’s
not
perfect, if you’re doing it because you like it, it’s still pretty good.”

Drew’s eyes dropped to the book in his lap but she could tell he wasn’t seeing the words.

“You could give up on the pie and do something easier,” he said quietly.

Eve looked at him with surprise. Was it possible for a kid his age to
really
get a metaphor like that? “No way,” she said firmly. “When something really matters, you don’t give up.”

“My mom won’t give up then?” he asked, his eyes back on Eve’s. “She’ll get better and come back?”

In that moment, Drew seemed like the little boy he really was.

Eve forced herself not to cry. “Oh, honey, everything that’s going on right now is her way of getting better at the mom-thing,” she said sincerely. “And everything she did to arrange for you to stay with Kevin so that you’re safe and taken care of is her loving you even when she’s not here.”

“She wanted my dad, Steve, to take care of me. But he didn’t want to.”

Oh, boy. She really didn’t want to do this part. But she wanted to hug him more than she wanted to run.

“You know what?” She touched Drew’s foot and he didn’t pull it away. “I know both Steve and Kevin. I’d say you ended up with the much better deal. Kevin really cares about you and he wants you to be happy.”

Steve was his dad and yeah, in the ideal world, all kids would have their dad around. But Kevin would do whatever was in his power to make up for Steve’s shortcomings.

“Maybe.” Drew didn’t sound completely convinced but he also didn’t sound mad anymore.

“You ready for sleep now?” she asked, gently removing the book and laying it on his bedside table.

“Okay.” He scooted down under the covers. “I guess.”

“And in the morning, Kevin’s going to bring you to Sherry’s for breakfast. I’ll see you then.”

“Okay.”

She stood and looked down at him awkwardly. “You need a hug or anything?”

“That would be okay.”

Surprised, she leaned in. He wrapped his arms around her neck for a quick second, then lay back.

She shifted back, pressing her lips together. It was really stupid to be choked up by that barely-there hug.

“Night, D,” she said, clicking off the light before he could see the shininess in her eyes.

“Night, Eve.”

She padded to the door with the light from a plain old white nightlight in the outlet. The kid didn’t even have a fun nightlight. How could he not like Sponge Bob or something? That nightlight was her final straw. The kid was going to watch cartoons with her. Period.

She was mostly composed as she stepped into the hallway and pulled his door halfway shut. Then she turned and nearly plowed into Kevin.

“What the hell?” she hissed as she straightened away from him. He’d scared the crap out of her.

“Is he okay?” Kevin whispered.

“Yeah, he’s fine.” She glanced at the doorway, then frowned at Kevin. “What are you doing up here?”

“Eavesdropping.” He didn’t seem the least bit apologetic about it either.

She rolled her eyes and headed for the stairs. She didn’t want to talk right outside Drew’s room.

As soon as his foot hit the first floor he grabbed her arm and swung her to face him. “That was great, Eve.” His smile was huge.

For a moment she blinked at him. Wow, that smile did stuff to her. “It was?”

Kevin nodded. “I knew this would be really natural to you.”

“This?”

“Helping Drew, making him feel secure and cared for.”

Well, Drew mattered to her. At first, her heart had gone out to a little boy who was suffering the consequences of the bad decisions the adults around him had made. Then she’d been pulled further in because Kevin needed her help. But now, Drew had gotten to her too. If she could help him sleep better at night and smile some during the day, she’d do whatever it took.

And if it put that look—a combination of relief and affection and desire—on Kevin’s face she’d take that bonus and enjoy the hell out of it.

Taking his hand, she led him to the couch.

“Cocoa?” she asked, pushing him to sit.

“Um…”

She lifted a cup and held it out. As she met his eyes, she hesitated. And had to take a deep breath. He was looking at her with an expression that made her feel like she’d downed the whole cup of cocoa and half the bottle of schnapps—warm and tingly from the inside out.

“You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that,” she said.

“Like what?”

“Like you want to take over the seduction.”

“Ah, right, okay.” He glanced at and finally accepted the cup.

She settled down on the couch next to him with her own cup, again tucking her feet up and facing him. “Yep. Relaxing, talking, being together.”