30. Henry

CHAPTER THIRTY

henry

“So, he’s not in jail?” Felix asks Andrew, and we all wait for the answers about the kid. Ben and Colby are here at the gym with us, and Brooks is holding Hazel, his eyes on Andrew too.

All of us are invested in the answer about this child.

“No. He’s been released and is in a temporary home, but they’re investigating.”

“It was self-defense,” Ben says what we’ve all said. It’s unimaginable that Evan will be charged for this.

“Miles is working on it,” Andrew says, his jaw tight.

“Oh, Miles.” Brooks lights up, saying something to Andrew with playful eyes, and Andrew just ignores him.

“He’s a great defense lawyer. There’s no arguing that.”

Ben places a big hand on Andrew’s shoulder, and yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m right about some sort of past being there I know nothing about.

Andrew excuses himself, and Roman comes in with Ben and Colby’s little boy in his arms. The boy starts playing with Hazel immediately, and my daughter stands between Brooks’s legs as he holds her hands and steadies her. She’s excited to see her friend.

The boy has started to open up a little, accepting his new place. And there’s no shortage of love for him here, that’s for damn sure.

But I see that same love they have for my daughter. It’s hard to believe they could love a stranger this much, but they do.

They really do.

Hazel takes a step forward with Brooks still holding onto her hands, and Ben chuckles, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Won’t be long until she’s running all over the place.”

I stiffen slightly at the thought, my eyes moving up to my boss. “I know when she does, I should probably start looking for a daycare or something.” My voice shakes, and I’m sure he can hear my nerves.

So many people have to rely on daycare for their children every single day. Especially single parents. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s a mental block for me. I’m terrified to have her out of my sight.

“I know I need to get over that,” I say my thought out loud, but Ben just smiles, shaking his head at me.

“Why would you need to do that? There are plenty of people here. We can all watch both Caleb and her.” His hand sweeps over his son’s hair, and the little boy looks up at the sound of his name.

“Well, you’re the owner, and I know you and Colby can switch off, if you need to watch him.”

Ben looks at Felix and then me. “Well, I don’t want to put you two on different shifts, but I can if it ever needs to happen. There’s no reason to put her in daycare, if you don’t want to.”

I look at Felix, who’s smiling happily, almost smug, like he already knew this would be Ben’s answer, and I feel like an asshole for not knowing everyone knows Felix is my person. That he’ll be there for me, no matter what. They all know it, and I know it too, but I still have that alone feeling deep inside sometimes.

“You’re sure?”

He smiles kindly at me and nods. “Hazel is part of this gym. People would riot if they didn’t get to see her. Are you kidding me?”

“He wants to put her on the logo,” Colby says with a sly smile.

My heart feels full as I look around at these men and shake my head in disbelief. “She’d be a good mascot.”

She giggles as if she knows we’re talking about her, and Brooks stands up, still holding onto her but letting her use her little legs.

“You two are part of this gym and this family, whether you like it or not, Henry,” Ben says quietly, though I’m sure everyone heard. “We help family around here.”

“Can’t escape us,” Colby says jokingly, but there’s truth to what he says.

Felix wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple. “No daycare for our girl. If we want, we can work at different times. Ben is pretty great at working the schedule.”

“I’m great at everything,” Ben says cockily, but he’s grinning from ear to ear.

I don’t understand why they’d take a chance on me, but I’m forever grateful. I feel at peace, knowing I don’t have to leave my daughter with anyone other than family.

Because that’s what they’ve become.