All Stars Fall (Seaside Pictures #3.5)(11)

I wasn’t sure what to do.

He didn’t exactly hit me but he did shove me.

I squinted down at him. He just shook his head and mouthed the word “Don’t.”

“Why?” I whispered back.

He looked down, not before I saw anger flashing across his features, and then he was on his feet and stomping back up the stairs.

Malcom let out a little sigh and then cupped his mouth with both hands. “That was one of Mom’s shirts, she can’t leave the house without it.”

My heartbeat stuttered, and then pain sliced through my chest as I tried to imagine knowing my mom left me by choice, at such a young age.

“Malcom? Why don’t we go into the kitchen real quick?”

Bella was enraptured with both the black T-shirt and the TV show. Obviously, she was still trying to wake up.

Malcom obediently followed me into the kitchen. I leaned down to his level. “Does she get upset if anyone touches the shirt?”

He nodded and then his lower lip started to wobble.

I was not prepared for this.

Not at all.

I reached for him just as he burst into tears.

Oh, God.

I didn’t know the woman, and I wanted to strangle her with my bare hands then run her over with my Jeep.

“It’s okay.” I hugged him close.

His tiny arms tried to fit around me, and then he stepped back and wiped his face.

“I’m not supposed to cry in front of Bella,” he said between sobs. “But I miss Mom. She left us, and she did it on purpose.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for some sort of wisdom to give the kid, but I had nothing, because I couldn’t imagine it, couldn’t justify it one bit. I’d always wanted kids and that old resentment came flaring to life at the thought of someone being blessed with three and walking away.

I’d already been told it would be hard to get pregnant.

She’d had everything.

Everything I’d always wanted.

How did a person just…leave?

“I’m so sorry.” I wiped the tears on his soft, puffy cheeks as he stared down at his feet. “When I get sad about things, sometimes I think about the things I should be happy about.”

“Yeah?” He swiped his nose with his sleeve. “Like what?”

“Well…” I smiled wide. “You have a pretty cool dad. I mean, who can say their dad is an actual rock star?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I like firefighters.”

I almost burst out laughing. “Well, I think that rock stars are cooler than firefighters. I bet most of the world knows who your dad is, plus he makes people happy with his music. How cool is that?”

He frowned and then squinted at me. “I like his music.”

“I bet that’s a relief for your dad.”

Malcom grinned. “I still wish my mom was here.”

“That’s okay, little man. I promise one day it won’t make you as sad, and for what it’s worth I think you’re pretty awesome.”

He grinned, put his arms around me again, and then paled. “You aren’t leaving, are you?”

That was it, I was officially stealing Trevor’s kid. He’d be fine, he had two more. Right? A smile tugged at my lips. “Only to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

“You can sleep here!” Malcom grinned and then clapped his hands. “Dad has lots of rooms. I know sometimes he has friends over that are girls, but they don’t stay long.”

“Ummm.” I felt myself blushing. “Well, I’m staying longer. That’s why I’m going back to my house, because all my things are there.”

“Oh.” He frowned. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Yup! Now, why don’t you go back and sit with your sister while I check on dinner, okay?”

“’K!” He ran off, his little legs sprinting him into the next room while I turned around and nearly had a frigging heart attack.

“Trevor!” I stumbled back, colliding with the granite countertop. “How long have you been standing there?”

His face was unreadable. I wracked my brain trying to think of what I could have said that was wrong and came up empty.

“You.” He shook his head. “He hugged you.”

“Is that…” Oh no! He didn’t want me touching his kids! “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that was a rule. I swear I won’t hug him. He was just crying and he was—”

“He hasn’t hugged anyone but me since his mom left, and even then I have to basically beg him.” Sadness flashed across his face. “Thank you…for what you said, for taking the time to listen to him, to get down on his level. My kids are…everything.”

“I know,” I said softly. “I didn’t want to poison the well either, with their mom. As far as I’m concerned, that won’t help anything, so I hope that what I said was okay?”

“Agreed.” He sighed like he’d spent the last few hours under extreme stress, and then he perked up and sniffed the air. “Pot roast?”

I beamed. “Yeah, I figured you’d be starving and the kids slept late, probably because we played so hard, which also means that’s my cue to leave. I had a long day in the play room upstairs. It won by the way.”