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She looked up at me with those big blue eyes.

“I do know.” What the fuck was happening? “Why not you?” I asked. “Why don’t you take him?”

“Me? Because the court won’t let a single woman on teacher’s salary adopt a child who needs a home.” Her voice was filled with resentment. “I’ve tried. I’ve tried everything and I can’t get past the red tape.”

“That’s shit,” I muttered. It didn’t seem right. What kind of system was that?

“I’m ready.” Hunter bumped in between us and I took a quick step back.

“Hey, buddy.” I ruffled the top of his head and I heard him giggle. It had taken all week for him to let

me get that close. It was my own kind of victory.

“We have to get going,” Julie said, but I didn’t know if she wanted to let me know or Hunter.

“Right.” I had late practice. The playoffs weren’t going to fucking win themselves.

“Good night, Hawk.”

Julie guided Hunter out the door toward the parking lot.

My first response was to follow her ass as she sashayed on those high heels. But as they walked farther away, and I saw Julie lean down to say something to Hunter, I knew I was in way over my head.

12

Julie

I could barely concentrate on the road. Hunter was buckled in the backseat and I needed to get him to the home before I had to explain why we were late. And why was that? Because I was falling for a notorious playboy? There was no explanation for that error in my judgement. I put the full blame on my raging hormones.

I sighed, turning onto the dark street where I had to drop off Hunter. It was always the hardest part of my day. The worst. The saddest. The mots heart-wrenching.

I put the car in park and walked around to Hunter’s side, lugging his bag out for him.

“Ready?” I asked with a smile on my face.

He nodded. “I guess.” The happiness he had earlier was gone. He hated this part of the day too.

I wished things were different. I wished I had a way to adopt him. But I had been down that road. I couldn’t make it happen. I had tried every way possible. I wasn’t even able to foster him. It was one let down after another.

“I’ll pick you up for school in the morning, ok?”

I watched him walk up the stairs. His shoulders slouched forward.

He didn’t answer and I felt the pain in my ribs. I wanted to drag him back to the car and take him home. Tuck him into a soft warm bed. Read him stories. Try to build Lego towers with him. Argue over what was going to happen in the next Star Wars movie. But I couldn’t do any of those things. Instead, I was a single twenty-six year old woman who could barely pay her bills.

I had been so desperate I took a job at Catch. I didn’t even have that anymore. I quit after the bar fight. It had been my first and last night moonlighting.

“Good night,” I called after Hunter.

He looked at me over his shoulder and my heart broke a little more.

“Night.” He walked inside.

The door closed and I moved to the driver side of the car. The end of the day shouldn’t be like this for either of us. But there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

I pulled away from the curb feeling as helpless and lost as he did. My stomach rumbled and I knew I needed to at least pick up some dinner. My fridge was empty. I hadn’t been grocery shopping all week.

I stopped at one of my favorite delis and picked up a sandwich and a salad. The lady behind the counter smiled at me as she handed me the order.