Page 37 of More Than a Hero (Baytown Heroes #12)

Pete had already spoken with Richard earlier in the day, outlining his plan for tonight’s discussion with the boys. Richard wouldn’t be joining them since his wife had just given birth, but he fully supported what Pete had in mind.

Now, as the boys pushed through the double doors of the YMCA, their usual energy was dampened by curiosity when Pete met them just inside, his expression serious.

“We’re skipping gym tonight,” Pete told them, motioning toward the hallway. “Conference room first.”

Jalen frowned. “What’s up, Mr. Pete?”

“Aren’t we meeting our adopted grandparents tonight?” Darius asked, his brow furrowing.

“This is weird,” Mike mumbled as he fell in line behind the others.

Pete didn’t answer right away, leading them down the familiar corridor. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, casting a cool glow against the scuffed linoleum floor. He could feel their unease growing, the shift in routine making them restless.

When they stepped into the conference room where they usually worked through homework, talked about life, and built their bond, Pete motioned for them to take a seat.

The laughter and chatter were missing now, replaced by the quiet scrape of chairs against the floor as the boys settled around the table.

Their expressions had shifted from mild curiosity to concern.

Pete rested his hands on the table and met their eyes. “I talked to some of you at school the other day… the older ones. Now, I want to talk to all of you together.”

He had their rapt attention, so he continued.

“You all know that one of the biggest things Mr. Richard and I talk about is making good choices. And I know most of you have heard about what happened recently—the high school kid who got into the wrong car, with the wrong person, at the worst possible time.”

The boys nodded, wide-eyed.

“I heard the car flipped ten times before stopping,” Rasheem said, his voice edged with awe.

Curly scoffed. “Man, I heard drugs went flying out the windows, like a movie or something.”

“They said it was one of the high school kids from our building,” Mike added.

“Somebody on my bus said he escaped,” Darius said.

Kyron rolled his eyes. “If he escaped, how’d they catch him, then?”

The older boys sat in silence as the younger ones slowly grew quiet.

Pete raised his hands. “Alright, enough. First lesson, don’t believe everything you hear.

” He swept his gaze across the table, making sure they were listening.

“Here’s what actually happened. The car ended up on its side, not flipping down the road like some action scene.

No one was hurt, and no, drugs weren’t flying everywhere. I know because I was there.”

Silence settled over them as the weight of his words sank in.

“The second lesson? Don’t make situations worse by spreading rumors. Gossip isn’t just harmless talk—it can hurt people. It can ruin lives. It’s one thing to share facts to help someone, but it’s another to spread stories just to sound like you know something.”

Heads bobbed in understanding, their previous excitement tempered by Pete’s serious tone.

“And third,” Pete continued, leaning forward slightly, “we’re not going to talk about the kid who made the bad decision. That’s not what tonight is about. What I want—what I need—is for you to think about your own choices.”

Tony scrunched his nose. “But what kind of choices, Mr. Pete?”

Pete exhaled, his voice softer now. “The older you get, the harder it’ll be to choose the right friends.

The more pressure you’ll feel to go along with things that don’t sit right with you.

And sometimes, stepping away from danger is going to feel like turning your back on people you care about.

” His gaze moved around the table, making sure each of them heard him.

“That’s why you need each other. This group…

it’s more than a program. It’s a family.

You don’t need a gang to have a brotherhood.

You have this. You have your teachers. Mr. Richard.

Me. And now, you’ve got your adopted grandparents. You’re surrounded by people who care.”

For a long moment, no one spoke. The only sound was the faint hum of the air-conditioning kicking on.

Then Caleb broke the silence, his voice quieter than usual. “This was hard for you, wasn’t it, Mr. Pete?”

The unexpected question caught Pete off guard. He met Caleb’s gaze, then glanced around at the other boys. Their faces weren’t just filled with curiosity anymore. Their eyes were filled with something deeper.

Pete nodded slowly. “Yeah. It was hard. Before I started working with you guys, I didn’t have much connection to the kids in this county.

But now? I do. I care about you. About your families.

And I want to make sure that if you ever find yourself struggling with a decision, you lean on each other.

You ask for help. You remember that you don’t have to face anything alone. ”

The weight of his words lingered in the air. After a few moments, the boys nodded, one by one. The conversation continued, shifting toward how they could look out for one another, how they could communicate when something felt off. And when it was time to head out, the tension had eased.

As Pete led them toward the van, he felt something settle in his chest… hope.

Angie glanced up as the door to the Careway community room swung open.

She had been setting out hot chocolate for the kids, and tea and coffee for the adults, when she caught sight of Pete and the boys filtering in.

Normally, they entered with an energy that filled the space—laughing, nudging each other, launching straight into conversations with their adopted grandparents.

Tonight, though, something was different.

Pete gave her a warm smile as he approached, but there was a heaviness to it, like his mind was elsewhere.

And the boys, who were normally a pack of motion, were quieter and more subdued.

A few offered halfhearted greetings, but most just gravitated toward their usual spots, hands in pockets, shoulders slightly hunched.

The grandparents noticed, too. George, already seated and waiting for Tony, exchanged a glance with Harold. Rosetta, ever perceptive, raised an eyebrow at Mike before glancing at Angie, silently asking if she knew what was going on. Angie shook her head slightly, then turned to Pete.

“Everything alright?” she asked softly.

Pete hesitated before answering, running a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah. Just… a heavy conversation before we got here.”

Angie nodded, glancing at the boys again. She could see it in their eyes—uncertainty, maybe even a little worry. Whatever Pete had talked to them about had made an impact.

She clapped her hands together gently. “Alright, everyone, let’s get settled. I think a couple of you forgot to say hello,” she teased lightly, hoping to pull them out of their quiet state.

That did the trick, easing the tension. Darius gave Bertram a sheepish smile before sitting beside him. Kyron and Caleb slid into their seats near Harold. But the usual liveliness was still missing.

It was Marty who finally broke the silence. He adjusted his glasses and leaned forward, looking directly at Jimmy. “Alright, son, what’s got you all looking like somebody just told you Christmas got canceled?”

That made a couple of them chuckle, but only briefly.

Jimmy hesitated, glancing at Pete before exhaling.

“It’s just… we were talking earlier. About making good choices.

There was a kid … um… a high school kid.

He got in a car with some guy he didn’t really know, and they turned out to be a gang member.

The car crashed, and…” He shrugged, as if unsure how to sum it all up.

“Drugs,” Rasheem muttered. “Money. The whole thing was messed up.”

“That coulda been any one of us,” Curly added, his voice quiet.

A ripple of understanding passed through the room. Some of the grandparents exchanged looks, and Angie could tell they were weighing their words, remembering their own youth.

Marty was the first to speak. He looked at Jimmy with a wry smile.

“You think this is new? That back when we were young, the world was all rainbows and sweet tea?” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“Son, when I was your age, the world was changing fast. I served in Vietnam but came home angry. Decided that normal society wasn’t for me.

I worried my parents silly when I didn’t want to get a job and work nine to five.

Hell, I went to Woodstock, if you can believe that. ”

“They won’t know what Woodstock was!” Hannah said, shaking her head. She looked at the other kids. “It was a four-day music festival of hard rock, anti-war, drugs, drinking, and… um… other things.”

Eyes widened around the table. “No way,” Tony said, his usual skepticism creeping in.

“Oh yes,” Marty said with a knowing smile. “And let me tell you, I made a few mistakes in my time.” He let that settle before adding, “But I also had people who looked out for me. People who reminded me that I had choices.”

Rosetta nodded. “It’s all about who you keep around you. In the sixties, drugs were easy to get. And if you didn’t have the right people watching your back, well…” She shook her head. “But I was lucky. I had family, friends who worked hard and never let me slip too far down the wrong path.”

Harold leaned forward, his voice steady.

“Money was tight for my family back then. I grew up in Baltimore. Some people turned to drugs, others to alcohol. Me? I worked. Didn’t have time to get into trouble because I had to help put food on the table.

And you know what? I never regretted that choice. ”

“It’s not just about staying away from the bad,” Bertram added, looking at Darius. “It’s about knowing where to turn when things get hard.”

A quiet settled over the room again, but this time, it was thoughtful. The boys weren’t just listening; they were absorbing the stories, realizing that the people in front of them hadn’t always been old. That they had been young once, making their own choices, some good, some bad.

Jimmy leaned forward, glancing at Marty. “So… what kept you from making bad choices?”

Marty smiled, his face lined with time, but his eyes still sharp. “The people I surrounded myself with. It all comes down to that, son. You run with the right people, you’ll find your way through just about anything. You run with the wrong ones? That’s when life gets dangerous.”

Heads nodded around the table.

Pete, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, finally spoke. “And that’s exactly why we have this group. So that no matter what, you have people to turn to. People who care about you.”

The boys exchanged looks. “So you all are like our safety net, huh?” David murmured.

Hannah smiled, placing a hand over his. “Absolutely.”

For the first time that evening, the tension eased. The room didn’t feel so heavy anymore. The past and present had come together in a way none of them had expected, and Angie could see the way the boys sat a little straighter, their expressions a little lighter.

A bridge had been built tonight. And not just between the boys and the seniors.

As she looked over at Pete, her heart squeezed with an emotion that she hadn’t realized was growing.

She was falling for this handsome, kind, and honorable man.

Smiling, she stood and began serving the cookies she’d brought.