Page 65 of Property of Tacoma

“Hey,” he says, his expression neutral.

“Hey, buddy,” Tacoma replies. “Everything good?”

Jagger shrugs. “Yeah. Pop took me out on the boat. Caught a couple of Groupers.”

“Nice.” Tacoma nods approvingly.

Saylor plops down beside me, leaning into my side like she belongs here. Panda immediately jumps onto my neck and reaches his greedy hands out for my necklace.

“Are you staying in Odin for a while?” Jagger asks suddenly, his eyes fixed on me.

I recognize the look in his eyes immediately.

It’s one I saw in the mirror a lot when I was growing up.

That hope that people will stick around, but the experience of knowing that they usually don’t.

My heart hurts for him.

He’s been through a lot in his sixteen years.

His dad getting locked up for five years, his mom being absent once Tacoma got out.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be here,” I tell him honestly, not wanting to lie. The last thing he needs is more broken promises. “But for a while, at least.”

The tension in Jagger’s shoulders eases slightly, and he nods. “Cool.”

Saylor reaches out and traces her finger along one of the tattoos on my arm. “What are these flowers?”

I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “They’re lotus flowers.” I drag my finger up the stem to the pink petals. “They grow in the mud, but they’re resilient. They push through the surface and still turn out beautiful. It reminds me that good things can come from bad situations.”

She looks up at me with those big blue eyes, so much like her father’s. “I want a tattoo.”

Tacoma’s eyes widen in alarm. “Not until you’re thirty, princess.”

“That’s what you said about boyfriends,” she pouts.

“And I meant that too,” he replies instantly.

Sittingon the couch beside Tacoma, his arm draped over my shoulders, hugging me against his side, I can't help but marvel at how quickly I've fallen into this routine.

It’s so domestic. Like we’re a family.

Especially with Saylor lying with her head in my lap, eyes glued to Stranger Things playing on the TV while I run my fingers through her silky hair.

We’ve been rewatching “their favorite show,” according to Saylor, for the last three days. With the first chapter of the new season dropping on November 26th, “we gotta watch it again so we remember what’s going on.”

Those were Saylor’s exact words.

I smile, thinking about how crazy the Benson family is about their Stranger Things.

It’s adorable.

Tacoma kisses the top of my hair, and I look up at him.

My heart flutters at how handsome he is.

He’s not what I expected at all.