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CHAPTER 37

SLOANE

I walked into the group home, pushing the thoughts of my upcoming conversation with Everett out of my mind so I could focus on Rome. Scanning the room, I spotted him in his usual corner with a stack of crayons and coloring books. His tiny body was hunched over, focused on whatever masterpiece he was working on.

“Hey, Rome,” I said, smiling as I approached. He looked up, his big brown eyes lighting up when he saw me. That little flicker of joy was all I needed to make the rest of the world disappear.

“Hi, Sloane,” he said softly, barely more than a whisper, but he smiled as he slid over to make room for me on the floor beside him. The fact that he’d immediately spoken to me was a huge step, and I was still a little in shock as I sank to the floor next to him. He’d been that way since he’d met Logan, seeming to be warmer with me every time I came.

“Whatcha drawing today?” I asked.

“Hockey stuff,” Rome replied as I sat down, grabbing a crayon.

“Oh.” My eyes widened when I saw he had a whole stack of hockey-themed coloring books. Those were new. The center must have gotten some new donations. Logan was going to get a big kick out of it next time he was able to come in with me.

We colored in silence for a while, and the tension in my shoulders slowly eased at the familiar routine.

After a few minutes, I noticed Rome glance up at me, then quickly back down, like he was thinking about something.

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?” I asked, keeping my tone light.

He hesitated for a second, his tiny hands gripping the crayon a little tighter. “Do you not want to be friends with Logan anymore?”

I blinked at him and frowned. “Of course I do. Why?”

“He just comes to see me by himself now instead of with you.”

His words caught me completely off guard. I blinked, trying to keep my voice steady. “Logan comes to see you?”

Logan had team events since that time he’d visited with me, and he’d been unable to come on my usual day. The fact that he’d been choosing to come himself…

He nodded, still coloring. “Yeah. He comes, and we color and play. But I’m glad that you guys are still friends.”

I stared at him, the crayon in my hand hovering over the page but unmoving. I was struggling not to cry. Of course Logan had come to see him.

Because he was the most perfect guy in the entire world.

“What do you guys play?” I asked, my voice sounding a little too tight, a little too small.

Rome smiled. “We play hide-and-seek. He’s not very good at it. I always win.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah? He’s a pretty big guy to be sneaking around.”

Rome giggled, his eyes sparkling as he told me about how Logan always pretended to trip over things or made too much noise, on purpose, just to make him laugh. As he talked, I could picture it so clearly—Logan, towering over everyone in that ridiculous way of his, trying to make himself small for Rome. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

Something deep inside me cracked.

Suddenly I wasn’t scared about severing ties with Everett.

I was excited about it.

“He’s really fun,” Rome continued, his voice soft again, like he was thinking about something serious. “And he talks to me like I’m big, like I’m important.”

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. Of course he did. Logan saw people. Really saw them, in a way that other people usually didn’t.

“I’m glad he comes to visit you,” I said quietly, running my fingers through Rome’s hair gently. “You deserve that. And we’ll come together again soon.”

Rome glanced up at me again, a little frown creasing his forehead. “Do you like him?”

The question caught me off guard, and I felt the heat rush to my face. “What?”

He shrugged, his innocent gaze cutting through me in a way I didn’t expect. “Do you want to marry him?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. I wasn’t sure what to say. How could I explain to this sweet little boy that the answer was yes, but it was also so much more complicated than that?

“I…he’s…” I stammered, but Rome just smiled, as if he already knew.

“I think he likes you too,” he said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I let out a shaky laugh, trying to hide the way my heart was pounding. “Yeah? You think so?”

He nodded, going back to his coloring like he hadn’t just turned my world upside down with one innocent question.

And for the rest of the visit I tried to come to terms with the fact that…I wanted forever with Logan York.