Page 134 of Wherever You Are

Moffy shouts, “I think you’re brave, Uncle Garrison!”

I smile weakly and tell Lily, “Your kid is funny.”

“Or maybe he’s right.”

I exhale the heaviness that’d been on my chest.Yeah, I feel better.“So I can take Garth when I fly to London?”

“Without a doubt, no take-backs. Cross my heart.” She makes an “x” over her heart and adds, “He’s pretty much the family bodyguard, and you’re our family.”

That feels good.

I smile more. “Thanks. I appreciate everything, you know?” Again, she’s helping me. Again, she’s not even hesitating.

I owe so much to Lily Calloway. For her kindness. For seeing something inside me worth a damn. Because the day I walked in this store, asking for a job—it changed my life.

Lily nods again, a nostalgic smile rising.

We return to the comics, hunting through the boxes for Sorin-X, and she asks me why I need all of them.

Here we go.“I guess I have to ask about it anyway, but you have to promise not to tell the tall one. He’s literally throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars at my face. I’m scared shitless he’ll shut the entire thing down and fire me if he finds out.”

My secret project has been on-going forthreeyears. I think he’s out of his fucking mind for even letting me code without evidence of what the hell I’m programming.

For all he knows, I could be pissing time away constructing a unicorn farm on Minecraft.

I’m literally a heartbeat away from purging the big secret when the storage door swings open.

Oh shit.

Loren Hale pockets his keys as he enters. He must’ve just left work at Hale Co. or Halway Comics, and I’m not ready to blow up this project in front of him.

Lily, yeah.

Lo, fuckingno.

It’s complicated.

I chug the rest of my energy drink, watching Moffy and Luna hide in the cardboard box to scare their dad. “Shh,” Moffy whispers to Luna and yanks down a flap.

All the while, Lily and Lo embrace.

I donotwatch their lip-lock. I’ve seen enough at their house, thank you. When they pull apart, Lo sweeps the storage room and nods to me.

I nod back.

But he’s looking for Moffy and Luna. “Where are our kids?” Panic catches in his edged voice but quickly extinguishes as the box giggles and laughs.

I smile.

Lo is an asshole, though, so he layers on fear and panic and yells, “Moffy?! Luna?! Lily, go call 9-1-1 right n—”

“No!” Moffy shrieks, tearing up. He pops out of the box and bolts to his dad. “I’m right here! I’m right here!” He hugs onto Lo’s legs, and Lo crouches, hugging his son tight. Acting so relieved to find him.

Savage.

Lily whispers to Lo, but I can’t hear, and then Lo assesses Moffy’s well-being. “Are you in one piece? Are you okay? Did the aliens get you?”

“What aliens?”