“Yeah. You can stay here till you’re all better.” Her son put his hand out and introduced himself. “I’m Robbie.”

Vin extended his good arm. “Nice to meet you, my man.”

After they shook, Robbie smiled. “I have an idea, too.”

As he headed out of the room, she said, “You want to get changed out of your pj’s, please?”

“Yes, Mom.”

It took every ounce of control for Gretchen not to do the whole snatch and hug thing as he passed by—but he was behaving as the man of the house, and seven-year-olds deserved to have their pride.

“You think that went okay?” Vin asked softly.

“I really do.” She blinked fast and sat down next to him. “And please drink some of that.”

Vin clasped her hand in a fast squeeze and then took a sip. “I don’t think I’m up for the saltines.”

“We can wait on those.”

“Thank you…for letting me meet him.”

“Thank you for being so good with him.”

“I’ll stay on the couch, okay?”

“Yup and we can do our lessons in the kitchen. I home-school him, and today’s Monday.”

“I love you,” Vin said, turning his head to face her. “I love you so goddamn much it hurts.”

She smiled and leaned in, kissing him. “That might just be your shoulder talking.”

“No, it’s closer to the center of my chest. I think…it’s called the heart? Not sure, as I haven’t had one before.”

“I believe that would be the heart, yes.”

There was a pause. “You still going to move into my farmhouse?”

“If it’s still okay with you, yes.”

“You mind having someone else in one of the guest rooms while you’re there? You know, a fellow tenant? It’s a big place, and there’s this maid’s room over the kitchen that he could use while you and Robbie have the whole run of the second floor. And I can vouch for the guy. He’s neat and clean, quiet, respectful. Known him a long time. He’s trying to get his life back together and is going to need a place to stay.”

She stroked his face, and thought they hadn’t known each other for all that long if you counted the hours…but considering what they’d been through, it was as if everything needed to be measured in something like dog years. Or more.

“I think that would be great.”

They kissed again quickly and he said, “If it doesn’t work, I’ll leave right away.”

“Somehow I think it’s going to be fine.”

Vin smiled and sipped a little more. “I haven’t had ginger ale in years.”

“How’s your stomach—”

Robbie came back down, still in his pj’s. “Here, this’ll help!”

As he held out his favorite Spider-Man comic book, Gretchen took the soda so that Vin could accept the gift.