“That’s the way bullies roll,” Sam said, thinking of Stahl. “When they get away with it they think they can do it again. They keep doing it until someone makes it stop. I’ll bet if you ask around, you’ll find you aren’t the first one he’s punched, but maybe you’ll be the last.”

Scotty seemed to be mulling that over.

“What’re you thinking?” Nick asked him after a long moment of silence.

“I’m kind of scared to go back there tomorrow. What if he’s mad at me and the other kids are mean to me because I got him in trouble?”

“I thought of that and made sure to mention to his mom that I’d be unhappy if that were to happen.”

Scotty’s lips curled into a small smile. “I like how you said you’d be ‘unhappy.’”

“I thought that was funny too,” Nick said. “The understatement of the century.”

“You guys can make fun of me all you want,” Sam said, “but I’m pretty sure that kid won’t be bothering you again.”

“Thanks, Sam, for getting mad and calling his mom and all that. It’s cool that you did that for me.”

Relieved that he wasn’t angry with her for butting in when he’d asked her not to, Sam ran her fingers through his silky dark hair. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. There’s nothing either of us wouldn’t do.”

He smiled up at her, and once again the love she felt for him bowled her over. And to think she hadn’t even known him a year ago, and now he was her son, in her life to stay forever.

She looked away from him before she embarrassed herself. “Where’s the chow? I’m starving.”

Nick’s hand on her shoulder steadied and reassured her. He got it. How could he not when he experienced the same emotions every day himself?

“They need time to cook it,” Scotty said dryly. “Can I go play video games until it gets here?”

“As long as all your homework is done,” Sam said.

“We did it in the car,” Scotty said, scurrying into the study.

“We did it in the car?” she asked Nick when they were alone.

“I helped with math.”

She curled into his embrace and sighed when his strong arms came around her. “How long do you think it’ll be before he stops making me want to cry with gratitude six times a day?”

“A year, maybe two. If it’s any consolation, he has the same effect on me.”

“Best thing we ever did.”

“Without a doubt.”

“I wondered if it would be weird or hard or awkward once it was permanent, but it’s none of those things. It’s amazing and overwhelming and astonishing and infuriating when someone hurts him.”