Smart kid. Could make a guy proud.

“We’ll work on it,” Hawk murmured. Unable to resist, he gave Aric a squeeze. “Good job running. You’re damned fast.”

The kid’s eyes brightened.

At the tug in the center of Hawk’s chest, he cleared his throat. “Bunk down or read the book.”

After crawling in and curling up in the pillow nest, Aric gave the stuffed toy a dubious look.

“Owls sleep during the day. He’s your nap buddy.”

As if that made perfect sense, Aric wrapped his arms around the owl and was asleep within a minute.

Picking up his own book, Hawk settled down on the sectional…and was too shook up to read. How did parents survive this shit for eighteen years?

And how fucking pitiful was it that he’d give anything to be one of those parents? To raise that boy over there.

Sadness swept through Hawk. He’d never be a father; he knew better.

Chapter Twenty-Three

When trouble comes, it’s your family that supports you. ~ Guy Lafleur

On Saturday, Hawk walked out to his deck to enjoy the sun. Maybe he’d take the canoe out on the lake. Kit and Aric might enjoy that.

He caught sight of Gryff making his rounds of the courtyard, sniffing near the electric fence. Probably some predator had been lured too close by the scent of the chickens and gotten zapped.

Next door, Caz stepped outside. “Nice day, ’mano.”

Hawk nodded, pleased that this brother, at least, wouldn’t interrogate him about being with Kit and Aric in the evenings. Without a doubt, his brothers had noticed.

Hawk sighed. There’d be shit coming his way soon enough. There was no way they’d approve of him getting serious about Kit—because no one in the fucking world would want Hawk to be a father. They knew, if nothing else, his parents had gone to prison and he’d had a shitty childhood. They might well have figured out that his father had been an abusive asshole.

Sooner or later, he’d have to explain that he knew better than to get involved—and Kit wasn’t serious about him, anyway.

“Where’s your girl?” Hawk asked.

“Which one?” Caz grinned. “JJ is working. Gabe and Audrey took Regan and Aric off for a fishing lesson, since Tucker and Guzman acquired kid-sized poles.”

The two backcountry men were rapidly turning into doting honorary uncles.

When Hawk’s phone dinged, he checked the text message and sighed. So much for his day off. He tapped in a reply.

“Work?” Caz asked.

“The campers I dropped off last week. A bear got their supplies.”

“Good thing they took a satellite phone and are high enough to get a signal. Do they want you to fly them in some food?”

“Yeah.” Hawk pulled up the aviation weather unit. Fog in the forecast, dammit. “I need to hurry. Did Kit go fishing too?”