“We’ll see.” I held my palm out and looked at Will. “Phone.”

His mouth fell open. “But it’s my birthday tomorrow. None of my friends will be able to call or text me.”

I wavered a bit in my resolve. Will would only turn seventeen once. “You can have it for an hour tomorrow, but other than that, no tv, video games, or phone for a week. You’ll help Griffin with the farmhouse this week when you’re done with your schoolwork for the day, and you won’t be getting paid.”

I turned to Griffin. “And don’t even think about paying him behind my back.”

Griffin held up both hands in surrender. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Why don’t you head back to work? We’ve got it from here.”

I nodded and started to walk away. Then I turned back and pulled Will into a tight hug. “I love you more than life. Don’t you ever forget it.” He nodded against my shoulder, and I fought the tears that wanted to surface. I released him and started for the exit. I just hoped I didn’t run into Drew on the way. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from giving him a nice uppercut to the jaw.

41

Griffin

“You’re not going to give me a lecture?”

I kept focused on the task in front of me, rolling a smooth line of paint onto the wall. In another twenty-four hours, the living room would be finished. With Will’s help, the house would be done by mid-Fall. “Do you need a lecture?”

“I don’t know,” he mumbled. “I might feel less guilty if Caelyn had yelled at me.”

I chuckled. “The worst is when they say they’re disappointed in you.”

Will paused his painting. “I don’t think Caelyn’s ever said that. Not to me, or Ava or Mia. Not even when Mia painted the hallway with her bright pink glitter nail polish.”

Of course, she hadn’t. I often forgot that these kids carried around a world of wounds invisible to most eyes. And Caelyn’s tender heart would refuse to risk the addition of any more. “That’s because you guys make your sister proud.”

“Not today, I didn’t.”

I set down my paint roller. “Sometimes, you have to do what’s right for yourself. Even if that means letting someone else down.”

Will gave his head a stern shake. “I never want to let Caelyn down.”

“Even if that means abandoning yourself?” I’d had flickers of concern the first time Will and I had talked about his future, but the more time I spent with the teen, the more that worry grew.

His jaw flexed. “I’m not abandoning myself. I’m just making things easier for Caelyn. For Ava and Mia, too.”