Free Past Heaven by Laura Ward

toward their mom.
    “Crap,” Liz whispered and bit her lip. “Too late now, c’mon.” She walked toward the boys, and I followed close behind, dead man walking.
    Holy hell, I did not want to meet her kids. I had about a ninety-nine percent chance of saying the wrong thing and I couldn’t risk it. If I fucked up, Liz would pull the plug on the project. I was a grown-ass man, and I was freaking out over meeting three kids. Ridiculous.
    The youngest boy reached Liz and fell into her arms, hugging and kissing her all over her face. Liz picked him up and twirled him around, giggling. I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched them. A slightly taller boy smiled at his mom and then looked me over from head to toe. The tallest boy had jumped off the bus with an excited energy, but stopped as soon as he saw me. He frowned and looked at his mother with concern. God, he looked like a little Jack—at least what I had seen in pictures.
    “Boys, you’re home early.” Liz kissed each of them.
    “The Cahill triplets all have lice. Dis-gus-ting!” The boy who appeared to be the middle child spoke up. “We skipped their bus stop and saved a few minutes.”
    Lice? I scratched my head in several places, picturing the tiny insects. This. This was why I didn’t like little kids. Shit. Did I need to stop at the pharmacy and pick something up?
    “Mama, you look pretty today!” The littlest boy patted Liz’s cheek and looked down at her clothes.
    “Oh, thanks, bud.” Liz blushed and gave me a sideways glance. “Guys this is a new co-worker of mine. His name is Reynolds Carter, and we’re going to work on a project together about your father.” Liz set down the boy in her arms.
    “Reynolds, this is Griffin.” She placed an arm around his shoulders and he looked up at her with a toothy grin. “He’s the man of the house.”
    “Hello.” He extended his hand and gave me a firm handshake, his scowl unmistakable. “You look familiar. Did I see you kissing girls on TV?”
    Liz chuckled, but I maintained a serious face and returned his handshake. Awkward, but my mother taught me manners. I just had to remember them. “Nice to meet you, Griffin.” He stared at me, waiting for something. Right, the kissing question. “Yeah, I’m an actor. From time to time, I have to pretend to kiss girls even though a lot of the time I think it’s kinda gross.” He nodded and stepped aside, nudging the other kid forward.
    “This is my son, Grayson.” Liz placed her hand on his head and he lifted his chin in greeting.
    “Whassup, dude?” He spoke with attitude, and I couldn’t help it. The laugh just came out of me.
    “Not much, dude, what’s up with you?” He was my kind of guy.
    “This small fry is my Hayden.”
    Hayden clung to his mom’s leg, but held up his hand for a high five. I crouched down and lightly slapped his hand. He beamed. “I love trains. Do you like trains? I can show you my trains!” He blurted out before turning and running toward the house.
    All three boys stopped in front of the big SUV in the driveway. Grayson peered into the window. “I promise to have something less obnoxious tomorrow,” I mumbled. I needed to rent my own car, and I didn’t need a driver anymore. I’d be in Baltimore for a while, and I wanted to blend in.
    “Yeah, that will probably help with the neighborhood gossip.” Liz pointed the boys toward the house. “Head in guys. I’ll be right there to make your snack.” She turned to me and let out a deep breath.
    “This has been the most interesting day, Reynolds. I enjoyed myself, though, and I look forward to working with you tomorrow.” Liz extended her hand, and I chuckled at her formality.
    Even though Liz wasn’t naïve to hardship, she looked innocent and unassuming, standing with her hand outstretched to me. She was so unlike the manipulative crowd I had spent the last few years with. I thought of Kylie. How would she handle tragedy? How would she recover from pain? The hard