Free Firestone by Claudia Hall Christian

held
out a business card. He grinned, realizing he’d forgotten to give
it to her. “My cell is on the back.”
    “ Thanks,” Heather said.
“I’ll call.”
    Heather followed him out and locked the door
behind her. Nelson walked to his car. Heather waved when she drove
by. She had already reached Colfax Boulevard before she realized
what had just happened.
    For a second, her heart caught with
panic.
    This Nelson could ruin everything.
    Stopped at a light, she worked to catch her
breath. As she did, her son kicked, and the truth came to her.
    No one was going to take Blane away from
her. They were family.
    Smiling to herself, she continued on her way
to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Chapter Two
Hundred and Eighty-three
Scary
     
    Sunday afternoon — 3:30 p.m.
     
    “ Go ahead,” Delphie said.
She gave her new charge, Keenan, a nudge. They were standing at the
door to Jill and Jacob’s loft.
    “ What do I do?” Keenan
asked. The boy shook with anxiety. His transition from Kirk
Maughold, elderly monk, to Keenan, young boy, had left him anxious
and unsure of himself.
    “ Just knock,” Delphie
said. “Like this.”
    Delphie raised her hand and knocked on the
door. Keenan raised his fist to imitate her, but Katy opened the
door before he could knock. She watched him knock on air. She
knocked back. Keenan gave an embarrassed laugh, and Katy
giggled.
    “ Go on,” Delphie
said.
    She shooed Keenan into the loft. Keenan’s
eyes were huge as he looked at all the space. Jacob was in the
little kitchen getting their snack together. Katy slammed the door
after they came in.
    “ Katy!” Jill said from the
nursery.
    Katy ran into the nursery.
    “ Keenan!” Jacob said.
“Glad you could make it.”
    He hugged Delphie and made a gesture to hug
Keenan. The boy looked at him as if he were crazy. Jacob put his
hand on the boy’s shoulder, and he smiled.
    “ Nice to see you,” Jacob
said, and went back into the kitchen. “I thought we could have our
snack here.”
    He gestured to the kitchen bar. Delphie
helped Keenan up onto a bar stool and sat down next to him. Keenan
looked terrified.
    “ Why am
I . . .” Keenan started. He looked at Delphie.
“Ma’am said you wanted to speak with me.”
    “ Delphie,” she
corrected.
    “ Yes, ma’am,” Keenan said.
He was becoming more embarrassed by the moment. “Have I done
something . . .?”
    Katy laughed, and Keenan looked over at the
nursery. The stars Mike had painted on the ceiling were dancing
around. Keenan smiled.
    “ The babies?” Delphie
asked Jacob.
    “ Bladen,” Jacob said.
Since there was already a Michael in the house, their son Michael
Bladen had almost immediately become Bladen. “We don’t think he
knows he’s doing it. What would you like to drink,
Keenan?”
    “ I’d love some tea, if you
have it?” Keenan sounded briefly like an old man. He cleared his
throat. “Um, sorry, I don’t know . . .”
    Delphie put her arm around him.
    “ How about some juice?”
Delphie asked.
    “ Done,” Jacob
said.
    He set out the plate of fruit and berries
he’d been putting together. He gave Delphie a mug of green tea and
poured a cup of juice for Keenan. Jacob went back to the
refrigerator to look for string cheese. Katy skipped out of the
nursery. Jill followed her with Tanner in her arms.
    “ The only way we’ve found
to get Bladen to settle down is to take Tanner away,” Jacob said.
He took the tiny baby from Jill. She went back to the nursery for
their other son.
    Keenan took a sip of his juice and then
looked at the glass.
    “ This is juice?” Keenan
asked.
    “ Orange juice,” Jacob
said. “Jill squeezed some this morning.”
    “ I like this orange
juice,” Keenan said.
    Jacob smiled.
    “ I wanted to talk to you a
bit before everything starts for you tomorrow,” Jacob
said.
    “ School.” Keenan looked at
Delphie and she smiled.
    “ Soccer,” Jacob
said.
    Keenan nodded. Katy climbed onto the bar
stool