Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
I nodded hello to Gina at the desk at the same time as Quinlan and Chris heard my approach and turned around.
“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Quin said.
“I had to finish my session with Hudson first,” I replied.
He furrowed his brow, immediately concerned. No wonder, Hudson was one of his closest friends. “How’s he doing?”
It wasn’t as if I could answer. But…in the middle of a divorce, three children, an ex who wanted to move home to Toronto, stress, anxiety, too much work, and, what I was beginning to suspect, suppressed issues about his sexuality.
“Couldn’t hurt if you gave him a call tonight,” I settled for saying. I shifted my gaze to Chris. I was obligated to tell him more, as the head of field ops. “He doesn’t struggle financially, so I advised lessening his workload for a few months. He’s not happy about it, of course.”
“Got it.” He nodded firmly.
“I’ll have him over for dinner tonight,” Quin said. “It ain’t like Kayden will join us.”
My mouth twitched. No, he sure wouldn’t. It was my turn. I missed my boy an absurd amount, and we hadn’t spent the night together all week.
It was Wednesday.
“How was he doing this morning?” I asked. “I didn’t wake up to a novella.”
I’d grown fond of his good-morning texts. They arrived in the form of a list of what his plans were for the day, questions he might have, and that he missed me. Today, I’d only received an all-caps message that said, “TODAY IS THE DAY, DADDY” and approximately fourteen heart emojis.
“He was focused,” Quin replied. “I had to remind him twice about finishing breakfast because he was busy doing inventory of his backpack.”
I smiled. That fucking boy. He’d been looking forward to this day for weeks now. He’d started training too. He went running with me. He swam, lifted weights, and no longer fussed about avoiding sugar during the workweek.
“He’s gonna do great,” Chris said. “He has all the gear he needs now too.”
He sure did. We’d hosted a big birthday celebration for him shortly after we’d come home from Alaska, and Quin and Chris had gone all in to prepare him for his program. Kayden had a new laptop, a digital planner, a utility backpack, notebooks, markers, software, and workout clothes.
I’d forgotten that we were already in the middle of the training of our next class of officers, possibly because I’d been off work when they’d gone through their psych evals. So it was going to be a matter of Kayden catching up so he could join the class. Chris had put together a two-month-long crash course to get Kayden up to speed, and then he’d be on the same level as our other four trainees.
“What do you think he’ll struggle with?” Chris wondered, putting on his profiling hat. “The exams?”
“The psych evals,” Quin and I said at the same time.
I nodded. “Initially, at least,” I amended. “He’s afraid I’m going to dig up, to quote him, a diagnosis that sets him back further.” But we didn’t work that way at Hillcroft. While identifying possible markers and issues was fundamentally important, we preferred to look at a person from a wider perspective, not a set of symptoms. I had reassured him he had nothing to worry about. If I hadn’t identified him as a good addition to our logistics team, I wouldn’t have encouraged him to pursue it.
Quin folded his arms over his chest and turned to me, pensive. “Is it just me, or has he become calmer?”
“It’s not just you,” I answered. Kayden had become calmer. It was something he and I worked on together. He thrived under the right kind of leadership. With me, there was structure, chores, homework, and challenges—the latter with the sole purpose of letting him see for himself that he was creative, resourceful, and intelligent. He loved getting a “Good boy” from me, much like the next Little, but mental strength didn’t come from others’ approval. It came from within, and he was slowly realizing just how hard on himself he had been.
We obviously wanted him to be proud of himself—and not feel good only when we complimented him.
Quin side-eyed me. “Is this some voodoo shit you pull on him, or can I take some credit?”
I chuckled. “Take all the credit you want.”
“If nothing else, you can take credit for that right there.” Chris pointed at the entrance, and we all spotted Kayden out on the plaza, peering up at the building. Backpack on, thumbs hooked underneath the shoulder straps.
Warmth and pride surged through me.
“Fifteen minutes early—that’s my boy,” Quinlan said, standing taller.
I smiled to myself. My God, how I loved that sweetheart. And it was about damn time I told him.
I’d certainly felt it for a while, but he’d been so focused on preparing for his upcoming training.