Page 108 of Carter

She opens her arms to give Carter a hug. He’s certainly the huggable type. I’m not.

“I promise you, it’s no trouble at all. I’m so glad you were able to come by. This is your friend?” she asks, looking at me.

“Yes, this is Nash. He was helping at the shelter during the adoption event. Nash, this is Heather.”

Nodding, she says, “I think I remember seeing him. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

“You too,” I say.

“How about you two come in? Ryan is just getting up from his nap.”

The house is warm, and not just the heat. It’s inviting and homey. You can tell the people who live here are happy and full of love. It’s the kind of home I wish I grew up in. The kind of home Carter probably wishes he grew up in too. Neither of us have talked much about our pasts or our childhood, but we know enough. And we don’t need to share every detail to be where we’re at now.

Carter’s hand finds mine as he looks around, a serene look on his face. He’s thinking exactly what I am, I just know it.

“Hey, hon,” a man calls out as he walks toward us from the hallway on the right, between the kitchen and what I assume are bedrooms. He’s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, short reddish hair and wire-frame glasses. “Ryan wanted to lay on his mat, so he’s in his room still.”

“Carter, Nash, this is my husband, Anthony.”

“Nice to meet you,” we both say.

He nods. “I’m glad you were able to come over today. Teddy will be happy to see you, and Ryan will enjoy visitors. We don’t get many of them.”

“We appreciate you letting us come by,” Carter says.

“Come on. Let’s go see them,” Heather says.

We follow her down the hallway. The walls are covered in photos of their family. Different trips they’ve taken. Camping. Water Parks. Disney World.

“Ryan loves being outside,” she comments.

She must see me staring.

“Sorry,” I say.

“No, don’t be. That’s why they’re on the walls.” She stops in front of a door on the left that’s halfway open. “We try to do what we can with him now, because as we get older, it won’t be so easy for us.”

“You’re doing a good job with him,” I say.

“Thank you. He’s our baby, and we’ll do whatever it takes for him to be happy.”

That chokes me up a little. These people are good people. Sweet.

She knocks on the door and pushes it open slowly.

“Ryan, we have company.”

I hear a grunting sound that sounds like it could be happy. Definitely not distressed. We follow her in.

The room is big, likely the master bedroom. I can’t imagine a bedroom being bigger than this one, but I guess it’s possible. There is a twin-sized bed against one wall with rails on it, and it’s lower to the ground than most. On the floor in the opposite corner is a thick blue mat that Ryan is lying on, with wedges on either side of him. You can tell by the way he’s lying there that his body is contorted in a way it shouldn’t be. It’s unfair, but hehas good people taking care of him, loving him, and making him happy.

“Hi, Ryan,” Carter says as he moves closer. Teddy is right by Ryan’s side, her tail wagging but her head down. “We came by to see you and Teddy. I hope that’s okay.” The little boy makes a noise that sounds like he understands.

I don’t know a damn thing about this stuff so I can’t begin to guess what his capabilities are or diagnosis is. I’m not a doctor. But he looks like a smart kid, and he’s cute as hell with his messy hair and bright smile.

“Ryan has cerebral palsy which affects his motor skills and speech. But he understandseverythingyou say and loves to eavesdrop.” She gives him a playful look, and he smiles, his body twitching excitedly.

“Well, Carter here loves to talk, so they’ll hit it off.”