Page 22 of Finding Us
His face flushes as he turns his head to stare at the wall. “Nah, I’m a big boy now, only babies sleep with toys.”
“Since when? When I was your age, I had so many stuff toys in my bed there was hardly any room for me.”
His wide eyes snap back to mine. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“What if Braydon thinks it’s dumb and teases me?”
“What if Braydon has his own stuffed animal he sleeps with?”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“How about we put Rex in the bottom of your bag? Nobody has to know it’s there. That way you have it with you just in case.”
“Okay,” he says as a smile tugs at his lips. “And how did you know his name was Rex?”
“Just a lucky guess,” I reply. He saw this in the store after watching Toy Story and he gravitated straight for it. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay staying over at Braydon’s tonight? I can always drop you there in the morning before they leave for the zoo.”
The bigger question is, amIgoing to be okay? I’m so torn about letting him go, but he seemed so excited when he was invited to sleep over. I bombarded Braydon’s dad with so many questions before I eventually agreed, but I’m still struggling with letting Blake go. He’s never spent a night away from me since coming to live here. On the plus side, Braydon’s parents are divorced, so they’ll be no women in the house to scare my kid.
“I want to stay there. We are going to have pizza for dinner.”
I chuckle at his reply. Of course, food is a factor in his decision. “You’re going to have the best time, are you excited to go to the zoo?”
He lifts one shoulder. “Dad,” he says in a soft voice, dipping his face.
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Are the animals at the zoo going to try and eat me?”
I roll my lips to suppress my smile. “All the animals will be in enclosures … you’ll be safe.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve packed your Minecraft wallet in your bag … there’s one-hundred dollars inside. I don’t expect Braydon’s dad to pay for everything.”
“A hundred dollars,” he says, jumping up and down. “I’m rich.”
I laugh as I stand, reaching for his backpack. “Come on, we need to get going … you don’t want to miss out on the pizza.”
I’m still straddling my bike outside Braydon’s house. I’ve been sitting here for the past ten minutes, unable to leave. Why is letting go so hard? It’s surprising how fast this kid has become my world.
When my phone pings in my pocket I immediately pull it out. I told Braydon’s dad to call me if there were any issues. I also told Blake if for any reason he wanted to come home, I’d come and get him.
Looking down at the screen, I see it’s a message from Connor.
Connor: I know you have Blake, but I’m heading to the Ivy tonight. My sister turned twenty-one today. Would be great if you could come and save me from being the third wheel.
I sit there for a few minutes and ponder his message. I haven’t been out since Blake came to live with me, and God only knows when I’ll get the opportunity again. If nothing else, it might help keep my mind occupied.
Mason: You’re in luck, Blake is doing a sleepover at his friends tonight.
Connor: Wow. How do you feel about that?
Mason: I’m in two minds. What time are you guys going?
Connor: I’m still waiting for the girls to get ready, so fuck knows. I’ll message you when we’re heading out.
