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"No" I held up a hand because he didn’t get it He couldn’t get it He hadn’t been raised by a true family either "In the past few months that I’ve worked at Forbidden, I’ve coether when the going gets tough, they support each other, rib and tease each other, trust each other, and most of all, they accept you for who you are I never had any of that frommyself from them was the easiest, retted it"

"What about college, though?" he pressed, watchingdreaist"

I sighed, re the loss of it Glancing at hiree to help people"

He opened his mouth, but I held up a hand as Ithe at the Gambles’ house before I moved in here, Noel’s ten-year-old brother would cliuess a year and a half ago, he and another brother and a sister of theirs were living with his lected them He was malnourished and half dead when Noel discovered how bad they had it So he scooped all three of his siblings up and moved them in with him But little Colton still suffers fro to return and take hi him back to that other life"

Knox slowly eased a chair back and lowered hi being able to share so with him For the past too e to tell hiut to reer sneak out into the trees and tell hi to led what you’re supposed to do with kids having nightestions You’re supposed to listen and understand, so I asked hi Aspen had kind of already toldto hear it from Colton’s point of view So I reassured hi him know Noel had full custody of him now, he didn’t have to worry And we tried to come up ays to cohts and security objects and soames to conquer your fears So I had hiht hiot him a lucky rabbit foot keychain, with the whole explanation of why it would give hiood luck, then I attached a keychain-sized bottle of breath spray to the rabbit foot I told him it was monster repellant so that if he ever woke up afraid, he just needed to spritz that into his mouth and exhale to keep the bad dreams away"

Knox cocked up a curious eyebrow "And that actually worked?"

I sent hirin "Of course it worked The kid’s only ten"

When he shook his head and his lips quirked as if he"Where did you ever come up with the idea for ed "The article said to be creative, and the spray was hanging next to the rabbit foot for sale, so that’s when the idea came But the ain" My own s to actually help hiy he’s had since he’s been sleeping throughout the night I justI don’t even kno to describe hoarded it h one class in college"

Knox exhaled as he watched me Then he nodded as he pushed to his feet "Okay, then," he said "You’ve convinced me you’re satisfied with your life That’s all I ever wanted"

As he left the kitchen, I gaped after him

His statement shocked the crap out of me Overall, I wouldn’t have ever described myself as a satisfied person More like antsy and unfulfilled, as if so, because he’d beenBut to hear him say that and then justleave?

No

Surging toroom

"Hey"

He looked as if he’d been ready to escape into his room, but he paused and turned back for me