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Josh scooped her up while Devon sauntered over Though how he could walk at all with his hohted Anna’s wheelchair, and Josh set her into it

"Oh, relax," she ed on Toby’s ear "Hey, handsoet ready for bed, ’k?"

"Arf-arf," Toby said, and turned to the hallway

Josh caught him by the back of his Star Wars sweatshirt "You use soap and water today?"

Toby scrunched up his nose and scratched his head

Josh took that as a no "Use both now And toothpaste"

"Arf," Toby said slowly, all hurt puppy face

But Josh had learned--never cave "Go on I’ll be right there"

Toby went frole heartbeat, because if Josh was co, too, itpainfully young, that Josh’s chest hurt again

Getting ho home in time to crawl into bed with his son and spend a few minutes before they both crashed was even better "Pick out a book," he said

"Arf!"

Josh gave Devon a look, and the guy ht be a conored Josh and pushed back her dark hair She was tiny, always had been, but not frail Never frail She had the haunting beauty of Snow White

And the teo, a car accident had left her a highly functioning paraplegic She was dah it’d been hard to convince a sixteen-year-old to see it that way "If you can’t get hian, "just tell ood," Anna said with an impressive eye roll "You still have the stick up your ass" She headed into the foyer, grabbing her purse off the bench

"You’re still uessed

"Give the ainst the foyer wall "Always knew you were smart Everyone says so They say, ‘Oh, that Dr Scott’s so brilliant, so sharp’" She turned away "Shame it doesn’t run in the family"

"No one says that," he said

"They think it"

Josh’s fingers curled helplessly as she struggled into her jacket, but if he offered to help, she’d bite his head off He wasn’t the only Scott fa," he said

She shrugged "Too much work"

"Anna, you can’t just traipse around Europe with Devon for the rest of the year"

"Why? Because ot a life," he said, frustrated "You’re taking classes at the junior college--"

"Yes, Cooking 101 and Creative Writing Oh, andteacher told hed "You can do anything you want to do Pick a major You are smart You’re--"

"Paralyzed," she said flatly "And bored I want to go to Europe with Devon"

God knehat Anna saw in the guy who claiht while working on a roofing crew by day Josh had never so much as seen Devon crack a book, and he sure as hell seemed to have a lot of days off "How does Devon have the money for Europe?"

"He doesn’t My settlement money from the accident co out," she said, both ignoring what he’d said and changing the subject since it didn’t suit her

"Where?" he asked

"Out"

Jesus Like pulling teeth "Fine Be back by ht"

"You’re not Mom and Dad, Josh And I’as this tias in his truck at two in the un up on Sued She didn’t know and didn’t care

Great "Midnight, Anna"

"Yeah, yeah"

"Wake ain and yelled for Devon, who appeared fro a sandwich He slid Josh a stoner-lazy smirk, then pushed Anna’s chair out the front door and into the night

Nice Josh shut the door and ground his teeth He was all too aware that he wasn’t Moone for five years, killed in the same accident that had nearly taken Anna as well Josh had been twenty-eight, a brand-new father frole year out of residency when it’d happened Overnight he’d lost his parents and had suddenly becoer along with his infant son He’d held it together, barely, but it’d all been a hell of an adjustment, and there’d beento make it

Sometimes he still wasn’t sure

He locked up, flipped off the kitchen and living roo on his bed with his Jedi saber, the iridescent green light slicing through the air

Whoosh, vrr hiht Then Josh tossed him onto the bed and crawled in after him

Toby had a few books on his pillow He was into superheroes, cars, trains…anything with noise, really Being read to called up close and set his head on Josh’s shoulder, pointing to the top book The Berenstain Bears The cover showed the entire faer over the mama bear

He wanted his mama bear

Like a knife to the heart "Toby"

Toby tucked his face into Josh’s arently palh to see his face "You reht? About yourreally important to do, but that she’d be here with you if she could?"

Toby stared at hi chocolate–brown eyes and nodded

And not for the first tile Ally for walking out on the in, he pressed a kiss to Toby’s forehead and then sighed "You forgot the soap"