by Shayla Black
Oh, man. This woman held a lot more inside than he’d realized. In fact, she probably had nerves of steel. At least until he walked into her life and upset the balance.
Keaton wandered into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Okay,” she said to Justin, “now, where’s your inhaler?”
“In my pocket.”
“Then why do you sound like that?”
“Dunno.”
Brooke sighed. “What happened to straight answers, Justin?”
“I really just need help figuring out what I’m going to do for the science fair.” Now the kid sounded upset too, and when he got stressed, the wheeze in his lungs got worse.
“Okay, okay.” She held up both hands. “Don’t get worked up.”
“But Derrick’s doing skateboarding and physics, and he’s calling it Popping an Ollie. It’s all about doing these cool tricks. Trevor and his dad are building a freaking hover board. A hover board, Aunt Brooke. I have to turn in a paragraph on my project idea tomorrow, and I don’t have one. I’ve been asking Mom to help me, but she never has time. She promised to do it with me tonight, but then she fell asleep.”
“Oh my God,” Brooke muttered, then closed her eyes, and framed her face with her hands. She pulled in a breath, blew it out, and said, “Okay, buddy, give me a minute. It’s been a long day, and we all know I’m not that great on the fly. Let’s think about this. Uuuuum…”
Keaton had heard countless friends and staff talk about this—their kids coming to them at the last minute with an assignment or project due the next day. In this case, it wasn’t the child who’d procrastinated but the adult who didn’t have the resources to provide the child the help he needed to do the work. And here this poor kid was, sick, up late, fighting to do his homework instead of blowing it off. That was a fighter. A kid with grit. One who could really make something of his life because he had the will. The determination. He also had a mom trying to get through nursing school to make a better life for all of them and an aunt who’d sacrificed part of her own happiness to provide security for him.
This was an amazing little family. And suddenly, Keaton felt selfish for wanting Brooke all to himself.
“I’m gonna fail…” Justin’s pathetic wail pulled Keaton back and tugged at his heart. Especially when the kid started coughing. The raw sound made Keaton wince.
“Oh, come on. Stop,” Brooke told him, but gave Keaton a helpless, pained look before telling Justin, “What about that one last year, where someone showed how a tooth disintegrated when it was left in a cup of Coke? You could do that…um, maybe. If you could get a hold of a tooth…”
Keaton made a face at the premise.
“Ew, Aunt Brooke…” Justin said.
“Okay, okay.” She pressed her hands to her head. “It was just a suggestion. I’m still thinking. Take another hit on your inhaler, kid. Your Darth Vader impression is a little unnerving.”
The combination of Justin’s illness, the topic of a science fair, and her sister being asleep in the house was obviously unsettling for Brooke. Keaton didn’t doubt she was also feeling the weight of another two months away from the boy on her shoulders right about now. If their situations were reversed, Keaton would be.
He reached out and clasped her foot, offering a reassuring squeeze.
She glanced at him and gave him a two-second smile, before telling Justin, “I’m not exactly a science genius. Maybe we should wake your mom.”
That sounded like a cry for help to Keaton.
“You wouldn’t say that if you saw the mood she was in before she fell asleep,” Justin said.
Brooke laughed. “You can sound so old and wise one minute and like a whining two-year-old the next, you know that?”
“Whatever.”
“And pissy teenager the next,” she added.
“Mom doesn’t like that word.”
“I thought Mom was asleep.”
While they sparred, Keaton found a notepad and pen, scribbled What’s he into? and handed it to Brooke. Then he opened her iPad and googled science fair projects.
She handed back the answer. Computers. Hates sports.
Keaton nodded. With lungs like that, who could enjoy sports? Man, that made Keaton sad. He searched computer-related projects while Brooke and Justin continued to brainstorm a few minutes. But when the boy started coughing, the sound was so raw, it made Keaton pull his shoulders up around his ears and rub his chest.
“Baby, what’s going on with your asthma?”
“You have to ask Mom.”
“How long has it been this bad?”
“Just today.”
“How long has it been getting a little worse every day?”
She’d obviously seen this pattern before, and Keaton was getting a deeper view of why she’d moved in with her sister. Brooke wasn’t just a means of emotional support after the death of her brother-in-law. She obviously had a deep investment in her nephew, whose school and health took considerable time. Keaton’s little fantasy of hooking Brooke enough to keep seeing him after his role in the movie was over, faded fast.
“Maybe a week?” Justin said.
“And your mom knows it’s this bad?”
“Yeah. She talked to the doctors about it. They’re trying something new. And before you ask what, I don’t know. You really have to ask her.”
Brooke sighed. “I want you to sleep in her room tonight.”
“Oh, Aunt Br—”
“I know you hate it, but I hate the way you sound more. And if you don’t sleep with your mom, I’m going to worry. If I worry, I’m not going to get any sleep. And I have to work tomorrow, buddy.”
Keaton found a few video game–related projects and started scanning through them. He needed one the kid could do on his own, one that didn’t cost much, one that didn’t take much time…
Brooke got a long-suffering sigh from Justin, then a disgusted “Fine.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise. But I might not be sleeping anyway. I need a project.”
Keaton spun the iPad toward her and pointed at the screen.
“Hold on. Might have found…” She scanned it, her brow furrowed, and she gave him a confused, are-you-crazy look. “What…?”
He smirked and lifted a shoulder.
“What?” Justin echoed, drawing her attention again. “Is someone with you?”
Which earned Keaton the most adorable look-what-you’ve-done look from Brooke before she told Justin, “I’m just chatting with a friend online. I’m going to put you on hold a second while I talk with them about this to see if it will work for you.”
“Okay.”
Brooke tapped a button and set the phone aside so she was out of the camera’s view and groaned, covering her face with both hands. “I don’t know how parents do it. He’s so damn smart, it takes everything both Tammy and I have just to keep up with him.” She scraped her fingers through her hair and scanned screen Keaton had pointing to. “I don’t know anything about computer games. What’s this?”
“It’s an intermediate-level project studying animation and how its structure and implementation affects the viewer’s perception of action in the game.”
Brooke’s eyes glazed over, and she gave him a pained look. “You lost me at intermediate.”
Keaton grinned and shook his head. “He’s a boy, he’s into video games, and he’s a brain. Trust me, he’ll like this.”
“Fine, whatever.” She waved her hand over the screen as if to clear the whole idea from her mind. “You obviously speak his language. Why don’t you just explain it—”
“Because you need to be the one to help him. He called you for help, and you need to be there for him and answer that call. It doesn’t matter what source you get the answers from, what matters is that you bring the answer back to him.”
Her eyes closed, and her breath leaked out. “I’m so tired.”
“I know. This is going to be easy. I promise.”
<
br /> He gave her a quick rundown of the information available on the site and how Justin could use it to get his paragraph due tomorrow finished in ten minutes. Then Justin could dig deeper into the information to start building the project. And he told Brooke to give Justin his cell number and email to contact for support.
“And if he wants to whip the pants off that school, all I have to do is whisper the words ‘secret project’ to Rubi, and all hell will break loose.”
Mention of their friend and computer guru Rubi Russo, girlfriend to Renegade Wes Lawson, made Brooke break out in laughter. “Oh my God. Rubi would probably make the animations come to life.”
Smiling, Keaton cupped Brooke’s face and stroked her cheek. “That’s better.” He kissed her forehead. “Now tell Justin what to do, and then tell him to get his sick ass to bed. Because you need to get your tired ass to bed.”
Keaton stayed there while she explained the project to Justin, his hand covering one foot, his thumb massaging her instep. He had to hold back his laughter at Justin’s excitement over the project idea, the amount of information on the website, and the fact that Brooke had a stuntman on call to help Justin out.
“Oh my God, Aunt Brooke, this is going to be the best project ever.”
Both she and Keaton were smiling, but the sound of Justin’s voice when it strained with excitement made them wince.
“Okay, okay. Ten minutes to write a few sentences, then bed. With Mom.”
“Okay.” He didn’t sound as upset about it anymore. “Thanks, Aunt Brooke. You’re the best. I love you.”
Brooke’s eyes sparkled with joy. “I love you too. Tell your mom to call me tomorrow, okay?”
He promised he would, and they disconnected.
Brooke sighed. “Disaster averted.” Her gaze swung to Keaton’s and held. “Thank you. You saved the day and made me look like the hero at the same time.”
“Oh, baby, you are definitely the hero.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“I’m not going to say it’s easy, but’s it’s definitely worth every minute.”
“I didn’t fully appreciate how much Justin and your sister depend on you until just now. I’d just like to see you working for someone who makes you happy, or at least doesn’t make you miserable. It’s hard to imagine you couldn’t find someone who would pay you—”
“Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“Explain it to me.”
She heaved a breath. “I told you, Jillian pays me well. Still not enough to put up with her bullshit, but it doesn’t matter, because I know how difficult it would be to find another job that pays me this well, or one that lets me live in Florida. And we need the money.”
The way she said “need” told Keaton the financial situation wasn’t just tight, it was dire. “Living is cheap in Florida. At least compared to California or New York where most big actors and actresses live. If Jillian pays you so well, the three of you should be able to live comfortably off what you make, even without Tammy working.”
“It would be for normal, healthy people. But we’re not normal, and Justin’s not healthy.”
It took Keaton a second to connect Justin’s poor health with money problems. This was completely outside his healthy bachelor-oriented mind. “What do you mean? Justin doesn’t have health insurance? Can’t everyone get health insurance? Isn’t that why we pay all those goddamned taxes?” Keaton stretched his mind to understand, but couldn’t. “Don’t all states have programs for kids whose families don’t have the money for health insurance?”
“Like I said, it’s complicated.” She heaved a breath, the sound a combination of resignation and frustration. “When Tammy’s husband died, she took the extension policy Brian’s company offered to bridge the gap until she could find another solution. But the initial stress of Brian’s death took a toll on Justin’s system, and he got really sick. The gap policy had high deductibles and didn’t cover some of Justin’s medications.”
Keaton’s whole view shifted. His mouth dropped open. His breath left his lungs. “Oh, shit…”
“Between Justin’s doctor visits, his treatments, his meds, and his hospital stays, the life insurance Brian had was gone in a matter of months. When she went for public aid, she was told she didn’t qualify because the life insurance was considered income and put her above the need threshold. And because the system looks at your income for the previous calendar year to evaluate need, that meant Tammy and Justin would go uncovered for an entire year before she would qualify for coverage.”
Keaton’s stomach knotted and he rubbed his face with both hands. “You weren’t fucking kidding. This is worse than complicated.”
“Justin’s been sick since the day he was born. Tammy never had a chance to go to school or start a career. She couldn’t go out and get a job that would have paid enough to cover the specialty childcare he would have needed, let alone provided decent health insurance. She called me in California, bawling her eyes out because she got an eviction notice and was going to be out on the street in a matter of days. She’d stopped paying rent so she could hold on to the health insurance. She was terrified she’d be living on the streets with a sick kid. Terrified the courts would take him away from her. She never even had a chance to mourn Brian because she was always putting out fires and trying to take care of Justin.”
“Jesus Christ.” Keaton sank to the edge of the bed. The impossible situation crippled his mind. He couldn’t even imagine a life so limited. “Is he covered now?”
“Yes. Ellie gave me the money to get them stabilized. When I got there, we found a little ramshackle house for the three of us. We found a better insurance policy that would cover Justin’s meds and treatments, but it costs as much as the rent on the dump where we live every month.”
“Which is why you took the highest paying job.”
“And it’s also why I can’t lose this job. Because Justin was recently accepted into the final round of possible candidates for a research study. If he can get in, he’ll get a procedure that, until now, has been reserved for adults with asthma. The doctors go into the bronchial tree with a laser and burn some of the lining out, making more room for air to flow. It’s permanent and could promise Justin his only shot at a normal life.”
Hope flared inside Keaton. “That’s incredible.”
“It is, but it’s also expensive.”
Keaton smacked a hand to his forehead and groaned. This family couldn’t catch a break.
“Experimental procedures aren’t covered by any insurance company,” Brooke said. “Participation is an out-of-pocket expense.”
“I’m afraid to ask, but…” He winced. “How much?”
She sighed. “The procedure alone, which is done in three different stages with a month in between each, costs twenty thousand.”
“Ouch.”
“Then there are additional medications and follow-up visits. We also have to agree to keep Justin in the study for the entire year so the researchers can gather their test data. In the end, it ends up costing sixty grand.”
Keaton’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit.”
“And to show we’re committed, we have to pay half up front.”
“Oh my God, Brooke…” Keaton had no words.
“I almost have it saved. I’m really close. A couple more paychecks and we’ll have half. The rest can be paid over the course of the treatment, which will still make life tight for us. But after that year, Tammy will be out of school. She’ll get a well-paying job with benefits, and she’ll be able to stand on her own the rest of her life. She’ll be able to provide for Justin until he can provide for himself. But I have to get them there. And if that means putting up with Jillian twelve more months, then I cross every day off on a calendar with a big black sharpie and suck it up.”
“Jesus.” He exhaled the word and sagged on the bed until he pressed his forehead to her foot. “I can’t even imagine.”
“So, now you know why I did
what I did today,” she said, her voice soft and sad. “And why we can’t keep seeing each other.”
He lifted his head. “What?”
“You’re right. If we keep doing this behind her back, Jillian will eventually figure it out. We should have ended things this morning anyway. It’s temporary, and our friendship—even if we only see each other occasionally—does mean a lot to me.”
“Whoa. Slow down. Back up.” His gut tightened. “When did we decide this was temporary?”
“What do you mean?” She stared at him with a confused look. “Temporary is all you do.”
He pushed upright. “That’s all I did.”
She shook her head. “Did you hear any of what I just said?”
“Did you just hear me say I don’t want to let you go?”
Anger and fear pushed his voice up a few octaves, and his words continued to ring in the silence. Their gazes held, and for the length of two extended heartbeats, Keaton wasn’t sure who was more stunned by his admission—Brooke or himself.
Fear burned a circuit through his body, then vanished, mellowing instantly into warmth. Yeah. He was sure. He pushed himself up and slid his hand around her neck. Her eyes were still shocked and now watering.
“Brooke, I didn’t mean to yell. I just… I’ve never, you know, done this before, so I’m probably not going to be very good at it for a while.”
She closed her eyes, and tears spilled over her lashes. Fucking perfect, he’d made her cry. But she leaned into him, pressed her face to his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his neck. And now Keaton’s eyes stung. He pulled her onto his lap, rolling his eyes to the ceiling to banish the burn.
“Baby, you’re different. You’re special,” he said into her hair. “I care about you, and I don’t want to hurt either you or Justin. But, baby, I don’t want to just let you go without trying either.”
She sighed against his neck. Her body softened, and she melted against him. The feeling was so heavenly, Keaton moaned.
“How often do you get to Austin?” he asked her.
“This is our first trip.”
“Does Jillian have the next year scheduled yet?”
