Abandoned But Not Alone (Spark of Hope Book 4) by Nicole Dykes

Author:Nicole Dykes [Dykes, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

henry

Walking into the shelter with Felix, I feel a wave of panic come over me. A place like this was my home not that long ago. I spent so many nights in a shelter like this, holding Hazel to my chest and hoping for a little quiet.

Felix threads his fingers through mine and gives me a gentle squeeze, pulling me back to the present. I look at him gratefully as I hold Hazel to my side. “Sorry. Memories.”

“You’re a success story, Henry. It’s good for them to meet you.”

I want to laugh at that, except I know that won’t go over well with Felix, so I give a quick nod and let him lead me through the shelter, meeting all sorts of people. My heart aches when we meet a single mother with two young children.

I want more than anything to move out of Ben’s apartment and offer it to her or maybe share it with them. I don’t know, something. But Felix and I move to the back to help prepare food.

I’m still thinking about the young mother, and it doesn’t surprise me when Felix calls me on it. “She has a meeting today with her social worker. Hopefully, they can find them a more permanent place. There are a lot of programs out there to help.”

They run out though.

I try my best not to be cynical, and then Felix presses a sweet kiss to my lips, sending that hot tingly, safe feeling through me. He smiles at me and then makes a goofy face at Hazel, causing her to laugh.

“They’ll be okay.”

I nod my head but then hear an unsure voice from behind us. “Uh . . . Felix?”

Felix looks behind me, his smile growing even more as he starts toward the voice. “Evan. You’re here. I was hoping you would be.”

I turn around and see the scrawny kid he called Evan, just as Felix wraps his arms around him in a brief hug. The kid looks tense and nervous, his eyes shifting from Felix to me to Hazel, then back to Felix. “Is he your boyfriend?”

I stiffen at that because we haven’t discussed labels, and in that moment, I desperately want him to confirm that. Even to this kid I don’t know yet. Felix only smiles at me and then looks back at Evan. “This is Henry and his daughter, Hazel.”

Evan gives me a cockeyed grin, like he knows something I don’t, and maybe he does. The truth is I don’t feel disappointment at Felix not saying the word boyfriend because there was something special about the way he said my name and Hazel’s.

“Hi, Evan. It’s nice to meet you,” I say, and he gives me a cautious nod. I notice his clothes are worn, with holes in some places, like they’ve been washed many times. He’s small for his age, and there’s a bruise on his forearm which instantly worries the hell out of me.

A cold sweat forms over my body, knowing this kid is definitely in trouble, just from looking at him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.