That small voice filled Rowdy with blinding hope. “They made her feel bad, hurt her feelings and stuff like that, which is sometimes almost as bad.”

“Yeah.”

“But they didn’t touch her because I protected her. I’m pretty good at that, at protecting people.” He couldn’t look at Alice again, not with her gaze suddenly so tender and compassionate. His throat got tight, his voice scratchy. “You don’t know me well enough yet to believe me, but I promise that I won’t let anyone hurt you, either.”

Suddenly Marcus inched out around Alice. She wiped her eyes and let him go.

Rowdy whispered, “I’m probably not supposed to discuss stuff like that with you.”

Alice said, “Baloney.” She sniffled loudly. “I trust you completely, Rowdy, especially in this. I’m sure if you want to talk to Marcus, it’s something worth hearing.”

Marcus looked hungry for him to continue, and Rowdy didn’t want to disappoint him. “I didn’t trust people much—until I met Reese and Alice and Logan. Now I have friends when I never thought I would.”

Talking to Marcus wasn’t bad, but he felt awkward as hell with Alice looking on like a proud parent.

He glanced at her. “Think you could scrounge up some cookies and drinks for Marcus and me?”

“Of course.” She touched Marcus’s shoulder. “Why don’t you sit with Rowdy and Cash while I do that?”

Rowdy patted the floor beside him and offered a bribe. “I brought you something.” He reached behind him for the bag he’d carried in. “Cash first, just to keep him busy.”

Marcus inched closer.

Offering the dog a new chew fresh from the pet store got him off Rowdy’s lap. Cash took his prize and loped over to the sunny spot in front of the patio doors.

When Rowdy dug in the bag again, Marcus breathed harder. He withdrew a small car. “I hope you like green. What do you think?”

Marcus didn’t move.

“It’s for you.” Rowdy sat it on the floor a few feet in front of him. “A car isn’t much good without track, though, so I got a length of that, too.”

The plastic track was meant to hook into additional pieces. Eventually, they could create a whole highway.

Bit by bit, Rowdy thought.

When Marcus kept his distance, Rowdy put the car at one end of the track and gave it a push. It slid over and off the other end. He looked at Marcus. “Your turn.”

Marcus swallowed hard, and then came and sat down cross-legged. Tentatively he lifted the car and looked at it.

“What’s your favorite color?” Rowdy asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you think about it? Next time I visit I’ll bring another car, whatever color you like.”

Marcus slid the car back to him. “When’s next time?”

Good question, Rowdy thought. “How about tomorrow? Same time?” He returned the car along the track.

“I like purple.” Alice stepped back into the room with the snacks on a tray. She didn’t suggest they come to the table. Instead she seated herself near them so that together, they formed a semicircle. “Tomorrow we’re going school-clothes shopping. Won’t that be fun?”

Rowdy winced, already sympathizing with the kid. “If you say so.”

Marcus grinned at him—and damned, but it almost broke his heart. The kid had a chipped front tooth, a bruise on his chin and his hair hadn’t been trimmed in forever. But he was an adorable little guy.

Rowdy had to take a minute, draw a deep breath before he could ask, “So how old are you, Marcus?”

“Almost nine.”

“Yeah? When’s your birthday?”

Marcus shrugged. “Soon.”

Fuck. If the kid didn’t know, then that meant his parents hadn’t done much to celebrate. No surprise there.

Alice touched Rowdy’s arm. “You know Reese and I bought a house?”

“Yeah, I heard about that.”

“We move in soon. Marcus will have his own room, close to ours, and a nice backyard to play in. But since we’ll all be moving together, we’re getting all the paperwork together to get him registered for school there.”

So she’d find out when he was born—and maybe they could throw a party or something. “I’m not much of a shopper. What about you, Marcus?”

“I dunno.”

“It’ll be fun,” Alice said. “We’ll get lunch while we’re out, and maybe Marcus can get a haircut if he wants.”

“Yeah, dude.” Rowdy reached over and ruffled the kid’s hair. “I can barely see your eyes.”

Marcus went very still as Rowdy touched him, almost frozen, but Rowdy pretended not to notice. “You going to get him some new kicks, too, Alice? Because I think he’d looked good in some boots like mine.”

Rowdy lifted his big foot to show his lace-up black steel-toed boots that had seen better days a year ago.

Alice snickered and put her hand on Marcus’s head when he inched closer to her.

“Well, shoot,” Rowdy said. “Looks like I need some new boots, too.”

“Tell me your size and I’ll pick them up when I get Marcus’s.” Her gaze drilled into his, letting him know she saw it as a ploy to make the whole thing easier for Marcus.

“Sure, thanks. Size eleven.” He’d have to pay her back later for that. No way was he letting Alice and Reese buy him shoes. He slid the car back across the track to Marcus and then grabbed up a cookie. “So if you guys are shopping tomorrow, when’s a good time for me to come by?”