Finally, I put a hand over one of Beau’s, stilling his fingers. “Do you want to do this? We don’t have to.”
Beau turned his dark eyes to me. “I want to do it because no one did it for me.” He said it so quietly I had to strain to hear him. “Find him a home, April. A real one, with parents who will take care of him.”
I sighed. “I want that more than anything, Beau.” What I didn’t say was how unadoptable Robbie was presenting. His refusal to talk or get close to anyone, coupled with his outbursts at the group home and school, I couldn’t even get him out of the group home to a regular foster home.
Beau turned and opened the door to the car, stopping our conversation. I followed him in silence, hoping today wouldn’t be a mistake for Robbie or us.
Beau’s demeanor instantly changed the second we walked into the large living room and saw Robbie sitting on the couch, his eyes trained on the television screen. A few toddlers played, but otherwise, the room was empty since everyone was at school.
“Hi, Robbie.” His eyes met mine, but there was no reaction. Robbie’s eyes moved past me and settled on Beau, and I saw it. A little spark of something burned in his eyes. He liked Beau. Maybe this wouldn’t be a disaster after all.
I sat down next to him on the couch and Beau sat next to me. I could see his fingers working on his legs. “Hi, Robbie,” he said. Robbie tucked the picture he was clutching against his chest into the pocket of his jacket so we couldn’t see it and said nothing.
“We wanted to take you somewhere fun today,” I explained. Robbie’s eyes widened a little, and he glanced back at Beau but didn’t respond. “Have you ever driven go-karts?”
Robbie bit his lip, looking back and forth between the two of us. I thought for sure he wasn’t going to answer when he started nodding his head. It might not be words, but at least it was something.
“Would you like to go with us? Beau wants to go to a fun place with go-karts, and he thought you’d like to join us. We’ll get greasy pizza or chicken nuggets and fries.”
I needed Beau to say something to him. I wasn’t sure I could convince Robbie to go with us. I nudged Beau, telling him with my eyes what I didn’t want to say out loud. If this was going to work, he had to get through to Robbie like he had before. He was the only one Robbie had spoken a word to in the weeks he had been here.
Beau cleared his throat, and his fingers tapped against his thighs. Looking at the two of them was like seeing mirror images of the same person. Both of them were nervous, quiet, and unsure. I could only hope they could bring out something in each other. “I-I’ve never driven a go-kart before and thought you could do it with me.”
Robbie’s eyes widened. “Never?” One of the counselors in the room stopped in her tracks when she heard Robbie speak to Beau. Our eyes met across the room, and I nodded. Beau was Robbie’s ticket to communication.
Beau shook his head. “Never. Do you think you could show me how to drive one?”
Robbie nodded his head. “I’ve only been a few times, but I love it.” He stood, zipping his jacket up even though it was warm outside. I wasn’t about to say anything to him about his clothing choice.
“Well, let’s go then! Do you want to bring anything with you?”
Robbie shook his head. “Why do you want me to go with you?” His voice was small and made me think of what a little child he was, despite the fact he was nine and had lived a rough life.
Beau shrugged. “I think you’re cool. You remind me a lot of me when I was a kid.”
Robbie’s eyes widened, and he looked down at his feet without saying a word.
“Let’s go have fun.” I tried to lighten the seriousness between them. We said goodbye to Trent and walked out to my car. I hoped today would give me some insight on how best to help Robbie . . . and Beau.
Beau
I COULD SEE Robbie staring at me out of the corner of my eye the entire car ride. I wanted to talk to him, but what the hell did I know about talking to a nine-year-old boy?
April’s hand was tucked in mine as she drove. The warmth of her fingers kept my head sated and my fingers still. I peered at her face, the creamy smoothness of her skin radiating in the bright Florida sunshine. Her dark hair was pulled halfway up off her face, the rest curling across her shoulders. She had on a pair of jean capris and a silk short-sleeved shirt—casual, yet still professional. A pair of sandals showed off her red toenail polish.
She was perfection. Way too perfect for the likes of me, but hell if I could make myself stay away from her. I wanted to be with her every second of every day. The thought of leaving her later and going home already had my stomach in knots. How was I going to be a long distance boyfriend? Hell, how was I going to be a boyfriend at all? I had zero experience with this.