Page 101 of The Haunting Plot

He flops back on the mattress. “Ugh, okay,” he whines, then rolls off the bed and crawls on his hands and knees over to the shelf. “My body isn’t sleepy yet.”

“Is that why you’re crawling instead of walking?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you need to get your wiggles out?”

“Can we swing?”

“Pick out a book, and we can go down to the swings and read.”

Earlier this week, I was putting the finishing touches on Jonah’s sensory room, and he snuck in while I was working on it. I’d lost track of time yet again and didn’t realize he’d come home from school already. Raven’s been so distracted with her book, it’s been easy to hide from her. Plus, she hates coming down into the basement. But it’s the ideal space for what I needed.

I walled off the corner of the basement, but left the beams exposed so I could hang the swings. I added carpet with extra padding underneath so Jonah’s crash pads wouldn’t echo through the whole house. It’s not fully soundproof, but there’s enough in the space to absorb the sounds and block out noises when Jonah needs a place to decompress.

Jonah is upside down in a partial handstand in front of the bookshelf, and I walk over to him, pointing to several books. “What about those? You like that series.”

“Those books are too big. It’s like they ate too many words.”

“Got it. Are you wanting a story or an info-dump? Are we learning or storytelling?”

Jonah’s books are sorted into fiction and non-fiction, and I’ve noticed that his needs change depending on his mood.

“Learning.” He crashes onto the floor and grabs a book about chickens. We’ve read it at least a dozen times. “So read it in a normal voice.”

“So I shouldn’t use my storyteller voice with all the accents and sound effects?”

“Nope,” he says, pushing back into a handstand. “Did you know that there’s scientific evidence that chickens are the closest living relatives of the T-Rex?”

“Is that so?” I pick up the book and head to the door, knowing he’ll follow me.

“Yup. I know! You should be a T-Rex for Halloween since I’m gonna be a chicken,” Jonah says as he walks over to me.

Warmth blooms in my chest at his request, knowing the connection his brain is making. “Because you see me like a relative?”

“Yeah. We’re a family. Right?”

“Right.” He turns and runs down the hall as I blink back the emotions threatening to consume me. I pop my head into McKenna’s room and tuck her in, then head down to the basement to swing and read about chickens with Jonah. The only thing that would make this moment better is if all six of us were together.

——————

There’s a little over a week until Halloween. I’m almost finished with all the projects at Raven’s house, and I can’t get out of my head. Up until now, I’ve had a reason to just show up, but I’m nervous about our future once the renovation’s complete. Will she still want me around?

I had to slow down a bit this week when work ramped up and took over my schedule. It killed me not to show up at her place some nights this week, but I was too exhausted. I could hear the disappointment in her voice when I changed the plan.

Since the kids are at Jocelyn’s tonight, I decided to head over to Raven’s after work. She said Jonah had a meltdown a couple of nights ago because he wanted to read with me.

It’s after nine when I arrive at her house and walk in to the sounds of a screaming Jonah. Taking the stairs two at a time, I race to his room.

Raven is on the bed, hugging Jonah from behind as he thrashes in her arms. Tears stream down her face as he bucks against her. I have no clue how long she’s been at this, but it’s clear she’s exhausted. I climb onto the bed behind her and wrap my arms around them both.

No one says anything as they rock in my arms. Slowly, Jonah calms, and the tension eases in Raven’s body as she leans her head against my shoulder.

McKenna walks into the room, and her face lights up as soon as she sees me. “Is he okay?” She hesitates near the door, and I motion her over.

“Yeah, he’s better now. But I could use a hug,” I say.

She climbs onto the bed, standing behind me and wraps her arms around my neck. “Better?”