Page 17 of Love ’em or Liam

“Me!” Keller says.

“Me too, bud. My legs are toast.”

“Liam, your legs are made up of sinew, bones, tendons, ligaments, and a plethora of blood vessels. Not crunch bread,” my son says.

I suppress a smile and see Liam looking at me. “What? I mean, he’s not wrong.”

“No, he’s not. You’re going to teach me about all kinds of things, aren’t you, Keller?”

“We might want to start with basic anatomy because it seems like you might have been misled at some point in your education.”

That makes Liam laugh even harder. The rich rumble of the sound is nearly the best thing I’ve ever heard. And it hits me… we could be happy here. Keller and I could make a home with Liam, and maybe someday we’ll be a real family.

“Come on, you two, let me show you the house.” He grabs my hand, threading our fingers together, and we follow behind my son as he heads to the front door. “He’s hilarious,” Liam mouths to me.

“Yes, he is. But it’s not always intentional. He doesn’t always catch sarcasm or satire.”

He nods. “Me neither.”

I squeeze his hand to let him know how much I appreciate the way he’s been with Keller. I’ve never seen Keller open up to someone as quickly as Liam. Yes, they’d “met” a couple of times on video chat, but overall, they haven’t had much interaction. But somehow Liam knows exactly how to talk to my son.

Certainly more than Keller’s father ever did.

The house is a dark color, maybe blue, with white trim. It’s a single-story ranch-style, with several large windows across the front.

Liam quickly points out the bathrooms first so we can all have a quick potty break before we get an official tour. Then the three of us head down one hallway to Keller’s room. My son goes in first after Liam turns on the lights.

“Mom, you said it wouldn’t be ready. But it is. You were kidding with me, weren’t you?” Keller asks.

I stare, open-mouthed probably, at the room that’s decorated perfectly for my son. There’s even a wall that the lower half is covered in LEGO baseplates so he can build right on the wall.

Keller is busy exploring where he’ll be able to put his books and puzzles. I grab Liam’s hand and squeeze.

“How?” I ask him.

He smiles. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Do I have to go on the rest of the house tour, or can I stay in here?” Keller asks.

“You can stay in here, bud,” Liam says. “It’s not a super big house, so I don’t think you’ll get lost. I’m going to show your mom our room next, which is all the way on the other side of the house. So if you need us, just go back out into the hallway and keep walking until you find us.”

Keller nods, and Liam leads me out and down the hall.

“Seriously, how did you do that?” I ask.

“I had some of the guys from work set it up.”

I stop walking and turn to face him. “Why would you do that?”

Surprise flashes across his features, then he frowns. “I wanted him to walk into the house and feel comfortable. I wanted him to feel like that room was his from the moment he arrived. I know we have a lot of work to do to make this house a family home, but I knew the very first priority was Keller’s room.”

“But how did ‘the guys’ know what to do?”

“I sent them detailed instructions. I was their team leader, they know how to follow orders.”

I raise up on my tip-toes and press my mouth to his. “Thank you. You do not know how much that means to me.”

“Maybe now you’ll start believing that I’ll do anything for you, especially if you thank me with kisses. And you’re very welcome.”