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“Alright then, I’ll see you and Trey next time.”

I left Tiny Scholars and headed home. When I made it home, I still had a little time before I needed to go get the boys. Trey and I settled in for a while, so I could rest my feet. I set an alarm on my phone and put Trey down in his playpen so he could either play or rest while I lay back for a few.

As soon as I got comfortable on the couch, my phone rang. I groaned as I leaned forward and picked it up off the table. Since it was Quinton, the debate about whether or not to answer was a quick one.

“Hello?”

“I’m done with what I was doing. I can pick the boys up from school. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“What did you have to do?”

“Trish asked for my help getting back on her feet. I always told her that if she was ever ready, I would be there for her. I had to take her to where she was staying to get her stuff, then I took her to grab a few things to hold her over for a few days until she leaves for rehab.”

“Oh, wow. I know that was a lot. I’m praying for her recovery. I know Victor would be glad to have her at her full potential. It must be hard on both of you going through that.”

“Over the years, I’ve gotten used to it. I want this for him more than anything. I’m tired of making excuses for her and telling him that she’s just sick.”

“I definitely understand that. Addiction is an illness though.”

“Yeah, I know. Listen, I wanted to try to make it to the shop because I knew I needed to tell you that she’s staying with me for the next couple of days. I’m not up to anything crazy. If you feel better, you can come over too. The place won’t have a bed available for two days, and I don’t want her changing her mind. I need to keep my eyes on her until she’s checked in.”

“I trust you, Quinton.”

“Good.”

I didn’t realize how much I actually trusted Quinton until he was telling me that another woman would be staying at his house for a few days. He didn’t have to tell me at all. That was enough to let me know that he wasn’t trying to run game or hide anything from me. Quinton was one of a few good men.

“Are you coming to work tomorrow?”

“I hate to say it, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone at my house. We had a couple of bad experiences in the past. I’m not setting myself up for another one.”

“Understandable.”

“Do you want to come over? Maybe the two of you can meet before she goes.”

“It’s fine, Quinton. I think you’re doing the right thing. I’m sure she wants to get all the time she can with her son before she leaves. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“Thank you for understanding, sweetheart.”

“Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

“I’m sure I got it under control. How are you feeling? I missed you today.”

“I’m fine. I just missed you too. That’s why I was calling every five minutes.”

He chuckled. “You called me once.”

“Well, I thought about you every five minutes.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon, baby. Kiss my son for me.”

“I will.”

An hour later, I got up and gave Trey a bottle while I searched for something quick to put together for dinner. The knock on the door was too heavy to be Theo. I walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to make sure that it was him and not Greg popping up out of the blue. A smile lifted my cheeks when I saw Quinton’s handsome face standing on the other side with his hand on top of Theo’s head. I was so excited to see my boys that I ripped the door open.

“Hey, y’all.”

“Hey, Ma! Let me put my backpack down. I don’t have any homework today.”