“No. Someone else will come along and use them. That’s why I left the blanket, pillows, clothing, and food.”
Mack wrapped an arm around her waist. “Let’s get out of here.”
They walked out to the sidewalk.
“Let’s take her home and take care of her. We can get our work done later,” Mack said.
She walked docile between them as they approached the car they’d driven to work that day.
“Hop in, baby.”
He made sure she was buckled before getting in the front passenger side.
“Our house isn’t far.”
“You have a house?” she asked.
She made it sound like that was unusual. “Yes. What did you grow up in?”
“A small apartment. I’ve never had grass.”
Mack smiled. “Well, you do now.”
“I’m actually going to stay with you?” she asked.
“Yes. We’ll get you settled in. If you hate living with us, we’ll figure something else out,” Jace said. “But you will never live on the streets again.”
Mack looked at Jace and saw the same worry that she might not like living with them.
Within a few minutes, they pulled up to a two-story, tan-colored house. They bought it when they decided to stay in the area. It was big, with a great kitchen and a huge backyard. There were a lot of updates needed, but they hadn’t had a chance to do much since they had recently started their new job.
He opened her door and reached in for her. He could tell she was at the end of her rope and wanted to get her inside. They walked into the house, and he noticed she never looked around, just at the floor.
He led her to one of the upstairs bathrooms. “We’ll get you something to wear, and then we’ll deal with getting you girly clothes tomorrow.”
Jace and Mack stood in the bathroom doorway while she stared in amazement.
“There’s shampoo with conditioner in the shower and body soap. It’ll make you smell like a boy, but it’s only for a little bit.”
He hoped to get some expression from her face at his joke, but she was blank.
“Do you need help?”
She looked at them and shook her head.
“Okay. We’ll be out here. If you need us, just call out.”
She nodded.
Mack closed the door behind them and hated the fact that he couldn’t see her. He knew she was fragile at the moment, and he didn’t want her to think she was alone.
“I’ll go get a shirt of mine,” Jace said.
He listened to her move around, and then the shower turned on.
Jace was back and knocked on the door. “Can I set this on the counter for you?”
“Yes,” she called out.