Page 104 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Judy was sprawled on the couch with a book and a glass of wine, a fire going in the hearth, even though the weather was starting to warm up. “How was dinner?” she asked as they filed in.

Max and Zoe gave her hugs and went to their rooms to put on pajamas and get ready for bed. Collin flopped down next to her on the couch while Davey stood next to Tommy.

“Food was good,” Davey said. “Could do without the company.”

Judy simply smiled at that.

Carrie came in after putting her things away. “His apartment is small, but I think he liked having us over.” She curled up on the other side of Judy, who wrapped her arm around Carrie’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

“These are for you and Bobby,” Collin said as he passed the bag of cookies to Judy.

“I’ll have to call your father and thank him,” she said before taking a bite of one. “And get his recipe,” she added, clearly pleased with Cal’s baking skills.

Tommy looked for something to kick but changed his mind, knowing the arched brow he’d get from Judy.

Brutus came in and wagged his tail at Collin. “Guess I should take him for his walk,” he said as he stood. “Wanna go out?” he asked the dog and scratched behind his ears.

“I think that’s a yes,” Tommy said with a laugh. That dog had been a mistake. Expensive and time-consuming and needy. But even Tommy loved the damn thing. Which was good since he ended up walking him half the time.

“Carrie, Davey, could you two give me a few minutes with Tommy?” Judy asked.

“I’ll go see if the twins need help brushing their teeth,” Carrie said diplomatically, everyone knowing the twins had been brushing their own teeth since they were three.

Davey looked at Tommy. “What’d you do?”

“I’m not in trouble,” Tommy said, then glanced at Judy. He was a grown-ass man but still felt like a second grader around Judy. “Am I?”

She laughed at that. “No, you’re not in trouble.”

“Am I in trouble?” Davey asked.

“Not that I know of,” Judy said with a raised brow.

“And you better not be,” Tommy added, giving him a light tap on the back of the head, playful and teasing.

Davey grabbed a cookie from the bag and went toward his and Collin’s room.

Judy turned to face Tommy. “So how did it really go?”

Tommy shrugged. “It went. He cooked. No one’s got food poisoning so far, so I guess it was okay.”

“And…?”

“And what? He lives in a jungle, grows his own food now. He reflects on the good things in his life. I’m not sure what you’re wanting from me here.”

“I was just wondering how you felt about all of that.”

No one wanted to know how he really felt about it. Hell, Tommy didn’t even want to know how he felt about it. “I’m glad he’s doing okay,” he said tightly, gnashing the words out.

“But?”

“But nothin’. He’s doin’ good. That’s good for the kids—probably—so, whatever.”

“You think it might not be good for the kids to have their father doing well?”

Tommy rubbed his forehead with his knuckles, a headache blooming behind his eyes. “Look,” he said, taking a seat on the coffee table across from her. “It’s good right now. But what happens if he gets more time with the kids, more time of being this… father to them, and then he fucks up and falls off the wagon again? How do they deal with that?”

“You do realize this situation is different from when you were younger?”

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