Page 3 of May's Bad Boy: Kody

Shane appears from the hallway, holding a glass of sweet tea. "Figured you'd be late. Thought I might have to come drag you up here myself."

I shake his hand again, this time with a little more ease. "You know how long it takes a four-year-old to unpack three books and one very stubborn teddy bear?"

Sadie gasps. "Bear-Bear isn't stubborn!"

"Okay, okay." I laugh. "He's just independent."

We step into the kitchen, where Aiden and Paisley are already seated at the table, passing a bowl of salad back and forth like it's a high-stakes game.

Aiden looks up, grins. "Hey, man. Good to see you."

"You too," I say, sliding into the empty chair beside him. We spent some time together while behind bars, but we weren't super close, not like I was with Shane.

Sadie hesitates near the table until Caitlin pats the seat next to her. "Come sit by me, sweet pea. I saved you the good fork."

Sadie climbs up, eyeing her napkin like it's some kind of treasure map. "It has unicorns on it!"

I watch them all and let it sink in how easily they fold her into their lives, like it's nothing. Like she's always belonged here.

Dinner is loud in the best kind of way. There's laughter, stories, the occasional spill, and Sadie dropping a meatball under the table and Caitlin dramatically declaring it a "tragedy of epic spaghetti proportions."

She's good with kids. Too good.

Sadie yawns halfway through a roll and leans against Caitlin's arm like she's known her forever.

"You okay, baby girl?" I ask.

She nods, sleepy. "Full," she says around another yawn. "And warm."

Yeah. Me too.

"You can lay her down in the bedroom by the back door. We will hear her if she wakes up," Caitlin says, pointing the way.

Sadie doesn't protest when I scoop her up again. Her head drops instantly to my shoulder, fingers tangled in Bear-Bear's scruffy ear. The scent of garlic bread still lingers in her curls from dinner, and I press my nose against them for a second, just breathing her in.

I step into the room Caitlin pointed out. It's small, but cozy. There’s a soft quilt on the bed, a rocking chair in the corner, and a lamp with little stars on the shade casting faint constellations across the ceiling. Caitlin, again. I don't even need to ask.

I lay Sadie down and pull the blanket over her. She stirs once, then curls on her side with Bear-Bear tucked under her chin. A quiet sigh escapes her lips, and just like that, she's out.

"I'll check on her in a bit," Caitlin says gently from the hallway.

"Thanks," I murmur, stepping out and closing the door most of the way.

Then I head for the front porch, where Shane's already waiting—two beers sweating in his hands and the stars spread out like a thousand quiet witnesses overhead.

"You sure about this?" Shane finally asks, not looking at me.

"No." I take a sip. "But it's all I've got."

He leans back in his chair, boots up on the rail. "Tell me what's going on."

I hesitate, and then let it out.

"Sadie's grandparents are coming for her," I say. The words hang in the air, sharp as barbed wire. "They filed for custody. Claim I'm unstable. Dangerous. That prison stint... even though the judge overturned it, it's still on my record. Still in people's minds."

Shane's jaw tightens. "That's bullshit. Everyone knows what happened."

"They've got money. They've got lawyers. And a judge who's leaning their way."

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