Page 86 of Peach Tree Family

"I'm thinking about removing a few of these bushes near the house, but some of them might be plants we want to keep. I just can't tell yet," Theo said as they slowly went inside.

"Spring is coming. I see plenty of buds. When the leaves and flowers come out, you'll be able to tell what's what," Seth told him. "There might be a whole garden hiding out here."

Making sure Seth was sitting down on the couch, Theo went to take a quick shower. He expected Seth to keep sitting there even after he got back and went to the kitchen, but Seth couldn't sit still. He limped into the kitchen where Ace was feeding Butter, and Theo was looking into the fridge.

"You're a bad patient," Theo told Seth as he came in and Ace huffed at him.

"I'm gonna bring Seth a chair," Ace said. "I'm the chair guy."

Opening the oven door, Seth leaned down to peer inside though there wasn't anything to see. He straightened and bit his lip. "Uh. Can I... can I bake something in it?" He was inviting himself to stay and cook dinner, but it wasn't the first time. "I want to make you roast chicken, but for now I could just bake up some pasta."

"You're hurt. I'm making baked pasta. Red sauce or mac and cheese?" Theo asked.

Ace had an answer for him as he dragged in a chair for Seth. "Red sauce."

"There'll be cheese either way," Theo said. "And I finally get to make some brownies."

"Make them in a skillet," Ace said and Theo stared at him.

"We have a working oven now."

Sitting and watching Theo cook, Seth kept wanting to jump up and help, but he knew better than to try it. As it was, he was getting warning looks from both Theo and Ace if he so much as shifted in the chair.

When Ace was out of the kitchen, Theo told Seth, "I hope you know you're staying here tonight."

"I don't want to crowd you guys," Seth said.

Theo sighed. "You're not going to try and argue with me?" Theo said and shot him a glare over his shoulder.

"I guess not," Seth said.

Ace came through the kitchen again to see if Theo was making the brownies yet. "The pasta is in the oven. I'm starting the brownies now. And Seth is staying over."

"Oh yeah!" Ace did a little dance.

"Are you celebrating the brownies or that Seth got hurt?" Theo asked him.

"Not that he got hurt, but Seth is here, and that's good," Ace said.

Spending the evening with Theo and Ace always reminded Seth how much he wanted to stay with them all the time. Tonight was no different.

Working outside got Ace to go to sleep right at his bedtime. "Out like a light," Theo said as he came to the living room and sat next to Seth on the small couch.

"I can stay out here tonight," Seth said.

"No. You need to lie down properly." Theo gestured to his ankle.

"I don't want to push you out since you're moved into the other room now," Seth said though he couldn't help thinking about sharing the room with him.

"I haven't been using that room much. I'm still staying with Ace most of the time. Sometimes he has nightmares if I'm not there to wake him. He isn't over everything that happened when he was living with our aunt. Some stuff that happened with her and her boyfriend."

"I'm sorry to hear that. He seems like a happy kid most of the time," Seth said. "I hate to think about Ace being scared, having nightmares like that. I had them when I was a kid."

"What were they about?" Theo asked.

"I had nightmares about being thrown in jail like my folks, and nightmares about my grandpa driving away in his truck and me running after him yelling, begging him to come back or to take me with him. Not to leave me."

"Sorry," Theo said. "When Ace has nightmares I try to remind him of good times with our parents. I show him videos and play Dad's music. I just wish we had more from that time. I..." Theo stopped, and his expression was so sad Seth couldn't let him go silent.

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