Hawk had swapped seats with me. I held Hunter close. I inhaled the scent of his hair. He smelled like a boy covered in playground grime. That outside earthy smell mixed with traces of soap and maybe a hint of pencil.

I looked outside the car. Hawk was on the phone. He said he would call the home so I could sit with Hunter. These minutes felt fleeting, as if I had to absorb all the pain and fear running through this child’s body.

I smoothed his hair. “It’s going to be ok. You know that, right?”

He shook his head.

“Look at me, Hunter,” I urged.

His tear-stained face was enough to break anyone’s heart.

“I want to help. So does Kane. And everyone at the home was worried sick about you. Everyone cares. You scared us, kiddo.”

He shook his head, keeping his lips pressed together.

“You don’t have to say anything, but know that I care about you more than anything else. You’re safe now. We’ll make sure you get home.”

“It’s not home,” he squeaked.

Hawk had finished the phone call and stooped his head to check on us in the car. “Everything ok in here?” he asked.

Hunter shook his head.

“Slide,” he directed me, and I scooted to the center of the backseat with Hunter’s arms wrapped around my neck. It was close and warm in the backseat, all three of us wedged in together.

“I told them we would drive Hunter home and they could expect us in about twenty minutes.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.

“No problem.” He turned to Hunter. “What made you wander over here, big guy?”

Hunter shrugged.

“Can I tell you a story about when I was a kid?”

I wanted to interrupt and tell him this wasn’t the time for one of his sports tales, but I bit my tongue and let him talk. Hunter seemed to respond from him and he had been more outgoing and excited in the past week than I’d ever seen him before.

Hawk continued. “Something really bad happened to me. Something I never talk about.”

I couldn’t look away. It was something in his voice. Something raw and real. A genuineness I didn’t know he possessed.

“I was eight when my dad left. Eight-years-old. Can you believe that?” He looked right at Hunter. “I don’t know why. I don’t know where he went. I don’t know if he ever meant to come back, but he left my mom and me completely alone. It was the hardest damn thing a kid could go through.”

Hunter pushed off of my chest and wiggled free. He wiped a tear from his cheek. “My mom left me.”

“Oh.” Hawk didn’t pity him.

“Yeah, she died. And I had to go live with a family. But they couldn’t keep me. And I went to stay with the Phillips and I loved it there, but they had to move and I had to go somewhere else.” He sighed. “And then I stayed with the Jacksons but that was the worst and they didn’t want me either.”

I had to keep my jaw from dropping. I knew all of this about Hunter’s past because of his case file. It was the most I’d ever heard him talk about it.

“That sucks,” Hawk grumbled.

“I’m tired of not having anywhere to live,” Hunter sniffed.

The need to pull him back to my arms overwhelmed me. All I wanted was to give this child a home and I couldn’t do it.

“So what was the deal tonight?” Hawk asked. “Why did you leave the home?”

“Football.”

“Football?” He cocked one eyebrow higher than the other.

I broke my silence. “Honey, you know you don’t have club again until tomorrow afternoon.”

“I know, but I love being on the field. It just makes me happy.”

I closed my eyes. Holy shit. He’d rather be here on a cold dark field than at the home where people could watch after him.

“No one loves football more than I do. I swear. But you can’t wander off like that anymore. You scared Miss Bristow. You scared me. And I want to keep playing ball with you.”

“You do?”

“Hell yeah.”

I jabbed Hawk in the side.

“Sorry. Yes, I do. But you have to follow the rules. No skipping check-in or you might not get to stay for clubs.”

Hunter nodded. “I understand.”

“Good. Then let’s get you back. It’s late and we all need to sleep.”

Hawk moved for the door, but I grabbed his wrist. I wanted to seal this moment for only another second. His eyes locked on mine and he swallowed. Even in the darkness of the backseat I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

He leaned across me and for a second I thought he was going to kiss me in front of Hunter, but instead he wrapped his hand to the boy’s shoulder, pulling the three of us into a group hug.

“All right. You two stay put and I’ll drive.” He grinned.

I let my shoulders relax for the first time all night and let Kane take the wheel.