Kayden met sharp blue eyes. He was surprised to hear Eric was the newest addition to their family. A heads up would have been nice. His father often did things on a whim and loved surprises. New family members were, apparently, on the list. Eric looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place his face or name. Kayden had met so many new people throughout the past eight years, and the faces were starting to blur together. More startling was the shocked expression on Eric’s face. Shrugging off the strange feeling, Kayden stepped further into the living room and held out his hand. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kayden.”

Anger flashed in the boy’s eyes and he refused to shake his hand. He didn’t even offer a proper greeting. Kayden glanced at his dad for help but was only met with an amused smile.

“Why don’t you show Eric his room and answer any questions he has. I’m sure you know which one is his.” Roth’s eyes twinkled. “I have to get back to work. Your mom’ll be here in case you need anything.”

Kayden should have known better the moment he saw his dad fixing up the spare bedroom next to his. “Sounds good, Dad.” Wait, he forgot to tell him what he already did—

“Dinner will be ready in three hours.” Susan stated. She gave her husband a kiss and left to prep dinner.

“Dad—”

“I trust you’ll give him a proper house tour, too.”

“Yeah, I will. But Dad—”

“Angela also said she wanted to show you a new ballet move she’s been practicing.”

“Okay, but—”

“I think that’s it. I’ll see you for dinner.”

Kayden rubbed his face, giving up. “Don’t overwork yourself.” He wrapped his dad in a hug. He’ll just apologize to Eric and suggest a different room. Maybe that’ll fix his unintended mistake. His dad should have said something sooner. Kayden had no idea he was preparing it for another person to live there. He assumed his dad knew what he was planning to do and decided to help. Guess he should double check they’re on the same page in the future.

“I should be saying that to you, son. You never take a break.”

“I finished early. I have two weeks off.” Kayden replied, feeling excitement course through him. “I get to spend more time with you guys!”

Roth laughed. “The peak of your day, no doubt.”

“It is.”

Roth paused and took a good look at his son. He realized family was Kayden’s priority in everything he did. Spending time together meant a great deal to him. While most of Roth’s friends complained about their children’s lack of communication after moving out, he felt lucky to have a son like Kayden. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

Once his dad left, Kayden turned his attention back to Eric and gestured that he should follow. After their awkward greeting, he worried how he would take the news about the room. It wasn’t the worst thing to happen, but it probably wouldn’t make Eric’s day, regardless. He’d have to have a talk with his dad about communicating better. Especially if he was adopting new family members without telling anyone…unless his mom already knew?

This kind of thing wasn’t okay, in his professional opinion. Since his business dealt with adoption and matching potential families together, he felt springing a new child into an established family dynamic wasn’t good. He didn’t think Eric being a teenager changed anything. Angela and Sam still needed time to adjust, and throwing another person into the mix made him worry about how smooth a transition this would be for everyone involved.

He hoped there was a good reason behind why his parents decided to bring Eric into their lives. His dad looked relaxed and comfortable, and his mom didn’t act standoffish, which she usually was if things weren’t going her way. He wondered if they even thought about Angela and Sam when they made this decision.

With a heavy exhale, he pushed his worries aside. No point in circling around the topic when he could talk to them about it later. Right now, he needed to make sure Eric didn’t feel overwhelmed by his new environment.

Eric trailed behind Kayden as they climbed up the staircase, taking in the decorative paintings of abstract art on the wall.

“So, you—” Kayden cleared his throat and tried again. “Are you excited about joining our family?”

Silence.

“Looking forward to school?”

…

“How about making new friends?”

Nothing.

This was going terribly.

“…this is the second floor. Angela’s and Sam’s bedrooms are down that hallway.”

The trek to the third floor passed by in the most uncomfortable silence Kayden had ever experienced in his life. Was he out of touch speaking with teenagers? Did he have anyone on his team with teenagers? If so, he needed to ask for a conversation because the one he was trying to have crashed and burned long before they left the living room.

There was a short hallway that led to a door. Kayden opened it and glanced over his shoulder. “I work here when I’m at home. There’s another bathroom up here so you don’t have to walk too far when you need to use it.”

At this point, he wasn’t expecting an answer. Did his dad have this much trouble talking with Eric? Or was it just him? Based off the expression on the boy’s face, Kayden had to assume it was something along the lines of teenagers being teenagers. He hadn’t done anything except say hello and ask a few questions.

Holding back the long sigh he wanted to let out, he stepped aside so Eric would have a full view of the place.

The large room the door opened to had been fashioned into an office. Tall metal cabinets and bookshelves were pressed against the walls. A desk dominated the center of the room. There were two chairs facing it that looked like they had seen some actual wear and tear. The soft hum of a laptop and gentle whoosh of the ceiling fan helped even out the awkward silence hanging in the air.

There were two doors lined up along the back wall and another on the left.

“The door on the left leads to the bathroom…”

Kayden took a deep breath to help center himself. It was fine if Eric didn’t want to talk. Maybe he needed a minute to adjust and didn’t feel comfortable in his new home yet.

“Right. So, don’t panic,” Kayden began. Eric raised his eyebrows. “I hope you don’t mind sharing a room. I wouldn’t have done it had I known my dad was adopting you.”

Despite his occupation, he didn’t have unlimited access to confidential information such as adoption processes from other agencies. And knowing his dad, he wasn’t surprised he kept something like this a secret.

Eric raised his shoulders in question, prompting Kayden to continue.

“I tore down the wall separating the two bedrooms. I was starting to feel claustrophobic…sorry if you were expecting your own room. I would offer one of the guest rooms downstairs, but those are actually used more often than not. And the two on the second are for our new siblings. But don’t worry! I’m sure we can figure something out if you’re unhappy with this arrangement. I can ask my dad—”

“Do you seriously not remember me?”

Kayden experienced emotional whiplash at the sudden change in Eric. “Should I?”

“I guess you fucking shouldn’t.”

“You could tell me instead of being difficult.” Kayden snapped. He understood Eric was probably going through something, but it didn’t excuse his behavior.

“It doesn’t matter.” Eric muttered. “It’s not important.” He made towards one of the doors.

Kayden reached out, placing a hand on Eric’s shoulder, halting his retreat. “It’s obviously important to you, so explain.”

Eric glared, “I was seven when you last saw me.”

Sudden understanding hit Kayden hard as he looked Eric over, shocked at how different he was. There wasn’t any trace of that sweet little boy he had befriended. In front of him stood a hardened young man. 

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Eric.” Kayden managed to say, fighting back his sudden tears. “You’ve changed so much. I didn’t recognize you…what happened? I thought you found a family.”

Eric’s harsh gaze intensified as he continued to glare. “Monsters found me and I saved myself. I don’t need a fucking family.”

Before Kayden could say another word, Eric stormed past him and entered the bedroom, slamming the door closed.

Letting out a sigh, Kayden sat down in one of the office chairs. If only his dad had given him a heads up. Things were complicated enough without adding this to the pile. How many agencies were his parents going through?

Eric was the fifth child added to their family in less than two months. Kayden was reluctant to admit he’d flag this behavior as worrisome.

What were they thinking?

Angela and Sam, he understood. Their adoption had been in the works for years at this point. The siblings from Florida were another matter when he tried to think of a good reason for his parents adopting them. Not that he disliked the idea of a big family. It just gave him pause.

What was the rush?

Then there was Eric…he’d have to ask his dad about his reasoning later. Though, if he knew Mrs. Laje, she had something to do with it.

Talk about a surprise!

He felt a headache forming.

Kayden was truly sorry for not recognizing Eric. He had never forgotten their friendship; despite the short time they spent together. It had meant everything to him. Eric had changed so much from when he was a child, it was no wonder he didn’t recognize him.

He was much taller now; his body lean with muscles. His face had matured and his hair turned to a pale blonde. His voice was much deeper, too. And his eyes, those had changed the most. Where they were once bright and shining with an inner joy, now looked dull and unhappy. There was no trace of his old friend inside Eric’s eyes.

What happened to take away his happiness? Where was that little boy who lit up a room every time he entered? Kayden had a lot of questions he wanted answered. From both his dad and Mrs. Laje. He didn’t think this change in Eric stemmed from a positive environment. If that was the case…

He groaned, filing away a mental note to schedule a meeting with his team. What he needed to do was fact-check information about childhood development and go from there. Once he established a base of understanding, he could deviate and figure out how things went so sideways. He wasn’t one to copy and paste research onto a child. He knew each situation was unique even if common themes and elements were present.

Another groan left him. He had so much on his plate.

Kayden didn’t think he changed too much in the eight years that had passed. He was older, wiser, and an accomplished CEO of his growing company, but that didn’t mean the loneliness of his past had completely left. Becoming family with Roth and Susan was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. His dad never asked about his past, something Kayden was grateful for. It was still painful to remember, so he pushed it as far back as he possibly could while around others.

He always wondered why his dad never looked at his file. Then again, Roth seemed to understand what Kayden went through, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he never pried into his past. They had trust between them which held the family together. He wouldn’t change it for the world.

As for Eric, he’d do his best to offer him friendship. Kayden’s work schedule for the summer would be brutal. Lots of travel and meetings almost every day. He was lucky he managed to score two weeks at home.

It would be a challenge finding time to spend with Eric after these two weeks were up. He’d do his best and hope it made up for his lackluster welcome.