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Glancing at Easton, I shrug. “Nuggets?”

He grins. It’s clear he’s not going to argue.

There’s a drive-through local spot on the way out to Leo and North’s place, so I swing through and get everyone a little after-school treat. Easton slides into the back to help Elio with his for the rest of the drive, and the warmth in my chest only grows as I head down the long stretch of state road, out to the property.

Neal had made a very poor, very awkward attempt to befriend Elio when they first met. Elio wasn’t having it, and Neal was so freaked-out by Elio’s disability that after a few weeks, he only came around when my parents were babysitting.

And while he made big promises to be as inclusive as possible, the first apartment he got for us was upstairs with no way to bring Elio into the place. After that, it was a long series of him “forgetting” and apologizing and promising to make it better.

And me, the lonely, desperate dipshit who kept giving him chance after chance.

It’s a wonder Elio ever forgave me for it, and sometimes I do wonder if he’s still holding resentment toward me.

I wouldn’t blame him if he was.

“Oh my god, look at the forest. That’s, like, so aesthetic,” Elio says as I pull down the narrow driveway.

Easton laughs, his mouth full of the last of the chicken nuggets. “Yeah. Leo’s always wanted a place like this. He and North are going to get goats soon.”

Elio perks up. “Goats! I want a goat!”

“We’re not getting a goat. You can come visit theirs,” I say dryly as I pull up to the house. North’s truck is gone, but Easton said Leo was inside, so I put the car in park and hit the button to open the door and set the ramp out.

By the time I’m unstrapping Elio’s chair, I hear the front door open, and Leo appears on the porch. “Hey,” he says quietly, though his voice carries a bit on the breeze.

I glance over my shoulder and grimace. “Hey. Is there a way for us to get up?”

When Easton and I came before, we went straight to the little enclosed gazebo thing and didn’t do a tour of the house. And I was still so shaken up from Neal, I hadn’t bothered to look around.

Leo just smiles at me and points to the side of the porch, and it’s there that I see a ramp. “I can’t always do stairs,” he reminds me.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Leo’s injuries affected more than just his words and his memory. And I definitely hadn’t considered that his place might be more accessible than my own in some ways.

Easton comes over and bumps me with his hip. “Told you it would be fine.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the grin I toss his way as I throw Elio’s backpack into the SUV and hit the button on my keys to retract the ramp and shut the door.

Of course, he’s taking off ahead of me, and Easton and I have to jog to catch up as he hits the porch ramp and zooms all the way to the top.

Leo’s there to greet him with a fist bump, and before I can say my hello, there’s suddenly a flurry of thick black wings before a crow settles in Elio’s lap.

“Holy shit,” Elio breathes.

I don’t bother commenting on his language this time.

“Russell,” Leo sighs. He looks up at me. “He’s not going to hurt him, I promise.”

“I feel like fucking Snow White,” Elio says.

“Dude. Language,” I say weakly.

Elio ignores me and strokes a touch over the crow’s head. “This means something, right? That he just straight up flew into my lap?”

Leo grins. “Yep. That’s the house litmus test, and you passed. You can go on in.”

“Can Russell come?” Elio asks.

Leo shrugs. “I can’t keep the bird out even if I wanted to.”