48. Lucky

"Thanks for coming to pick me up, Bones."

"You're welcome, Parker. You don't mind coming to the lab for a few hours do you, because I can drop you back home if you like?"

"The lab is fine, Bones. I don't want to be anymore of an inconvenience."

She turned to her step-son then, sitting beside her in the passenger seat, taken aback by the words he'd spoken. When she finally pulled into her parking space she turned back to Parker before he could climb from the car.

"You are not an inconvenience, Parker. Why would you think that?"

"It's nothing, Bones, I just feel like I'm in the way sometimes, you didn't sign up for this when you married Dad."

"No, I signed up for it many years earlier, when your Dad and I were still partners. Every weekend you spent with him—"

"You were there." He paused, deep in thought before questioning: "Why?"

"Because I loved you a lot, Parker, and I still do now, as much as I love Christine, Henry and Addison."

"But they're your children."

"And you aren't? You're every bit my child, Parker, it doesn't matter that I didn't give birth to you, it's just a technicality. I am incredibly lucky to call you my son, as a brother for Christine, Henry and Addie— you're so great with them, even when they're driving everyone else crazy you put up with them—"

"Because I love them."

"So do I, they still drive me crazy though, so do you, and your father. I'm pretty sure you all inherited it from him, as well as that smile."

"And what smile is that, Bones?"

She could only laugh as he smiled at her.