Page 18 of The Dragon’s Accidental Manny

It was his car. Price was home.

TEN

PRICE

At pick-up time, I drove to school, but the place was empty and waterlogged.

I checked my phone. I hadn’t looked at it since Cam stormed out. Instead, I’d laid on the studio floor, staring at the ceiling, while my beast told me I was being ridiculous.

What dragon shifter lies on bare concrete? It’s cold and uncomfortable.

I phoned Theron, and Ledger picked up. But the children weren’t with them.

“A young guy picked them up, but I didn’t speak to him. I’m guessing that was your manny I haven’t managed to meet yet.”

That couldn’t be right. Cam and his barely-road-worthy car were probably two towns over by now. But even if he had collected them, he’d be long gone, and I had to tell my three children they'd lost yet another person who was important to them.

I rehearsed the speech, the one I’d given versions of to them, to my parents, teachers, friends, and neighbors and even the kids’ doctors. I’d keep my voice level and make sure they knew it was not their fault. If they were angry and upset and blamed me, I wouldn't flinch or offer excuses. I hated that I had to do this and wondered how much loss children could accept before they were so traumatized they needed therapy.

Hurry up. He might still be at the house.

Despite living inside me, my dragon wasn’t able to interpret human emotions and their consequences. I didn’t have the energy to argue.

I came around the last bend and drove past Theron’s house until I reached mine. And there, between the metal gate posts, was his car. That ridiculous, beloved, gas-guzzling wreck was parked as it always was, crooked, in the driveway. Cam really needed lessons on how to park.

He was waiting for me to arrive because he didn’t want to leave the children alone. He was always the professional. And he’d come back for his things. Refusing to hope that he might stay, I got out, not bothering to put the car in the garage, and trudged toward the front door but decided to go in the back entrance.

Wet shoes and backpacks were drying in the mudroom as I walked past. Papers were spread out on a table, and no one was in the courtyard where they’d normally be, eating their snacks.

From the playroom, there were squeals and laughter and Isla telling Jack to move over. But my youngest was making up a story, and his words were tumbling out.

“… and the dragon knight has a sword and a flashlight, and he’s not scared of anything, not even the dark, not even spiders.”

I paused in the doorway. They’d built a fort out of a spare mattress from the storeroom, and it looked like they’d used every blanket in the house. Four sets of feet wearing socks were poking out of the entrance. One, which belonged to Isla because she had a scar on her right leg, was shoving the smallest set. But one of Jack’s feet was thrown over the largest ankles, and Bea was on her side, with her feet nestled against those same ankles.

There were shadow shapes on the sheet from someone holding a flashlight, and I was tempted to crawl in.

“I’m home.”

“Daddy.”

“Dad.”

My children poked their heads out.

“You didn’t come.”

“The school broke. We got wet.”

“Cam got us.”

Cam scrambled out with the kids. He’d been crying at some point because his eyes were puffy and red. He looked exhausted because he blinked and his eyes closed for a fraction too long, as if he was considering going to sleep.

“I’m so sorry. The phone… ummm, I broke the phone but didn’t realize until I went to collect you from school.”

There was no time for Cam and me to talk because the kids were chattering about the burst pipe at school and how they almost drowned. They hadn’t, but exaggeration was expected. There was no homework, but they needed to eat dinner. Avoiding me, Cam told me to spend time with the kids and he’d cook. I tried to catch his eye but feared getting too close. I didn’t want to be sprayed with the fire extinguisher that lived in the pantry.

I kept glancing at him, expecting him to put food on the table and leave. He hadn’t said anything to the kids or they would have told me. So was he going to sneak out in the middle of the night? That wasn’t something my Cam would do, not that he was mine. But the Cam of this morning was not the same guy making omelets.