“Thank you for being so good with my children.”
It was my job to care for them and be kind. I really liked Rory, Fraser, and Skye, and I was in danger of falling in love with them.I didn’t include their father on that list because I couldn’t. That would lead to me losing my job.
“They’re great kids.”
“Well, thank you again, Ledger.”
Oh my gods, why did he have to say my name? My pulse sped up, and I was glad I was sitting because the room was spinning.
“I should get back to work.”
“Me too.”
After he left, I stared at the same paragraph for twenty minutes.
That evening I cooked dinner for the first time. Theron usually handled the main meal, but he'd been on calls all afternoon, and I texted him that I'd take care of it.
I made pasta with a marinara sauce. I was no chef, but that was simple enough that I could produce an edible meal without embarrassing myself.The kids needed protein, so there was plenty of chicken in the sauce, and I made sure it was cooked properly, because unlike their father, I didn't serve meat that was clucking and pecking in the dirt.
Fraser studied his plate. "There's green things."
"That's basil. It's good for you."
He gave me an “I don’t believe you” look.
Skye ate what I put in front of her. Rory picked out the basil and made a pile on the side of his plate but ate everything else.Fraser took one bite of chicken, and a second, and when Theron came in from his office, Fraser was on his second helping.
“I saved you a plate.” I pointed to the place I’d set for him.
Theron sat and ate with us, and I could almost imagine we were a family. Fraser was talking about his best friend, and Skye was rolling her eyes because she said she was tired of hearing about his friend. Rory was telling me about a project at school that involved building a volcano.
Maybe that was the smoke I saw at the school, though I couldn’t imagine building a volcano on school grounds that would satisfy safety requirements. Rory had to be talking about the kind we’d made at school with baking soda and vinegar.
After we had finished eating, the children helped load the dishwasher. I told them it was bath time, and Fraser asked if instead of getting in the tub, he could get washed inside the dishwasher.
“Would I come out squeaky clean?”
“You’d die.” Rory made a face at his brother.
“Like Papa.” Skye wasn’t upset. It was a matter-of-fact statement. She had no memory of her omega father.
“A human made Papa dead.” Rory slapped a hand over his mouth, and everyone stared at me.
Was I supposed to say something? And what word did Rory intend to use but had substituted human instead?
“Sometimes bad things happen.” Theron put a hand on Rory’s shoulder. “But Papa would be so proud of all of you.”
That was my signal to hustle everyone upstairs, and when the children were in bed, I called Jess, the friend who'd recommended the agency. He'd been cagey about them and insisted I sign whatever they put in front of me without asking questions.
“How's it going?” he asked.
“Good. The kids are great.”
“And the dad?”
I must have paused, though I didn’t mean to.
“Oh no.” Jess was laughing. “Ledge.”
