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"That's right."

It felt good to say it aloud. I'm going to be a deputy. My youthful dreams of being an officer of the law were coming true at last.

We followed the toll road toward Cape Canaveral, stopping only at the toll gate for the E-Pass transponder perched under my windshield to be scanned. Before long, the familiar stretch of coast appeared ahead of us. I parked at Joann's Beachside Café, where we'd eaten once before and enjoyed, and carried Laura inside to get a highchair while the boys hurried to claim an outside table and sat with Skye.

The place was already busy with the morning crowd. The smell of coffee, butter, and warm waffles drifted through the café, and sunlight spilled across the tables nearest the windows. A waitress brought us menus, then paused when the boys began explaining their plans for the day before she'd even taken our order.

"We're going to ride in a flying saucer!" Matt announced.

"To meet our superhero dad," Evan added, apparently deciding the waitress needed the full explanation. "He's a winged Dragonii sheriff, and our dad's going to be his deputy."

I covered my mouth, laughing. "They're a little excited."

"A little?" The waitress grinned. "Well, I can't say I blame them. That's quite a morning you've got planned."

"We're moving to New Haven," Evan explained. "That's where our Pata lives."

The waitress's eyebrows rose. "New Haven? That's where Walnut Grove is, isn't it? Where Jesse Wilson lives with the prince he married?"

I recognized the name, though I hadn't expected to hear it over breakfast. "That's the colony, yes."

"Oh, wow! Do you know them?"

Before I had to figure out how to answer a question about people I hadn't actually met, another waitress passing our table gave her colleague a gentle nudge.

"Debra, leave the poor man alone. You can't interrogate everyone who's going to the colonies."

"I'm not interrogating him!" Debra protested, looking entirely unrepentant. "I'm asking a perfectly reasonable question."

I grinned, grateful for the interruption. "It's all right. I haven't actually moved there yet, so I'm afraid I'm not much help with the local gossip."

"Well, if you ever make it back here, you'll have to come back to eat and tell us what it's like," Debra said. "And if you meet Jesse Wilson, you can tell him we said hello."

"I'll keep that in mind."

We ordered waffles and bacon, and when the food arrived, the boys fell silent for almost a whole minute. Matt concentrated on cutting his waffle into manageable pieces, while Evan was already working out how much syrup he could get away with pouring over his. I took a few bites of mine before Laura began making the unmistakable noises that meant she wanted some attention.

"All right, sweetheart. I haven't forgotten you."

I broke off a small piece of waffle and offered it to her, watching her gums work enthusiastically as she explored the new taste. She seemed delighted, right up until she managed to smear a sticky bit of waffle across her cheek and chin. I sighed affectionately, reached into her bag for the baby wipes, and cleaned her up before she could rub the mess into her clothes. Then I reached back into her bag for the sleeved bib I should have remembered to put on her before I gave her the waffle.

"You're a messy little thing, aren't you?" I murmured, kissing the top of her head.

She responded with a happy gurgle that made the boys laugh.

Skye, meanwhile, had been watching our breakfast with the quiet intensity of a dog who knew perfectly well that humans were capable of sharing their food when they chose to. Because the café was pet-friendly, I asked whether we could order something for her. A few minutes later, a plate arrived with a waffle and several strips of bacon, without any syrup. Skye accepted her breakfast with a dignity that suggested she'd been dining in seaside cafés her entire life.

"She's got her own waffle and bacon!" Matt said, delighted.

"Of course she does," I replied. "She's part of the family."

We took our time over breakfast, enjoying the view and the easy conversation. I hadn't realized how much I needed something so ordinary until I found myself sitting there with my children, watching them eat and laugh, with no police officers, lawyers, or investigators anywhere in sight. For once, I wasn't thinking about what Philip had done or what might happen next. I wasn't worrying about finding a job, finding an affordable place to live, or making a small salary stretch to cover every expense. For once, I wasn't trying to work out how to keep our heads above water. I was simply a father having breakfast with his kids, enjoying the sunshine and the sound of their laughter.

When we'd finished, we thanked the staff and returned to the car. I checked that everything in the cooler was still fine before we headed back toward Titusville. Rather than take the toll bridge again, I chose the slower route through Cocoa Beach and across to Merritt Island. There was no reason to rush, and I wanted to enjoy our last morning in Florida instead of spending it staring at the clock. The boys continued their running commentary about spaceships and Dragonii wings, while I drove along the familiar roads, taking in the coastline and the places we'd visited over the past several weeks when we'd climbed into the minivan just to go for a drive or visit the beach as a cheap family day out instead of going to a nearby city park.

We stopped in Port St. John for a bathroom break and to give Skye a chance to stretch her legs. At the gas station, the boys were still so full of their plans that they managed to turn a simple stop into another announcement of our impending adventure. While I waited for them to wash their hands, Matt told the cashier we were going to ride in a flying saucer, and Evan explained that we were moving to a colony world where our new dad was a winged Dragonii sheriff.

The cashier blinked at them, then looked at me. "Is that right?"