Page 14 of Single Dad Panther's Best Friend Romance

I throw the stubby crayon at him. Elizabeth is what he always calls me when he’s teasing me and my goofiness. It’s lovely andaffectionate and I can’t stop smiling though I’m trying to sound stern. “I’ll inform you, my good man, that color is subjective and a purple walrus could exist in certain lighting conditions.”

“You’ll inform me? Inform me? Oh wow, I’m going to be the smartest kid in school.”

We smile at each other like goofballs. The old feeling of friendship being underscored by the newer feeling of attraction and deep love. He reaches across the table and takes my hand and we sit there like that until our dinners arrive.

And everything is just like the movies.

After dinner, Preston hints he has something special to show me. Joel is bouncing in his booster seat in the back. “A secret, a secret, we have a secret.”

“Okay, bud, enough.” Preston is still smiling but now there’s a small hint of tension. Is he worried about something with us?

“No worries, I like secrets.” I give Joel a wink.

“It’s a big secret, so you’ll really like it.” Joel bops in his seat.

I look at Preston but he keeps his eyes on the road and doesn’t say anything. He kind of already proposed, so what could possibly be a bigger secret than that? A love child somewhere? My mind starts coming up with stupid scenarios and I look out the window to try to focus on the passing scenery.

We drive past our turn off and then I recognize where we’re headed. “Holy cow, are you taking me to our old camping spot?”

Preston gives me a small smile. “Maybe.”

“Well, now I’m super excited!”

But I’m getting really confused at the same time. We’re going camping now? Where’s the gear? We both work tomorrow anyway, so why would we do this now? Then, I start to imagine a more formal romantic proposal and I grin like an idiot. “Okay, camping it is.”

He doesn’t correct me, and we park at the old turnout. We all get out of the car, Joel leaping out and running ahead like awild man, karate-chopping the foliage. I laugh. “Better watch out what you pick a fight with, there’s some dangerous stuff in these woods.”

“Dad can fight anything. I’m not worried.”

I smile at that. A kid confident in his parent. It shows just how wonderful Preston is as a father and I grab his hand in mine as we walk along the trail.

We reach a small clearing and now Preston stops and steps away from me. My heart starts beating so fast I think it’s going to jump out of my chest. I want to hand Joel my phone and have him take pictures. I’m wondering what the ring will look like.

“Are you going to tell her, now?” Joel stage whispers to Preston. My heart is in my throat now.

“Uh huh.”

Then, Preston starts undressing and I feel confusion replace my excitement. What the fuck is he doing? It’s not just the shirt and shoes he’s taking off. It’s all coming off. “What are you doing? Why are you getting naked out here in front of your son?” I say the last word very pointedly, almost like a hiss.

Preston doesn’t say anything, but he hands his underwear to Joel and Joel steps back.

“What’s going on?”

“Before I can do anything about your finger,” he says, “you need to know.”

“Know what, damn it?” I ask. I think it’s as close to a shout as I can get out here in the still of the forest.

And just like that, Preston disappears, and a giant cat stands where he was standing. A panther. A giant black panther.

I feel everything tilt. My head is trying to understand something that looks like a fucking illusion, a special effect.

But Joel laughs. And the freaking panther presses his face against the little boy.

The thing is huge, too. It’s much larger than any panther I remember seeing at the zoo or on a TV special. It stands there and looks back at me with inky black eyes. I feel a fit coming on.

I’m losing my damn mind.

I’m losing my flipping mind!

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