Page 93 of Merciless Monster

“Okay. Thank you, Dad.”

“I love you, sweetheart. Hang in there. I’m coming.”

* * *

“Good morning, my little lovebug. Did you sleep well?”

Angelo has his little sleepy face on. He’s so adorable I just want to squish his cheeks until they pop. Kids are extra cute when they wake up from a deep sleep. They look so discombobulated, as if they have no idea where they are or where they’ve been for the past few hours.

“Hi, Mom,” he says in a crackling voice.

The weekend is over and Monday has circled around once more. I enjoyed having Angelo close to me. It’s the only time I can breathe deeply. Even after six years of motherhood, I still suffer from separation anxiety. Now it’s worse than ever.

I checked the windows all weekend to make sure that no one was lurking about. Dad arrived on Saturday afternoon and took a taxi to the ranch. Angelo and I were over the moon to see him, even if it was for different reasons.

I placed a loaded shotgun next to my bed at night. Of course, I waited until Angelo was asleep before I took it out. I don’t want to scare my child. It’s bad enough that one of us is scared shitless.

Dad’s downstairs, doing what he does when he’s nervous—cooking. It’s the oddest thing, but that’s his coping mechanism. This morning he’s scrambling eggs, frying bacon, and making toast. Not that I’m complaining. It smells like home down there.

“Grandpa is cooking eggs and bacon. Are you hungry?”

“Yum. Yes.”

“Okay, then. Let’s get you dressed.”

Dad and I decided that Angelo would be better off going about his day as if nothing was different. So, he’s going to go to school and we’ll be there to fetch him straight after. I’ll go to work and Dad will hold down the fort on the homefront.

I’m a ball of nerves by the time Angelo and I get in the car.

“See you later, Grandpa,” Angelo says excitedly. “Bye, Splash. Be good for Grandpa!”

“See you soon, my boy,” Dad says and waves.

“Be careful out there, Mia,” Dad whispers to me once Angelo is inside the vehicle.

“I will.”

I watch my father waving at us in my rearview mirror.

“It’s so nice of Grandpa to come visit us, Mom.”

“Yes, isn’t it?”

“Why didn’t Grandma come?”

“She has a few things to do but she’ll probably come a little later.”

“Oh. Okay. We’re going to the zoo today. The whole class.”

“That sounds like fun. Stay close to your teacher, sweetheart. Don’t wander off.”

“Never.”

I walk Angelo into the building once we get to school.

“Have a fun day, hon.”

“You too, Mom.”

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