Page 79 of Shaped to Be Yours

“What were you doing? How did you fall in?” McDickhole asked his daughter. At least with it raining, I couldn’t smell his patchouli.

“N-no one… was paying attention to me. You were all yelling and shoving, and I… I slipped.” She sobbed into his chest, soaking wet and shivering. Then she looked past him at me and Bina, as we were surrounded by our families too. “The monsters saved me. Th-thank you.”

“Like I said,” Bina panted, “we got you, fam.”

“Just doing whatneighborsdo,” I added. “After we rescued all the missing people, who are warming up in my house.”

The egg on McDickhole’s face would have been more comical if his daughter hadn’t almost drowned. But I had to hand it to the guy, because he looked right at me and Bina and echoed, “Thank you.”

I could have left it there and just nodded.

I could have.

“Next time don’t be a dick.”

His daughter giggled.

Ten-year-olds heard worse.

“If everyone has gotten that out of their systems and leaves peacefully,” Whitmore shouted over the quickly re-escalating din, cutting it short as he pushed through the crowd, “maybe we can avoid too many arrests. Unless of course you would like to press charges for trespassing, Mrs. Bosco.”

“Unnecessary, assuming you all leavenow. Only those I gave sanctuary to are welcome.”

It was Mom, coming out from behind Whitmore with her hair plastered to her face from the rain. Sanctuary? She must have ventured out after letting the missing people into the house.

“Sandy…” Dad said a little breathless.

Mom flinched, just like I had when I first heard his voice, instantly knowing, even while he looked like a tree with a skull for a face.

Dad let that form fall away, and in its place was the human him, a little older like she was, but very much the man she and I had lost.

“Bo…?” Mom gasped. “How—”

He swept her into his arms before she could finish, and in seconds, it was impossible to tell how much of the wet on their faces was from rain or tears.

“Bo!” Mom cried louder, squeezing him around his neck as tight as she could.

I never thought I’d be so happy to see my mom kiss someone, but in the rain, watching her get lifted off her feet like in some lame rom-com—that at least hadn’t ended with her hooking up with Whitmore—all I could think was,Get it, Dad. They were finally together again, and I felt like I might need to cry more over it too.

I already was, but I sniffled most of my tears back when Ricky dropped to his knees beside me and kissed my cheek.

As soon as Dad had set Mom down again, he reached down to pull me to my feet and tugged me in for a group hug. I could still barely believe this was real, and I knew Mom had to be gobsmacked, but it didn’t matter. We were a family again.

I pulled Ricky into our hug too. No one should have to stand or sit in the rain by themselves. Except for maybe Whitmore, although it sure did look like Kai was contemplating making a move from out of his family group hug, given how much he was staring at Whitmore’s wet sweater clinging to his abs like a second skin.

“We should all get back to the house,” Whitmore said. “I clearly need a debrief and everyone could use a towel and a change of clothes.”

The other people from town were trudging back through the mud, carefully now to not elbow anyone new into the lake. Only Kai and his family stayed behind to wait for us, alongside Whitmore.

“AmIgoing to get a debrief?” Mom asked.

“Yes,” Dad answered. “About everything.”

Chapter 16

RICKY

After the events at the lake, we detoured into the woods to let the ogre and other monster on guard know that the worst was over, but they insisted on staying at their post to keep people away from the portal until it closed. Zinnia and Beck opted to stay at the portal too to continue watching the readings, but they asked that we bring Kai and Bina back to the house with us. We warned them that the assholes responsible for Kai’s attack would be there, but with Whitmore along, Kai wasn’t afraid. Jensen Senior and likely Colt too would not be some of the ones getting off with a warning.

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