Page 13 of Manny for the Alien
“I suppose so...”
It was true, yes, but I still felt strange about it. I didn’t want to completely stop parenting. I did need help though. That was part of why I had been looking for a nanny and a significant other. Not that I wanted a partner just so that they would watch the kids, but because it felt like my family was incomplete. I was ready to have someone to love in a different way.
Biting my tongue, I turned to my breakfast which was tasty, but plain, exactly what I’d come to know of human food. Eggs, toast, butter.
“What was that curry you made last night?” I asked.
“It was just something I threw together. Indian-ish, I guess. Why? Did you like it?” Marco asked at once.
“It was amazing,” I told him sincerely. “I hope there are leftovers.”
“Can I have some for lunch?” Azalea added and Marco beamed.
“Of course!”
He went to work, packing her lunch bag while I helped Aster get some food into his mouth.
“We played puppies,” Iris informed me. “Marco was daddy puppy.”
I grinned at the image of the three of them crawling around the playroom and shook my head.
“Then who am I supposed to be?” I teased.
“Other daddy,” Iris said easily and my heart warmed at the thought.
I glanced over at Marco. He didn’t acknowledge us but his ears were adorably pink so I knew he had heard. I wondered what he thought of that idea...
If only I had arranged for a date instead of a nanny. But at the time, getting home help had seemed more pressing than finding a partner. Now that Marco was in my house though, he was stirring unavoidable feelings and it had only been one day.
“What time is Azalea’s car arriving?” Marco asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
“I’ll walk her there today,” I said, glancing at the time.
Azalea groaned.
“I don’t want to walk.”
“Sorry Hun, you need the fresh air, and it’s a beautiful day.”
The morning was in fact a little bit chilly, but once we got moving, we both warmed up.
It was a nice day, but truthfully, I had wanted to speak with Azalea alone and driving wouldn’t allow us enough time.
Glancing down at her little blue form as she held on to her backpack and skipped over the sidewalk cracks pulled my heartstrings. She was so sweet, but I knew that this transition to a whole new planet had been very hard for her.
Reaching out, I placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a half-hug while we walked.
“How do you like Marco?” I asked.
She paused and didn’t look up and then shrugged, not answering.
“At first I thought you didn’t like him, but then you were being nice this morning.”
She sighed dramatically.
“I didn’t not like him,” she insisted. “I just... Is he going to leave like Justine did?”
I frowned, realizing the issue at once.
