Page 170 of Already At Risk
She shook her head. “It’s just a stomach bug. I’m sure it’ll get better soon, but I don’t think I can manage standing on that hot field all day.”
“No, of course not.” I pressed a kiss toher skin.
Her eyes fluttered shut, her head sinking deeper into the pillow. “I feel bad making you do it, though.”
I shook my head. “I don’t mind going to field day for you. Chloe and I will have fun. I just need you to promise to text me if you start feeling worse.”
Natalie nodded. “Promise.”
“Okay, Sunshine. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” A small smile lingered on her lips. “Thank you.”
“Of course, baby.” I turned off the lamp next to our bed, wanting her to get some more rest. Then I made my way to the door, gently shutting it behind me before I went downstairs to find Chloe waiting for me, water bottle in hand and hair in the high ponytail I’d helped her with before going back upstairs to say goodbye to Natalie.
A pretty good ponytail, if I do say so myself. Every time I did Chloe’s hair, I got a little better at it.
“Ready, kiddo?”
“Ready!”
To my relief, she hadn’t been too disappointed when I’d told her I was stepping in for her mom at field day. Actually, though I could tell she felt bad that Natalie was sick, Chloe seemed excited that I was coming.
Hopping off the kitchen barstool, Chloe sped out the door, and I followed her out to the car.
It was a short drive to her school, and after we parked, Chloe led me to the back of it, where there was a playground and a field. A crowd was gathering at the edge of it, and I heard Chloe mutter to me, “Luka Stevens beat us here.”
I couldn’t help a laugh from escaping. “We’ll beat him on the field, Champ.”
She made a satisfied noise in her throat and then grabbed my hand, tugging me across the black pavement. Sun beat down on us, the early heat of June present in the air despite it being early morning.
“Chloe!” Her teacher, Mrs. Hanson, brightened when she saw us walking up. “So glad you could make it.” She looked to me. “Good to see you again, Mr. Bryant.”
I smiled at her. “Same to you.” I’d gone with Natalie to Chloe’s last parent-teacher conference and met Chloe’s teacher then. She’d been nothing but kind and welcoming over the last year. “Natalie’s sick today, so I hope it’s okay that I came to help out instead.”
“Oh, of course it is. We’ll miss her, of course, but always happy to have any kind of support.”
She looked more than a little relieved to have more adults here, and I couldn’t blame her, considering the growing group of fifth graders behind her, which Chloe dragged me toward. Two girls gravitated toward us, who I thought I recognized from pictures of Chloe’s last field trip. She waved at them excitedly.
“Chloeee!” one of them squealed, while the other one looked at me curiously, which Chloe caught.
“This is Cam,” she said matter-of-factly. “He’s my…sorta dad.”
Warmth blossomed in my chest, threatening to take over as Chloe’s friends giggled. My favorite ten-year-old looked back at me, a little sheepish, as if not sure if I was okay with that title.
But I was so okay with it. The idea of being a dad, or even just a sorta dad, filled me with so much pride. And the thought of beingherdad? I fucking loved it. And I loved that she was starting to think of me that way.
And I wanted her to know that.
Later, after we were both dripping in sweat from running around all day and dragging our feet back to the car, I said to Chloe, “I like being your sorta dad, Champ. I like it a lot.”
She glanced my way, squinting from the sun. “Yeah?”
I nodded and then cleared my throat. It felt thick. “You can call me that whenever you want. But I wouldn’t mind just being your dad, too.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“No.” My chest felt tight. “I’d really like that, actually. But Iknow you already have a dad, so if you want, we could come up with a different name for me, too.”
