Page 63 of The Santa Rules
“What’s going on with your dad?”
He rolls his eyes. “He wasn’t home. Well, he was when Mom dropped me off, but once his girlfriend showed up, theywent out to dinner, so I got a friend to pick me up and bring me home.”
“Does your dad know you left?”
He won’t look at me. “Probably not.”
“Jesus, Isaac. You need to tell him, or your mom.”
“Tell me what?” Bella says from the door, and we both jump. “Are the two of you keeping secrets from me?” Her tone is teasing as she walks in. “Oh, shit you are,” she says with more of a bite.
I give him a look, and he lets out a sigh. “Dad doesn’t know I left.”
“And?” I prompt him.
“And he wasn’t home when I left. Derek’s mom picked me up and dropped me off over here.”
Bella gives me a curious look, and the guilt slams into me.
Isaac sighs as he continues. “And this isn’t the first time he’s left me at the house. But I’m never technically alone there.”
“Because he leaves his kid with his staff instead of actually spending time with him,” she mutters, pacing the kitchen.
“Ever since he started dating Kelsey, he’s never around anymore.” He says it quietly, but I can hear the hurt in his tone.
Bella stops pacing and turns to him. “How long has this been going on, Isaac?”
“A few months.”
“Is this why you don’t want to spend Christmas out there?” she asks.
He looks at me, and I nod for him to tell her. “Yeah. I told Hardy last week.” He gives me a small smile as Bella turns to me.
“You knew?”
“He asked me not to say anything. It wasn’t technically neglect since he was never home alone but even then, there’s no age limit in Colorado for when a kid can be left home alone.It was really shitty of his dad to put him in that situation, but I figured as long as no laws were being broken, he’d tell you eventually.”
“Are you mad?” Isaac asks, vulnerability in his tone.
She lets out a long exhale as she walks over to the sink and leans on it. “I am mad. But not at either of you.” She turns to us, leaning against the edge of the counter. “While I love that you two are getting along, I don’t like being left in the dark about this kind of stuff. But I’m also glad you have each other.”
“I’m sorry,” Isaac and I say in unison.
“You need to text your dad and let him know you left, and I pray I don’t get an earful from him.”
“But it was my choice. You didn’t even know.”
“Still.” She nods at Isaac, then looks at me. “And you, I’ll deal with later.” There’s a hint of a teasing tone in her voice.
“Please don’t make me go back over there,” Isaac begs.
“Since it’s your dad’s weekend, that’s not up to me.”
Isaac retreats upstairs, head buried in his phone. As soon as he’s out of sight, Bella pulls me into a hug.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” I ask, rubbing her back as she presses her cheek into my chest.
