Page 65 of Bullied Mate

Leo snuggled me harder. “You smell like Galanthia. She smells so good.”

“I think she smells good too.”

“Did you have fun with her? I wish I could have gone to dinner.”

An irritated groan surfaced. “Shoot, I forgot the steaks.”

“I’ll take an IOU.”

“You’re too young to know about those.”

His giggle was split by a yawn. “You owe me a steak. Fair and square.”

“I owe your uncles steaks too.”

“We should have a cookout.”

His head went back to my shoulder as his energy depleted. That was one thing I loved about him being with his uncles. They tuckered him out good enough to sleep through the night. That was typically the time I handled most of my affairs. But now that I was back in Silverdawn, I didn’t have to do that much. I didn’t have to crunch numbers, make itineraries, or apply for new jobs. I had a job here. I had shelter and consistent meals.

It was weird. I mean, it wasn’t too weird, but it was something I was adjusting to, so long as I didn’t think about how I missed traveling. I’d met plenty of interesting characters on the road. Though none of them stuck around, it had been nice.

But Galanthia was nicer.

Andres said I seem less lost, I recalled.He said it like it was a new thing.

Weird all around. I had assumed that finding my father would fuse the hole in my heart. I’d thought seeing him would put to rest my resentment. Hell, a chat with the dude would have been dandy. I didn’t think turning up empty-handed would have made me feel good, but it did.

Because I didn’t need to meet a good father to feel whole. I just had tobea good father.

I hugged Leo tighter. “You know I love you, right?”

“I love you too, Dad.”

I believed it with all my heart and soul. Life went on for us in ways that weren’t impossible, but that had been unimaginable in the past. Mom was getting the right care. My half-brothers were settled in. I was growing on Silverdawn like it had grown on me. Galanthia was doing that too.

How long is this going to last?I dared to ask myself because I knew nobody could interrupt my thoughts.Will she flip at the last second?

Leo sighed and readjusted his arms. “Can I go with you to see Galanthia again?”

“She’ll be coming over to our house, so you can see her then.”

“That’s good.”

I smiled. “Yeah, it’s very good. She’s a good person.”

“She’d make such a good mommy. Can she be my mommy?”

Goddess, the way he asked me that made me want to shout and weep. Leo needed another parent in his life. He needed stability and love and care.

While his uncles and grandmother were sufficient, I knew how much he wanted a mother. I knew he hadn’t connected with Jazmin—she’d hardly connected with him. He didn’t know a mother’s touch, and that was just criminal.

What he had found in Galanthia was what he wanted and desperately needed. I couldn’t imagine a better person for him, but I wasn’t sure if she would be up for the task.

Arguments were bound to happen. I wasn’t stupid. I knew we would eventually disagree about something or other, and then what? Would she run off again?

That wasn’t healthy for Leo. Even just talking about Galanthia around him made me nervous, the whole thing poking holes in the plan I had to be sure of his security. I wanted her, and I didn’t want her. I was confident and scared.

Nothing made sense. I didn’t have much experience in this department, so it was just a game of spinning around until I spiritually threw up. Part of me wanted to give up entirely and drop everything, to pack Leo into a car and head for the beach. We could have found plenty of good things if I hadn’t gone on that wild goose chase to find my kin.

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