Page 40 of Bullied Mate

“Dad?”

Leo held up the red ball.

Yeah, this distraction thing was a problem. “Sorry, kiddo. I’m just tired.”

“Do you want to go back home?”

“No, let’s go to the field.”

Right as the words left my lips, I felt the pit of my stomach break open. Every feeling I’d tried to hide came rushing out. I caught the ball, hurled it in the opposite direction of the field, and tried to pretend like I’d lost my sense of direction.

Technically, that was true.

“Dad, that’s the wrong way,” Leo whined while jogging past me. “Can we go to the barn instead?”

That was a much better plan. I’d never been to the barn with Galanthia. It wasn’t really a place I considered romantic. Not that I had ever planned on romance with her.

Too late for that.

My head hurt so much that I had to squint against the sun. “Maybe we should pack it in.”

“I told you.”

“Hey, don’t cop an attitude with me, mister.”

Leo lifted the ball, tossing it in the air and catching it in place. “Sorry, Dad.”

I considered it backlash from the explosion. “No, kiddo. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be acting like this. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Is it Grandma?”

“No, your grandma is actually doing a lot better.”

He spun the ball on the tip of his finger. “Is that because of Galanthia visiting?”

“She’s been visiting?”

Well, that was news to me. And it wasn’t the kind of news I was excited to hear. It wasn’t like I could raise hell with my mother. She was sick, after all, and if seeing Galanthia made her happy, then I guessed it would just be something that happened while I wasn’t around.

Which seemed to be happening anyway. So, why was I mad?

“Come on,” I barked. “We should head back before you get any bright ideas about losing your ball.”

“Did you hear that?”

I stopped next to him and cocked my ear toward the thicker part of the forest. “No.”

“I thought I heard an owl.”

“Owls don’t come out at this time.”

He pointed back the way we had come. Incidentally, it just happened to be in the direction of the field. I had my suspicions.

“No, really,” he insisted. “Grandma and I have been playing bird bingo. I need to find an owl and take a picture.”

“Leo, we don’t have time.”

He wrinkled his nose. “You’ve been saying that all week.”

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