Page 36 of Bred By the Minotaur
I swallow the words I want to say, that he’s my son, too, and it’s the bare minimum I can do for him. Instead, I say, “I was in the right place at the right time. Anyway, what happened to you tonight? You were AWOL for a long time.”
He looks fully exhausted as he says, “Two fires. Two families that have lost everything.” His kind eyes find mine, and they’re full of sorrow. “The second one was a single mom and her two kids. The girl almost didn’t get out—she wouldn’t have without Ron. So when I got that voicemail...” Hank trails off, clearly too rattled to even say the words.
“Everything is fine.” I risk leaning forward to put a hand on his shoulder, and at first, he tenses up under me. Then, his muscles all seem to release at once, and he sags forward. He puts his other hand on mine and squeezes it.
“The moment I heard your voice, I knew it would be all right.” He stares down at the floor. “I knew Milo would be safe with you. That you would do what needs to be done.”
“I guess I’m glad your mom put my name on the fridge,” I say. “Janelle was scared out of her mind.”
He shakes his head. “She was my only option when Mom went out of town.”
I know why he didn’t call me instead. Still, it would be fun to spend that much time with Milo. I want to learn everything about him.
“How much longer is your mom gone?” I definitely don’t trust Janelle to look after Milo anymore. He needs someone he feels comfortable with.
Hank cocks an eyebrow. “Another three days.”
So Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I try not to work over the weekend when possible, and I can probably take Monday off.
I can’t believe I’m thinking about offering this, but I don’t like the idea of Milo being stuck with another stranger. If Hank has no other options...
“What if I looked after him?” I ask. “Maybe he doesn’t know me that well yet, but he trusted me when he was scared. I think that’s a good sign.”
Hank’s head jerks up, and his mouth falls open.
“You would?” He sounds hopeful but hesitant. “Really?”
I hope I’m not sending him the wrong message, but it seems like he’s really in a pickle here, and I can help.
“I’m right down the street. It doesn’t make sense for you to pay someone else to do it.”
“Well, I would pay you?—”
Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl. “No.” I clear my throat, then look down at Milo’s sleeping face in my lap, and my heart squeezes. “It would be my pleasure to spend some time with him.”
“You’d have to pick him up from school...” Hank trails off.
“So? I’ll say I’m his nanny. Write me a note.”
“Only if you’re sure.” He scratches one of his cute little ears, and opens his mouth like he’s about to say something more, but thinks better of it.
“I’m sure,” I say with surprising confidence. It’ll give me a great opportunity to get out of my sister’s house for a while. “Actually, could I hang out here while he’s at school? So I can get some work done?”
Hank blinks those long-lashed eyes. “Oh. Yeah, of course. You can do whatever you want.” The hint of a smile pulls at his lips. “My house is your house.”
That sounds a little more serious than I was thinking, but I thank him anyway.
I gently set Milo’s head down on a pillow where I was sitting and get to my feet. “All right, now that you’re home, I should probably go.”
Hank walks with me to the front door. When I step out, he follows me and shuts it behind him.
“Thank you again,” he says with a heavy swallow. “I really don’t know what I, or Milo, would have done without you tonight. I’m sorry about my mom getting you involved.” Hank’s eyes are moist, though, and I think this has all thoroughly shaken him. His son means the world to him, that much is obvious, and the adrenaline of worrying hasn’t worn off.
“It’s okay. I was happy to do it.” I pat his arm. “His safety means a lot to me, too.”
Hank gazes down at me, then suddenly, he wraps both his big arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. My cheek is crushed against his chest as he squeezes me. He smells like smoke, but also like him—a warm, sweet smell that fills me up and calms my heart.
Any instinct I had to pull away vanishes, and I melt into those furry arms that are wrapped so tightly around me. Hank rests his head on mine and holds me like I’m going to disappear.
