Page 30 of Hiss and Tell
“Aspen.” His voice is gentle but firm. “I’ll be there. We’ll get to Little Dragons on time. Milo won’t face this alone.”
“Thank you.” The words feel inadequate. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t need to. I’m happy to be there for Milo… and you.”
After we hang up, I find Milo sitting on his bed in pajamas, still holding Super Steggy.
“Mr. Sebastian said yes, didn’t he?” he asks quietly.
“How did you know?”
“Because you’re not crying anymore.” He pauses. “And because Mr. Sebastian always says yes when people need help.”
As I tuck him in, Milo looks up at me with eyes still puffy from tears but bright with renewed hope.
“Mama? Maybe Mr. Sebastian’s a better pick for the breakfast than Daddy.”
The words should worry me—this attachment Milo’s forming, the way Sebastian is becoming central to our lives. Instead, all I feel is gratitude that my son finally has someone reliable to count on.
Chapter Eighteen
Sebastian
I hang up the phone and immediately start making mental lists. Father-son breakfast, 8 AM, Milo’s preschool. Dinosaur presentation. Be the reliable presence that Derek failed to provide.
The weight of responsibility settles on my shoulders, but it doesn’t feel burdensome. It feels right. Milo deserves someone who shows up, who values his interests, who sees him as the bright, curious child he is.
My snakes seem to sense the importance of tomorrow—they’ve arranged themselves in unusually orderly patterns, as if they’re already preparing for their role as assistant presenters.
At 6:30 AM, my alarm finds me already awake, having spent the night researching everything I could about stegosaurus armor plating and herbivore digestive systems. If I’m going to be Milo’s partner for this presentation, I want to be worthy of his trust.
I arrive at Aspen’s apartment at 7:15, wearing my best sweater and carrying a small gift bag.
Aspen opens the door, looking frazzled but grateful. “You came.”
“Of course I came.” I crouch down as Milo rockets toward me, his dinosaur shirt perfectly pressed and his timeline poster clutched in both hands.
“Mr. Sebastian! Look what Mama and I finished!” He unfurls the poster, revealing a carefully illustrated timeline of dinosaur eras with detailed drawings and fact boxes. “I know everything about stegosaurus spikes and how they used them for defense!”
“This is incredible, Milo. You’ve clearly worked very hard on this.” I pull out the gift bag. “I brought something that might help with your presentation.”
Inside is a small box containing dinosaur stickers from the library’s educational supplies that I grabbed this morning on the way over here.Milo’s eyes widen like I’ve handed him pirate treasure.
“Wow! Cool!”
Aspen watches this exchange with something soft and complicated in her expression. “That’s incredibly thoughtful.”
“Ready to go show everyone how much you know about dinosaurs?” I ask Milo.
“Ready!” He grabs his poster in one hand and the fossil box in the other. “Let’s go be a team!”
Just before we pull away, through the rearview mirror, I watch Aspen’s face shift from lingering sadness about Derek to something that looks like wonder. The drive to Little Dragons is filled with Milo’s excited chatter about his research and his plans for the presentation.
At the preschool, Miss Lee greets us with warm professionalism that doesn’t quite hide her curiosity about the tall stranger accompanying Milo.
“You must be Mr. Fangborn. Aspen texted me this morning. Milo talks about you often.”
“Sebastian, please. And thank you for accommodating the last-minute change.” I give her the handwritten signed permission slip that Aspen gave me this morning.
