Page 22 of Crow's Haven
“How about Blaze?”
“Too fire-y. She’s more... calm.”
“What about... Tank?”
“Don’t be crazy. Tank will be pissed if she tries to take his name. Besides, she’s not that strong.”
They go back and forth while I pour myself a cup of coffee and settle in at the table beside Crow. He raises a brow, clearly amused. Truth be told, so am I.
“They’re very invested,” I whisper, partially covering my mouth with one hand.
He leans closer. “That means they like you.”
I glance across the table at them again. Now, they’re almost arguing. I watch them run sticky fingers through their already messy hair. As they talk over each other, I feel a strange ache settle in my chest. In the time I’ve lived with them these two kids are becoming a big part of my life. And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that their dad was in my thoughts more often than not.
“Butterflies are boring,” Scout says suddenly, squinting at me.
I glance at Crow, then back at Scout. I’m not sure where this is going.
Chase tilts his head. “I like ladybugs.”
Scout claps his hands together once, sending bits of syrup flying. “That’s it! You’re like a ladybug.”
I pause, unsure how to respond.
“Ladybugs are cool,” Chase practically shouts. “They eat the bad bugs. They’re lucky. And they stay.”
I blink. “They stay?”
Scout nods, slower this time. “Yeah. Butterflies fly away. But ladybugs land on you and hang out.”
I can’t speak for a second. There’s a lump forming in my throat, and I press my palm flat against the table just to ground myself a bit. They named me ladybug because they want me to stay and not fly away like their mom.
Beside me, Crow’s head slowly turns to look at me. There’s a flicker of warmth in his gaze. He doesn’t say anything, but he sees that the name isn’t just cute or funny or another oneof their games. This is a gigantic step forward in them trusting me and wanting me in their lives. It’s also the first time in a long time someone has wanted me. Of course, they don’t know all the baggage I’m carrying.
Chase licks syrup off his thumb and grins, “Can we call you Ladybug? It’s a good name.”
I swallow hard and smile as I try to get my emotions under control. “Yeah. Of course you can. I love the nickname you chose.”
The boys cheer wildly, and Scout starts practicing how to say it with a deep voice like he’s introducing me at a club rally.
“This is Ladybug,” he growls in his best biker voice, “She cooks good food, reads us stories and she kicks ass.”
Crow chuckles, low and amused. Letting the curse word slide for once, he responds, “Sounds about right.”
***
Three more weeks fly by in the blink of an eye. Mid-August starts the school year and today is the first day of kindergarten.
I wake before the boys, slipping quietly downstairs to the kitchen. I put on coffee first and grab the first mug and cup before sliding the glass pot neatly into place. I pop open the lunchboxes I washed last night and sit them on the counter. Scout’s is blue with a flaming skull printed on the lid. Chase’s is red and scuffed from where he tried to race it down the driveway like a toy car.
I’m finishing filling their lunchboxes when I hear footsteps. I turn around just as Crow goes straight to the coffeepot and fills his favorite cup without a word. Once he’s had the first sip, he turns to me and jerks his chin towards the lunchboxes. “Did you figure out what to put in there?”
I nod, and pop one of the boxes open. “Yeah, I gave them all their favorites but stayed away from anything nut-related, in case they end up near a kid with a nut allergy.”
Crow raises his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have thought about nuts being a hazard.”
I snap the lunch box closed and sit it on the counter. “Yeah, well I’m a nurse, so I think of stuff like that.”
