Page 12 of Dragon's Midlife Secret Baby
The boy made an experimental tap, giggled, and then tried again.
“There you go, little man!” The drummer picked up an extra drumstick and improvised a song around Corbin’s random banging. “All right, buddy! You did a great job! Give me a high five!”
Exchanging the stick for the high five, Corbin laughed some more.
“Thank you.” Beck swept Corbin into his arms, thrilled that, at the very least, he was able to be here for this experience. A few enjoyable moments didn’t mean that Corbin would grow up to be a master musician or anything, but Beck still wanted to see all those little opportunities as they came along. He saw Chelsea drop a few dollars into the upturned hat nearby and felt his failure as a father deepen. How much had Chelsea spent on diapers, formula, and clothes? He’d given her absolutely nothing. Instead of putting Corbin back in the stroller, he situated him on his hip and carried him the rest of the way.
“You see, Mommy?” Corbin asked. “You see?”
“I sure did, baby! You did a great job! Can I have a kiss?”
Corbin leaned out of Beck’s arms to give his mother a kiss with a big smack.
Her eyes were shining when they shifted up and onto him. Her joy faltered for a moment, and Beck knew that his own dark thoughts must be clouding his features. He forced them away, trying not to dwell on the past. He’d missed so much, but he wouldn’t have to now.
The three of them continued on through the mall, stopping to check out a sale or two, to grab a snack for Corbin, or for Chelsea to wave to someone she knew. Every now and then, her eyes searched his face, and he wasn’t sure if she was checking to see if he recognized anything or if he was worn out.
At East India Square, they stopped to walk with Corbin out onto the bricks forming pathways in the fountain.
“I know it’s silly,” Chelsea said, “but could I take a picture of you two together here? The sunlight is perfect on the water.”
He would’ve done anything she asked. “Sure. Look at Mommy and say cheese!”
“Chee!” Corbincalled out.
When they were done and put him back in the stroller for the walk back toward the car, Beck noticed Chelsea zooming in on the photo she’d just taken with her phone. “Did it turn out okay?”
“Yes. Perfect, actually. It’s just, well, I always thought I saw so much of you in Corbin. It’s nice to get to make that comparison in real life now.”
As they walked, Beck was no longer paying the least bit of attention to the shops around him. It wasn’t because he’d seen them on the way through but because he wanted only to focus on Chelsea. “There’s quite a bit of you in him, too.”
His head was starting to ache as they exited the mall and headed down the sidewalk toward the lot where they’d left Chelsea’s car. He didn’t want to work on this in small, easy increments. Beck desperately wanted to have one thing happen that would make the whole world make sense again. He understood how life worked in general; he hadn’t gone completely feral. Money and cars and cell phones weren’t nearly as important to him as whatever he and Chelsea had between them, nor as all the time he’d missed out on.
A low black sports car rumbled by them. As soon as it passed, it came to a screeching halt, and the reverse lights blinked on as it raced backward. Thebrakes squealed once again as the car expertly whipped over to the curb right next to them.
Instinctively, Beck moved himself between the car and his newfound family. His dragon coiled like a snake inside him. He knew he couldn’t reveal his other form out there in public, not without great risk. If the risk this car posed was greater, though, it was a sacrifice he’d make.
The tinted window rolled down. “Beck?”
Beck tipped his head back and down to see inside the low car. The driver looked to be a bit younger than him, a man with light brown hair and bright blue eyes. “Yeah?”
“Where the hell have you been, man?” Ewan asked, grinning widely. “We haven’t heard from you in ages! You should’ve let us know you were back in town!”
Something was changing inside Beck. He couldn’t say that this guy was exactly familiar. Beck’s mind had no name for him, nor any other memories. Still, there was something about him that at least let Beck know he didn’t need to worry about anyone being in danger. “Who are you?”
“C’mon, man. Are you kidding me? It’s Ewan.” He gestured around him. “The car is different, but I don’t think I’ve changedthat much.”
“Ewan,” Beck repeated, experimenting with the name on his tongue.
“Yeah. You can’t tell me you don’t remember me.”
Chelsea’s finger touched Beck’s arm. “He must know something about you.” Her voice was quiet but urgent.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Ewan shifted gears. “Hang on a second.” Getting out of the way of traffic, Ewan whipped his car into the nearby parking lot and jogged back over. “Did I do something? You’re acting like you don’t know me at all. I know it’s been a minute, but I don’t think you’d forget about someone you’ve spent the last couple hundred years with.”
“No, you wouldn’t think so.” Beck’s dragon was reacting even more now, although his mind refused to understand. “Some things have happened.”
“I’ll say.” Ewan bent down to take a peek at Corbin in the stroller. “Looks like a perfect mix of the two of you. Sorry. You must be Chelsea. I’m Ewan.”
