256
Tony
The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains as my alarm went off. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I fumbled for my phone to shut it off. I had gotten in late last night, grateful that Matt had made me something and left it out for me and handled Quillan. Still, I had to go back today. I couldn't afford to be accused of slacking off.
Damn, I was tired. I couldn't remember having such a hard time getting out of bed. The stress had to be getting to me. Groggily, I stumbled through the routine of getting ready for work. I could smell coffee. Quillan's giggling flitted down the hallway, and then I heard him say goodbye to Matt. The door opened and closed, but I could still hear Quillan humming to himself. I frowned, heading out of the room and tying my tie. Quillan was seated at the table, eating something out of a bowl. He was dressed. His backpack and a little lunch kit with a cartoon car on it were on the table, and Matt was gone.
I looked at Quillan, who looked a little wary.
"Good Morning."
"Morning," he said, looking up at me as if he was nervous. "Uhm... Well, Uncle Matt said he left a message on the counter for you."
I nodded. "Good to know. Did he say where he was headed?"
"To the doctor."
I nodded, hoping that was a good thing. I glanced around and poured myself a cup of coffee as I found the note on the counter.
I've never seen you sleep in this much. Parenthood must be getting to you. Knowing that you're kind of shit with logistics, I found a daycare for Quillan: supernatural, no pack affiliations, accepts werewolf kids. They're nice, and they already have a class of werewolf children with space for him about his age.
I'm the best I know. I packed him lunch, a blanket, and all the kid stuff. Don't spook him. I know you've got this, Tony. See you later.
I snorted at that, scanning over the information. It wasn't too far from my job, which was great. I assumed the folder under the note was full of whatever he needed to register, but I winced at the time.
I checked my watch. If we didn't get going now, there was no way I was going to be able to get to work on time. My stomach grumbled. I opened the folder to check to be sure everything was there.
Then, my eyes fell on his birth certificate. I had never seen one before, not even a supernatural one, but I knew what it was.
Father: Anthony Chance
I gazed at the words and was struck by how real it seemed to make it all feel.
Seeing the words there next to Ginevra's stirred emotions I hadn't fully explored.
I looked over to Quillan as he finished whatever he was eating and smiled. For a moment, I wondered if it was how our father felt the first time he'd held us.... If he'd held us at all. I pushed that thought away and tucked the pages away.
Quillan slipped down from his seat and carried his bowl to me. He put it on the counter beside the sink, and I looked down at him.
"Ready?"
"Aren't you going to eat?" Quillan asked.
I frowned. "Well, I'm not sure if we have time."
"Uncle Matt said you should be able to take it with you." He pointed at the microwave. "It's in there."
I opened it and almost laughed, seeing the parchment paper-wrapped thing that smelled like meat. I grabbed it.
"Remind me to hire Matt as a personal assistant again."
Quillan giggled, and soon we were leaving. I was juggling my briefcase, a thermos of coffee, the package, and the keys. Somehow, we made it to my car without incident, and in the backseat was a shiny new car seat. When had Matt gotten it? I tried not to think about it as I got Quillan strapped in and put in the address to the daycare.
My phone chimed, and I answered it in my headset.
"Just checking to be sure you're on your way," Matt said. I could hear noise around him, but it didn't sound like a hospital.
"Driving," I said. "And where are you?"
"On the train headed to Yellow Ridge." He laughed. "Are you going to eat?"
"Eventually. You could have told me last night."
"When I was asleep?"
I rolled my eyes. "You're nervous. Chill. You've got this, Tony. Just register him, drop him off, and he'll have a blast. It's daycare, not the wolf den."
His attempt at levity earned a tired smile from me. "Easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with the other werewolf parents."
"Smile and look like you have a good job. 95% of them are probably single parents."
I frowned. "In the werewolf community?"
Matt snorted. "You realize that a significant portion of the women with children in the Blue Moon pack were single parents, right?"
I didn't know that. "We'll talk about it later, I'm sure. Just try not to pick up any more kids. You're still in your test drive with this one."
With a chuckle, Matt told me that he was getting off at his stop as I slowed to a stop at a light. The drive to the daycare was filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Quillan was looking out the window. Then, he went still.
"Something wrong?"
"Isn't that..." Quillan hummed.
I looked out of my rearview mirror and grit my teeth. It was Cline in the driver's seat. And I had no doubts that my father was in the backseat. I scanned the street behind us and bit my lip as I recognized a few of the other drivers and the cars. We were being followed.
How long had they been following us? Would they follow us to the daycare? The sense of unease intensified as the light turned green, and we headed through the intersection, and they kept following us.
"I think that's Mr. Cline."
"No, probably not," I said, hoping my voice sounded convincing even as I was damn sure that it wasn't. My mind raced. What were they doing in Black Moon's capital? Meeting with Peter? Something else? I could see them participating in the underhanded bullshit that Peter liked to get up to.
I could also see them here to get him to extradite us back to Blue Moon. I ran through all the laws. Legally, he couldn't make me give up the penthouse or any other property that I had bought separate from the pack, but if the Council ruled in his favor, they could make me and Matt leave Black Moon.
They could make me leave Ginevra in that hospital alone before Quillan ever got a chance to see her.
Anxiety settled in, and I subtly adjusted our route, trying to gauge whether they were indeed tailing us or if it was just a strange coincidence. The tension in the car was palpable, and Quillan, oblivious to the situation, chattered happily in the back seat.
"I wonder what my new teacher will be like. My old teacher was really nice..."
Just as I began contemplating a way to shake them off, Cline abruptly took a turn, heading in a different direction. The cars that were following him followed, and soon, we were at a completely different intersection alone. Relief washed over me, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe it was just a coincidence, yet doubt gnawed at me.
Thinking it was just a coincidence would just put me in more trouble in the long run.
I shot a quick text to Matt, telling him to be careful before I continued toward Quillan's daycare. Slowly, the ball of anxiety started to loosen. I parked and got out of the car. I helped Quillan out and headed toward the door.
"Welcome!" Someone called. "New parents toward the blue desk!"
As we entered, I was sort of bowled over by the colors in the building. Everything felt like I was bombarded with cartoon colors and vibrant colors, yet no one else seemed to be bothered by it.
I vaguely remembered the room in the Estate where all the kids were gathered. There was nothing cheerful or colorful on the walls, and the women who ran it rarely smiled, even at their own children.
Eliza was maybe the only one who had, but looking back, it was probably because she was sleeping with our father and getting extra benefits. My lips twitched as I thought more about it.
"I think we go over there," Quillan said, pointing at the wide, bright blue desk.
"Probably."
He took my hand, clinging to it as he glanced around the room. There was a clear shot to a playroom where kids were running, seemingly playing tag.
"Daddy, come back!"
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