Page 64 of Rain or Shine
"Good." Turning to Mammon, I hold out my hand. "Appreciate this."
Mammon clasps his hand in mine and jerks his chin. "We're family. That's what we do for each other."
Family. I guess he's right, that's exactly what we are now.
My phone rings as I take a breath of fresh air. Pulling it out, I didn't expect the call, nor the fear that consumes my whole being.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Delaney
"Higher, Laney, higher," Dash squeals, and I do as he demands, pushing him higher in the swing.
"Make sure you hold on tight, no jumping off mid-air." I laugh.
"I won't," he yells, kicking his legs back and forth with each descent to the ground.
Our morning has been amazing, starting with a trip to the library once they opened. He found himself some new books. A few on baseball players, one on dinosaurs, and another about history of past presidents meant for his age range. I'd even been able to find out that the library has group session days for those who are homeschooled. I made sure to gather up all of the information to go over this evening with Tyler when he gets home from work.
Now, we've been at the park for a little over an hour, and Dash seems to be having the time of his life. He's played on the slide, the monkey bars, just running around, and everything else a little boy could think of doing. We were getting ready to headout, but he asked me to push him on the swing so he could fly. I couldn't not do this for him. I would do anything to see that beautiful smile on his face.
Dash might not be mine, but from the first smile he gave me, I've felt a connection down to my soul. It's how he'd been able to weasel into my heart alongside his dad.
"Cute kid." The rasp of the husky voice behind me has me stepping back and turning to see the woman who spoke. She looks familiar, but I can't place why. Tyler's words of warning about his ex pops to the front of my mind.
Could this be her?
"He is," I agree, nodding, not taking my eyes off the woman, but also keeping Dash in my sight as well.
"Is he yours?" she asks, watching him.
"Yes," I say without hesitation.
The woman narrows her eyes on me, taking me in fully. "You don't look like you could be his mother," she says, her voice dropping to something more menacing. "He looks nothing like you, for that matter."
I feel my heart rate quicken as I realize this must be Megan, Tyler's ex. The woman who tried to kill his son. The one Tyler warned me to stay away from.
"Who are you?" I ask, keeping my voice steady despite the anxiety building inside me. I need the confirmation before I grab Dash and get us away from her as quickly as I can.
She smirks, not answering my question. Instead, she takes a step closer, her eyes darting over to Dash for a split second. Something about the way she looks at him twists my stomach.
"I'm his mother, of course," she says, her tone making my skin crawl. "You know, the one who actually carried him for nine months and pushed him out." Megan cocks her head slightly, a sneer curling her lips as she takes me in. "You know, Tyler always does have a type. Blonde. Pretty. Easily replaceable."
My heart pounds. The anxiety flows through me faster, and I take a step back toward Dash. "I think you should leave."
"Or what?" She takes another step forward. "You'll call the cops?"
"That's exactly what I'll be doing," I inform her, though I keep my voice calm and collected so as not to freak Dash out when I reach for the swing to bring it to a stop. "Come on, kiddo." I'd taken to using Tyler's nickname for Dash. "It's time to go."
"Aww, man, okay." He sighs and glances over to Megan. "Who's she?"
"No one we need to worry about," I tell him, taking his hand in mine and starting to walk in the direction of my truck, pulling my phone from my pocket.
"You know it's a shame about that house of yours," Megan calls out sweetly, not far behind us. "Sucks it burned down. Maybe it's a warning that you should stay away from what's not yours."
My steps falter, but I keep moving us toward the parking lot, my hand gripping Dash's much smaller one tighter.
"Laney, you're squeezing too tight," Dash complains, wiggling his fingers.
