Page 32 of Tarek

Matt looked at me with an expression of pure wonder. “Daddy, you're going to be a policeman, too, and your new husband is a dragon policeman! Does that mean we're the kids of a real superhero?”

“Not exactly,” I managed.

“Sounds like a superhero to me,” Evan said thoughtfully. “A dragon who catches bad guys and keeps everyone safe.”

“That's the idea,” Rhovan said, clearly enjoying himself. “Dragonii fathers are called Pata by their children. It's a special family title.”

Matt immediately sat up straighter. “So when we meet him, we call him Pata?”

“That's right,” Rhovan said.

“Pata Tarek,” Matt repeated, testing the words out. Then he turned to his brother. “We're going to have a dragon Pata!”

Evan was grinning now, too. “And Daddy's going to be a deputy sheriff. They'll be just like Andy and Barney Fife, except Daddy isn't that silly.”

“I should hope not,” I said, though I couldn't stop smiling.

The boys dissolved into laughter. Matt began waving his arms about, demonstrating just how enormous he thought Tarek's wings would be. Rhovan watched him for a moment, then glanced around the restaurant.

“Would you like to see what Dragonii wings actually look like?” he asked.

Both boys nodded so vigorously I feared they might give themselves whiplash.

Rhovan stood and moved back from the table, checking that he had enough room. Then he unfolded his wings.

The reaction was immediate. Evan and Matt both gasped, followed by a chorus of delighted exclamations from nearby tables. The wings spread wide, broad and impressive, their shape unmistakably draconic. A few staff members stopped what they were doing to stare, while several patrons reached for their phones and began taking pictures.

“Whoa!” Matt breathed. He looked as if he'd just met his favorite superhero in person.

Evan's eyes were enormous. “They're real!”

“Of course they're real,” Rhovan said, although his cheeks had taken on a slightly embarrassed hue as he realized how much attention the display had attracted. He folded his wings away again and returned to the table.

The boys were absolutely over the moon.

They began firing questions at Pellan and Rhovan about spaceships, Dragonii wings, whether Tarek could fly, and whether they would be allowed to see the sheriff's office. Xero joined in, answering what he could and promising that Bob would help make sure they had everything they needed when we arrived.

I sat back and watched them, feeling a weight lift from my chest. I'd been so afraid that the news would frighten them, that they would feel betrayed or worry that I was replacing the father they'd known. Instead, they were excited. They were already imagining a new life, a new planet, and a dragon sheriff they could call Pata. It wasn't that their enthusiasm erased what had happened. It didn't make the past less painful, or guarantee that everything ahead would be easy. But it reminded me that my children weren't waiting for me to make a perfect decision. They wanted to know that we were safe, that we'd be together, and that there was something good waiting for us. I could give them that.

As the boys went back to debating whether a Dragonii sheriff counted as a superhero, I looked down at the data pad. “Thank you,” I murmured, quietly enough that the children wouldn't hear.

“You're welcome,” Xero replied. “I believe this is going rather well.”

“It is.” I watched Evan lean toward Rhovan to ask another question, while Matt demonstrated with his hands how big he thought Tarek's wings must be. “I think I was right. I can do this.”

“I'm glad you think so.”

I took a breath and let myself imagine it properly for the first time. A safe home on New Haven. Work I could be proud of. Three children with room to play and explore, without strangers whispering about their family. A good friend who lived with us, worked with me, helped raise the children, and understood the things I didn't always know how to explain. Someone I could trust to be there when life became difficult.

And, perhaps, in time, a little more than friendship.

I could meet Tarek, get to know him, and let whatever happened between us happen naturally. We would complete the mating because the treaty required it, and perhaps we would both enjoy it. Then we could build a life together without pretending we had to become some perfect, passionate couple overnight. We could start as best friends and let the rest grow from there.

The boys didn't need to know anything about Philip beyond what was necessary. Neither did anyone else on New Haven. Xero, Bob, Tarek, and the children would know enough to understand the life we were leaving behind, but the rest of the colony didn't need the details. I could finally stop being the disgraced husband of a criminal and simply be Darren, a father and a deputy sheriff, building something good for my family.

I watched my sons laughing with the officers, and for the first time since the match announcement, I felt something that wasn't fear. It was hope. Maybe the universe genuinely had given my little family a real second chance after all, only time would tell.

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