HUNTER
“Daddy,whyarewe stopping here? I thought we were going home.”
Something deep inside me loved hearing Cosmo call my house home, even when he’d never been there before. He’d been bouncing in his seat ever since I buckled him in, excited to see where I lived. The knot that had formed in my stomach as I waited in the hospital for him to be discharged had only grown.
If anything happened to him while he was in my care…
“Daaaaaddy?”
The whining tone pulled me out of my thoughts, and I chuckled at how petulant he sounded. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to ignore you. Just lost in thought.”
“What’s a Juici Meal?”
“The restaurant that serves the best pizza.”
“We’re going to get pizza?”
“I did promise you pizza, didn’t I?”
“Sometimes Virgil promised me stuff just to shut me up but never followed through.”
“I’m not, Virgil, sweetheart.”
My breath hitched at the endearment. I shot him a sideways glance. I couldn’t begrudge him how happy he was. A few days ago, he’d been locked up in a prison cell and had been assaulted. The doctor had only given me the medical information about his condition. I hadn’t asked Cosmo about what had happened, waiting for him to bring it up if he wanted. So far, he’d steered clear of the topic.
“Come on. I’ll explain all the toppings to you, and you can make your own.”
I let him out of my SUV, and he threaded his arm through mine as if it was the most natural thing to do.
“I can’t wait to make my own pizza. I want one for me alone. Can I have that?”
“Sure thing. You can have anything you want today.” Better for him to enjoy the normalcy right now. Once they started arresting those people who’d hired Virgil to kill for them, he might not be safe for a while.
We found a booth and sat. I removed the menus from the placeholder and slid one across the table to him, but he was too busy looking around the restaurant.
“Have you never eaten in a restaurant before?”
His cheeks were flushed, and he shuffled up the seat, then back down and giggled. “No, never. This seat’s so soft.”
I let him have his fun with the seat, chuckling to himself, but he seemed distracted, like he’d forgotten why we were here.
“Cosmo, I’d like your attention, please.”
He stopped sliding and smiled at him. “Sorry. Was I being naughty?”
“Not naughty, but the server will be here soon. Let’s look at what topping you want on your pizza.”
“Can’t you order for me? Virgil always gets my food.”
“Is that what you’d like?”
He nodded.
“Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”
He shrugged. “I have to eat whatever Daddy gives me. It doesn’t matter if I like it or not.”
“That’s not true. I’d like your input. Please tell me if you don’t like something.”